Just An Ordinary Girl

In total, we spent RM 3,230.40, which works out to be RM 1,615.20 per person. To be honest, we went slightly over our initial budget due to currency fluctuation. The value of Malaysia ringgit against Thai Baht has declined greatly over the past few months which has increased our cost.

Getting From Utapao Airport to Pattaya Central



Our flight arrived at Utapao Airport, which is actually a military airport that is located about an hour drive from Pattaya town. The cheapest way to get from Utapao Airport to Pattaya Central is by a shared minivan. You will find a number of transfer service counters located outside the arrival hall where you can book a minivan transfer.


Simply tell them the hotel that you are staying at and pay the price of the ticket. It will usually costs 250 baht per person. The good thing about booking a mini van is that they will send you directly to your hotel. But the bad thing is they will usually wait until the van is full (10 people) before departing.

You might want to book a private Grab car or taxi instead if you are in hurry. They will cost somewhere between 800 to 1,200 baht. It is much more expensive than minivan, but it will more comfortable and time saving.

It took us about 2 hours to reach our hotel in Pattaya Central even though we were told that it will take an hour. This is because the minivan has to make multiple stops along the way to drop off each passenger. Thus, taking a minivan might not be a good option if you are in a rush.

Getting Around in Pattaya

There are a number of ways to get around Pattaya. Songthaews and motorbike taxis are probably the cheapest way to get around. Also known as the Baht bus, Songthaews is like a converted pick up truck with two rows of benches at the back. It travels on specific route but may deviate from the original route without informing.

Most Songthaews will try to overcharge you if you ask for a destination as they might presume that you want to charter a taxi. So it is recommended that you ride the Songthaews without asking the destination.

Motorbike taxi is the fastest way to get around the city. It is sometimes cheaper than the Songthaews but can be pretty dangerous because there are many bikers who do not obey to traffic rules.

The most comfortable and safer way to get around in Pattaya is by private Grab car or taxi. But of course, Grab car and taxi are more expensive than Songthaews and motorbike taxis. There are very few metered taxi in Pattaya. Or rather, most taxis will refuse to use their meters. You will need to negotiate and agree on the price before getting in. But they would usually costs much more than Grab car.

During our 4 days in Pattaya, we used Grab car the most to get around because there are barely any Songthaews in the area we stayed. But we saw a lot of motorbike taxis with waiting drivers calling out to us to attract our attention. Even so, we prefer using Grab car to motorbike taxis. We find Grab car a whole lot more convenient and safer than other transportations. Most importantly, we know that we were not getting ripped off.

Alternatively, you can also rent a motorbike or car if you do not mind driving. Renting a motorbike can be a very cost effective way to get around in Pattaya, especially if you are staying in Pattaya long term. But please note that the traffic is pretty hectic in Pattaya, so driving around is not easy.

Accommodation
During our 4 days 3 nights in Pattaya, we stayed at Levana Hotel, a 3-star hotel located in Pattaya Central, just 3 minutes walk away from Foodland supermarket and Harbor Mall.


Measuring 30 sqm, the superior room is extremely spacious and so much bigger than what we expected, especially for the price we paid. Fitted with wooden flooring, the spacious room is very clean and comes with a large king sized bed, a sitting area and ensuite bathroom. The bed is a little too hard and the pillows are too soft for our liking. We have trouble falling asleep at night even though the surrounding is very quiet during both day and night as it is located far away from the busy nightlife.

In the sitting area, you will find a coffee table and chair where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.



The room opens out to a tiny balcony, which is actually a little redundant because it was so small that it barely serves any purpose. There is no view to enjoy from the balcony too. But for smokers, this might be a good place to take a smoke without leaving the room.

The room is equipped with a LCD TV with nothing much to watch. Complimentary WiFi is also available in room and connection is fast and stable throughout our stay.


Coffee and tea making facilities are provided as well. Other in-room amenities include a mini fridge, a mini safe box, a hair dryer and two complimentary bottled water.


The bathroom is extremely spacious as well, with separate toilet and shower area. But it does get a little flooded and wet when you shower it does not come with a shower screen door.





Located on the 8th floor, you will find a roof top sun deck and infinity pool that offers a panoramic view of the city. The view is not particularly amazing, but it is still great place to relax after a day.


You can order some drinks and snacks from the rooftop bar and enjoy while watching the sun set.


Breakfast is served at the hotel restaurant from 7.00 am to 10.30 pm, offering a few selection of western and Thai dishes.


Choices were a bit limited but adequate. The food were tasty as well.

Generally, we find the staffs very friendly and helpful. They would always make sure that everything is okay when we were getting into our Grab car or taxi rides. However, the location of the hotel is a bit far from most tourist hotspots, so we have to rely a lot on Grab car and taxi to get to places, which increased our cost of transportation. Even so, it is still conveniently located because you can get food and drinks easily from the 24-hour Foodland supermarket that is located just minutes away.

Price: 97 Baht/set

After settling down, we headed to Harbor Mall to grab a late lunch / early dinner. We decided to have KFC because we were lazy to think about what to do. There was no English menu, so we could only order 2 piece chicken set. Afterall, you can never go wrong with fried chicken.

I had spicy chicken and my husband had the non-spicy version. For some reason, we feel that KFC in Thailand (or even in Japan) just taste so much nicer than it is in Malaysia. The chicken were moist and not overly greasy.  Oh, the drinks are refillable in Thailand.


After dinner, we walked over to Foodland Supermarket, which is located just next to the Harbor Mall to get some after-dinner snacks and drinks.

We bought quite a lot drinks and some cup noodles from Foodland. The prices are cheaper than convenience store since this is a supermarket. We spent rest of the night chilling in our bed as we were feeling really tired from the travelling.


We decided to try out the Hoegaarden Rosee because we wanted something with a lower alcohol percentage. It is pink, sweet and taste like raspberry. This is great for those who feel like drinking beer but hate the taste of beer. But this was really expensive. A can of it costs 125 Baht. If not, I would have bought more.


And of course, our favorite Meiji Dark Chocolate Lactose Free Milk. But sadly, this is only available in Thailand. I wish they would sell this in Malaysia too.

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
Official Website: Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

The next day, we woke up early to have breakfast before heading to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, which is said to be one of the largest and most beautiful botanic garden in Southeast Asia. We got there by Grab car, which costs 500 Baht for a 30 minutes ride.

Measuring 600-acre, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand, welcoming about 3,000 to 5,000 tourists daily. The garden is open from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm every day with restaurants opening until 10.00 pm.

It was around 9 am when we arrived at the garden. I would really recommend anyone to get here early in the morning before it gets really crowded and hot. Another reason why we visited so early was because we wanted to catch the 10.30 am Thai Cultural show.


We booked the entrance ticket through Nong Nooch Tropical Garden official website  right before our trip. There are a few packages for you to choose from but there is a dual pricing policy here, which is actually quite a common thing in Thailand.  Foreigners are expected to pay much more than the local Thai people to enter the garden.



The package that we bought includes the entrance ticket, Thai Cultural and Elephant shows and international buffet lunch. It costs 1,000 Baht per pax and tickets are strictly non-refundable. You will receive a booking voucher in your email after payment. You will need to redeem the entrance ticket at the ticket counter at the garden.




Passing through the ticket gates, we arrived at the Elephant Feeding area where you can buy a bunch of banana for 50 Baht to feed the elephants. It was sad to see that the elephants are kept chained tightly to the fences (even when they are taking a break from the show) to stop them from moving away.


Passing through, you will arrive at the auditorium where the shows are performed. Right in front of the auditorium, we were surprised to see an adult tiger. Excited at first, I was disgusted and sad when I noticed that the tiger was chained to the ground. The chain was so short that the tiger could not really stand up. All he could do was to lay down on the ground, looking terrified and helpless. It seemed that the tiger was drugged because it looked dazed and unaware of the surroundings. For as little as 100 Baht, tourists can have their photos taken with the poor animal.


I felt equally ashamed of myself too as I was one of the tourists who surrounded the tiger and eagerly snap tons of pictures of it. Even though I did not pay to take a photo with it up close, somehow I have also contributed to animal cruelty.



Other than paying to take a photo with a tiger, you can also pay to ride an elephant here. I have been wanting to ride an elephant, but I was turned off by the idea because I have read that elephant rides are also a form of animal abuse. It is bad for the elephants because unlike horses, their spines are not made to support the weight of people. Doing so all day can cause permanent spinal injuries to the animal. So please say no to elephant rides! I believe you will not lose anything even if you do not get to ride one.



The Thai Cultural show is performed at the indoor auditorium five times a day at 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 3.00 pm, 4.00 pm and 5.00 pm. The show includes of a mix of traditional and contemporary dance, kickboxing, martial arts and mock battles between armoured elephants. Basically you will get to learn more about Thai life, culture and history.

After the show, we were asked to move to the outdoor auditorium for the Elephants show. Before the show started, tourists can pay 100 Baht to take photo with an elephant. It was sad to see that both young and old elephants being forced to pose for photos with dozens of tourists. There were also a few kids walking around, trying to get you to buy a bunch of bananas to feed the elephants.



Around 30+ elephants are made to perform various circus tricks during the show, a lot of them are baby elephants You will see elephants painting, playing football and basketball, throwing darts and giving massages. Although it was quite entertaining. it was very disturbing as well.



After the show, we went for the buffet lunch at Plub Plueng Restaurant, which is located just a 5 minutes walk away from the auditorium. Facing the lake, the restaurant offers a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from local Thai, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Western to Japanese.


After lunch, we decided to take a stroll around the lake. You can also rent a paddle boat to cruise around the lake for a while.



At the feeding area in front of the restaurant, you can also pay to feed the giant arapaima.  Basically you will be given a pole with a piece of chicken tied to the end of it. You will then be asked to lower the pole down to the water surface. We watch in amazement as the arapaima powerfully snap the meat off the line.


Nong Nooch Tropical Garden feels more like a theme park / zoo than a botanical garden. You will find hundreds or even thousands of life sized animal statues and dinosaurs in bulk all around the garden. It was quite interesting and weird, but kids can actually get to learn about the animals without visiting a real zoo. But garden lovers might get a little disappointed because there are just too many  animal and dinosaurs statues everywhere.






The garden is divided into various themed gardens such as Stonehenge, French, Italian, Mammoth, European, Cactus garden, to name a few. It is home to great variety of plant species such as cactus and succulent plants, orchid,  palm, roses and bonsai. You can explore the huge garden on foot, on rented bicycle or on the sightseeing bus that departs every 30 minutes.


We chose to explore the garden by foot. The 3 kilometres long elevated covered Sky Walk will provide a good bird eye view over the various gardens. There are endless photo opportunities throughout the garden, so make sure you have your camera ready.

As the garden is too big in size, it is impossible for me to shoot each statues separately. If not, I believe you will get tired and bored scrolling through all the photos in this post.

Butterfly Hill





The Butterfly Hill is an ornamental garden filled with large amount of colorful flowers, resembling the colorful patterns of the butterfly wings. Here you will find lots of animals statues such as lions, orangutan, mini pigs, saber tooth tigers and goats.

French Garden



The French garden is modeled after the Versailles Palace in France, decorated with golden pagoda, red telephone booths and huge dinosaurs as it is located just next to the Dinosaur Valley.

Pottery Garden

The Pottery Garden is filled with over 100,000 clay pots moulded into unique shapes.

Ants Tower
The Ant Tower has more that 5000 colorful ants climbing up the building wall. It looks really scary even though the ants are cute.

Sightseeing Bus


We decided to hop onto a sightseeing bus to get an overall view of the garden. A ride cost 150 Baht per pax, which is a little expensive. The bus will depart from the parking station near the auditorium and drop you off at the back of Dinosaur Valley before returning to the parking station.

Dinosaur Valley



The Dinosaur Valley is our favorite themed zone in the garden that features life sized dinosaurs of over 10 species. This is probably one of the largest Dinosaur park in the world with over 100 realistic, full sized dinosaur statues! It feels as though you have walked into the world of Jurassic Park. It was amazing but intimidating at the same time.



The Dinosaur Valley is a heaven for dinosaur lovers! Here you will find some of the best well-known dinosaurs like Triceratops, Tyrannosaurs Rex, Pterodactyl and Brachiosaurus. I believe you will have a lot of fun taking tons of photos with the prehistoric beasts.


Price: 60 Baht

It was a very hot and humid day and we decided to get some drinks from the cafe at Dinosaur Valley. And look what we have got! Dinosaur Coke! This is so cute.




Stonehenge Garden

The Stonehenge Garden is a replica of the Stonehenge of England.


Overall, the garden is very well maintained and well organized. But it was still a little confusing to navigate the garden grounds due to its immense size. The statues are realistic looking with high amount of details. But it can get a little boring after a while. The weather can also get really hot and humid in the afternoon, so make sure you drink plenty of water and apply sufficient sunscreen to protect yourself from the heat. You might want to allocate at least half a day here just to see everything.

However, I probably would not recommend this place to anyone because I do not support animal cruelty. For those who plan to visit, please do not pay for any animal activity like elephant riding or tiger selfies.

Swiss Sheep Farm
Official Website: Swiss Sheep Farm 


We left Nong Nooch Tropical Garden at around 4 pm to visit the Swiss Sheep Farm, which is located just a 15 minutes drive away. Walking to the entrance of the garden, we approached the taxi counter and asked about our destination. We were quoted a flat fee of 300 Baht even though it was such a short distance. It was a bit ridiculous, but the price was not negotiable and we did not really have a choice.

We booked our ticket through Klook. It costs us RM 9 per ticket, which was incredibly cheap! I believe this was a discounted price. The current price is about RM 22 per ticket on Klook. But if you buy the ticket on the spot, it will cost you 350 Baht. So it is still so much cheaper to book your ticket through Klook than buying on the spot.


After booking, you should receive an e-voucher from Klook. You will need to redeem for an entrance ticket at the ticket counter by showing your e-voucher from your smartphone or print it out.

The farm is open from 10 am to 7 pm from Monday to Friday and 9 am to 7 pm on the weekends. Please note that horse riding activity will operate only until 4.00 pm. So do come early if you would like to ride a horse.


The entrance ticket that we bought from Klook also includes sheep feeding activities. Passing through the ticket gate, we headed straight to the Barn where several dozen of sheep, goat and donkeys are kept.


You can use the sheep feeding coupon that is attached to the entrance ticket to exchange for a handful of grass to feed the sheep.





It was a very fun experience, though I find the sheep a little scary and aggressive. Most of them would run towards me and try to climb over the fence when I went near them with food. I guess they were really hungry.



Surrounded by scenic mountain view, Swiss Sheep Farm is a idyllic country-style farm that is inspired by the farmlands of Switzerland. Other than sheep feeding, there are really not much things to do here except taking lots of photos.









There are plenty of beautiful spots to take photos in the farm. The place is adorned is a dutch windmill, a red English telephone booth, tractors farm carts, old water pumps, halloween pumpkins, retro American trucks and other objects that might seems strange but will provide a great backdrop for photography. It will make you feel like you are travelling through several European countries at once. So get your camera ready and take as many photos as you like.



The Swiss Sheep Farm seemed like it is a forgotten tourist attraction in Pattaya. Most of the shops and restaurants in the farm were permanently closed. There are a few rides for children, but none of them were in operation. Even the carnival games booths were abandoned.

However, the good thing was the farm was almost empty and we actually enjoyed having the entire place to our own. We were free to take as much photos as we want without needing to wait for others.


Next to the Sheep Barn, you will find the Horse Station where you can pay to ride a pony. But I do not recommend paying for a ride because the pony looks really sad.

You will find swans swimming around in a small man made pond. So beautiful!


I actually read that there are alpacas in the farm, but we did not see any. To be honest, I was feeling a little disappointed because I thought I can finally get to see one.


The farm is not very small or very large, but it was very clean and well-maintained. We spent about an hour here, walking around and taking tons of photos. Overall, I feel that this is a good place to spend some time with family, especially those with young children. But I would recommend visiting only if you managed to get a discounted ticket from Klook. Otherwise, it is not worth spending so much money on the ticket.

We left the farm at around 5 pm and booked a Grab Car back to our hotel for a short rest before heading out for dinner. The 30 minutes ride cost us 570 Baht.

Walking Street

Pattaya is well-known for its nightlife, particularly its sex industry. I believe most people will immediately think of ladyboys, bar girls, erotic shows and drunk tourists whenever they think of Pattaya. There are plenty of opportunities to dance, drink and have sex in Pattaya.

We decided to visit the Walking Street just to experience the fun. The Walking street was about a 20 minutes drive away from our hotel. We used a Grab car to get there, which costs 220 Baht.


The Walking Street is an entertainment and red light district area in Pattaya. You will find plenty of seafood restaurants, beer bars, music clubs, go-go bars, nightclubs, shops and hotels all along the street.

The street is closed to vehicles from 7.00 pm to 3.00 am but there was not much action before 10.00 pm. The real parties and action only happen around midnight. You might want to consider visiting early if you are not into partying or prefer quiet places.

Walking down the street was an interesting experience. You will get to see lots of sexy, scantily clad girls dancing around chrome poles on stages and on the tables, trying to attract passer-by to enter their bars. There are a lot of Russian girls here if you are not interested in local ones. Most of the bars are dimly lit with loud music. Alcohol are not very cheap here. You might want to visit during happy hours for great promotions and savings. But please note that most of the bars and clubs here will not allow you to take photos.

All along the street, we were being approached by dozens of men holding a menu card, inviting us to sex shows, with each promising that his show will be the best.

One of the thing we find it funny was that there was a busload of tourists, mainly from Mainland China that were brought here by their tour guides. The tour guides will walk them through the streets to have a look at the notorious night life spot. It certainly makes the Walking Street feels like any other ordinary street whenever that happens.


There are a good choice of restaurants specializing in seafood here too. We decided to eat at Tankay Restaurant, which is one of the oldest restaurants on Walking Street. At the entrance, you will find a large selection of live seafood in tanks. The restaurant is very clean and has quite a romantic atmosphere with tables set at the back on a terrace that looks out to Pattaya Bay.

As expected, prices are not cheap and seafood like lobsters, crabs and big tiger prawns are measured by weight. But we decided to splurge a little for this meal.

Shrimp Fried Rice

We decided to have shrimp fried rice instead of plain white rice. It was simple but tasty! The fried rice was very fragrant and well-seasoned.

Stir-Fry Tiger Prawns with Ginger and Spring Onions

This was the most expensive item on our dinner bill. But it was worth every penny. The tiger prawns were huge, almost the size of my palm and amazingly fresh. They were so bouncy, juicy and delicious!

Stir-Fry Kang Kong
The stir-fry kang kong was good, though a little too salty. But it goes well with the rice.

Stir-Fry Clams in Spicy Thai Chilli Sauce

We really regretted ordering this as it was sweet rather than spicy. And usually we do not like our food to be sweet. It just taste weird. But the clams were very fresh.

Overall, the seafood were fresh and service was fast and great. The bill came out to 2,765 Baht, which was a little more expensive than what we expected. But we absolutely enjoyed our dinner.

We took a taxi back to our hotel after dinner as it was hard to book a Grab Car. The traffic around the area was very bad during night time. We were quoted 400 Baht for the trip, which we gladly accepted since we do not have any other choice. While on our way back, we asked the taxi driver to drop us at Foodland Supermarket so that we could get some yogurt and mineral water.

Siladon Spa
Official Website: Siladon Spa Pattaya


The next day, we visited Siladon Spa for a pampering sessions. Siladon Spa is our favorite spa to visit in Thailand because they always have this "Buy 1 Free 1" package and it is a pretty good deal. We could not find any other spa center that offers a better deal than Siladon Spa. They have three branches in Thailand - Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. We have visited both their Bangkok and Phuket branches and our experience has always been great.


After breakfast, we booked a Grab car to Siladon Spa. The trip costs us 230 baht and took about 15 minutes.

Siladon Spa offers a wide variety of treatments and couple packages for both men and women, as well as single and double rooms to suit different needs and budgets. Packages start from 2,300 Baht and range anywhere from 2 to 5 hours.

We booked their 2 hours Siladon Refresh package at 2,700 Baht for 2 persons. The package includes body scrub and aroma oil massage. Please note that the promotion price is valid for direct booking through their website, phone or email only.


We were greeted warmly with smiles upon arrival and were asked to the aroma oil and salt scrub we prefer. After everything is confirmed, we were brought to one of the treatment room where we were asked to remove all our clothes and change into the disposable underwear and bathrobes provided.


The treatment room is large and spacious and comes with a shower inside. We started with a warm foot bath, followed by the full body scrub. Then we were asked to take a shower before continuing with the massage.

The whole experience was very comfortable. The therapists were very professional and well-skilled. I almost fell asleep several times during the massage.


Biscuits and tea were served after the treatment. We simply took our own sweet time to enjoy the tea. After making the payment, we booked a Grab car back to our hotel. The ride costs 260 Baht.

69 X-rated show

We got the chance to watch an adult show in Pattaya. Actually, we did not plan to watch one in the first place. We just happened to chance upon an adult show while we were searching for things to do in Pattaya. So we thought that we should go and watch one just to experience the adult entertainment scene in the Pattaya.

We only booked the tickets a day before the show through Online-Pattaya while we were chilling in our hotel room in Pattaya. The price was 900 baht per person (depends on nationality), which includes 2-way transfer and admission fee to the show. Please note that some nationalities will have to pay more.

The 69 X-rated show is an adult sex show meant for adults only. After booking online, you will receive a confirmation email from the tour operator. No prepayment is required, so you do not have worry about getting scammed. Payment is made directly to the driver on the pick up day.

The show will start at 6.00 pm and ends at 10.00 pm every night. Each show is about 45 minutes and it is repeated in the 4 hours. The pick up time is between 7.30 pm to 8.30 pm. You will receive a Whatsapp message from the driver on the day itself informing you on the actual pick up time. So make sure you provide the correct phone number during booking.

We were surprised that it was a very pretty Russian girl who came to pick up us at our hotel. The trip from our hotel to the show venue took about 25 minutes. Please remember to bring you passport along with you for verification purposes.

As video and photography are not allowed, we were asked to hand over our camera and smartphone to the ticket counter for safe keeping. There are very strict inspection at the entrance, so do not try to hide your gadgets and bring it into the hall.

Since photography is not allowed, I would just give you a rough idea what you could expect to see at the show. You will be able to see partially and completely naked young women, men and even ladyboys dancing and performing various incredible tricks on stage. There will be some interactions with the chosen audiences, but this is only for men. If you lucky, you will have the chance to touch one of the naked women.

However, the show does not contain explicit sex scenes due to frequent police inspections. But you will be able to enjoy exciting imitation of sexual intercourse from the show.

Overall, we enjoyed the show.It was our last night in Pattaya and the show was a really good way to end our trip. Oh, did I mention that there are lots of tourists from Mainland China? It was very surprising to find dozens of tour buses bringing Chinese tourists here to watch this show.


We left once we have seen everything. Our driver was already waiting for us at the entrance, ready to drive us back to our hotel. Upon reaching our hotel, we walked to Foodland Supermarket to get some drinks. We usually buy almost the same items every night. But I decided to try out a different yogurt drink and fell instantly in love with it. It is called the Butterfly Probiotic Yogurt and this is slightly more expensive and much smaller than the Betagen yogurt drink. But I love this more than Betagen because it is thicker and more creamier.


The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast before heading off to the airport. Utapao Airport is really small and there is nothing much to see, do and shop here. Feeling hungry, we bought a sandwich from a small store inside the departure area, which came with a small packet of potato chips. With that, we ended our 4 days 3 nights trip to Pattaya. Overall, it was quite a relaxing trip and I would certainly love to visit Pattaya again.

Be sure to follow me on my Facebook or Instagram to get the latest updates on my travel adventures! Also, do not forget to share my blog posts with your family and friends if you find them helpful. In the meantime, you might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.