Pattaya Newbie

Pattaya Information

Obviously when you travel to another country things will be different to your own. Thailand is just not another country it is a different culture. You may offend people unless you know what to avoid. Also practical things that are taken for granted at home are different here too. This section contains Pattaya information that will make your first visit a lot easier.

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What to expect

If you have not travelled to a country with a different culture than your own Thailand will be a real eye opener for you. Things that you take for granted at home don’t exist or are done to a different standard. For example smells are different and they are not always pleasant due to the drainage system. Also watch your step as you may fall down an unmarked hole in the pavement. You will soon discover that if something goes wrong Thais can’t go running to the court to have someone else take responsibility for their inattention or apathy.

After the initial shock you will come to appreciate what Thailand has to offer. The fact that you are not wrapped in cotton wool often brings about a feeling of freedom. Political correctness has only made very short inroads into Thailand.

In Pattaya you will see, hear and feel things that will remain with you for a long time.

The thing that will stay with you for the longest time will be the beauty and character of the Pattaya ladies. The experience of having nubile women screaming and waving at you to get your attention is something that every man should experience at least once.

Budget

The budget of visitors to Pattaya varies enormously. It is really up to you how much you spend. Some people get by on a budget of 2000 Baht a day, after paying for accommodation, while others spend 10s of thousands of Baht a day.

Those on low budgets tend to not drink or only do so at the cheapest of places. Taking ladies ‘short time’ (short time means for an hour or two) helps to reduce costs.  It is not advisable to try to stick to a budget this tight. It is your holiday and you should be out to make the most of your time.

At the other end of the scale are the ‘one week millionaires.’ These people spend up big. They do so by buying many drinks for the ladies and customers in bars (‘ringing the bell’ – this will be explained in the next section.) Also they may take more than one lady a day and eat at expensive restaurants. Giving large tips to the ladies in bars is another way to spend up big.

A very good time can be had on a budget between these two extremes. By limiting the number of drinks you buy others you can cut your expenses enormously. There is nothing wrong with only buying drinks for yourself and the lady you are talking to in a bar. Don’t get suckered into buying a lot of drinks for her ‘friends.’ Likewise eating the very tasty local food will cut costs.

For a good trip a budget of between 5,000 and 7,000 Baht a day after accommodation costs is adequate. As this is your first trip keeping some extra funds available would be advisable. You don’t want to spend your last few days in the hotel because you went over budget a little.

Money

People have different ideas of how to take your spending money to Thailand. The options are taking cash, traveller cheques and ATM cards.

Do not buy Thai Baht before you go to Thailand. The rate you will get for your currency in Thailand will be significantly more. Any currency can be changed at the Bangkok airport. A currency exchange is never far away in Pattaya.

Taking cash is very convenient but is not without risk. If you lose the cash it is gone and therefore it is better to use other options to bring your spending money from home. It is a good idea to bring a small amount of cash for the ease of converting it to Baht. It is best to bring currency of the country you are from. This will save you converting your own currency an intermediate currency resulting in higher costs. If you are coming from the US bring larger notes as you will get a slightly better rate and be aware that notes produced in certain years are not easy to change due to the existence of counterfeit notes.

Traveller cheques are a far more secure way of bringing funds to Thailand. They usually cost a little when you buy them and then cost a little more when they are cashed in Thailand (33 Baht per cheque.) However you will get a slightly better rate than for cash. Due to the charges associated with using ATM cards traveller cheques may be a cheaper option that using your ATM card.

In Pattaya you are never far from an ATM machine. They accept the same cards are anywhere else in the world. Fees payable on ATM transactions will be dictated by your bank and by the Thai bank. Currently there is a 180 Baht fee charged by Thai banks for using a foreign ATM card.

Warning: credit card fraud is very high in Thailand. It is a good idea to never use your card to pay for anything in Thailand. If you must then do not let them take the card out of your view. Also if you plan to use your card in Thailand (either for payment or in ATMs) inform your bank before you leave home. Many people have had a stop put on their cards because they neglected to inform their bank.

Electricity

Thailand uses 220 Volts at 50 Hertz. Two plug types are common; the US two prong plug and two round prong plug common in Singapore.

If you wish to bring appliances to Thailand you need to first check that they are compatible with the voltage. Many portable appliances are now dual voltage meaning that they can use 100 - 240 Volts. They can also work with different frequencies. Laptop computers should have no problems in Thailand but check on the transformer to ensure that they can use 220 Volts.

Communicating

While you are in Pattaya there is no reason not to stay in touch with people at home. There are many good and cheap internet cafes in Pattaya. They tend to charge 20 or 30 Baht an hour and most will charge a minimum of 10 Baht. It is not advisable to use the cafes to log into things like banking. There are reported cases of some establishments using key loggers.

It is convenient to be able to have people in Pattaya contact you. This might be guys who you meet or the girls if you like. If you have a GSM phone that accepts a SIM card you can use this in Pattaya. If your phone is locked to a network you can get it unlocked at little cost.

SIM cards are easy to get. The Thai government passed a law that all SIM cards must be registered and ID recorded at the time of purchase. A SIM card can be bought for as little as 100 Baht with a small amount of credit. Local calls will cost in the region of 1 or 2 Baht a minute. Recharge cards can be bought at all 7-elevens and Family Mart stores that are never far away.

Climate

Pattaya enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: warm and dry (November to February), hot and humid (March to May), and hot and rainy (June to October). The most comfortable time of year coincides with the peak tourist season, which is over the Christmas and New Year period. Current weather conditions can be found at Pattaya Weather.

The chart below details the average temperatures and rainfall figures for Pattaya