Anyone who has been to Thailand has most likely noticed this before, a ten baht coin stuck in the ear of a Thai girl. They don’t all do it but I suspect most have done it at least a few times.

While Mo and I were at the local Monday/Friday market the other day she got change for a 20 baht note and quickly stuffed the coin in her ear, so, I snapped a quick pic and laughed a bit. I would think a lot of foreigners may have the same reaction but when you think about it people the world around use their ears in very similar fashions. The ears also make great pen holders or a nice place to keep that cigarette waiting for a smoke break.

Anyway I thought I would share this pic with those of you that may have never seen it before.

Next up I’ll take you up into the mountains of Petchaboon to see a beautiful mountain top Wat that is strung out through a series of caves.

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Table of contents for Living Like a Thai

1. Living Like a Thai
2. Living Like a Thai Day 1: The 200 Baht a Day Challenge
3. Living Like a Thai Day 2: Losing Money in My Sleep
4. Living Like a Thai Day 4: Pee Baa Falang
5. Living Like a Thai Day 5: It’s a Wash
6. Living Like a Thai Day 6: The Frugal Tightwad
7. Living Like a Thai Day 7: I’m Bored
8. Living Like a Thai Day 8: Going AWOL
9. Living Like a Thai Day 9: Falling Down That Mountain
10. Living Like a Thai Day 10: The Belt Tightening Begins
11. Living Like a Thai Day 11: Tofu, Really?
12. Living Like A Thai Day 12: Going Native, Almost
13. Living Like a Thai Day 13: Lunch with the Ladies
14. Living Like a Thai Day 14: The Late Edition or Quiet Be
15. Living Like a Thai Day 15: Halfway there!
16. Living Like a Thai Day 16: Beer & Vegetables
17. Living Like a Thai Day 17: Red Moon Eclipse Edition
18. Living Like a Thai Day 18: Once in a Blue Moon
19. Living Like a Thai Days 19 & 20: Ringing the Bell
20. Living Like a Thai Days 21 & 22: Aircon Down Pigs Cooking
21. Living Like a Thai Day 23: Put a Fork in it…I’m Done

Pattaya Lighthouse as seen on my walk today

While I spent yesterday as Thai as possible just hanging out and watching the boob tube I realized that this experiment is boring me to death. I venture out every day for a nice long walk usually accompanied by some picture taking and people watching but it’s not quite the same as going out and visiting some friends at night.

There is nothing stopping me from going out at night but I know myself too well and going out could lead to a budget busting night leaving me 20 baht a day to live on for the rest of the month. Key to the budget is keeping it simple and staying in a lot. On the plus side I am getting a lot done but the one thing that is lacking in the first week of this experiment is social interaction, which if I were Thai I would be having a lot more of.

Even the poorest of Thai’s will have meaningful interactions all day long in groups while eating or just walking to the market, being a falang trying to live like a Thai I am not getting the same social needs met. I think I will try and go out tomorrow night for a few hours with my limited funds and catch up with some friends…should be interesting to see how that turns out.

Living Like a Thai Day 7

Today was another good day for the budget although my one nasty habit, smoking, did get the better of me today. I started off the day with a banana and mangosteen for breakfast leaving me the same for tomorrow which means I’ll need to hit the fruit market for some more. I then went for a nice long walk and enjoyed a wonderful Cha Nom Lawn (Thai hot tea ) for 15 baht ( $.51 ) on beach road as I sat for a bit and people watched.

Unfortunately I was out of smokes and I couldn’t bear to buy another cheap pack of Thai lung busters so I popped into 7/11 and bought a pack of Marlboro lights for 78 baht ( $2.65 )…maybe not the most frugal of purchases but boy did that first smoke taste good with my hot tea Besides I did well yesterday on the budget and you can’t always do the right thing.

For lunch I heated up some water and had me a ramen noodle cup, I like the cheap noodles but they are getting boring so for dinner I ventured out to a small Thai restaurant I haven’t been to in at least 2 years that is located on Pattaya Klang. The place looks like a bomb hit it but the food is always impeccable and my plate of Ka Prao Moo (spicy basil pork with rice and vegetables ) hit the spot for only 40 baht ( $1.36 )and that included a coke.

I already know tomorrow I have to make a water run and pick up some more fruit, but I’ll also be looking to buy some veggies and chicken or pork so I can make some meals at home with the rice I bought.

Observations Today: Even when not on a self imposed budget I wasn’t going out every night, more like a few times a week generally around the weekend. Just those few nights a week can add up because drinks for the most part can be just as expensive as they are in the west, unless of course you are a really cheap bastard and drink the cheapest nastiest beer. An even balance has to be struck and while I need to go out and be amongst people maybe I need to find other less expensive ways of doing so.

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Having been in Pattaya just a little over a month I haven’t had much of a chance to do anymore than settle in and get my house in order with school and other necessaries, that is until today. One of the newest attractions to Pattaya that has been on my list of things to do is visit the new Floating Market that was built towards the end of Jomtien.

After reading what Martyn over at Beyond the Mango Juice had to say about the Pattaya floating market on his post Pattaya’s Not Yet Famous Floating Market I figured it would definitely be well worth the trip.

I have to admit I went into this day trip not expecting too much. For the most part these types of markets are just tourist traps selling Thailand souvenirs and trinkets and while it may be packaged pretty, seeing the same Thailand t-shirts and wooden elephants stall after stall gets old fast. I will say I was very pleasantly surprised by certain aspects of the Pattaya Floating Market but I was also let down by quite a bit as well.

The Pattaya Floating Market is about 10 minutes down Sukhumvit road from Pattaya towards the end of Jomtien. There is ample parking for both cars and buses alike and you can’t beat the entrance fee which is free for all, they do ask for donations at the entrance to help keep the market going though. The first thing I noticed entering the market was how beautifully it was laid out, truly a photographers dream. If you enjoy taking pictures as I do then you will definitely be in your element. Even with crowds of people it was very easy to get the pictures I wanted without waiting or getting into odd positions.

The quaint village is broken up into 4 regions that represent Thailand, the North, Northeastern, Central and Southern part and over all it is very easy to navigate around the shops and jetties via walkways and foot bridges, There is also very good signage everywhere letting you know where to find the various cultural shows, shops, food and bathrooms. They also have red and green arrows on the walkways so you can easily find your way in and out of the market.

The floating market is very well maintained and clean with a host of beautiful flowers decorating the walkways and bridges with an emphasis on orchids.

The market boasts over 100 shops as well as the expected merchants selling their wares by boats along the walkways and jetties. One of the nicest things I found about the market were the boat merchants. All of them were selling traditional Thai food and treats and boy was their fare tasty. For a bigger meal there are several restaurants scattered around the floating market as well as treat shops never more than a few feet away.

I was really hoping that the market would have more than the standard tourist fare and I was happy to find 5-6 shops selling custom made Thai wood working, silk and the like actually being made on site by the artisans.

Unfortunately, for me, the majority of the shops were selling the standard Thai souvenir/trinket fare and to be honest it was very over priced. While these shops were nicely laid out and presented their wares well It would have been nicer to see some more real craftsmanship. Even so I thought even these shops added to the atmosphere well so I can’t begrudge a little tourist scalping.

The down side for me was the absolute junk shops selling, you guessed it, absolute junk! There was a 99 baht shop selling housewares and various other crap and a bunch of other merchants just selling the most ridiculous stuff imaginable. Molded Jesus heads, H.M.S bounty boats & lighthouse’s ( Thailand is known for these things ), and my favorite, a fat little falang doll wearing an overcoat that he eventually opened to reveal himself jerking off his big cock…Great for the kids.

As well as the merchants there are also several cultural shows that are scheduled on the hour throughout the day and quite a few colorful characters walking around making the experience more friendly, enjoyable and definitely more fun. Unfortunately I picked a soggy day to visit Pattaya’s floating Market so I didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy the cultural shows as everyone was packing in to get out of the rain.

One part of the market I found very nice and also relaxing was the Buddhist area where quite a few small shrines and Icons could be found, also great for picture taking opportunities.

All in all I would say the Pattaya market is great for a small day trip of a few hours walking around, taking pictures and eating some tasty Thai treats. You probably won’t be persuaded into buying much if you are like me but you will definitely leave with a full belly due to the host of great Thai food available…it not only looks and smells good…It is good.

It might be best to visit the Pattaya Floating Market during the week when it might be less busy, if a rainy Sunday was anything to go by then the weekends here will definitely be packed.

You can visit Pattaya Flating Market online to get more information on operating hours and event schedules.

To see more of my Pattaya Floating Market trip you can visit the Pattaya Floating Market Gallery that has almost 300 photos of the day trip or you can visit the Thailand Photo Gallery at anytime to find these pictures and many more.

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Hundreds of bamboo poles and tarps turn the once muddy parking lot into a circus big top filled with everything you can imagine. While the market is home to a lot of clothes merchants you can also find household goods, tools, music, gold, small animals and all kinds of delicious Thai food.  Just across the street you’ll find the other part of the market where you can find tons of used goods for sale. Great deals can be found at both markets.

The sights, sounds and smells walking through any Thai market are enough to hypnotize you. I wanted to share a walk through Pattaya’s Tuesday/Friday market with pictures and then I remembered I had video. While you won’t get the smells you will get all the sights and sounds in high definition. So now you can get the feeling of walking through a Thai market as I follow Pookie around during a market day last April just before Songkran ( Thai New Year ).

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