Travel to the beach

We had a travel day, from Bangkok to Pattaya. Before we left Bangkok in our minivan taxi, we had lunch from the vendors around the corner from our hotel. I had two skewers of roasted pork, but the rest of the crew had bowls of rice and curry or noodles. David looks ferocious in this picture, but I think he was just hungry! Phillip’s big bowl of noodles with beef and vegetables and his bottle of water: 50 baht (about $1.75 US).

After lunch, we made the two-hour trip to Pattaya, a beach town southeast of Bangkok. Our hotel is just across the road from the beach, with no buildings on the beach side of the street. There’s a meandering path  made of brick among the palm trees next to the beach, so we didn’t fill our shoes with sand when we went for a walk to the north of our hotel. The part of the beach across from our hotel is not for swimming, as small boats can come up to shore to pick people up. However, it is only a few blocks walking to the swimming part of the beach. And these deck chairs with umbrellas are on all the beachfront area.

Our room is gorgeous, very modern with a view of the bay from the window above the bed. The pillows are soft and the air conditioner works. That floor to ceiling glass you see includes the sliding door out to our balcony. Two chairs and a table on the balcony, perfect for morning coffee before the sun comes up and the beach calls our name. Because of the humidity – this is a coastal town, cool showers are a must when we get back from walking. And in this hotel, showers are an experience. Phillip calls this showerhead a “rain head,” as the water cascades from above you like you are in the rain. This is the first time I’ve used one, and I must say it’s like showering under Niagra Falls!

Phillip got another “tattoo” at the beach. No “I love Mom” this time… a tiger instead. He must be feeling strong and brave! My very own Tony the Tiger. David, Phillip, and the tattoo guy had a good time. Miriam and me – we opted for the $3 (for 30 minutes) foot and leg massage. So nice, we wished we had such treatment as soon as we had gotten off the plane in Bangkok.

Some views from our beach chairs, right across the street from the hotel, where the vendors walk by selling fruit, tattoos, massages, and all sorts of goods:

Although the bottom picture looks crowded with beach chairs, it is more the perspective of the picture as I took it. We had plenty of room and weren’t crowded by the other chairs. We stayed on the beach this afternoon until about 3 pm, under the umbrellas, so no sunburns.

Tomorrow, we have an excursion to three nearby islands where we will fish and snorkel.