Pattaya city by day

View of Pattaya on the way into town

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We woke up to -- you guessed it -- another hot and sunny day.  The thought of a lovely, complimentary breakfast at our new favourite restaurant was enough to jolt us out of bed and we weren't disappointed -- that's for sure!  I finally tasted some good coffee -- so good, must be organic -- and we enjoyed some very fresh and locally-grown pinapple and watermelon. 

After breakfast, we had made plans to see Pattaya city, although we were a bit nervous about what we would find after what we had heard about Pattaya's skeeziness.  With expectations to hear calls for the "Ping Pong Show", we walked down the hill, baking in the noon-day heat.  HOLY HOT! 

When we arrived, we found less of a sex-crazed lewd scene and more of a tourist crazy land -- think of Orlando -- but on the ocean.  We didn't even dare venture down to the beach, but instead stayed on the mainroad and explored the miles and miles and vendor carts filled with everything a tourist would desire.  Sometimes we looked down one of Pattaya's many side streets, where signs for "Sexy Ladies" were everywhere.  But honestly, it wasn't that bad.  The creepiest part of Pattaya, though, was that almost every North American man you saw was with a small, usually young-looking Thai woman.  We had our suspicions about these couples, which were more than validated throughout the day.  The verdict: Pattaya is not a place for couples... stay at Cabbages and Condoms and don't leave the resort!  :)

Artisan along the road

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After a while, we found a mall -- phew A/C! -- and went inside.  It was very North American-looking, with lots of Outlets.  We slowly walked around, enjoying the stores.  We bought some nice matching wrap-around skirts -- skirts are proving to be the clothing of choice here -- and had the usual fun of bartering. 

After some time of picking up some trinkets, we ate a late lunch -- uninspiring food to be found in Pattaya city.  Before heading back, we were tempted by the massage houses that are EVERY WHERE.  We all got the traditional Thai massage -- 120 Baht for 30 minutes.  For those who do not know -- like I didn't! -- a thai massage is basically moving all of your major joints and stretching all of your major muscles.  It felt great.  Apparently I was very tense because she kept chopping on my back and neck... eek!  After we were done, the ladies were so nice to us and offered us tea.  We refused and now are not sure if that was impolite -- any advice, please post in comments!

Sign for our resort

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Back at the hotel again, we swam in the pool, enjoying the solitude and the beautiful surroundings, before a very nice last dinner.