The Eastern Coast: From Pattaya to Cambodia

Finding budget accommodation in Pattaya is not an easy task. In Thai terms the only options in town are medium class and upward, but these definitions would include everything above five dollars a night as a decent option. During my visit there I paid 225B for a room with air conditioner, private bathroom, hot water, cables TV, refrigerator, daily cleaning and an American breakfast: an unbeatable deal.

The Hotels Chain

The Sawasdee hotels operate in Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Pattaya offering mostly budget accommodations. The quality of the rooms varies wildly and it is recommended to check the room before booking it. Some of he rooms are incredible bargains, while others are uninhabitable.

However, a characteristic shared by all of them is their accessibility; moreover, more often than not they have vacant rooms allowing thus unplanned arrivals. Before stopping at Pattaya's Sawasdee Mansion is would be useful to show the chain's widespread presence.

Sawasdee Hotels on Khaosan Road, Bangkok

Most of the Sawasdee hotels are located on Khaosan Road, the main backpackers' center in Bangkok. An advantage related to their number is that, if needed, the staff at one hotel can make a phone inquiry regarding vacancies at other nearby hotels.

1) Sawasdee Bangkok Inn, on 126/2, Khaosan Road, offers rooms from 520B to 1200B.

2) Sawasdee Banglumpoo Inn, on 162, Khaosan Road, offers rooms from 620B to 750B. Nearby, on 199, Khaosan Road, is Sawasdee's Sunset Street, an attractive restaurant operated by the same chain.

3) Sawasdee Khaosan Inn, on 18, Chakapong Road, offers rooms from 650B to 1100B.

4) Sawasdee Krungthep Inn, on 30, Rambuttri Road, offers rooms from 450B to 850B and is by far the most comfortable Sawasdee hotel in the area.

5) Sawasdee Smile Inn, on 35, Soi Rongmai, Chao Fa Road, offers rooms from 280B to 630B and is on the quietest location among Sawasdee hotels at Khaosan.

6) Welcome Sawasdee Inn on 5-7 Soi Rongmai, Chao Fa Road offers rooms from 180B to 680B.

Sawasdee Hotels on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok

The Sawasdee Sukhumvit Inn is on 123, Soi 57, Sukhumvit Road. The Ekamai Eastern Bus Terminal - leading to Thailand's Eastern Coast and Pattaya is very close as well as the shopping district along Sukhumvit Road. This hotel offers rooms from 750B to 1200B per night.

Sawasdee Hotels in Ayutthaya

The Ayothaya Riverside Hotel is on 91/1 Moo 10, Wat Pako Road offers room from 900B to 2000B; it is a handy option while exploring the former Thai capital.

Sawasdee Hotels in Pattaya

Most of the Sawasdee hotels in Pattaya are arranged on the soi surrounding Pattaya 2 Road (soi is the name of the alleys connecting to a main road in Thailand, usually they are numbered by order of apparition) and conveniently close to the beach.

1) Siam Sawasdee, on 524/26 M.10 Soi 11, Pattaya 2 Road, offers rooms from 750B to 950B

2) Sawasdee Court, on 501/27 Soi 10, Pattaya 2 Road, offers rooms from 400B to 600B.

3) Sawasdee Mansion, on 502/1 M.10 Soi 11, Pattaya 2 Road, offers rooms from 250B to 450B.

4) Sawasdee Pattaya, on 367 M.10 Soi 13, Pattaya 2 Road, offers rooms from 500B to 750B

5) Sawasdee Sea View, on 302/1 M.10 Soi 10 Pattaya 2 Road, offers rooms from 450B to 2000B and incredible views of the sunsets over the near beach.

Sawasdee Mansion

For some reason or other, I found myself in the Mansion branch of Sawasdee’s Pattaya hotels. The hotel is placed very close to the central part of Pattaya 2 Road; thus all the main attractions in town and the promenade are within walking distance. Mike's Department Store, a 7 Eleven branch, supermarkets, local and western restaurants and other facilities in the immediate surroundings, ensure a comfortable stay.

If carrying a portable electric kettle, then the refrigerator located in each room and the nearby supermarkets create the option of preparing basic hot meals and drinks in the room. The bathrooms include water-heaters, and like the rooms, they are kept spotless. The television includes cables with English channels.

The rooms are divided into fan, air-conditioned small, air- conditioned big and twin ones; within each category there are differences in quality as well, hence the available options should be evaluated carefully before checking in. The best ones face the street from the first or the second floor, others do not have windows or are perfect but placed in the fourth or fifth floor and there is no elevator. However, the price of the weird rooms is lower.

Payment

The payment can be done on a daily, three days, weekly or monthly basis; but if planning to stay more than four nights in the chain (for example, by combining also the visits to Bangkok and Ayutthaya), then it is worth making a member card, which gives a ten percent discount in all their hotels and restaurants. From April to October is the low season and the prices are lower.

The best deals in Thailand for a vacation by the beach are hidden under a thick cover of bad PR; Pattaya became over the years a synonym for the Thai sex-industry, while reality is different.

The scene is restricted to a well-delimited area and it is hard to spot unless searching for it, in Bangkok, Pukhet and Koh Samui the situation is much worse.

In fact, Pattaya is a popular family tourism spot mainly due to its gorgeous beaches and the quality of its facilities. Being open-minded and visiting the place before deciding where to spend the bulk of your vacation is a proven way to discover a charming location with amazing sunsets over the Gulf of Thailand.

Reaching Pattaya

Reaching the town is easy, there are hourly buses from Ekamai – the eastern bus terminal – and from Mo Chit – the Northern one – in Bangkok. Moreover, most taxi drivers in Bangkok would agree to such a trip for anything between 800 and 1000 baht.

The trip longs around two hours – depending on the traffic - and if traveling by bus, you will arrive to the main terminus next to the highway. Be careful not to take the buses leading to the Jomtien Beach since they collect passengers along the way and stop in every town along the way – you can use better the extra two hours of the way. The proximity to Bangkok transforms Pattaya into the ideal resort while waiting for visas or flights.

The Town

The town can be divided in four parts. Naklua is the name of the northern zone, which is mainly a residential area with few open beaches. Jomtien is the southern zone, competing hard with Central Pattaya beaches for the attention of the tourists. The last is the axis separating Naklua from Central Pattaya; there, next to the highway, are placed the two main bus terminals, and on its other end – near the beach - are most of the supermarkets in town. Jomtien has more beaches than Central, but the last offers better services and is the recommended place to stay in town.

Orienteering yourself in Central Pattaya is easy; there are three streets connecting the beach with the highway: North Road or Pattaya Nua, Central Road or Pattaya Klang and the South Road or Pattaya Tai. Three other streets run parallel to the beach: Pattaya 1 or the Beach Road, Pattaya 2 and Pattaya 3.

Soi is the name given in Thailand to the alleys along the main roads; usually they are numbered by order, but some of them feature also names. Soi Bua Khaow runs between Pattaya 2 and Pattaya 3, parallel to them on the stretch between Central Road and South Road; it hosts a huge, roofed, bar complex, several travel agencies, Internet cafes and restaurants. Soi Honey Inn connects Pattaya 2 with Soi Bua Khaow and features the Sawasdee Mansion and Guesthouse.

Soi Diana Inn is the next soi south of Soi Honey Inn connecting Pattaya 2 with Soi Bua Khaow. The smaller branch of Diana Inn is at the northern corner with Pattaya 2.

Shopping and Dining

Mike Shopping Mall

This mall looks more like one big department store, and occupies half a block between Pattaya One and Pattaya Two roads, next to Soi 12. The immense parking lot occupying the rest of the place fills up at night with tourists' buses bringing customers from Bangkok. At the other side of road two are the Kiss II and Diana restaurants.

Royal Plaza Garden

A bit north of the Junction between Pattaya Two Road and South Road is Royal Plaza Garden, the best shopping mall in Pattaya. The building occupies all the space between the roads and hosts the Marriott Hotel; it is recognizable by the hotel’s slanted balconies and hanging gardens. An airplane is stuck in the building side facing Road Two; it advertises Ripley’s Believe It or Not.

The mall itself consists of three floors. The last one is dedicated mainly to Ripley's Believe It or Not and to a humble food plaza; sadly, an ugly sign blocks the beach there. The two floors below it feature many shops; in the backside, facing road two there is a branch of the excellent Au Bon Pain and in front of it a beautiful flat fountain very similar in design to the one in Bugis Mall, Singapore. On the second floor, close to the front side there is a branch of Asia Books next to the Black Canyon Coffee. Nearby is Daidomon, which is a mukata type restaurant (mukata meals are a special type of Thai buffet) and CD Warehouse.

On the beach side of the mall is an open branch, decorated in metal, of the World of Coffee with a decent view of the sea. At the main entrance, in the middle of a round plaza there is a branch of the bagels maker Auntie Annie, and in front of it you can make a wax model of your hand. At the waterfront there are Chicken Treat, Burger King, Hägen Dazs, McDonald's and KFC.

Big C

At the northern side of Pattaya 2 Road, near the junction with Pattaya North Road, there is a big mall with a huge branch of the Big C Supermarket. It is a two floors building featuring also several restaurants. The only remarkable restaurant within it is the local Delifrance branch. A tiny third floor hosts a small cinema.

The Junction

The most important junction is the one of Pattaya North road with Naklua, Pattaya 2 and Pattaya 1. At the triangle formed by Pattaya North and Pattaya 2 there is a triangular open mall specializing on souvenirs and typical Thai products. Upwards, on Pattaya North, is a huge shopping mall specializing on jewels.

Beaches and Entertainment

Walking Street

At the promenade southern end begins Pattaya’s Walking Street; the area is the center of the town’s nightlife, featuring many nightclubs and restaurants. The local TV English Channel doesn't stop showing commercials of Tony's, a nightclub, and of Marlene, a tailor "by the big tree." The same network featured during my visit an article about a ten baht coin glued to the street with the face of the king upwards, so that passersby would step on it. A police officer blamed an unknown tourist for the deed; he claimed no Thai citizen would perform such a crime.

The Beach

Beach chairs are for rent on Pattaya’s narrow strip of beach; all along it water sports are practiced and offered by agencies, including scuba diving from the nearby islands. Different water vehicles like to maneuver too close to the shore; during the day, banana-boats cater for riders.

The Promenade

The wide promenade by the beach provides clear views of the sunsets over the Gulf of Thailand; at the evenings it is crowded with joggers and tourists.

If there are enough clouds, spectacular colors are seen during them. Few coasts in Thailand compare to the beauty of this beach, hardly any sunsets are more colorful.

Halfway between Pattaya and Chonburi, Si Racha is a luxurious resort offering a coast of similar to the one at Pattaya, golf courses, a tigers' zoo and fresh nam prik. The town is closer to Bangkok than Pattaya.

Reaching Si Racha

All the transport connecting Bangkok with Pattaya passes through Si Racha. See the Pattaya entry in this journal for more details.

Nam Prik Si Racha

"Nam Prik" literally means "water chili," and is the name used in Thailand for the ubiquitous chili sauces used for spicing up their meals. Si Racha is home to one of the favorite versions, the "Nam Prik Si Racha," a bright orange thick paste which is not the hottest one, but is probably the most widely available Thai chili sauce in the world; even in the East Bay area it was omnipresent. Over time, the condiment became a synonym of the town. Thais use it mainly for seafood – another favorite food in town – but if fits wonderfully Thai noodle soup.

The Port

Nearby Si Racha is the Port of Laem Chabang, which is among the biggest ports in the world; the zone is one of the main industrial areas in Thailand. Despite that, Si Racha is kept clean for the sake of the tourists.

Koh Loi

An elegant bridge connects Si Racha with the island of Koh Loi, where a temple built in 1979 and featuring a Buddha footprint allows good views of the Gulf of Thailand.

Koh Si Chang

Koh Si Chang can be reached from the pier in downtown Si Racha; boats depart daily between 6am and 7pm. The islands features a traditional fishermen settlement as well as a royal holiday resort built in the late nineteenth century and abandoned after the French occupied the island in 1894. Later, the border with French Indochina was settled along the modern border with Cambodia and the island was returned to Thailand.

Saithip Butterfly Garden

Asia's largest, Saithip Butterfly Garden is located near kilometer 10 of Highway 36, next to a bee museum and an orchids farm and is a favorite stop for families. A similar site exists on Koh Samui.

Khao Khew Open Zoo

The most famous attraction in the Si Racha area is the Khao Khew Open Zoo, which has over two hundred species living in a natural habitat; many of them are defined as endangered. Unluckily this blessed initiative features also shows of trained animals. In a fashion similar to its counterpart in Singapore, the zoo operates a Night Safari Tour.

Si Racha Tiger Farm

Located at kilometer 20 of Highway 36, the farm keeps several hundred Bengal tigers and crocodiles. The international media featured the place in 2004, when thirty tigers died of bird flu contracted from infected chicken.

On the southern side of Thailand's eastern coast corner is the fruity town of Rayong.

Despite Southern Thailand having seldom played a significant role in Thai history, Rayong is an exception. After the fall of Ayutthaya, King Taksin re-organized his troops from this area before he took back the lands conquered by the Burmese. The Shrine of King Taksin the Great is one of the main temples in town.

Unfortunately, the closest beach to downtown - Hat Laem Charoen - is five kilometers away; even as a stop in the way to Cambodia the town is not very handy - Trat offers a better deal. Yet, Rayong is remarkable due to its fruits and related festivals.

Downtown Attractions

Wat Pa Pradu is an ancient temple from the Ayutthaya period with a huge Buddha unusually reclined on its left side.

Slightly south of downtown is the Phra Chedi Klang Nam, a temple built on a small island in the Rayong River; celebrations take place there during the full moon.

Following the theme, Wat Saranat Thammaram hosts an homage to Phra Buddha Chinnarat, a Buddha image located a Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahatat in Phitsanulok, the second holiest Buddha image in Thailand.

Finally, the Si Muang Park includes the Phra Buddha Angkhirot and is an enjoyable spot for a picnic.

Fruits Festival

One place and one event are representative of Rayong's fruity angle. An orchard named Supattra Land is located near downtown; longan, mangosteen, durian, apple rose, rambutan, mango, and star fruit trees can be appreciated there - during the season, fruits can be purchased. Moreover, if arriving during May, the hungry traveler can enjoy the Rayong Fruit Festival.

South East Asia - especially the Mekong River Delta area - is extremely rich in fruits; Rayong is the best place for sampling them in Thailand. Here are some of them:

Durian

Few things are considered more important for a Thai than the Durian fruit. While most fruits are usually sold in slices, units, or groups of fruits worth ten baht, Durians can easily reach prices of 400B or more. The customers carefully study them before the transaction is completed, as if their whole future depended on that.

What's all the noise about? Simply, the Durian features a rare combination of tastes: pungent and sweet. Resembling a dusty green watermelon with huge, thick thorns, once opened several semi-circular, yellow units are exposed. The smell emanating from them is so strong that it is prohibited to enter with the opened fruit into public buildings. The smell strongly reminds of excrements; for most tourists the first bite is a traumatic experience. However, once in the mouth, the smell is replaced by a sweet taste and a pleasantly smooth texture.

Jack Fruit

Able to reach a length of more than one meter, this prodigious fruit is a must. Street stalls selling it usually keep only one fruit, selling its interior in small amounts. Its exterior is somewhat similar to the durian, though short, rounded cups replace the thorns. The interior is divided into a myriad of units the size of plums. The shiny yellow flesh of each unit is quite thin, crispy, has no odor and a pleasantly sweet taste.

Anona

The local name for the custard apple, this tasty fruit is usually consumed in Thailand as a juice, due to the many stones scattered along and across its sweet, sandy flesh.

Tamarind

Popular as a juice, few realize that the regular Thai coffee contains ground tamarind as a flavor enhancing ingredient.

Green and Red Rose Apple

Shaped as small pears, these two sweet, crispy fruits are a bit hard to find, but are worth the effort.

Mango

Two varieties of this fruit exist in Thailand: the sweet and the sour mango; each can be eaten in one of three ways: unripe, ripe and pickled. The unripe is the most common and is coated with sugar, and chili before eating it. The ripe one can be found only during the season and is exclusively used for a dish in which it is served together with sticky rice and coconut cream; it is one of those rare, purely sweet dishes in the Thai cuisine. The pickled mango taste is above my powers of description, but after trying it I defined the experience as "once in a lifetime."

Lakam

A rare, dark red, spiky and small oval fruit, the lakam can be defined as a bittersweet experience, an irresistible combination for the soap operas loving Thais.

Pomelo

The only citrus growing in the kingdom, this sweet, oversized fruit can provide enough entertainment peeling it for a whole afternoon.

Longan, Rambutan and Mangosteen

These three fruits have a similar flesh - semi-transparent, soft and sweet - despite bearing substantially different appearances. Clusters of Longan resembling overgrown; dark yellow grapes can be easily spotted during the season. Rambutan has a striking look; its strongly red skin is covered by long, thick, green hairs. Mangosteen is bigger than the other two and adds a citric twinge to the basic taste. Violet with short and wide green leaves around its top, it is considered by Thais - and with a good reason - as one of their best fruits, second only to the out-worldly durian.

Charming Trat is the last town in the way from Bangkok to the Klong Yai Province and to Had Lek, the border cross between Southern Thailand and Cambodia. Few Thai towns are better preserved than Trat, and it provides the last breath of modern Thailand before crossing into the Wild East.

Climate

During the monsoons season, Trat gets unusually windy for Thailand; the heavy rains penetrate all but the sturdiest clothing.

Downtown Trat

More than most other Thai towns, Trat managed to preserve the traditional teakwood shop-houses; behind the central market there is a perfect square of them, which may be one of the last in the whole country.

At the intersection of Sukhumvit Road (the main street, which goes all the way back to Bangkok) and Lak Muang Road, one block before Khlong Trat(the main water canal) is the only shopping mall in the area, the Trat Department Store. It features a KFC branch, the single fast food franchise in town. A 7-Eleven welcomes visitors a little bit north of there; if heading to Cambodia, this is the last place to purchase Western products until reaching Phnom Penh.

The Chinese Temple

Behind the mall is a very big and colorful Chinese temple, with a dragon wrapped around a high pole, a burning big stove and a colorful central building. It is remarkable than in Thailand it is possible to see better Chinese temples than in China; this happens since most of those were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Trat offers a comfortable and peaceful environment to explore one.

The Central Market

The central market occupies the town’s center and provides a feast for all the senses. Many exotic fruits can be found there, and some of them are hard to find even in other Thai provinces; the dark red, spiky, oval and bitter Lakam is a good example.

Hotels

Many inexpensive guesthouses are placed in the northern side of the Khlong Trat; the Pop Guesthouse proved to be an exceptionally friendly place with a very well informed owner, a lawyer that gave up to life in Bangkok. A basic fan room with shared bathrooms costs 60B. Klong Yai and Had Lek are not recommended as sleeping places before crossing to Cambodia; hence it is better to leave Trat before noon.

Buses

The bus terminal in Trat is at Sukhumvit Road, just north of the market. Air-conditioned minivans to the border depart from there; the open trucks depart from behind the market.

Typical prices are:

Laem Ngop Port: 30B in an open truck.
Had Lek: 60B in an open truck and 100B in a minivan.
Klong Yai: 40B within the open truck to Had Lek.
Rayong: 90B – from there are connections to Pattaya, Bangkok and Isaan.

Koh Chang

From Trat it is possible to reach the Koh Chang Island from the Laem Ngop Port; information can be found in my journal "Islands in Thailand."

Crossing to Cambodia

It is recommended to reach the area with a Cambodian visa issued in Bangkok. However, a visa on arrival can be issued at the border; unlike in Bangkok the only way to pay for it is in new and crispy dollar notes.

The Advantages

Cambodian people are nicer and more relaxed in the south; hence there is a better chance of acclimatizing there to the Khmer culture. An additional benefit of entering through Had Lek is the opportunity of enjoying the warm, turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand, without making a time-expensive detour to southern Thailand.

Klong Yai

Klong Yai is the last village before the border cross. Despite being acutely picturesque, it does not offer appropriate solutions for an overnight stay. The minivans to the border do not stop here for long; but it is possible to take one from Trat to Klong Yai, to stop there for a while and then to continue with another one to the border. The fish port provides some unforgettable views of old-fashioned fishing piers.

Had Lek

Had Lek is the name of the border cross. If arriving with a visa the crossing is swift. Cambodian and Thai flags stand next to the beach and provide the only clue to the true nature of this charming spot.

Beyond the Border

After the formalities are over, "motos" (motorbike taxis) await the newcomers; that is the main way of reaching Koh Khon. The price of the trip should be negotiated, 30 to 50B are a reasonable price; to that, 11B should be added for the bridge toll. About Koh Khon and Cambodia read in my Planning Cambodia journal.