Another day in Jomtien, another day in the same hostel. Nothing new, really. Today is my second last day in Pattaya. I do not have much cash left, only enough for a bowl of tom yum tonight, which I expected to cost about 100 baht. It would be the most expensive meal I have had since arriving, but I thought it was fine since it is my last night.
I went to TOP to get my lunch and my usual chocolate drink. This has become my routine over the past few days. I bought a takeaway Penang chicken curry with rice for 39 baht and a small chocolate box drink for 12 baht.
The street leading to the shop smells terrible. It is the smell of sewage. I now try to avoid walking directly on that side of the road. Instead, I cross to the opposite side and then cross back again when I reach the shop. It takes a bit more effort to cross the road, but it is worth it just to avoid the smell.
After coming back to the hostel, I stayed there until around 6 pm before heading out for dinner. My roommate suggested going to her favorite place for tom yum. I was a bit skeptical because I actually wanted to go back to the same place where I had chicken basil with rice the other day. It was so good. In the end, though, I decided to follow her suggestion.
I was not sure where she was taking me. It turned out to be about a 30 to 40 minute walk, which I did not mind at all. I needed the exercise. When we finally got there, I realized it was actually just someone’s home in a small alley. They had placed a few tables outside and turned their home into a little restaurant.
It took a while before the food arrived. The tom yum was very creamy. I could imagine they had added a lot of coconut milk. It was delicious, but to be honest, it did not quite meet my expectations. I have had better before. Still, I was happy with the meal. In the end, it cost 120 baht.
On the way back we passed by Lotus. I wanted to buy those famous sleeping gummy bears from 7 Eleven that I saw recommended on social media. They cost 35 baht for a pack of four pieces at Lotus. However, some other things I wanted were not available there, so I decided to buy everything at a bigger 7 Eleven instead.
At 7 Eleven I found the gummy bears again, but to my surprise they were 40 baht. I bought them anyway, even though I would have preferred the cheaper price. The minimum card payment there was 200 baht, so I decided to buy a few other things as well. I bought Vita Keratin conditioner and Sunsilk Power Shot conditioner, both recommended many times on social media. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and whether they might help my hopelessly dry, damaged hair. I also bought the famous lava cake and my favorite forest cake. In the end I paid 205 baht, which is about 10 AUD. I tried not to feel too bad about spending because over the last few days I have been trying very hard to save as much money as possible.
My roommate was quite pushy while I was shopping. After only about two minutes inside 7 Eleven she kept saying “let’s go.” I told her to give me five minutes and quickly grabbed what I needed and paid. Earlier in Lotus I had waited patiently while she shopped for water bottles for her family. When we got back to the hostel I told her it felt a bit unreasonable and unfair. She denied being pushy and said English was not her first language and that she had used the wrong words. It was still annoying, but I decided to end the conversation and said it was fine. After that she continued talking loudly on the phone, like she has been doing for the last few days.
Later that evening I went down to the second floor to get some water. Taro was there, another guest from Japan staying in a different room. I sat down to chat with him for a while since I am leaving tomorrow. Taro is always pleasant to talk to. He is respectful and has a good sense of humor, even though we usually have to communicate using a translator.
We chatted together with another guest I had only just seen today. She is from Bangkok and is in Pattaya for a serious reason. She is here to buy property.
While we were talking, my Russian roommate came down to eat. The moment she joined the conversation, the entire kitchen filled with her voice. Eventually Taro had to ask her to keep her voice down. She said it was difficult for her because her voice is naturally loud. Honestly, I do not think I have ever met someone who genuinely cannot speak at a normal volume.
While we were still chatting, a young Asian boy came into the kitchen to refill his water bottle. It was the first time I had seen him. He looked very fresh and clean, wearing loose long sleeve pajamas and looking quite comfortable. While he was refilling water, Taro asked if he was Japanese as well. He said he was from China.
After that he went back to his room. We were all a little surprised to see someone so young traveling alone, especially an Asian traveler. Personally I was not that surprised. In other countries I have met very young Japanese travelers, even an 18 year old who was traveling around the world alone.
About ten or fifteen minutes later, the boy came back out of his room. He wanted to chat. He sat down with us, and Taro and I tried talking with him. We had to keep showing things on our phones to communicate. It was actually quite funny.
Later Taro left to take a shower, and that was when I realized the “boy” was actually a girl with very short hair. She is only in Thailand for ten days. She spent five days in Bangkok and five days in Pattaya before heading to Kuala Lumpur in a few days.
I decided to show her around the nearby area a little. It was already quite late, around midnight, but we walked a short distance together. I showed her the cheap restaurant where I had eaten twice, the convenience store, and the place where you can catch the bus to the night market.
She was very interesting, and I would have liked to talk with her more. Unfortunately tomorrow I am leaving after staying in Pattaya for twelve days.
Expenses: Tom yum 120 Baht
Gummy bear x 2, hair conditioner 2, lava cake, forest cake. 205 Baht
Panang chicken rice 39 Baht
Chocolate drink 13 Baht
Chips 20 Baht
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