Visiting the Sin Cities of Asia

Soon after I returned from Sarpaas trek, my parents had planned for South East trip , visiting Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia countries in the same order. We flew in Srilanka Airlines and somehow our itinerary had a stay in Colombo airport for one night. May be flight timings was so.

We reached Bangkok next day after a delay of 3 hrs. Our cab was waiting and we left for Pattaya same day. Enroute we had packed lunch. We stayed 2 nights in Pattaya and 2 nights in Bangkok.

We reached Pattaya in the evening and checked in to Royal Orchid Resort. Mostly Indians stay here. After fresh up, we left for Alcazar show which is performed by transgenders. It's a medley of dance performance, singing and some fun activities. At the end, they wait outside for the photo-shoot with audience , which is a paid one. We had usual Indian dinner at the hotel. Next day was visit to Coral Island. At vantage points, photographers take our photos , sometimes unknowingly and when we return, we see our photos on mugs or frames. We can buy this if interested. We left on speed boat to the other side of beach. En route there was a pit stop for refreshments , paragliding activity and souvenir purchase. We are transferred to rowing boat which has a glass bottom to see the corals. We even went to undersea walk for 20 min. The beach was crystal clear but was crowded. Tender coconut though costs a bomb, is not be missed. The Guava was the other fruit which needs to be tasted. They are super big and very juicy. In the evening, we went to Noog Nooch Village which has 14 different tropical gardens , Thai cultural shows and Elephant performance. Feel pity for Elephants as they are all tamed and do things which they don't in the Wild.

At night, me and my mother just took a stroll along night market. Pattaya is known for Thai massage and is one of the hottest destination for Bachelor parties :-). Some other sightseeing places include Pattaya view point, Floating market, Buddha hill. More details here

Next day, we left to Bangkok in car and 150 odd kms was covered in 2hrs. We checked in to Howard Square, again a desi hotel.Post lunch, we went for a city tour covering the world's largest Buddha - also called Wat Traimit. Followed by at Pho-a Principle Buddha, Reclining Buddha inside the Vihara Hall, phra Ubosot the large triangular building and Spires of Phra Maha Chedi Si Rajkarn. We could not do the dinner cruise or visit the floating market as it was raining. Back to hotel and dinner with Indian guests.

Next day, we went to Safari world. One of a kind thing here is, we can drive our own vehicles inside the safari park where wild animals roam freely. At a distant, park rangers monitor. We experienced close encounter with tigers and lions. Then was Marine Park - a vast spectrum of animals of land, sea and air. Other attractions include Spy War action stunts, Water Skiing, Dolphins show, Hollywood Cowboy Stunts, Orang-utan Boxing ,Sea lions show, hundreds of exhibits featuring white tigers, fantasy carp garden, tapir kingdom, crocodile garden and many more. Its a paradise for kids. In the evening we went to Indra Square market which is one of the many markets in Bangkok. The price of the products depends on the one's ability to bargain . Its a budget shopper's paradise. We bought clothes, souvenir and took the iconic Tuk-Tuk back to hotel. Other market details here.

We then left to Singapore next day.

Some photos below,