When our time in Bangkok came to an end we hopped on a bus and rode the two hours down to Pattaya to see Phil and Cara’s friend’s parents, the Wagner’s. It turned out that Mr. Wagner had to travel for work, but Mrs. Wagner was an incredible host and showed us the best of Pattaya.
The view from the Wagner's condo
We only had two nights, and we made the most of our time. The first night in town she took us out for a great dinner of pizza and beer, and they had wheat beer so it was great to drink something other thanthe Bud Lights of Asia that have been our only option for a while. We also took a stroll down Walking Street in downtown Pattaya. Did I mention that Pattaya is the sex capital of Thailand (and maybe the world)? The street was crazy, and I think I’m still trying to process everything that was going on. We also got in a few games of euchre that evening, so it was definitely a great day!
The next day we got up and went for a run/explored the local park and then headed out to see some more of town. We spent the first part of the day at the Sanctuary of Truth, a very unique temple/building that is entirely made of wood. It seems old, but was actually started in 1981 and is still under construction (hence, our hard hats). The creator of the park wanted to make a place independent of a specific religion but showing the commonalities and a place to bring people together, and it is a really cool place to see. Mrs. Wagner told us that after the King died last year, there was an event with leaders from 5 religions that came together and each did their own ceremony to honor his life. Most of the carvings were taken from Buddhism or Hinduism, but they seem to want everyone to be welcome.
We had lunch at another great restaurant in town and then checked out a little tea shop, which I think made Cara’s day. I’m pretty sure her dream job would be professional tea drinker. If anyone has a line on that, let her know! On the way back we stopped by the giant Buddha on a hill nearby and got a great view overlooking the city. We had dinner in and played some more games that evening, wrapping up a great stay in Pattaya!
It is hard to see, but the green lights in the dark photo are squid fishing boats out on the bay, they use bright lights to attract the squid and the fish the squid eat and then use nets to haul them in. We also had to share a photo of Mrs. Wagner's dining room table- she made us delicious pumpkin soup and salad for dinner one night! We haven't had a home cooked meal with company in ages and it was amazing! Thank you!!!
The next morning we went back to Bangkok and flew to Chiang Mai to start the next leg of our adventure!
-Jeff