Pattaya - A Few Basic Information

Here I will describe my impressions of my visit to Thailand and Pattaya.

I am a tourist who is visiting Pattaya City. Pattaya City has four major zones: North Pattaya, Central Pattaya, South Pattaya and Jomtien. I live now in Jomtien. There is also a small mountain known as the Pratumnak Hill, it is located between South Pattaya and Jomtien. There you can see the “Big Buddha”, which is a great tourist location. 

The most popular way of transportation here is of course by motorbikes. But the more fun and exciting transport is the “Tuk-Tuk” taxi (song twice)  They are special customized pickup trucks with passenger seats in a covered overhead back cabin. These pickups can easily carry 8-10 passengers in the back, plus 1 or 2 passengers in front. They are allowed to stop anywhere, and you just need to push the button when you want somewhere to go out. Then you have motorbike taxi’s, and finally private taxi cars.

Jomtien Beach Rd., which is a two-way road, also parallels Sukhumvit Rd and is the only road in the Jomtien area, except for some connecting streets. Sukhumvit road is a main transit street.

If you want to rent a motorbike here, it is very easy. All you need is a passport, and some money (1000tbh) that you leave for insurance. But you should know that in Thailand people drive on the left side, just like in England or Japan. So for me it was very confusing in the beginning, and you should be careful when you drive.

Especially interesting to me was when I saw the way that people sell food and other belongings in the streets. Many Thais make small trailers that are combined with their motorbikes. And placed in that trailer is a battery, that often have a grill or a small stove. In this way they sell food. And when they have a customer, they just stand on one side of the road. And the food is always fresh. The sell various types of Thai dishes, fresh chopped fruit and sometimes clothes.

And if you want to take another form of transport, you have motorbike taxis. You can see them often, and recognize them by the vests they wear. Price depends on where you want to go. When you agree about destination and price, just sit on the bike, and he will take you.

As for the supermarkets and buying basic things, it’s not a problem. Every street has a 7 Eleven shop, sometimes at every 50 meters. These markets are not large, but they have all the necessary things that you will need every day. Particularly interesting is when you see in front of the 7 Eleven shop at the entrance,  a few dogs who sleep right next to the door. Thais do not put in chains their dogs,  and i'm pleasantly surprised to see how many there are on the streets. They are peaceful and very beautiful dogs.
Besides 7 Eleven market there is also Family Market. Pattaya has several shopping centers as well as large supermarkets such as Tesco Lotus and Makro.

If you are not close, even that is not a problem. It’s very cheap to rent a bike, so feel free to take one. Rental costs from 100 to 200 TBH, you just need a passport and a deposit of 1000 TBH. To point out that you need an international driver's license, otherwise you can get a fine if the police stops you. They will give you helmets, and you can freely leave them on the motorbike when you park. Here the helmets are cheap, and it’s not a custom for someone to steal them.

Walking Street Pattaya is one of the most exciting streets in the world. Want to have fun? Here you will find everything you are looking for. Entertainment, bars, discos, gogo-bars, cabaret shows and much much more. This is surely a party zone!

One thing is sure, when walking down the Walking Street it would be an experience you will never forget. In late hours, the Walking Street is closed for traffic. If you are hungry, you will certainly find your own taste. There are a variety of sea-food restaurants to Indian, Italian, European, Thai or many other countries. The largest discos are Candy Shop, Marine Disco, Insomnia, Tony's and Mixx.

The number of foreign people visiting Walking Street is huge. It is very easy to recognize, since it has a large sing posted at the front. You just go to Beach Road in south Pattaya and you can’t miss it. And don’t be surprised if some of the girls are calling you and inviting you to go to their bar. Some will approach you, and if you don’t want to go to that club or bar, be sure to polite say “no”. 

But you also have to be careful since there is a large number of people walking this street. Keep your wallet safe and secure, because you will never know what you can find in there. Communication can be a problem too, since you are in a different country, be sure to learn more about their culture and the way they live. If something happens to you, be sure to contact the tourist police. You will sure pass next to them, and they are easy to spot.  

Pattaya nightlife is a heaven for single guys, and if you can be smart and look around, you will have a great time here. Pattaya girls are pretty open minded, and there is one thing they are looking for the most. And that is a foreigner with lots of money. Not saying that all girls in Pattaya are like that, but the most bar-girls will expect money since that is their job. You can find everything here. After one month, I still see new things every day, and there is no shortage of surprises.

And one more thing before I end this text, make sure that a girl you meet… is actually a girl! You heard all the stories, and yes, they are all true!