feliciamarcellina.: One Day in Pattaya, Thailand

26.5.17

One Day in Pattaya, Thailand - Food and Travel Guide

Alright let me take you to Pattaya?

ALERT ; If you are looking for beaches and beaches themselves, this is not the right post for you. I would not want to misguide you, because Pattaya is definitely not the best city to sway around beaches, but it has more and more than just that, and this is my one day travel guide to Pattaya, created by yours truly!

Now, in my case, i was visiting Bangkok as some of you might have seen from my instagram posts last April 2017. I was in Bangkok for 5 days, ad i spent one day in Pattaya, because they say going to Thailand is not fully complete without going to the Fun-Town Pattaya.

So i went to the Ekkamai Bus Station in Bangkok, then took the early bus to Pattaya. There are many buses that go this line, so you can pick any. The price varies slightly around 120 - 140 Baht for buses, and 150++ for vans. I took the one that costs THB 127. The journey takes 2 hours approximately dependent on the traffic. I took the 6.30 AM bus and arrived there 8.30 AM. Oh and the bus departs every 30 minutes so you can choose your best time.

When we arrived to Pattaya Bus Station, we knew for sure that we are going to Pattaya Floating Market. Our stomach crawls for food and we know this is the place. So we instantly took the traditional vehicle, Songthaew, the passenger pick-up vehicle that is very commonly used in Pattaya. Just tell them where you are going and they will take you there. It is a very authentic experience with all the wind and heat, but it is really worth the try!

Tip number 1: Always bargain. So they will always try to rob you by charging you a very high price, because that is just the way they do business. But you should know better. What i do is i compare with online taxi platforms like Grab or Uber to check the fare, then negotiate around that price. I was offered at 300THB for 3 person to Pattaya Floating Market, but we finally went by 100THB for 3 person, pretty ridiculous eh?

As we got there, it was almost 11 PM, nearly lunch time, however the entrance had no line, we went directly to the receptionist and was offered some tickets. Apparently they have many kinds of tickets. They will always offer you the most expensive package first, which is around 1000 THB, IDR 400,000, or $40, which includes a ride for all big and small boats, plus buffet lunch at the biggest restaurant inside. I remind you, NO, you do not need this.

Ask them for just the entrance ticket only, as you can go around with walking, unless you really need to board on the rowing boats. I personally did not board the rowing boat, i walked around instead because everything is within walking-reach. As for the buffet, i was not looking for a full lunch, i wanted to go around and try different food from different stalls, not only from the big restaurant, so this was out best option, and the entrance ticket costed only 200 THB per person, IDR 60,000, or $6.

What to eat in Pattaya Floating Market?

I assure you, there are loads and loads of fun food here in Pattaya Floating Market, well, in the whole Thailand to be honest. But i personally have hand-picked you some of the finest and authentic food here in Pattaya Floating Market.

1. Thai Style Banana Chocolate Pancake

It is basically flour-wrapped banana slices, topped with various milk or sauces whatever you like. I personally have only found this kind of snack here in Thailand. For you sweet-tooths, this snack is something to die for. It is intensely sweet, and refreshingly fresh. Get a mix of chocolate and vanilla milk for even richer taste. This costs around 50 THB - IDR 20.000 - $2.

2. Fried Quail Eggs

These eggs look like ordinary eggs, until you bite them in. I requested mine to be spicy, so they sprinkled some chili flakes and chili sauce on top of them, plus pepper and salt. Pretty simple, but haven't you heard? Simplicity just makes perfect! I love nom-ming these eggs and they costed only 30THB - IDR 12,000 - $1, love!

3. Fried Bugs

This isn't actually quite my favorite, but.. i guess one should always try when they visit the white elephant land. This is very authentic and Thai-souled. We ordered a portion and they came out pretty big, containing various types of bugs, like, grasshoppers, larva, caterpillar, beetles, and some others i cannot even tell what the names are. About the taste, they tasted pretty unique, in a way that someone might like, some others might not. So try for yourself and find out! They were priced at THB 30 for this bunch - IDR 12,000 - $1.

4. Thai Iced Tea

Very famous, but VERY CHEAP in its home country. Here in Indonesia, it costs at about IDR 20,000 - THB 50 - $2, while there, this only costs at about THB 20 - IDR 8,000 - 70 cents. This is a mix of tea and milk, perfect for the hot weather, and there's never a word boredom for me.

5. Mango Sticky Rice

I personally is not a big fan of mango fruit, so i would say this is okay. My friends, however, liked this very much, so according to the hype, you should give this one a go! THB 40 - IDR 16,000 - $1.5.

6. Thai Style Coconut Pancake

These pancakes are infused with so much coconut flavour, making it a bit savory but also sweet in one bite. I loooove these, but i would not recommend eating more than 3 chunks at once. Too much sugar i suppose. I recommend the corn filling, it turned out to be my favorite. THB 20 for 5 pieces - IDR 8,000 - 70 cents.

7. Thai Meat Skewers

These skewers win it all! They are everywhere, and you can pick whatever you like, pork, chicken, wings, thigh, skin, suit yourself! Perfect for anytime-snack, or to eat with rice, noodle, or seriously, whatever! THB 20 or THB 10 per piece, IDR 4,000 - IDR 8,000 - 40 - 70 cents.

Enough about the food, let's talk about the place. The place was packed, there's food everywhere, souvenir places, ice creams, were flooding. There were shows to entertain guests, but i was into food so much i did not see anything. There was a big place at the center that had many vendors selling heavy food for lunch as well.

This was the most instagrammable spot i spotted.

Had our tummies filled, we headed to the beach, nearest to the famous walking street, the heart of Pattaya. We took pickup taxi like before for about 200 THB - IDR 80,000 - $8 for 3 people to the Central Mall, in front of the Pattaya Tai Beach, minutes of walks away from The Walking Street.

The beach looked a little bit like beaches in Dubai because it was kinda surrounded by skyscrapers and malls. It felt a bit like having a bit of both worlds. However, i had to admit that the water was a little bit grey, not blue in any sense. The beach was packed, there were boats and small rowing boats everywhere, so it was kind of hard to take pictures without them, so i ended up embracing them.

After a short walk at the beach, we walked more to the Walking Street, the famous street in Pattaya, if you know what i mean. They started to operate after 6, and this was actually more a place for guys, i should say. Well we kind of had fun looking aroung, but did not try anything.

If you are into nightlife, and extreme night life of any sort,

might as well come visit to see what is in store for you!

Once you are done, board the bus to Bangkok again. I boarded the 6 PM bus, reached Bangkok at around 8 PM, enough time to get back to hotel, and get some rest.

I had fun in Pattaya!