Pattaya is a big and modern city in Thailand, which is about 2 hours drive from Bangkok, the capital. I cannot say I saw Thailand because it is quite a big country but here are the things I observed in Pattaya.
- Food. This region offers mostly sea food but there were many interesting vegetarian options too, spicy ones. They also sold roasted corn on the street and ask any Mexican how happy that makes us. Fresh, strange fruit juices and tasty weird desserts. At the floating market some of the sellers are in boats on the water streets. I love the next image because of the traditional food, a native person and the world-famous mobile phone.
- Nature. All sorts of beaches, from sandy to rocky ones. I went to one with pretty sharp rocks with a lot of shells sticks in them. I have a few souvenirs cuts in my hands. Another special thing were the loads of dry coral on the beach.
- Kindness. People were very polite and sweet. Also, Thai language sounds very funny.
They seem to be grateful, I got that impression for the way they thank about things. It is quite contagious actually, I think being grateful does make you happy, making you see what you have and appreciate what you are receiving, motivating you to give more as well.
- Landscapes
- Loyalty to the king. While in many other countries the government or kings are always being blamed for everything, in Thailand people are very loyal, respectful and submissive towards the king. Last year the ing passed away and I heard that people wore black for about a year. Now his very young son is king and there are statues being built around the country.
From the coast of Pattaya you can see some islands, you can visit those by boat. There are monkeys in some of them! I was mostly fascinated for the coral and stones on the beach instead of the usual Caribbean shells.
The weather was between 20 and 35 degrees. Only one day there was some rain for a few minutes but it stayed warm. It did remind me a lot to Mexico, the roads, the size and skin tone of people, the corn being sold, the palms, the weather. They did not have tacos though, but a lot of rice with every meal. There are indeed quite a lot of scooters and people drive on the left side of the road while the driver is on the right side, just like in England, Australia and Japan. There is quite a lot of traffic around the area at certain times of the day, specially to get to the main street which is a bit of a mix between vegas in the USA and the red light district in Amsterdam. Yes I did see some ladyboys.
More pictures to come!