It’s great to be escaping the crowds on Koh Tao.  As lovely as it still is, the island is just too busy right now (at peak season, to be fair) and I was starting to resent the crowds and the lack of any Thai people, culture, or even Thai food.  A particular low moment was Fergus proudly ordering our food in Thai, only to be told by the waiter, “Sorry, no speak Thai!”  You know you’re in a tourist trap when…

However, before we can hit that traveller vibe again, we are off to two of the most touristy places in the whole of Thailand: a night in Khao San Road followed by 3 nights in Pattaya.

Khao San is the notorious hang out for backpackers that’s developed into a kind of hotbed of youth culture, with cheap clothing, knock-off CD’s and DVD’s (it was tapes last time we were there, I feel old) and huge number of bars, nightclubs and late night eateries.

Pattaya is the jewel in the crown of Thailand’s seedier beach resorts, with a propensity to attract middle-aged, overweight Western men.  The beach is supposed to be fairly ropey, but the local tourist office has been trying to redevelop the town to attract older couples and families, so it will be interesting to see it.

Our motivation for making this 2 day journey?  We are going to meet an old friend of Ferg’s who’s just got married here and is having a honeymoon in Pattaya.  I can’t wait to meet him having heard so many stories from childhood, mostly about catching frogs under the school they went to in Malaysia.  Khao San is a natural break in the journey; our bus drops us there at 9pm tonight, so we might as well stay there.

It’s not what we’d have planned to do, but it’s been a fun journey so far and I’m sure the kids will enjoy the experience, plus there’s a pool at our hotel in Pattaya, which guarantees good times for us.

Let the holiday continue!