My Not-So-Relaxing Getaway to Pattaya

I'm still trying to process my experience after a scorching hot and sunny trip to Pattaya, Thailand.

When it comes to relaxation, people have different ideas - some love an active vacation, while others prefer a chill one. Everyone's got their own priorities, and I chose Pattaya over Phuket for a reason.

I was drawn to Pattaya's more civilized vibe, and we love walking around, so the beach wasn't our top priority. Plus, Pattaya's proximity to Bangkok was a big plus. We managed to score a great deal on our tour, around 245,000 rubles, which was a great value for money, especially considering we stayed in a beautiful hotel with a big territory and delicious breakfast. On Phuket, you'd have to pay at least 300,000 rubles for a similar hotel, and even then, it would be a small one with a tiny pool on the roof.

We flew from Yekaterinburg to Pattaya on a direct flight, which took around 8 hours and 30 minutes. The weather was perfect for us, with a gentle breeze and no scorching heat. The sun was shining every day, and we even got a bit sunburned despite using SPF 50.

However, in the last two days, the heat became unbearable, and we could only venture out to the nearest supermarket and then back to our hotel room to chill. We were taking around 25-30,000 steps every day, but in the last two days, we were only taking short walks and spending most of our time lounging on the sunbeds. If the weather is always like this, it's going to be a real challenge.

My impression of the city is a bit strange - the sea is really dirty, with all the sewage flowing into it, so it's not ideal for swimming. The best beaches are actually on the islands, so if you're looking for a beach vacation, Pattaya might not be the best choice.

The city isn't exactly the most comfortable place to walk around, especially at night. The sidewalks are super narrow and there are motorbikes parked all over the place. Plus, there are these women who sit on the sidewalks and try to lure you into getting a massage. It's like, there's just an overwhelming number of them. And to top it all off, the city is just ridiculously loud, both visually and audibly. By the end of the day, you're just exhausted from all the commotion. I've been to other places in Asia, like Sanya, and they were way cleaner and quieter, but I think that's because there are hardly any gas-powered cars and mostly electric trains.

From what I've gathered, this city seems to be more of a novelty for older American tourists who come here looking for a Thai bride.

I'm not one to judge, but I found it really uncomfortable walking around the city at night. The waterfront area turns into some kind of pickup spot, with women and men just openly soliciting each other. And it's not just the adults – there are also kids walking around with their parents. As for Walking Street, I don't even want to go there – it looks like a scene from a horror movie, like the kids are going to need therapy in the future.

We mostly stuck to the shopping malls and food courts, and even then, we only ate sandwiches from Seven Eleven because the local street food on the markets just didn't appeal to me. I mean, those skewers of meat just sitting out in the scorching sun for hours, with flies buzzing all over them... sorry, but I was actually hesitant to try any of it. Luckily, we didn't end up with any food poisoning, even though we didn't ask for spicy food.

I spent a few days eating at the food court in terminal 21, which is located on the top floor of Pier 21. The place to the right, about the fourth one, serves amazing dishes like chicken and rice with chicken broth for just 40 baht! It's ridiculously delicious, just like home-cooked food. My husband had the Peking duck next door, and it was tasty too! If you're not a fan of Thai food or find it too heavy, I highly recommend this place.

Unfortunately, the fruits were a letdown. Maybe it's not the right season, but the mango, mangosteen, pineapple, and papaya were all subpar. I was really looking forward to indulging in some exotic fruits, but it didn't happen. I was also hoping to try the durian, but it's not our thing.

We stumbled upon a Korean BBQ place, and it was amazing. The entrance fee is 399 baht, and you can eat as much as you want. You get to grill your own food, which is a lot of fun. There's a popular type of cafe where they have a grill and a pot of broth, and you get to cook your own food.

Getting around the city is relatively easy, thanks to taxis, motorbikes (you can even call them as taxis), and songthaews (10 baht). However, all modes of transportation except for motorbikes will get stuck in traffic, and the motorbikes are super hazardous. We witnessed a few accidents during our trip, which was terrifying!

We really loved the island of Koh Lanta, and we were planning to go back, but unfortunately, we fell ill towards the end of our trip. To get to the island, you can take a ferry for 30 baht per person, which takes about 30 minutes. Once you're on the island, you can take a songthaew for 30 baht per person to get to the beach of your choice. We went to Tien Beach, which was amazing. The beach chairs cost 100 baht, and the water was incredible – warm, turquoise, and crystal-clear with fine white sand. It was a bit crowded, but it was worth it.

I was really looking forward to capturing some shots at the Goose House hotel on Tiens Beach, where they keep a few geese that go for walks at 8, 14, and 17:00. You can feed them, take photos with them, and I highly recommend waiting for them if you're lucky – you might even get to swim with them! However, the day we were there was super crowded, and they didn't let anyone swim with them.

We were really hoping to take some photos, but the prices were pretty steep – almost as high as what we're used to back home. Maybe we just caught them on a bad day or during a sale, I'm not sure.

We had a Rosselkhozbank card in yuan and some dollars with us, which we could exchange for local currency at every corner. We exchanged them as needed, and while the exchange rate changed daily, the difference was negligible.

We also happened to arrive on the annual fireworks festival, which brought out the locals in droves. They'd set up their beach chairs, umbrellas, and blankets to secure a spot on the main beach to watch the displays put on by different countries. It was absolute chaos – I've never seen anything like it, and our days exploring the city just couldn't compare.

We didn't go on any guided tours - instead, we took a bus to Bangkok and the Khao Kheo zoo. We bought our tickets on Trip.com for 1,400 rubles, plus 500 baht for a taxi there and 500 baht back (1,250 rubles one way). We also rented a golf cart for 2 hours for 500 baht. I wanted to visit the Nong Nooch botanical garden, but we were too exhausted, and most of the garden is under the sun, so we didn't risk it. We also skipped the Truth Hall for the same reason.

We visited some pretty photogenic spots, like a fishing village right next to a giant Buddha.

We visited Pado Media art space, but it was a total waste of 1,000 baht - maybe kids would have liked it.We went to a foot massage once, and it was great, costing only 250 baht per person. The massage place is right next to terminal 21, Green.

I highly recommend buying those smell-absorbing sticks that locals use - they really help you cope with the variety of smells on the streets. It's a mix of fried fish, durian, rot, sewage, and massage oil... my head was spinning.

If I were asked if I'd recommend this city, my answer would be no - I wouldn't go back myself.