Pattaya, Thailand

As I mentioned in my last post, we had signed up for a second-day 9-hour excursion in Bangkok titled "Bangkok & Its Grand Palace" scheduled to leave from the port at 7:30 a.m.  When I got back to the ship and our stateroom at 2 a.m. Thursday morning after a long day in Bangkok without Janis, she told me she no longer was in quarantine but didn't feel comfortable committing to such a long ride and day in the city.  We opted instead to take the Viking-provided shuttle bus into Pattaya, a beach resort an hour's ride away.  And since the shuttle ran every half hour, we also decided there was no need to go early in the morning.  So we wound up taking the 10 a.m. shuttle.  We were deposited at a multi-story indoor mall right across the street from the beach.  It was raining when we got there so we went into the mall which, as malls go, was a particularly nice one (nicer, for example than the UTC Mall in Sarasota).  It was actually a pleasure to be able to run errands, browse, etc.  We didn't get to all levels, but I took some photos just to show what it is like.  In the major anchor department store there was even a department named "Portland" which might represent a brand name or who knows what.

                                      

There are a number of U.S. fast food chains represented in the mall.  KFC, Burger King, McDonald's, 7-Eleven, Pizza Hut and Haagen-Dazs are the names most often found all over Asia.

   

The largest store in the mall, a department store named "Central," has a very impressive supermarket in the basement.

The basement level of the mall also contains a food court consisting of several restaurants and a fascinating setup called "Food Park" with a huge selection of fresh local foods.  The way it works is you use local currency to purchase a cash card that is electronically charged whenver you purchase something at one of the stalls within the park.  We did this, each of us choosing items at different places.  Janis ate cautiously (bland rice and steamed vegetables) and I had pad thai that was delicious.  When we were done, we exchanged the balance on our cash card for local currency.

 

Because we had entered the mall through a side entrance where the bus pulled up, thus avoiding the rain, when we exited through a door facing the main drag along the beach we were pleasantly surprised to see this nice courtyard area and realized that the mall is contained within a hi-rise that also incorporates a Hilton hotel.

 

Fortunately, it was no longer raining but it remained very cloudy.  Not an ideal beach day although there were several people on the beach.  We noticed dozens of speed boats anchored offshore.  A few, but only a few, people were parasailing.  I can only imagine the level of activity that must exist out in that bay on an ideal beach day.  One of our new friends on the ship, a retired career army colonel, told me this was his second visit to Pattaya, the first having occurred 50 years ago when he and some of his men were sent there on a shore leave while serving in Vietnam.  He noted, but was not surprised at, the extent to which this resort town has grown.

     

We returned to the ship mid-afternoon, well in advance of a scheduled 5:30 sailaway.  On the shuttle bus ride back, I had fun taking a bunch of photos of the gaggle of wires that is typical everywhere in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.  According to my Bangkok guide, Bill Gates apparently visited Bangkok a few years ago and commented on some social media blog about these wires.  Apparently as a result of that unflattering reference the prime minister of Thailand has pledged to get all these wires underground throughout the country.  The guide then rolled his eyes, signalling that he would believe it when he saw it.  I know I'm including too many of these wire photos, but I couldn't resist.

 
                                             

Right on time, the gangway was lifted and we were on our way.

                                    

On the dock the several Thais who served as guides over the last two days on the many different offered excursions could be seen arranging themselves for a group photo and then waving goodbye to us.  They did an excellent job.  Maneuvering groups of people through the crowded streets of Bangkok is far from easy, and they did it with care and patience.

 

After an overnight sail, we dropped anchor just offshore at the Thailand resort island of Nathon Koh Samui.  More about that in my next blog.