Well it finally happened. As a result of what I now believe was some contaminated catfish I ate Sunday evening from a street vendor, I spent the next two days worshiping my toilet with food poisoning. There is not much that makes you feel quite as helpless as being sick, particularly when it’s linked to your digestive system. However, as much as I’d like to blame the catfish, there is no doubt that my weekend in Pattaya played its part in increasing my susceptibility to illness…

Isn’t Pattaya pretty shady?

If you’ve never heard of Pattaya, let me go ahead and explain its less-than-glamorous reputation. Beyond its beaches, Western stores, and nightclubs, Pattaya is known for its countless go-go bars, extensive selection of Thai massage parlors, and various susceptibilities to crime. Sex, alcohol, and drugs–not always necessarily in that order–are regularly consumed by visitors. Scams round each corner in the form of street peddlers selling jewelry and accessories. Dark backrooms with scantily dressed women lurk within the depths of many massage parlors. Thievery and violence stalk the single male tourist looking for cheap highs and an intense two-minutes. Now, I don’t want to mislead you into thinking this is all Pattaya has to offer, it’s just a large part of its reputation. I remember learning in a psychology class some time ago that the poor experiences are felt twice as intensely as positive ones. That’s why it’s typically easier to recall negative experiences than positive ones–such as in the media, dining, travel, etc. In that regard, I believe Pattaya gets its infamous reputation although I can attest that there are plenty of amazing things to do beyond the common vices.

CrossFit!!!

And of course, for me, this starts with CrossFit. By some grace, there’s a multipurpose training facility in a random Pattaya neighborhood that has just about every piece of Rogue (CrossFit’s main sponsor brand) equipment. And let’s just say I had a field day over about two and a half hours. Plenty of olympic weightlifting, skill work, and metcons.

A Top 5 Hostel

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Once I reached the point of pure exhaustion, I set out to a hotel room my friends and I had booked. However, during my trek they called and said the reservation had fell through but they were working on a solution closer to the central part of town. So I set out toward downtown only to arrive and have no form of communication with them because all of their phones were dead. So I strolled into a place called Nonze Hostel because it looked nice, booked a room for two nights, and little did I know this was one of the best decisions I made all weekend. When I travel, I prefer to stay in hostels because they are typically cheap as well as a great gathering spot for backpackers to connect and socialize. When you’re traveling alone, this is particularly helpful for creating shared experiences and potential lifelong friends. I’ve stayed in about 25-30 different hostels in my travels and this one was so cool, clean, and well-located that it almost instantly cracked my top five hostels of all-time. The rooms, which were individual pods that felt like our own air-conditioned caves, were definitely one of the main highlights. Probably wouldn’t recommend it if you’re claustrophobic but for anyone else that’s visiting Pattaya: book at Nonze Hostel. You won’t regret it.

Walking Street

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So remember all that stuff I said about sex, alcohol, drugs, crime, and so on? While they accumulate along the streets of Pattaya, their greatest concentration lies within the city’s heart: Walking Street. As its name implies, Walking Street is one on which you can only walk. And after entering, you can march straight into an establishment with whatever offering you’re looking for. My personal experience brought my friends and me to several interesting neon bars and some great electronic clubs where we partied until the depths of the night.

Sanctuary of Truth

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Hidden along the city’s northwestern coast, the Sanctuary of Truth stands a whopping 105m high as Thailand’s largest wooden temple. Each and every inch is intricately sculpted and the structure as a whole is immaculate. While it is actually still a work-in progress like the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the temple is open to the public and it certainly qualifies as a must-see if you’re in Pattaya.

Central Festival Mall

Another huge draw to Pattaya is its many Western stores located across the city. While this wasn’t exactly on my to-do list, I was convinced to go into the Central Festival Mall–one of Asia’s largest malls–by some of the girls in the group that wanted to shop at H&M. While they shopped, I discovered a neat Pattaya travel tip: if you climb up to the third floor or higher, there are some pretty incredible views of the entire beach and bay.

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Hanging

Sunday morning rolled in and the damage was quite clear. In just the two days, I’d walked nearly 25 miles, slept a total of 10 hours, and partied more than my body was used to. Once I convinced myself to stop lounging around the hostel, I slowly trekked toward a van stop and made my way home, which brings us back to the beginning. While I had plenty of fun, I left my immune system exposed to the nightmare that occupied my body for several days thereafter.

Cost Summary

Just for a bit of added value, I roughly tracked my expenses over the 3-day trip from Chonburi to Pattaya and back:

• Accommodation: 1300 baht ($40)
• Transportation: 330 (10)
• Food: 550 (17)
• Alcohol: 600 (18)
• Activities: 750 (23)
• Total: 3530 baht ($108)

Sparking the Conversation

If you liked this post then drop a comment below or share it with a friend! Also, I’d love to know: What kinds of places do you prefer to stay in when you travel?

Thanks for reading this post and as always, I encourage you to #gotravel!