Destination Pattaya...

I was lucky to have been included in the Royal Selangor Golf Club's team in the biennial quadrangular golf tournament with the Royal Bangkok Sports Club, Hong Kong Golf Club (Fanling) and the Singapore Island Country Club.The venue for this year's competition, the Laem Chabang Golf Course in Pattaya, was chosen by the organising-host club, the Singapore Island Country Club.

at the lobby of Amari Orchid Pattaya

my partner and room-mate, C K Lim

My partner and room-mate, Mr C K Lim, and I left KLIA on Sunday morning on a fully sold out Airasia flight to Bangkok! From Suvarnabhumi Airport the limousine we hired breezed along the fully completed highway to deliver us to our hotel, the Amari Orchid Pattaya, within 90 minutes. The Garden Wing of this hotel has been refurbished recently and had a touch of class ( though not quite up to the standard of Singapore's Raffles) and adjoining its sprawling compound stood the new Amari Orchid Tower which stretches almost to the Pattaya beach.

the brand new Amari Orchid Tower

After a light lunch at the Garden's restaurant, we walked down to the beach and along the Pattaya Beach Road. I was last here about 2 years ago and so many things have changed since then. Many of the hotels and apartments under construction then had been completed and are now in operation or being occupied. The streets are clean and free of litter. Notices were put up warning about on-the spot fines for litterring - I guess this must have been enforced seriously to have such an obvious result.

As both of us had no plans for the day we decided to pamper ourselves to 2 hours of the traditional thai massage and one hour of foot reflexology. We could not deny ourselves of this pleasure as it only costs 200 bahts per hour of treatment.

my professional thai masseur