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7th March 2009
I went out last night to check out the nightlife on "Walking Street" in Pattaya, which is the local bar and restaurant area. I had been there during the day and it was mostly deserted even though most of the bars and restaurants were open.
It was about 9pm when I arrived and there was a lot of pedestrian traffic but still most of the bars and restaurants were almost empty. I imagine it may not get busy until after midnight.
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21st February 2009
I took the ferry to Koh Larn (Coral Island) today. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the island from Bali Hai Pier at the Southern end of Pattaya. It only costs 20 Baht each way to go to Tawaen Beach Pier or Naban Pier. I went to Naban Pier and then walked to Thong Lang Beach and then on to Tawaen Beach.
Tawaen Beach (sometimes spelt Twaen Beach or Ta Waen)is the largest and most popular beach on the island. It is quite long, has clear warm water and has plenty of deck chair vendors, restaurants, souvenir shops and clothes shops. A family of monkeys appeared on the rooftops of the restaurants around lunchtime looking for food handouts. I had a good day spending several hours on the beach before catching the ferry back to Pattaya from Tawaen Beach Pier. This may well become a regular trip for me as the beach is better and slightly less crowded than either Jomtien or Pattaya.
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18th February 2009
I caught the bus to Bangkok today (about 150 kilometres) and all went well. The bus was comfortable and air conditioned. The trip took about 1 hour and 45 minutes with a few stops. The bus left from the North Pattaya bus station (they depart every 30 minutes) and cost 113 baht (about 5AUD). The bus does not go all the way into Bangkok but the Bangkok bus station is next to a Sky Train station so no drama.
Bangkok is not really a pedestrian city as it is quite large and scattered (as I found out after walking about ten kilometres). I had no plan just thought I would "have a look" as I did not go into the city when I first arrived. I may consider taking the train next time just to compare it with the bus.
When I visit Bangkok next time I will either take an organised "City Tour" or hire a Tuk Tuk (although they seem expensive).
On the trip back to Jomtien/Pattaya I was amazed at how many night markets there were in every town we passed through. It appears that most of the locals shop at night (even in Pattaya Beach the new Central Festival Shopping Centre opens from 11am to 10pm every day). I had heard that the locals go to the beach at night (to avoid the sun) but that is not the case at Pattaya as all the deck chairs etc. were packed up and the beach was close to empty (unlike the bars on Beach Road and Walking Street).
Sometime within the next few days I will venture out at night and check out the nightlife down Walking Street and other areas of Pattaya.
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10th February 2009
I went for a walk along Jomtien Beach this morning after checking out the rooftop of my apartment block.
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29th January 2009
Have just about got settled and organised in my new apartment. There is a 24 hour supermarket just outside the complex so shopping for food is easy. Transport to either Jomtien or Pattaya is cheap (10 Baht) and simple using the Baht Buses.
More Pattaya Photos January 2009
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23rd January 2009
I am having a couple of "Lazy Days" in Jomtiem, Thailand (where I am based for the next twelve months) to settle in. My apartment and its location are good. I went for a long walk this morning along the full length of Jomtien Beach. I will take some photos over the next few days.
The pool area at my condo Northern Jomtien Beach
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21st January 2009
Overnighting in Singapore simply because I chose to go to Bangkok via Singapore so that I could travel on the new Qantas Airbus A380. The Airbus A380 is really just a new version of the Jumbo without anything added. The only notable differences I noted were the height of the ceiling (higher than 747 to the point that several people had trouble getting their luggage into the overhead storage) which I thought was strange as this was the lower deck. The Airbus is quieter than the Jumbo and has 10" video screens. The only negative I found were that the seats seamed less comfortable.
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19th January 2009
After a relaxing break in Caloundra I am back in Sydney for three days before flying out to Singapore (one day stopover) and then on to Bangkok and Jomtien Beach.
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1st January 2009
Arrived back "Home" (Kings Beach, Caloundra, Sunshine Coast, Queensland) after spending Christmas in Sydney. I will be in Caloundra for the next three weeks before going to Thailand (via Sydney and Singapore).
Kings Beach
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17th December 2008
I am now back in Sydney after leaving Costa Rica and spending a couple of days in Phoenix and then Honolulu.
The reason for the gap in entries is that my backpack got stolen (including laptop, camera etc.) in Costa Rica (on the bus from San Jose to Jaco Beach) after I returned from Panama. Ironically I had already purchased a new camera (Sony DSLR A200 with a Tamron 18-200 lens) and a new laptop (Acer Aspire One mini 8.9" screen 120GB hard disk) as a "back up".
I will be in Sydney for the next two weeks before going to Caloundra for three weeks and then I leave for Thailand for twelve months.
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