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Published: February 1st 2010
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Isaan Concert Magic
On January 14th I had the chance to attend my first huge outdoor Isaan (Nort-East/Thailand) Concert in Pattaya. You can see from the photos that it was performed on a large stage, with brilliant costumes and playing mostly the upbeat Isaan style music that I enjoy so much. I went with ten friends, Thais and foreigners and it really was a magical night. There was plenty of food and drink and everyone was up and dancing and involved in the fun on a perfect night.
My health had not been good for the previous five weeks of this visit and I had stayed fairly close to my hotel most of the time. My last week in Thailand for this trip was spent with a very good friend and it was so great to be able to get out and about as I was feeling much better. This also provided extra mobility as we had a motorcycle and a car to get around to visit some of the sights around Pattaya.
We decided to check out the floating markets which are located on the Sukhumvit Road which was a fairly quiet place on a Monday morning.
The market is setup to showcase all types of Thai produce and cuisine, well worth a visit. Next stop was the Nong Nooch Tropical gardens which are absolutely brilliant and a magnificent display of various plants, tress and structures like the mini version of Stonehenge (correct me if I am wrong but I have been to Stonehenge and that was my impression). The owner of Nong Nooch also has a brilliant collection of exotic vehicles garaged on the site which are able to be viewed by visitors to the gardens.
It was going to be a busy day and we then went to the nearby Buddha Mountain which has a laser inscribed effigy of a seated Buddha and we had a nice lunch in the surrounding gardens. Next was Silverlake which is a vineyard adjoining a resevoir and some more magnificent gardens.
Last stop for the day was Wat Yansangwaram which was locked at the time but a very tall structure and well worth a visit just to look at the amazing architecture. All of the places visited were relatively close together and combined to make an excellent day of sightseeing. One of the highlights was the ride
back along the whole length of the main Jomtiem Beach from South to North and then on to Pattaya through the back streets. I certainly saw some places away from the tourist areas that I would not have seen alone. After dinner, which may have later came back to punish me, we went to the very fun Tumnan Kon Isaan Club in North Pattaya. This place is full every night and so much fun to party and dance the Isaan way till the early hours of the morning.
I was very sick for the next day and more with either food poisoining or a bug that was going around as five people that I knew had had similar symptoms. Thankfully I had someone to look after me as I was so sick that I could hardly move from my bed and I was soon nursed back to good health two days later. Thank you so much !!!
We were in relaxation mode so we decided to travel on our motorcycle to the beautiful and quiet Bangsalay Beach, about twenty minutes north of Pattaya. When we arrived a guy offered us a straw mat and a table for hire
which we happily agreed to. There was nobody hassling us all day to buy stuff which you get at Jomtiem and Pattaya beaches, they just rode past ocassionally on motorcycles and we waved to them if we wanted the vendors to stop and cook some barbeque or buy drinks, food or ice creams. It was a beautiful day, just lying on the mat, resting and taking a dip in the very clean water. That night we went to the Tiffany ladyboy Show which provided some very good entertainment.
My last day was spent checking out Buddha Hill and the nearby viewpoint which provided an excellent view of Pattaya Beach and the City. In the evening we had dinner at an Isaan style restaurant, drinks with friends and a night out at the disco that I will never forget, great to be with good friends before I returned to Australia.
When I next go to Thailand in April I will be visiting and staying with a family that I have not met before (I have met one family member 😊 who live in Phetchabun province near the centre of the country.
I will always visit the other Thai
family who I have known for two years in their village near Korat and I hope will always be a part of my life.
A better start to 2010 could not have been planned, most of it was unexpected and maybe my new year's dreams will become a reality.
Kop khun khrap - Thank you
Sawatdee khrap - Goodbye
Pob gan mai - See you again soon
Click on the pics if you want a larger view of the 34 photos (click Next to see more pics).
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