and Pattaya ahoy

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Bangkok's so much easier than Kuala Lumpur when you want to catch a bus somewhere. I headed off to Pattaya today, an hour further on from Chonburi, to see the Patttaya Underwater World. The foreigner price was a hefty 360 Baht, and I can't say its worth it. It certainly is a nice aquarium, but its kind of a Kelly Tarlton's aquarium -- an opening bit with various tanks then a walk-through tunnel tank, and that's it. I much preferred the Bang Saen Aquarium in Chonburi. The tanks in the opening bit were fine though the arapaima in the Amazon tank looked a bit cramped. There were developing shark eggs on display. The egg-cases were transparent so you could see the embryos clearly; the woman on duty assured me that's how they were when laid, but I doubted it. The most awesome fish in the place were the blue-spotted stingrays in the ocean tank: the young ones had whip-like tails three times the length of their bodies, which was amazing to see.

Also in Pattaya is a place called Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum (or Odditorium which sounds so much better). I got a lift there from some friendly aquarium visitors. Its in the Royal Garden Plaza mall, but it turned out to cost 380 Baht so I gave it a miss. Probably would have been cool though. The mall was geared entirely towards tourists. All the non-staff were tourists and all the shops were expensive tourist shops. The book shop ("Bookazines") had entirely English titles like Artemis Fowl, The Da Vinci Code, etc. I hadn't eaten since 8am and it was now 2pm but all the eating places in and around were too dear. The cheapest place was Burger King. I got two hamburgers and a chicken burger for 135 Baht. All the customers were white. I felt like a sell-out. Before I left the mall, some Japanese pop-star made a fly-through of the mall, followed by about 50 photographers with more latching on at every step. The place was in an uproar, with staff pouring from the shops to see. The tourists just looked bemused.

The main attraction of Pattaya for tourists I think is the Jomtien beach (although the people I got a lift to the mall from said the main tourists were of the single male variety, if you see what I mean). There is a beach there, but you can't actually see it. Its entirely covered end to end in beach umbrellas and those hammock-style deck-chairs. And most of them are empty. I went to sit down and a woman comes up and says "you want to sit?" "yes, I was just going to sit down" "thirty Baht" "thirty Baht to sit down? I think not" I say and move on. I think that the beach is all sectioned up and owned by various people (or rented from the city or whoever). Its not the kind of beach where you go to relax.

I don't understand the fare structures of the transport system in Thailand. Maybe its a farang thing but the fare one way is almost always different when going the same distance the opposite way. The bus to Chonburi cost 53 Baht, the same bus back to Bangkok I get charged 80 Baht; the bus to Pattaya cost 124 Baht, the same bus back to Bangkok was 121 Baht. A regular bus in Bangkok might cost 7 Baht one way then 12 Baht the other. From the bus terminal in Pattaya to the town cost 20 Baht in a songthaew. They do a circuit, bus to town to bus to town and so on. So when going back I jump in a songthaew, ask him if he's going to the bus terminal, he is, we go, and he wants 150 Baht. They're all pirates and thieves in Thailand.

Endnote: I got out 10,000 Baht from an ATM at the Royal Garden Plaza. I felt so rich.

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Photos

pipefish tank
I don't know what species they are, but all the aquariums over here have these BIG lime-green pipefish

Comments

[Justin]

3 cheers for stingrays
are u gonna do a dedication on your site to steve erwin i know he was your hero and u will miss him greatly such a tragedy to have him die by a stingray i mean if only he had not pulled the spine out of his heart..... i guess he died as he lived....A IDIOT!!!!