Tawaen Beach, Thailand

There are 3 beaches near Pattaya.  I went to each one whilst on holiday in Thailand.  Whilst Luke was at work, I go on trips alone.  I love it.  I love the freedom and I love seeing new places.  :)  

Naban Port:

 The Sunbeds:

 The Beach Area:

 The Fine White Sand:

Crystal Clear Water:

 The Wooden Bridge:

I was pleasantly surprised with the beach. It was nothing like I've expected. I mean, Samae Beach disappointed me and according to the articles that I read, Samae is better than Tawaen. I beg to differ. Tawaen is wayyyy better than Samae, less crowded, cleaner water and kid friendly. You can actually walk on the seashore without bumping into the sunbeds.

There are two ways to go to Tawaen Beach depending on which time you depart. First is the Pattaya(from Bali Hai Pier) to Naban Port Route. You must take a Baht Bus located in front of 7-11 to Tawaen Beach. Second one was the direct Pattaya - Tawaen Beach Ferry. I took the first one cause I miss the direct Ferry. Returning from the beach is easy, they have every hour ferry service from 1PM til 6PM.

This is the cheapest beach trip I've been. All in all, I spent less than 150 THB. Here's the breakdown:

Fare to Bali Hai Pier - 10 THB

Ferry to Naban Port - 20 THB

Baht Bus to Tawaen Beach - 20 THB

Sun Bed - 20 THB

Food/Fruit - 20 THB

Ferry to Pattaya - 20 THB

Baht Bus to Soi 5 - 20 THB

For a grand total of 130 THB for a day of relaxation on a beach.

Samae Beach, Thailand

Koh Larn is 30 minutes away from Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya. My fare costs 150THB return from the Pier to Samae Beach. There is a cheaper fare, 20THB each way, which drops you to the Naban Port. You can take a tuktuk from there which will take you to the other beach of your choice. I took the hassle free one as this was my first trip ever. Anyway, prepare 50THB for the Sunbeds. It ain't free. As soon as you settle into your position, thai people will ask for sunbed fee. It wasn't that expensive but they made it sound free as soon as you leave the small boat. You'll know when you get there. As for my thoughts on the beach, it was okay for me. I only want to see the beach and had a proper tan. For beach lovers, you might hate this. It is very very crowded. Remember the sunbed photos? The beach stretch is covered with sunbeds!!! You may only have less than a yard to walk to on the seashore. Food are quite pricey too. I had magnum for whopping 80THB! They have a lot of water sports too and clear water for swimming. I can't swim and water sports are best enjoyed with company and I was incapable of both. LOL!

Pattaya Floating Market

 Touring by boat.

They haven't made the Pattaya Floating Market yet when I first visited Thailand in 2005.  With lack of research and planning, my family end up doing almost nothing.  My siblings stayed home whilst my mum and I go to work.  I did my OJT in Thailand.  

I love the Pattaya Floating Market because there a lots of things to do there.  You can sample authentic Thai food for very cheap price, you can shop for clothes, souvenirs, furniture, go for a massage, play on the swing bridge and tour the market through a boat.  There aren't much to see but it's maybe fun to experience the actual floating market.  :P

Interested?  Please go to this link - http://www.pattayafloatingmarket.com/topic.php?userid=1&pageid=57&lang=english&pagename=Location

Ayutthaya Cycling Tour

If you are in Bangkok and you've toured the city by bike, loved it and wanna do it again, I suggest going to Ayutthaya.  

We missed the quick train to Ayutthaya. We had to take the ordinary train. Translation: No airconditioning. Ordinary train costs 15THB for foreigners and free for locals. The airconditioned train cost 300THB as I remember. Glad we took the ordinary train cause I haven't experienced riding into one. As I told Luke, I've always wanted to stick my head out of a moving train. I did that on our way back. I was happy then.

Below is the boat that we took to cross the river.  It cost 4THB.

Don't worry about renting bikes.  It's everywhere on the pier.  I think this costed us a little over 100THB to rent for the whole day.  

Armed with a travel book and Luke's compass watch, we travelled to Ayutthaya by bike.  Loved the ruins and temples!

Muay Thai FIGHTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone that knows me, know that I like bone breaking action films. So it is no surprise that I can sit all night enjoying endless rounds of violence. I meant, kicking and punching. It was good apart from not getting any reactions from Luke. Guess you can't really expect a guy to scream during fights.

It was on my Thailand wishlist to go see a Muay Thai fight.  Good thing that Luke took me.  He has been.  Didn't realise that it was like cock fight but instead of a rooster, they used people.  

For more than 10 fights, we paid 1500THB.  


Anyone interested to watch a fight or train for Muay Thai, please go to this link - http://www.fairtex-muaythai.com/web/contact.html

Paris City Tour

1.  Sacré Coeur. 

Mum made sure that we went to this place. I saw this in Paris Je T'aime film. Warning: Do not use the side winding stairs as the smell will kill you. I have to hold my breathe while walking up. It is better to take the straight steps on the left. You can take the lift but your laziness will cost you!

Closest Metro Stations:

• Abbesses - Line 12 (green)
• Anvers - Line 2 (blue)
• Lamarck Caulaincourt - Line 12 (green)

2.  Paris Opera/  Académie Royale de Musique

Closest Metro Stations:

• Opera (Line 3, Line 7, Line 8)
• Chausée d’Antin La Fayette (Line 7, Line 9)
• Auber on RER line A (Red)

3.  Louvre

To know more about Louvre, please go to this link - http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

Closest Metro Stations:

• Louvre Rivoli 
• Palais Royal Musée du Louvre

4.  Notre Dame

http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/-English-

Closest Metro Stations:

• St-Michel Notre Dame - RER B Train Line (blue)
• St-Michel Notre Dame - RER C Train Line (yellow)
• Cité - Line 4 (fuschia)

5.  Jardin du Luxembourg

On my opinion, it is best to visit the Jardin on Autumn. It simply is very romantic. I love the fact that the leaves just turn to brownish red kinda like taking photo in Sepia. I love how everyone seems so relaxed under the autumn sun. This memory is something I won't forget.

If  you are travelling by Metro around Paris, please go to this link - http://parisbytrain.com/.  

Disneyland, Paris

We went to the happiest place on Earth for our last day. It was both me and my dear sister's first time. Although the direction to Disney Land is pretty straight forward, we still got on the wrong train. Good thing the guy can speak English or we were doomed! :P A very successful day for my dear sister. She got into 4 rides. Mind you, Disney Rides are designed for kids. She especially enjoyed the Peter Pan ride and cried over the Pirates of the Carribean cause they made 2 drops. It was embarrassing but I love how my mum pushed my sister to take the rides and conquer her fears. I love the every hour performances on Disney Land. Me and my dear brother grew up watching the Disney Channel to train our ears in English so it was nice to hear all their songs during the hourly intervals. I won't grow up. My Peter Pan Syndrome is coming back.

Anyone interested to go to Paris Disneyland?  Please go to this link - http://www.disneylandparis.com/

If you are coming from London, please do check the direct St Pancras - Paris Disney trip.