Wat Phra Yai + Wang Sam Sien, Pattaya, Thailand

I mentioned in my 2 articles "Sawasdee Pattaya" and "The Russians are Coming! The Red Shirts are Coming!" that Pattaya started life as a red-light district but have grown into a decent size Thai city with everything that a typical Thai city would have, including the ubiquitous Thai wats (Thailand is the Land of the Temple. No, "Thai" ≠ "Temple"). 

There's Wat Chai Mongkol locates about 150m from the Walking Street on South Pattaya Road, but this is a local wat for Thai worshippers. We visited a more touristy temple Wat Phra (Khao) Yai because of the location. During religious ceremonies, you will see more locals, who come to worship. Other times, tourists far outnumber locals.

While this wasn't the most impressive wat in Thailand, but it does sit atop Pratamak Hill with nice aerial view of the Pattaya city and the sea.  The gilded Big Buddha sits (in lotus posture) at the peak of the hill. This Buddha is the biggest in this province of Chonburi.

Staircase leading towards the Big Buddha franked by a pair of dragons running down the handrails

From the mouths of the dragons out comes a pair of 7 headed nagas (serpents) This buddha statue is modelled after the artistic style of the Sukhothai period, which the Buddha is depicted with a grin instead of a faint smile

Buddha statue at Wat Si Chum in  Sukhothai province It's no Mona Lisa's smile

Figurines of deified King Rama V (aka the Great) Chulalongkorn offered by Thai worshippers
The cult of personality that led him to be worshipped as divine figure, which is enjoyed
by no other Thai kings. His reign was the longest (42 years, hence Great)

Various food, flower and figurines of Thai dancers, elephants as offering to spirits

As we climbed the hill to reach to the top to Wat Phra Yai, we unexpectedly greeted by a Chinese "cultural park" half way up the hill opposite Wat Phra Yai. This is the Wang Sam Sien (王三仙 = "Wang Three Immortals"). This park houses various Chinese religious iconography, cultural and historical statues. It's like a surprise free Chinese gift (yes, the admission was free during my visit).

Entrance to Wang Sam Sien

Left side-kick Longnu (龍女 Dragon Girl)

Guanyin is franked by 2 kids or acolytes. Everyone needs companies, even if they're kids.

Right side-kick Red Boy (紅孩兒)

Diorama from a scene in a popular Chinese classic Journey to the West
From left to right: Monkey, Tripitaka (Trippy), Pigsy and Sandy.
Sorry, White Dragon. That's the Horse. He, too, is Tripitaka's disciple. One tends to overlook
him because he looks like a normal horse, normally.

Panel showing Dragon and Phoenix: auspicious couple symbols,
generally seen in traditional Chinese wedding (groom = dragon, and bride = phoenix)

Diorama showing a scene from another Chinese classic: Romance of the 3 Kingdoms.
From left to right: Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei

There's another place - also free admission - that you can get an aerial view of Pattaya city. Central Festival is the largest shopping mall in Pattaya, go to the top level and the balcony of the seaside to get a nice view.

Following are views seen from the balcony of this shopping mall.

The Pattaya Beach is on the left of the photo, followed by the Walking Street, which 

ends around the Bali Hai Pier in the middle of the photo 

(the green roofed traditional Thai building)

(click to enlarge)

Jet Skiing fun

The Russians are coming! the Red Shirts are coming!

...but the Summit Leaders ain't coming!

It was the day of ASEAN Summit. When I walked past the hotel lobby, the hotel staff warned me not to wear red top. "Not too worry. Red isn't my favourite colour", I said. Besides too hot for red in this weather. I'm a greenie.

Even though the focus of the protest was in the Royal Cliff Beach hotel not far from Fraser Resort where we stayed (less than 1.5 km), but there is no hint of any political disturbances. It was very localised event (the later Bangkok disturbances are more widespread). The Red Shirt successfully stopped the Summit from starting. This was the first time I heard about the Red Shirts. I think the first time the world heard about it too.

Red Shirts protest
Source: Telegraph

First came the US sailor boys, then the Russians in droves. History is full of ironies. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read my diary on my first day of arriving Pattaya.

I was somewhat surprise about the large number of Russian tourists here, and not just hot-blooded tattooed youths who frequent the many unique Thai traditional adult entertainment venues (some of the tattoos are probably done at the many affordable local tattoo parlours that are sandwiched between massage shops. Some are unisex. Some are men only).

Pattaya has diversified away from the sex industry, and the tourist demographics also expanded from young men, people with different sexual orientations, to include couples, families, and just about anyone. I guess the tropical heat and cheap Thai Baht attracts the snowed in Russian as much like snows and Russian dolls attract people like me who grew up in the sub-temperate zone.

Some message shops are attracting Russian tourists...

...while others are actually run by Russian. I have visited this place a few doors from Fraser Resort and met the Russian owner

After dark, the (in)famous Walking Street at the end of Pattaya Beach lit up with neon lights of restaurants, go-go bars, strip joints, discos, open-air bars with Muay Thai (Thai boxing), open-air bars with snake rattler, open-air bars with pool tables, open-air bars with ...(just fill in with your imagination).

Many children visiting here at night, chaperoned by their parents, wide-eyed, dazzled, confused or titillated by all the sights and sounds. I've seen the same sights - parents with children in arms, prams, and hands - walking through Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong or the red-light district in Amsterdam (de Wallen). Red light district isn't just for the Reds: former Soviet Russian or Red Shirt protesters.

One of the gate of Walking Street at the western end

We dined in this seafood restaurant at Walking Street. The food is not too bad, but the view of the ocean at dusk more than made up for it.

The Pattaya beach at dusk could be quite nice.

While some Russian tourists, especially the young ones, are attracted by the red-lights and neon lights, the family are obviously more attracted to the Pattaya beach and its water sports.