Return to Paradise - Haa

September 4, 2017

Our final day together in Pattaya - we took one more stroll up Prathumnak Hill, this time hiking up to see the Big Buddha.  It was another hot, humid morning, but we all soldiered on.  This was the first time I'd ever walked up to Buddha Hill.  Many times before, we had K. Mick drive us and our guests up to the top, then we just walked back down.  We even saw a monkey on the way this morning.  I hadn't seen a monkey up there for many months.

I couldn't remember whether we needed to worry about proper attire on Buddha Hill, so I brought a couple of big scarves, just in case some of the ladies in shorts needed to cover up.  It turns out they do require legs and shoulders to be covered.  We were able to borrow the extra wraps we needed from a vendor at the bottom of the hill.

It was early enough that we almost had the place to ourselves.  A few Buddhist Mae-Chee, or women who have dedicated their lives to religion, tended to some of the altars around the hill.  Buddhist nuns are not allowed in Thailand, but these laywomen are recognized by their white robes and shaven heads.

Mae-Chee

We took in the lovely view from the top, looking out onto the bay in one direction, down Jomtien Beach in another, and back at the city from still another direction.  We strolled through the Chinese garden just below on our way back, and had a harrowing minute or two in search of a restroom as one of us suddenly felt the effects of the previous night's spicy larb dish!

In the Chinese garden...

The famous story of the Three Kingdoms

We had plenty of food left from our Koh Chang jaunt to feed our small army for breakfast.  Some of the group wanted to do a little shopping, so Tim led that group down to the "Night Bazaar" (opened all day) on Second Road while others stayed back to do laundry or lounge by the pool.

Outside Mike Shopping Mall

Central Festival Plaza

In the late afternoon, six of the group headed to the airport for a flight to Chiang Mai and a visit to the Elephant Nature Center.  Ted and Hiustyn stayed back with Tim and me, and we enjoyed a nice evening with just the four of us.  We had dinner at Sunrise Sunset in the Siam Bayview Resort, followed by a stroll through the infamous Walking Street.

The Chiang Mai group made it safely to their destination, and even happened upon a bar that carried Dirty Bastard, a craft beer bottled by Founders Brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan!