After a quick shower, we headed for the crowded and noisy South Pattaya beach. It has reclining beach chairs on rent for 30 Baht. Once here, you can order drinks, seafood, get a foot massage or a tattoo, or even ride a water scooter. Our next destination was the quieter Jomtien (Shompien) beach where the sea was rough.

Later in the evening, we visited the Walking Street of Pattaya, the happening hangout zone of the city. The street, with its rows of pubs and bars and stripping clubs—popularly known as the Go Go bars—is an eye-opener.

Everyone gets sozzled and watches sizzling performances but none misbehaves. The street rocks till the crack of the dawn, with the music and the dazzle.

Next morning, on our package’s first sight seeing tour, we were huddled into a speedboat by our guide Yong and taken to a wooden platform in the middle of the sea for paragliding. At 500 Baht, you can soak in the finest view of Pattaya’s skyline.

Next was deep sea diving, accompanied by expert divers. At 1,200 Baht, you can walk on the seabed and are even given bread loaves to feed the fish. The colourful aquatic life, replete with corals, in the deep blue sea is an unforgettable experience. The icing on the cake is the visit to the Coral Island. With a beautiful beach and clear blue-green water, one just did not want to return from there.

Once back in Pattaya mainland, Yong offered tickets for a cabaret show (for 500 Baht). But there’s a catch: The performers will not be women, but Kathoeys, Thai for lady boys. The one-and-a-half-hour show at the Alcazar’s auditorium left us dazzled. If not informed earlier, we would have mistaken them for women.

... contd.