Muay Thai and Beer in Pattaya

We had decided to move, so we packed up and set off early. Our destination was Pattaya Water Park Hotel, which boasted a massive water park. Somehow, Jan managed to haggle the price down by about 40% to 1600 baht. We immediately headed to the water park, which cost 100 baht per person, eager to dive into the waves. It was absolutely blissful to lounge under the scorching sun. The water park was right by the beach, so we strolled down to take a look. The beach wasn’t nearly as beautiful as we were used to. There were some shady trees along the shore where you could get a massage. Jan wasted no time and headed straight there for a relaxing massage, while I preferred to stay on the beach and soak up the sun. By the afternoon, we had relaxed enough, so we made our way into Pattaya city to do some shopping. Because it was Buddha Day, many shops were closed, and restaurants had raised their prices. But that didn’t stop us from shopping. I bought a wallet for 180 baht, and Jan picked up a belt for 150 baht and three T-shirts for 300 baht. We also found a bowling alley. It cost 90 baht per person per game. We had a blast, but when we were leaving, they came running after us with a bill. They claimed we hadn’t paid for something, and since we couldn’t convince them otherwise, we ended up paying for something we didn’t even get. Even though it was only afternoon, we ended up at a bar—a Danish bar during happy hour. We met the owner, who was Danish and married to a Thai girl with whom he had a child. He shared that he had come to Thailand in ’95, which was a dream come true for him. We quickly concluded that he probably wouldn’t have had much success with Danish girls, which might be why he moved to Thailand. We found several Danish traces in Pattaya. We had dinner at a Danish restaurant that served meatballs, red cabbage, potatoes, and brown sauce. Once again, the man who owned the restaurant was Danish and married to a Thai woman. Many Danish men come here daily, having moved to enjoy the sun and Thai girls. We even stumbled upon a Danish hot dog stand offering a selection of Danish menus. After dinner, we headed down to Walking Street to find Simon’s Cabaret, which features drag shows. It turned out that a show cost 500 baht per person, which seemed really expensive. It also didn’t look like there would be many spectators, so we changed our minds and didn’t buy tickets. Instead, we passed by a place offering foot massages. The Thai are incredibly skilled at massage, and it’s so much cheaper compared to back home. It’s usually a luxury we can’t afford in Denmark, but we can enjoy it here.