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Pattaya

Pattaya is Thailand's Sin City on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. It only takes 2 hours to drive there from Bangkok. There are some ok beaches, lots of shopping, great restaurants and thousands of bars filled with girlfriends for the night. The town is pretty mellow during the day but it begins to get busier in the afternoon as hangovers fade.

Pattaya Thailand Ocean View

Pattaya is a haven for crime and foreign criminals with a lot of Russian mafia types there and in Jomtien to the south. Just keep a few of your wits about you and you will be fine. Also ignore the touts, especially the non Thai ones.

There are a lot of theme parks and activities for families although I am still not sure why anybody would bring kids here.

Pattaya and quieter Jomtien to the south have all of the beach and water activities that you need including snorkeling, sailing, Island trips, parasailing, fishing and diving.

Songkran in Pattaya Thailand

Day Trips: There are a number of half and full day trips that are available from Pattaya. Everything from visiting orchards and sapphire mines in Chanthaburi to elephant trekking and crocodile farms. Check out one of the little travel shops for all of the options.

Golf: There are plenty of courses within a half hour drive from Pattaya. Green fees are reasonable and most courses offer lessons.

Si Racha Tiger Zoo: We never made it here as the park was suffering from a bird fly epidemic that had jumped to the tigers. Sadly over 80 tigers died as a result of the virus. The park has had many other recent scandals and hopefully with all the media attention, has cleaned up its act. These beautiful tigers are such endangered creatures that it would be nice to have somewhere respectable breeding them. The park is located 30 km north of Pattaya, a short distance inland from Si Racha.

Nongnooch Tropical Garden: 20 minutes south of Pattaya is this odd mix of botanical garden and folk festival village. There are cultural shows, Muay Thai exhibitions and elephant shows.

Open Tue-Sun, 9-4.

Nightlife: Pattaya has a wealth of good and reasonably priced restaurants covering the spectrum of cuisines. There are a number of katoey (transvestite) cabaret shows that are hugely popular for visiting tourists. Bars, night clubs and discos are everywhere. They go late and are filled with girls who are willing to go home with you for adequate compensation. Beware of scams and crime.