Thursday, August 21, 2008

Pattaya


Pattaya (sometime spelled “Pataya” or “Phattaya”)
Pattaya lies around 148 km to the southeast of Bangkok, Thailand. This is Less than 2 hours by road, and stretches for some 15km along the Eastern Seaboard. Thailand ‘s Largest resort, it shares the coast with traditional a fishing villages, other resorts such as Bang Saen and Rayong, new industrial centers, the town of Chonburi and Sriracha, and the port and naval base of Sattahip.
Pattaya in the past was just a little fishing village. Until 1960s, American servicemen form the U.S. Air Force base at Utapao in neighbouring Rayong Province began using the area for “Rest and Recreation” (R&R) , causing a huge boom in entertainment business. When the Americans left following the end of the Vietnam War, the city fell into a crisis. However, modern mass tourism brought a new life to Pattaya. The city is considered heaven or hell on the Earth, depending on how you look at it.
More than 35,000 hotels’ rooms were available in Pattaya. It is an eapecially popular vacation destination for families from Russia, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and other countries. It also a large international expatriate population and many services meet international standards In recent years, new shopping malls, outlet stores and jewelry stores have sprung up like mushrooms, which have helped in increasing the length of stay of visitors to the city.

Pattaya’s main attractions are its beaches. Pattaya Beach stretches out along the central city close to shopping, hotels and bars. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya’s abundant nightlife area, hence it is less family-oriented than the North Pattaya, Na Klua and Jomtien beaches.
Pattaya is now a city in its own right, with its own mayor and its own administration. This is not all due to tourism. The government development programmed for the Eastern Seaboard has transformed the region, and this rapid industrial and commercial expansion has led to many expatriates coming to live in the area. There is a new deep-sea port at Laem Chabang, 20 km north of Pattaya with a vast industrial estate, and another development zone at Map Ta Phut near Rayong to the south. Pattaya city is well located to be a major business centre serving these two giant industrial communities. There are five international schools and four international hospital in the area.


However Pattaya has multi-cultural quintessentially Thai visitors, and although the convenience foods of the West are readily accessible, the Thai culture is everywhere and most visitors embrace the easy-going way of life readily. Over 95 per cent of people who live and work here are Thai and even a couple of blocks away from the beach the culture takes over from the holiday atmosphere by the sea and the beach. Despite this, the ex-pat community here is a perhaps the least assimilated of all the foreign communities in Thailand, and you’re more likely to feel like you’re in Tenerife than Thailand, with all the footage on TV, English style pubs and nary a word of Thai spoken in the many bars that service the full-time early retirees who favor this atmosphere.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Sightseeing

Pattaya’s sights are mainly modern, much reflecting the town itself. Sights often double-up as activities but there’s still an array of interesting things to see, especially if you’re willing to travel a little. The beaches, several impressive temples and entertainment venues all combine to make Pattaya sightseeing a worthy activity.

While it may not have the traditional grandeur and historical relevance of many places in Thailand, Pattaya has a lot of more contemporary attractions to keep travellers amused. Some popular outings include Underwater World (marine aquarium – near Tesco, Thanon Sukhumvit) www.underwaterworldpattaya.com/
, the Museum of Bottle Art (near bus station, Thanon Sukhumvit), showing miniature art such as Dutch windmills and Thai temples, all inside the confines of glass bottles.






http://www.ripleysthailand.com/The entertaining Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum (Royal Garden Plaza, Beach Road) is home to host of exhibits from the traditional to the bizarre.
There is something of a replica theme in Pattaya, for besides the bottle art, there are several other attractions which are miniature replicas of larger, well-known architectural feats. The first is the hugely ambitious Sanctuary of Truth (Naklua Soi 12). Built on a 1:1 replica scale, the structure is designed to mirror the great buildings of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The work is still in progress but, visitors are permitted. The daw dropping beauty of the main temple makes it worth the hefty entrance fee. The other main replica tourist sight is that of Mini Siam (Thanon Sukhumvit) – a 1:25 scale collection of both Thailand, and the world’s most renowned monuments. Come along and have yourself pictured in front of the Statue of Liberty.




http://www.sanctuaryoftruth.com/
The Sanctuary of Truth is a remarkable religious structure in Naklua
For more traditional cultural sightseeing in Pattaya, you can travel 18kms down Thanon Sukhumvit to Nong Enoch Village where you’ll be met by traditional dancers, pleasant natural scenery and playful elephants who’ll be willing to let you enjoy the thrill of a ride. The orchid garden here is reputed to be the world’s largest, so if you like flowers, it may be worth the trip for this alone. The Elephant Village (7kms) provides more long distance travel via elephant back, offering 90-minute mini-treks around its own park, and offers whitewater rafting also.
Most hotels, guest houses and travel shops in Pattaya offer trips and tour packages to almost anywhere within reason, and usually at a reasonable rate. For a half-day trip like Nong Enoch Village, you can expect to pay around 500 baht for transport from your hotel, entrance and lunch. Other Pattaya sightseeing tours are on offer like the Pattaya Discovery Tour, which takes in a Buddhist temples, Monkey mountains, beaches, aquariums, stonecutting villages, and orchid farms. For information on these trips and more, contact your hotel or local travel shop on arrival in Pattaya.
Pattaya’s sights may not be complete without a trip to Ko Lan. Only 40 minutes from Pattaya by boat, the island has beautiful white sand, and clear blue swimming water. A day trip here is a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the Pattaya town while still offering good facilities and activities. You can relax on the beach, or go swimming, snorkeling, water skiing, or even parasailing here. There are also several decent restaurants serving a variety of cuisine.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Pattaya Nightlife


Nightlife in Pattaya is spectacular. You can find things to do no matter what your tastes.


ALANGKARN’s vision is aimed to provide entertainment to clienteles by showing the unique concept of being “Thai” to foreigners. Instead of presenting a traditional Thai performance where easily found anywhere, a new concept was applied by using a modern style of dance combined with multi-dimension colored laser, lighting and real surround sound system.
ALANGKARN is located on Sukhumvit road 155 KMs, Jomtien, Pattaya with an area of 80 rais. The entire project includes Theatre, Cultural Rostrum and Restaurant.
Show Time : 18:30-20:30Hrs 20:30-22:00Hrs
http://www.alangkarnthailand.com/
E-mail info@alangkarnthailand.com
Tel: 038-256 000, 038-256007 ,02 – 216 1869



ALCAZAR CABARET, Experience the new ware of entertainment. You should not leave Pattaya without seeing our Alcazar Show. “The 8th wonder of the world” has been delighting audience for over 20 years. Thrilling millions with the laugher & impressions. You will experience the magic of Alcazar state of the art computerized lighting system & be dazzled by the effects of “Studio Colors & Circle Surround Sound DTS System”, to be entertained in grand style by over 400 crew of wonderfully talented artists & entertainers.
Show Times
Daily Show: 6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
Any Holidays 5:00 p.m. ( Extra ShowTime for long weekend, time will be advice in advance )
Alcazar Co.,Ltd. Tel: 038 410224 -7 , 038 428746 , 038 429212 Fax: 038 411234 , 038 424939
Email : pr_alcazar@email.com
http://www.alcazarpattaya.com



TIFFANY'S SHOW is the First ever truly transvestite cabaret show in South East Asia. With over 28 years of stage experiences, the fame of TIFFANY'S SHOW is undeniable and become a recommended tourist destination of the successful growth of Thailand's most popular resort city , Pattaya City. Millions of international visitors from every part of the world had experienced our spectacular performances and enjoyed our marvelous, talented and beautiful TIFFANY'S performers.
Show Times
18.00pm, 19.30pm, 21.00pm.
Tiffany's Show Pattaya Co., Ltd., Tel : 0-3842-1700 to 5, 0-3842-9642 Fax : 0-3842-1711 to 2
e-mail : tiffany@tiffany-show.co.th
http://www.tiffany-show.co.th/