Pattaya often gets a bad wrap and many see it just as a party town. Sure, it’s famous for the craziness you see on Walking Street. There are however other things to do and see around the Pattaya area.
From the Wooden Temple – Sanctuary of Truth, the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden or even the Ramayana Water Park just to name a few.
Another one to consider is The Big Buddha known also as The Golden Buddha or Wat Phra Yai Temple. If you are ever in Pattaya you should definitely check it out. It’s located on top of the big hill behind Walking Street. It’s a tiring walk in heat but not challenging, definitely good exercise. There is nice park area on the way up so i’m glad we walked rather than getting transport up the hill. There are several levels before you reach the top where you will see Bell’s both big and small, ponds and many Statue’s.
On the lower level there is Temple style structure in a large open area that leads to a view over Pattaya Beach area. The trees obscure some of the view from this area. Just to the Left of this section there is a Beautiful Pond and Garden area with a Dolphin statue as the centrepiece.
Then on the top level there are loads of different Golden Statue’s including the very large and very famous Golden Buddha as a centrepiece. There are strong winds up this high which made it so much cooler. From up here you can see down to the Jomtien area as well as down over Pattaya beach.
After having a good look around and cooling off in the strong breeze on the hilltop we checked Google Maps for something else to go explore. There was another viewpoint listed on the next hill over. How to get there was not real clear, we walked half way down this hill and found a path heading up the next hill. That was the general direction we wanted so off we wandered. Interestingly, there were some signs posted warning of bag snatchers. We had no issues, however it is very secluded. You are basically walking on a path through a thick treed bush like area. It was a very pleasant walk, perhaps don’t make the walk alone just to be safe. Half way to the top we got a small fright from a series of fast explosions. We figured it must have been fireworks, this was confirmed once we got to the top. Atop this hill is a radio station, a large statue and a Shrine.
There were lots of locals Praying as well as lighting the rapid fire fireworks. The view from up here is simply stunning. Most people drive up to this spot, be warned though, there is very limited parking. Aside from the heat, we really enjoyed the walk through nature to get here. It was a hot and sweaty walk for sure, but its great to stay active even when you are on holiday.
Even though we were back in some cool breeze once we got to the top we still needed a cool drink. There is this excellent little cliff-side cafe just back from the Radio Station. It is basically just one of those VW Vans converted into a Drink Stand, then a multi-level platform built hanging over the cliff.
I thought I would share this next place with you also. Not that it is a Tourist attraction, I just thought it was super cool. This is actually a private residence. Call it a Mansion or even a Castle. It is beyond massive and a very Beautiful Building.
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