Our Return to Cambodia

Day 129 - We had to say goodbye to the blond-tailed squirrels which lived in the trees near our hotel balcony. (That is my own name for them for I never looked up their scientific name.) The trip back to Siem Reap went exactly as expected. We were up, ate, and checked out of the hotel at around 8:00 AM. We got on a baht-bus which went directly past the bus station, so we spent just 20 Thai baht and had tickets in hand by 8:15. The nine o'clock bus boarded fifteen minutes before it left.



The service to the airport is great. Depending on the traffic, it takes less than two hours. We got to Suvarnabhumi early. Checking into Bangkok Air was smooth and quick. We changed money and then headed to the airline's lounge for some free refreshments. There was also an in-flight meal although the journey was only 55 minutes!




We were welcomed back at the airport on 'Smile Day' or something. We waved at the TV cameras, wore the sash which was presented, and posed for the photographer. It was a nice way to be welcomed back into Cambodia for the remainder of our winter away. It felt strangely familiar coming back into Siem Reap. We were only gone for 12 nights and we'd only stayed here for about a month, but it felt a little more like home than during our initial arrival.

Our Final Day in Pattaya

Day 128 - This will be our last complete day in Pattaya, Thailand, at least for this trip. These last 12 days have gone super quickly. I find myself saying that more and more. Of course, this is surely a sign of getting older.

This morning we decided to see what was playing at the movies. We'd seen all three complexes in downtown Pattaya and walked to the Major Cineplex at The Avenue. There was an 11:30 show in English with Thai subtitles. We were in #3 and it was spacious with really good sound and comfortable seats which reclined a lot.

'Ready Player One' was a perfect movie for today. I didn't notice how long it really was. There were enough cultural references to keep most ages happy, even for those who may not really be gamers. I kept thinking, "My, we've come a long way since the original TRON, haven't we?"

We will use up our last two tickets from the buffet dinner booklet later. I'm sure we will stroll the beach one last evening to see the quality of the hookers on display ...

Tomorrow, we must get up a little earlier than usual. We'll try to eat breakfast at the hotel and check out around 8:00 AM. We will take bhat-buses to get to the location for the airport buses, a bit south of Pattaya. It will take a little over two hours to get to back to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Our return flight to Siem Reap doesn't fly until 2:05 PM.

Exactly One Year Ago

Day 127 - An anniversary occurs when a specific period of time has passed. In some cases, it can mark a tragic event but more often than not, it can be a cause for celebration. Today is being viewed in a very positive light.

Exactly one year ago today, Jay was undergoing open heart surgery. Nearly at this time, because of the time zone differences, my partner was having veins removed from his legs, his chest opened, and was getting five bypass grafts.



His recovery was astonishing. We have had a very, very active year since. We have visited many places on several world cruises and have stayed the current winter in different parts of SE Asia. A year ago, we were not aware that we'd be spending the first anniversary after his procedure on the beach in Pattaya, Thailand!

Mail and Males

Day 126 - This time in Thailand is working out well. We have happily reacquainted ourselves with Pattaya after an absence of twenty-seven years. The city was a bit shocking at first but now things have fallen into a routine. I could see spending extended time in Thailand during our future winters.

This morning we found the post office. We are, in all honesty, probably the last people on earth who still send postcards. By what I've seen, there are only two places that still sell them in Pattaya. Damn you, Instagram! There's something nice about a picture with a place for a stamp on the back! My dad is no longer on the Internet, so a card makes for an easy way to say hi when travelling.



This morning we also bought tickets for a show at the Alcazar Cabaret Show. We went to the second, Vegas-type performance of the evening and they seem to fill the purpose-built complex for each one.






It was our second time as we first saw a show there in 1991. Some of the 'girls' were amazing. RuPaul would've given her seal of approval.

I Shoot Pictures to Remember

Day 125 - I find the power of an image absolutely amazing. I can look at one on a screen and think back to a location long abandoned in my head. I like saving the 'ordinary' for later personal perusal. The good thing about saving images nowadays is that they can follow one around to any location one happens to be. That's powerful and a little magical.

Here are areas around Soi 10 in Pattaya, Thailand on April 2, 2018:

Another, Quieter Walking Street

Day 124 - Today was a quieter Sunday for us. The Mi Band shows exactly eight kilometers of walking which is a little less than the average we've been doing lately. We do enjoy walking Beach Street as well as the alleys and inner roads.

We always start the morning with breakfast in the Eastiny Residence Hotel. The food displays a numbing sameness that is a little comforting. We ate at our two favourite restaurants on Pattaya Second Road for lunch and dinner.

In fact, we got off a bhat-bus for dinner at Kiss Foods and Drinks. We'd come back from Jomtien Beach. We wanted to take a look around the Jomtien Complex area in the evening time. There was not a great deal going on there.




It was very quiet compared to downtown Pattaya City. That area is a preferred option should we come to spend a longer amount of time near Pattaya during a future winter of early-retirement.

Climb Every Mountain

Day 123 - If one looks south along Pattaya Beach, it's easy to see the hill which has the word P-A-T-T-A-Y-A spelled out in large letters. Today, we wanted to get to the top.

We walked Walking Street and wondered if we'd find a trail up near the letters. We didn't. However, we walked nearly to the overpass and up an abandoned road to a highway going up the hill. Then, we walked up the steps in a park on our way to the Big Buddha. Most Internet hints suggested hiring a bhat-bus for around 250 baht. We had to sweat a bit but gained the satisfaction of getting up under our own steam!



It was a full moon day which in the Buddhist tradition that makes it special.





We spent quite a bit of time relaxing at the top. Then, we headed up another hill overlooking the bay of Pattaya. It had a statue dedicated to the founder of the Thai Navy. The antenna for a radio station is visible from quite a distance.

The morning threatened rain but we didn't encounter any until after we were back in the hotel room from lunch.

Around Soi 10

Day 122 - I don't quite know why I've continued to rely on photos so much here lately. I always considered myself a bit of a word-guy and I guess I figured so many years of blogging sort of proved it. Perhaps when I'm in learning mode myself, I am a little more observant and a bit less opinionated. (Nah, that doesn't sound like me, at all!)




Jay and I didn't venture far away from the hotel today. Well, we walked many kilometers, but they were all around Soi 10. It is nice having the beach out at the end of the street and another street full of souvenir shops, massage parlours, 7/11's, and restaurants on the other.

We ate a small lunch as an excuse to pig-out at a buffet this evening. Yay. We still have another week in Pattaya before we head back to Siem Reap for the few remaining weeks of our 'SE Asian winter.'

The Far End of Jomtien Beach

Day 121 - We wanted to head back to see more of the Jomtien Beach. I think in the back of our minds, we wonder if we can spend some part of a future winter here. This trip has allowed us a taste of what hanging around near a Thai beach would be like.



We had the baht bus drop us off. Later, we found that the temple near our arrival was approximately halfway down the very long beach. We walked nearly to the south end. The largest condos lie down at that end but businesses and traffic is a bit scarce there.




We came back and had lunch directly at a good little restaurant on the Pattaya Second Road. The day was less overcast than the photos would indicate as I accidentally left the camera on the night-mode setting. It is always warm not only because of the temperature but the high humidity.

Our evening walk included going in the large complex in front of the Hilton. The mall is fantastic design with the escalators designed to make it seem like one is entering a large cathedral of shops. We might go for lunch in a really nice all-you-can-eat place called the All Season Steak Buffet. We ate dinner back at the Lek Hotel's buffet.

It's the Beach, Baby!

Day 120 - Winter continues (in the sweltering heat by a Thai beach.)



We started the morning off by grabbing a bhat bus to the north end of Jomtien Beach. Actually, we needed to catch two as the ones from the beach road all turned and we had to take one that was waiting on the edge of the road south. The area is south of Pattaya beyond the hill with the giant Buddha.




We wanted to check out the area as we remember buffalo grazing along that section in the early 1990's. Now, it is more built up but a completely different vibe to the busy section of Pattaya.

As soon as the truck came to the waterfront we got off and walked north to Dongan Beach. It didn't seem very busy or very fabulous. I blame that on the copious, corpulent Russian babushkas!



We walked and walked back towards the point. Eventually, we got tired and headed uphill to connect back to the Thap Phraya Road. It took a bit of Google mapping to find the road, but we did. We were hot and tired.

Lunch was at a local restaurtant before the afternoon nap. We went back out when it starts to get dark at around 6:30 pm. We took another bhat bus to Walking Street. We walked it. We had to avoid the Chinese groups stampeding through the space.




Dinner was light tonight. We just shared three chicken shwarmas from the lady who sells at the end of Soi 10 in the evenings.

American Fried Rice and Ladies of the Night

Day 119 - We awoke to a rather overcast day. It fooled us into taking a large morning hike to the north-end of Pattaya Beach. The traffic along Beach Road is one-way as traffic in the other direction travels along Pattaya Second Road. We walked against the direction of the flow of traffic. That meant to do the loop we couldn't take a Bhat bus, one of the small trucks which pick up guests in the back for $0.30. That little morning walk probably added 6 kilometers to the 10.5 we accomplished today.

Lunch was pretty Thai. I'd not had American Fried Rice for years, so it was great when washed down with a Singha beer.


It wasn't even for breakfast! In the evening we walked the beach road and watched the johns negotiate with the prostitutes. It all seems so normal. We found that the Lek Hotel has a special dinner buffet and that is where we ate. In fact we bought a coupon book of 10, so I know we'll be eating there four more times during our time in Pattaya.

Sabaidee

Day 118 - Welcome back. Of course, things are quite different than when we visited in 1991. The city is bigger, it's more crowded, and there are more Russians.





We did a whole lot of walking today, more than 10 kilometers or so the Mi Band says. First, we just walked down the main beach area to the South ferry pier. We bought too much lunch and had to have them pack the extra pad thai and fried rice so we could take half of it away.

Thailand is no longer cheap, but prices for some things might be cheaper than those in Canada. It is going to be a relaxing space to spend the next 11 days. Life itself is relaxing when one has arranged it correctly.