Мое знакомство с тайландом My introduction to Thailand

The day before yesterday we returned from Thailand and while the memories are fresh I will try to write my review about the trip to this country. We went as a couple for 11 nights combined tour with a night in Bangkok from the Biblio-globe. The flight and the meeting were wonderful - we were met, handed backpacks, necklaces of flowers (I think orchids) were hung around our necks and taken to the Prince Palace Hotel. We were placed at the hotel immediately and the guides immediately offered a number of excursions from which we chose a night tour of Bangkok (from 20:00 to 00:00 hours it costs 1500 baht for 1 person) and paid extra for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha the next day (06:00 hours - 14:00 hours costs 1800 baht per person). The night tour included dinner (a magnificent buffet) at Baiyoke Sky Restaurant - the tallest building in Bangkok in a restaurant with a panoramic view of the city. And after dinner, we took a bus ride with a guide. All liked it. The next day we went to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. If you go on this tour, take pants to toe and skirts the same - otherwise they will not be allowed into the temple. At worst, you can rent these items of clothing in front of the entrance to the temple complex. Cost - 30 baht for trousers and the same amount for a skirt. I also liked the tour very much, we saw a lot of photos and videos, but got tired. Acclimatization is taking its toll. After visiting the temple complexes, we swept around Bangkok, stopped at a jewelry factory (the prices for everything are crazy! ) and at 14:00 headed to Pattaya. Yes, I forgot to say, the breakfast at the hotel was good and varied. The room is also cozy. So, 2.5 hours drive to Pattaya and we check into the V8 Seaview Hotel. Upon check-in, we are given the 4th floor. To my question - "And higher? Floor would be 12-13", the girl at the reception answers me - "300 baht". At that time, there was no such amount of change money (they hadn’t changed it yet), so they took the 4th floor. We rested in room 116. We were given a standard room, although the voucher was superior. Later, by the way, they did not regret that they settled on the 4th floor, because the hotel has free Wi-Fi, and the router is located at the reception. Our signal was weak, but enough for messages in classmates))) But there was no Internet above. So, we settled in - the room is spacious, clean, the air conditioner works clearly - the mood is wonderful! We settled in and went to explore the hotel. The pool is large and it turned out to be possible to swim after closing (21:00). Just turn off the pool lights and that's it - swim as much as you like. On the roof of the hotel there is an observation deck with a lawn and palm trees growing around the entire perimeter of the roof. They went out freely on the roof both day and night. Absolutely no one interfered)) So, back to the period of the first exit to the street. In front of the hotel there is a beach and a dirty sea across the road. Bathed once - for show. . . with plastic bags and some rubbish around. . brrrr and this is considered "more or less clean sea" compared to the center of Pattaya. I don’t know what is being done in the center, our beach was enough. Swim after that only in the pool. All excursions were taken from the manop. We collected six prospectuses from different agencies offering excursions and the manop turned out to be more profitable for all excursions. I recommend everyone to take the first tour of Kwai. I explain why. We scored 6 excursions for 10 days. After Kwai, 2 of them were crossed out and 2 are questionable. All this is because Kwai includes a number of excursions, which individually cost good money. . An example - for a quai we paid 2500 baht per person and in addition to all the delights that I won’t list once again, we rode elephants for about 25-30 minutes. Moreover, the Burmese (elephant drivers) give themselves a ride on an elephant in the role of a driver. And it's all included in the cost of a 2-day tour. But if you go on an excursion to an elephant farm in Pattaya, for a trip on an elephant (you will just be given a ride) it will cost 900 baht per person. So, having arrived from Kwai, we crossed out the zoo and some other excursion. We went to the Nong Nooch flower garden. Impressed. I recommend it to both women and men. We also went to Koh Samet for one day. The sea is of course transparent, the sand is white, but it is unlikely that you will be able to actively relax. A jet ski costs 2500 baht for 30 minutes and nothing else. It remains only to blow beer under an umbrella in a sun lounger and look at the sea. Not a single volleyball or net ((boring. There was also an excursion to the dolphinarium cost 2300 baht per person. It is positioned as a dolphin show + subsequent swimming with dolphins for 45 minutes. DO NOT TAKE THIS EXCURSION even under pain of death!! )) First of all, we were not warned that we needed to cut our nails in order to be allowed to swim with a dolphin. My wife was confronted with a fact already in the dolphinarium - a guy with wire cutters similar to pliers came up and offered to part with extended nails)) naturally was refused. As a result, she did not swim with dolphins ((. The first dolphinarium in which such rules. The dolphin show sucks. Children of all ages in the middle of the "show" began to cry and fidget out of boredom. One dolphin with a broken fin and a HOLE in his head ! ! Watch really unpleasant. Moreover, two dolphins are pink in some spots, and 2 are not dolphins, but belugas. In general, the tour did not work out. We were also on a crocodile farm - we paid the guide 135 baht for a free excursion to the orchard. We were also satisfied - good excursion We walked along Walking Street. Peculiar of course)) Now about the hotel. The staff left us when we arrived at Kwai without breakfast - the carelessness of the staff, they stole two T-shirts and cleaned the room so that it was not visible)) But otherwise everything is great. We spent a lot of time on excursions and the situation was only positive. Now additional information: there are exchangers to the left of the hotel a stone's throw away, but the rate is better on the right, though you have to drive a tuk-tuk for a couple of minutes. The bank is called MB or MEB. Tuk-tuks after 21:00 from Walking Street work only in taxi mode. They ask for 300 baht, really leave for 200 baht. A typical tuk-tuk trip costs 10 baht if you don't tell where you want to go. Prices for things are cheap on the street. It is better not to go to shopping malls. You will be delivered to the souvenir shops lookdot and heating for free, back - on your own. You can eat well in the Russian cafe "Our place". Location: as you leave the hotel and go right along the embankment for 300 meters, there will be a TAXI sign at the crossroads. After this sign, go up the street from the embankment. There are 2 white parrots sitting at the entrance to the cafe, so you won’t pass by. There (at the crossroads) are the cheapest fruits in Jomtien. On this, perhaps, everything. Have a good rest))