Pattaya - Thailand
Pattaya is a popular Beach resort on the Gulf of Thailand, just 150 km southeast of Bangkok –a mere two-hour drive. Pattaya’s pulsating nightlife is well known, but local authorities have, in recent years, improved the quality of the beaches and reinvented the resort as a more family-friendly destination.
Today, hundreds of thousands of visitors are drawn each year to Pattaya to windsurf, water ski, swim, sunbathe, snorkel, sail, or take trips to nearby Islands. Other activities include Bungee jumping, Cycling, skydiving, go-Karting, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and Paintball. Golfers, both novice and expert, are well catered to as well, with a wide selection of golf courses around Pattaya. Another major draw for visitors to Pattaya is the wide selection of restaurants serving some of Thailand’s freshest Seafood. Due to the high number of expatriate foreigners in Pattaya, there is also an excellent selection of authentic foreign eateries serving French, Italian, Swiss, German, Hungarian, Scandinavian, English, Indian, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese cuisine.
Koh Lan
Ko Lan is a small Thai island off the coast of Pattaya, in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s known for its beaches, set against a backdrop of wooded hills. In the north, Ta Waen Beach is dotted with restaurants and shops. A large, stingray-shaped building dominates Samae Beach’s north end. The beach is famed for its clear water and sunset views. Small monkeys inhabit the hills around coral-ringed Nual Beach, in the south.
Khao Chee Chan Buddha Mountain
The image of Buddha sat cross-legged, with one hand resting on his knee and the other in his lap, is engraved into the northern face of Khao Chi Chan. The solitary limestone hill was once used to supply the local construction industry with materials. In 1996, to commemorate His Majesty the King of Thailand’s golden jubilee, the 109-metre-tall and 70-metre-wide image was carved into the rock and then marked out in gold on the recommendation of the then Supreme Patriarch, who felt it was otherwise a waste of a perfectly good (and particularly beautiful) mountain.
The image was designed using computer software and then drawn onto the side of Khao Chi Chan using a laser. This was done entirely at night, so that the light of the laser could be seen more clearly. During the day, the image would be fixed and adjusted. Finally, with the drawing completed, gold was used to fill in the sculpture.
