I've been planning to go to Thailand since July because I was given a round trip ticket to any international Cebu Pacific Air destination courtesy of my Citibank credit card. I chose this country because I wanted to pay a visit to my grandfather's grave and meet his son, my dad's half-brother, for the first time.
Thanks to Facebook, my cousin Karen, who used to live in Bangkok, introduced me to our uncle. I was excited to meet him because he and my dad used to write letters to each other when my father was still alive. I am sure my Tatay would be happy to know that at least one of his family members got to meet Uncle Bert in person.
And so I arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at around 9AM last Thursday morning. I went down to the first floor and looked for the bus counter to get a ride to Pattaya. I bought a ticket worth THB 134 for the 12NN bus because the earlier time slots were already taken.
To kill time, I went to the food court and looked for something to eat. There, one has to exchange money for coupons to be able to buy anything from the kiosks.
So I traded in 100 Thai Baht (THB) and bought myself a shrimp wanton noodle soup (THB 65), a cup of iced tea (THB 15), and a bottle of water (THB 10). The last THB 10 coupon, I kept as a souvenir.
A few minutes before noon, I went back to the bus counter where we were directed to our bus. The vehicle is very comfortable. It has a wide legroom, soft seats, and a comfort room! (Yay for not having to worry about rest stops!)
I slept for most of the two-hour trip then got off at the last stop, which was just a waiting shed beside some shops. My uncle fetched me there after I gave him a landmark. It turned out he thought I took the other bus, Bell Service (the one he told me to ride), and was on his way to that company's station. I didn't realize that the bus I rode is different from the other one. Thankfully, I still arrived in Pattaya in one piece.
We went straight to Phratamnak Hill (Khao Pattaya), an elevated area overlooking the city where there is a great view of the crescent bay. There, you'll find Wat Khao Phra Bat, the Monument of Kromluang Chomphonkhetudomsak, the founding Father of modern Thai Navy, and the Thai Navy's radio station.
Next, we visited the nearby Big Buddha at Prayai, Khamtumna Mountain. It has stairs that immediately reminded me of Malaysia's Batu Caves but the steps here at not as steep nor as many.
There are lots of smaller Buddhas around the area. Each have signs that indicate one day of the week; maybe to avoid confusion as to what Buddha to pray to on particular days. I had my photo taken beside the Saturday Buddha because that's the day I was born :)
Next my Uncle brought me to his friend's place in Soi 10 where there are apartments for rent. I like my room because it looked very homey. I slept there for two nights and appreciated the comfortable twin beds and the quiet environment.
Please come back and visit this blog in the coming days. I'll post more write ups about the many adventures I had in Pattaya -- a place I've come to love and would like to visit again someday.
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