PATTAYA CITY
Pattaya is a coastal city in Thailand; it lies on the eastern part of the Gulf of Thailand, approximately 165 km southeast of Bangkok. Pattaya is an autonomous municipal area which covers the whole Na Kluea (Naklua) and Nong Prue (Nongprue) and parts of Nong Pla Lai and Huai Yai. It lies in the heavily industrialized Eastern Seaboard zone, along with Chon Buri (Chonburi), Laem Chabang, and Si Racha (Sri Racha). Its name evolved from a military campaign of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin), his army marched from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi. It took place before the Burmese invaders captured the former capital in 1767. He was intercepted by the army of Nai Klom, when the two commanders met personally, Nai Klom was awestruck by Phraya Tak's elegant manner and his troop's strict discipline.
He subsequently surrendered without a fight. The location the two armies met each other was then known as Thap Phraya or the Army of the Phraya. It was later changed to Phatthaya. Now the city is formally known as Pattaya
CITY ATTTRACTIONS :
For hundred of years, Pattaya was a small fishing settlement. In early 1960's, about a hundred US military personnels who were acted as military advisors for the South Vietnam visited in Pattaya for relaxation. In a few years, Pattaya became a favored beach resort which now draws in millions of tourists. Fishermen's hovels along the beach were replaced by shopping malls and resort hotel.
The first place to visit is certainly the beach, in peak season it is quite crowded, however you will find many popular activities, for example banana boat, parasailing, speed boat, jet ski and under-sea walk.
You can visit the Sanctuary of Truth. It is a rather unexpected location given the reputation and nature of Pattaya as a beach resort and built by a successful businessman to celebrate the world religions. The building is a large hand-carved wooden structure built on a small promontory. You will need a motorcycle taxi or Songtaew to get there. Visitors are required to pay 500 Baht to enter the sanctuary.
Another place to visit is the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. In 1954, Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha bought the 2.4 km2 (600-acre) plot of land with a plan of establishing a fruit plantation. Even so, they decided to plant tropical plants and flowers as a wildlife conservation project. It's a place where visitors can happily spend the whole day. It's a mix of novelty, pleasure and serenity – Thai cultural shows, landscaped gardens, photo-ops with a chimpanzee and tiger, and the fascinating elephant performances
One famous zoo in Pattaya is the Sriracha Tiger Zoo. It claims a population of two hundred tigers and around ten thousand crocodiles, the biggest such populations in the world. You may see the tiger performance show including walking across a double tightrope, leaping through rings of fire, and riding on horseback. Visitors are allowed to feed the cubs but may need to pay a fee for holding and photographing with them.
Pattaya and its suburbs have many night clubs and bars, and a few discotheques. Many bigger hotels also operate restaurants, nightclubs, supper clubs and cocktail lounges which offer food, drinks, international entertainment and music. An area south of the beach called as the Walking Street is busy nightlife center. Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) matches aimed at visitors can be seen at some open-air beer bars.
The Songkran festival in Pattaya takes place annually on mid April, it is different from other Songkran celebrations throughout Thailand in several aspects. It includes musical performances, beauty pageants, fireworks, water sports competition and cultural shows.