I write random musings to keep me sane and my intelligence intact: friends

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... and I am back!

Finally had time to sit down and write after a while. I have been so busy for the past couple of weeks. Especially after our recent trip to THAILAND. You won't believe the amount of work that was waiting for me on my desk. Hahahaha... *laughs*

Anyway, last month, me, Mark (my boyfriend) and a couple of our friends went to Thailand. For the five days that we were there, our itinerary included two cities - Bangkok (the capital) and Pattaya. This entry will be all about Pattaya. Since that was basically the first city we explored when we first arrived in Thailand (though we entered thru Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport).

We arrived in Bangkok minutes before Midnight (Thai Time) so we spent one night in Tonson Residences (great place by the way) where some of our friends also spent the night (Mark and I arrived a day later than our friends). We rented this one big three-bedroom apartment. It was kind of sad since we only spent a few hours in that place. But we had to leave early the next day to go to Pattaya.

We rented a van that could accommodate 10 people. Since there were 12 of us, we rented two vans. And might I add that we had the best driver ever and his name is BOBBY. More about him later.

This is Bobby's van. How cute is it! It even says I'm BOBBY at the front. So we never had trouble finding the van. Haha!


You know you're in Thailand when you see Ronald Mcdonald doing the famous Thai pose.

The travel time from Pattaya to Bangkok took less than one and a half hours. I read on some forums on the internet that when public transportation is used to go to Pattaya, it usually takes around 2 to 3 hours - depending on the traffic condition. Renting a van, especially if in a group, would be the best option in going to places outside of Bangkok. And we were lucky because traffic wasn't that bad at all during our road trip.

THE SANCTUARY OF TRUTH

We had plenty of time to spare before checking in at our hotel in Pattaya. So we decided to visit the Sanctuary of Truth first. Entrance to this beautiful place costs 500 Baht per person. But since there were plenty of us (a total of 12), our Driver, Bobby, managed to get a group discount and got the tickets for 400 Baht each instead. Yeay!

To know more about The Sanctuary of Truth, you can check out the link above. But here's a short background about the attraction - it is a temple built by wood and until now, construction is not yet finished. While we were there, we had to wear hard hats since construction was still ongoing. Nevertheless, it was a marvelous structure - something Pattaya is definitely proud of.

Check out our Malongs (long cloths) - since the girls and I were wearing shorts, we had to RENT these malongs to show lesser skin. We rented them for 250 baht each and they gave the whole amount back upon return of the malong.

Outside the Temple - all boys represent!

Ann and I posing with this wooden statue outside the temple.

Hard hats please! Don't want those wooden debris to possibly knock us down.

Hello Mr. Photobomber sir!

Inside the temple.

Aside from the pictures, Mark and I made a VLOG about our visit in the Sanctuary of Truth. Check this out

ROYAL CLIFF HOTEL

After visiting the Sanctuary of Truth, it was already past 2 in the afternoon so it meant that we could check in at our hotel already. We stayed at the Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya. Bobby, our driver, said that it was the number one hotel in Pattaya. It is a 5-star hotel located on the upper area of the city overlooking the Gulf of Thailand.

Rooms were neat and clean. There was a welcome fruit basket waiting for us at the mini living room. Too bad I did not take a picture of our room. But I was able to take these.

Welcome drinks at the hotel - Pomelo juice. YumYum!

Late lunch at the restaurant. Now for the 5-star hotel, the food served at their restaurant is not that expensive. I ordered this Chicken with fried rice meal for only 180 Baht. (around 252 Pesos). Oh and it's delicious too. They do, however, have an additional service charge but it's not that big so it's okay.

place to chill by the poolside

After eating our late lunch, Mark and I decided to check out the Pattaya Beach and shop for some souvenirs to bring back home. We also paid a visit to the world-known Walking Street in Pattaya.

Excuse the face.

Okay, to be honest, I did not find the beach in Pattaya that attractive. I still prefer the beach in Boracay in the Philippines. However, we were able to shop for some souvenirs that was located opposite the beach side. T-shirt for 250 Baht, 10 Keychains for 100 Baht, two mini notebooks for 50 Baht and a little wooden Elephant for 50 Baht. No pics. Boo.

Walking Street, Pattaya. Has Burger King, BonChon and Mcdonalds just to name a few. At night time, this area transforms into a place where people drink and party the night away.

Now back to the hotel...

So I was able to take this one photo of our room - Banban putting on some make-up on Ann and getting ready for their night out in the town.

Outside the hotel. They have these big sofas with mini tables ideal for lovers on dates.

We just had to have this picture right at the entrance of the hotel.

And a tip: Before around 9 in the evening, the mini bakeshop at the hotel sells all their desserts at 50 percent off! I got all four mini donuts for only 35 Baht instead of 70 Baht. I also remember buying a Plain Croissant for 10 Baht instead of 20 Baht. Not bad for a 5-star hotel.

Oh, and Pattaya was memorable for all of us because one of our friends, Glenn, finally proposed to his long time girlfriend Banban that same night. And we were all there to witness it. =)

Grabbed from Banban's FB account. Congratulations Guys =D (Photo by Kenneth)

Breakfast at the Royal Cliff was enjoyable. There were a lot of choices. From various pastries to delicious exotic viands and fruit juices. Mark and I were the early birds. The restaurant opens at 6:30 in the morning for their breakfast but we were allowed to eat around 6:15. Our key cards were checked before entering the restaurant to make sure that we were really guests of the hotel. For non-guests, the breakfast costs around 700 plus Baht per person.

mmmmmmm... BACON

Props only. I'm allergic to eggs, by the way. This is Mark's plate. haha


Perfect breakfast view as well with the perfect companion <3

After breakfast, we went back to the room. Ann and Banban were still sleeping since they came back late from their night out. So I had to be extra careful not to wake them up. I changed into a swimming ensemble and Mark and I headed down to the poolside.

Lovin' the view at the infinity poolside

It was a beautiful day to just dip and relax. Weather was just close to perfection.

I honestly don't know what these circles are for. But I think they are for Jacuzzis. Hahahaha.

After dipping in the pool, we checked out the private beach of the hotel. It was located at the back of the hotel and we had to take an elevator down just to go there.

My futile attempt to do a yoga pose.

Check out was at 12 noon. Before leaving, I just had to take a picture of the view outside our room.

Bye Royal Cliff, until next time =)

Group Shot. Complete =)

NONG NOOCH TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN

Before heading back to Bangkok, we went to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden which was located around 30 minutes from the hotel.

When we entered the place, we saw plants shaped into different animals. Sadly, wasn't able to take pics of the plants since I was inside the van.

Close encounter with the sleeping tiger. Nice kitty =D

Mouth watering mixed fresh fruit

Panorama View of the Garden

spot me and Mark.

Aside from the Garden, Nong Nooch also has a Cultural and an Elephant Show. We had fun watching both shows.

Entrance to the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden was normally for 500 Baht. But Bobby was able to get it for 400 each for us. Great deal! We went back to Bangkok after enjoying a few hours at the Tropical Garden.

To sum up this post, I would just like to compliment our Driver, BOBBY. We wouldn't have fully enjoyed our Pattaya trip if it weren't for him. He was a tourist guide and driver in one! And he spoke excellent English too. So there was no language barrier. I'll definitely contact him when we go back to Thailand.

Thanks Bobby =D

We definitely had a blast in Pattaya. I'll definitely go back there soon. Kapunka, Pattaya =D

xoxo,

AVI

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Pattaya, Thailand 2014

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