Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya (I’m just sweating
from all that) or in short Centara is located in the south end of Pattaya in
the Naklua area. Centara is very much a five star hotel as it is rated. The
whole hotel has a unique marine theme; all 165 rooms are furnished in Italian
styled furniture. The hotel itself features pools, beach, Jacuzzis, and
waterpark for the kids, conference rooms, tennis courts, multiple restaurants
and award winning spa and so much more. The real hotspot for the hotel itself
is the pool area, which resembles a jungle with a river and waterfalls,
pathways that lead you to the Wong Amat beach in Naklua. Room prices start off from about 2,500 Thai
baht in the low season; prices of course vary depending on the season. I
recommend anyone with extra cash traveling to Pattaya to book a room here as it
is alone stands out from the skyscraper skyline that is Pattaya now a days. The superb facilities and services offer everything to all ages!
As part of my journey to show my good friend South East Asia
and Thailand we headed towards the island of Koh Tao right after our Singapore
trip. Koh Tao is a small island about 25km long in the southern east part of
Thailand right next to the more famous Koh Samui island and full moon party
island Koh Phagnan. This was actually my
first time visiting the island as well and I had one main agenda on my list
what I wanted to do and that was snorkeling. Koh Tao is best known for having
great snorkeling and scuba diving waters with vast corals and marine life.
To travel to Koh Tao the most convenient way I have found to
be taking the bus first to Chumporn and then the high speed ferry to Koh Tao as
it is the most northern of the three islands and therefore closest to Chumporn.
The company I recommend is Lomprayah, they have high quality buses and ferries
and the service works unlike many other services in Thailand, rarely is there
any delays in departures. The ferry ride will last around an hour and
half to two hours depending on the conditions usually. The buses leave next to
Khoa San road twice a day, one bus leaving at 8.45am and another one 14.45. The
total travel time to the port is about six hours with one pit stop at a
facility where you can get food and buy snacks, granted they do raise the
prices there a tad but it’s nothing unreasonable. The total cost of traveling
one way is 1,100b which is more than reasonable considering the bus ride is in
a good air-con bus and they even give you blankets for comfort. The other
choice would be take the train which is a 11 hour ride and you can always buy a
sleeper cart spot however it is just not worth it going all the way to Surat
Thani (which is way more south) and then taking the ferry through Samui,
Phagnan islands and finally arriving at Koh Tao, I believe the price of that is
around 1,600b.
Once we arrived on Koh Tao we made our way straight to a
motorbike rental shop, all the rental shops are next to the main pier so it is
very convenient. As a caution you might want to check beforehand for example
from the scuba diving companies or hotels what motorbike rental shops are
reliable as I know many places the visitors get ripped off for having scratches
or dings on the bike that were already there. Our hotel the Montalay beach resort was on the
other side of the island, Tanote bay which is a quiet place which we looked for
on purpose. The standard daily rate for renting motorbike is 150-250thb in the
low season, in the high season it can be couple hundred baht more per day. As
we got on to our motorbikes we headed for the other side of the island, funny
enough it took us a long time to find the our hotel, this is because my 3g
wasn’t working as it was so remote and there isn’t any road signs where we
headed. On top of this roads leading up to the resort was half paved and the
other half dirt bumpy roads that a normal car could not drive over. After a
good hour or so struggle we did finally find it, unloaded some of our stuff and
took a long nap.
As the second day rolled around we headed towards the Sairee
beach section for some lunch. We also stopped by the Koh Tao diver’s
headquarters on the Sairee beach. They are a Finnish diving company that has
been there since 1987, which takes people who want to try their hand at diving.
They also provide snorkeling, and diving courses so you can actually complete
your diver’s lessons there and become a certified firs level diver. After
confirming that the following day we would try our hand at diving we headed on
with our motorbikes to explore Koh Tao and its numerous vie points. Koht Tao is
a very mountainous island or maybe I’d prefer to say hills. Anyhow we didn’t want
to visit the touristiest spot which is the world famous Koh Nangyuan View Point;
instead we opted for maybe the second or third most known viewpoint on the
island the Sairee view point. This is totally accessible by motorbike (granted
you aren’t very heavy and the motorbike you have doesn’t have enough power for
the massive hills you have to drive up). Needless to say the view was
breathtaking and more than worth it, also you have to pay a 50thb charge to
enter the view point, this is to be paid for some local man who sits under a
hut next to the dirt road leading up to the view point.
For the rest of the day we headed back to our hotel to do
some pooling and enjoying the sun, however on my part I was way too excited
about getting a change to go scuba diving for the first time ever, so naturally
I had to go and rent some fins and a snorkel from our resort for a very modest
100thb for the whole day and head on into the ocean. Our hotel was located
directly on the beach so all I had to do was put on the snorkel and fins and go
out and swim, the Tanote bay is known to have some of the better diving spots
and you could even witness some sharks there if you were lucky. So, naturally
me with my GoPro camera in hand I headed off in to the depths. Ironically I hadn’t
done any snorkeling for almost ten years prior to that which is in a way very
sad as I have lived so many years in South East Asia and been on numerous beach
holidays. The great thing about was that all I could think to myself was that
‘’why haven’t I done this more and often?!’’. Unfortunately I didn’t see
sharks, or anything remotely that big either, but the sea life was still vast
and lively with small bright colored fish all around and the coral as well. Later
on in the evening we headed off into town for dinner near the Sairee beach and
we didn’t want to stay too long out as we had an early wake up to go try our
hand at scuba diving.
During the day my friend Juho apparently was too exposed to
the sun and didn’t feel too good the next morning, he decided to skip out on
the scuba diving and stay in bed for the day. This is a good reminder for
anyone (especially if you aren’t used to these temperatures or are visiting for
the first time) to use sunscreen all day even if you feel like you don’t need
it. Anyhow, I made my way on my own to the Koh Tao diver’s headquarters, where I
was met by Antti Karinen one of the diving insturctors. He showed me a short
introduction video to scuba diving and what is good to know, avoid and so on.
We also just talked in general about the different things you have to know when
it comes to diving and what we will be doing when we go out into the ocean,
then we proceeded to find me some fins, mask, and the vest that holds all the
equipment. On our dive I had some other people join as well who were completing
their diver’s courses, two girls from California, a Finnish girl from Lapland
and a Japanese man who seemed very experienced. All of these people were
accompanied by other diving instructors, so it’s safe to say that anyone can
join in on the fun and it doesn’t matter where you come from the professionals
clearly knew what they were doing and spoke excellent English. As well the Koh
Tao divers had invited along Charlie an underwater camera expert who works for
Fatfish movies if you are interested in checking it out, naturally he brought
his camera with him and all the photos from the dive trip I have are courtesy
of him As we arrived on our dive point, Antti made sure that he was
continuously giving me instructions what to remember and what we would be doing
and even possibly seeing under the surface. I was allowed to ask questions and
he gave answers to everything to his best ability.
Once we arrived at our first destination I put on my vest,
weight belt, fins and mask according to Antti’s instructions and literally
jumped in to the deep end (the vest contains a floating vest that you control,
I wasn’t going to sink so no worries), from there we swam towards the shore
into about meter deep water where we went through different phases that needed
to be learned. Things such as learning to clear your clear your regulator of
water, for example I had no idea you could blow water through it even when it
was in your mouth, funny enough Antti told me a story about how he had food
poisoning while going on a dive and, well you can maybe imagine the rest. Also
I learned how to clear my mask of water under water, and how to switch or find
your regulator under water while holding your breath, again funny enough you
don’t actually hold your breath instead you blow out slowly because it is
easier. I also learned some basic hand signs such as everything is ok and how
to get the other divers attention when you something is wrong. While we did this Antti always told me first
what we do , then we went under water he did it first and then I did it after
him, every time being very encouraging even I failed (for example clearing the
mask), I tend to be very competitive and hard on myself. I treat it like a
sport and I want to be the best straight away.
After learning the basics of all the essentials that you would need to
know when under water we headed in to deeper waters, about 3-4meteres where
learned to float buy adjusting the air in your vest so you could basically
float in mid water and swim without having to worry if you will either come up
on your own or slowly sink to the bottom. From then on we just headed in to the
depths, Antti pointed the way and we swam off, he did hold me the whole time
though just as safety precaution as it was my first dive and had to be done.
The feeling when we went in to the depths of suddenly 6-8meteres was surreal, I
can’t really explain it better than what Antti told me, he said for example
business men and people who work under lots of pressure end up taking scuba
diving as a hobby for the reason that once you are under you forget everything
on top as to say. You are just in the water calmly swimming and looking around
at all the different life and colors around you. I actually caught myself
experiencing this, for some reason I would start thinking about what if water
gets into my mouth and I swallow it and how I would maybe choke on it and so
on, but immediately these ideas would go away as if I was in mid thought saying
to myself in my head ‘’so now if I swallow water and ch..uuu look at that big
colorful fish!’’ . It was fantastic, I literally haven’t experienced anything
like it and I was loving it. Also the comradery that you have with your fellow
dive partner is great, you aren’t talking but you continuously find yourself
interacting or pointing at something and just laughing in your head how great
it was.
As I came up from my first dive we were swimming to the dive
boat, Antti told me how it went very well except for the fact that I was
swimming very quick (maybe it’s my competitive spirit doing its old tricks
again) and that my usage of air was very rapid.
On the boat finally heading for the second spot all of us who were on
the boat sat together eating fruits, talking about diving and life in itself
was great, I mean how it cannot be? You live and work on an island only
majority people see on movies and the diving and the feeling you get from it is
just amazing. As we arrived at our second spot, it was almost business as usual
already for me, just strapped on the gear and jumped in. We went straight under
in the deep, no more lessons. Also I noticed Antti didn’t hold me the whole
time anymore (although staying within touching contact always); I could see he
enjoyed it much more as well. This time around also we stopped around to float
and stare at different fish and coral, we even posed for some pictures underwater, it was all so surreal. As we again came up and swam toward the dive
boat Antti told me that we basically completed the maximum dive depth you can
on a trial dive, which was 12meters! When I heard this I couldn’t believe it,
it really doesn’t feel like it, I don’t know if the water is so clear or what,
I do remember looking up at one point during my dive and thinking ‘’now I’m
deep’’ He also said we were under for a good solid 50minutes, which again
doesn’t sound believable, the time just goes so fast when you are under. As we boarded back on the boat and headed
back to camp on the shore we again had some good talks and laughs with these
new found friends. Antti made it very clear he would be more than happy to take
me out if I ever decide to come complete my diving courses, and to be honest I
am strongly considering it.
The day had
come to an end the sun was going down, I had great memories, you can only go
once in a lifetime scuba diving for the first time and have it be that amazing.
I just want to thank all the staff at Koh Tao divers for making it so memorable,
and Antti, Kim, Tom and our cameraman Charlie especially. I couldn’t think of a
better ending for my trip. Lastly I went to see if my friend Juho was alive and
well (which he was for the most part), had some dinner and sleep. The next day
we packed up, hopped on our motorbikes for the last time to return them and got
on the ferry back to shore and on to the long bus ride back home. All in all I have to say this, I was waiting
to come to Koh Tao for several months now, and it has been more than what I could
have expected. In comparison Koh Phagnan
is a large island and has its own appeals but Koh Tao was simply brilliant and
beautiful.
All the pictures are from Pattaya, it was way too hectic in the locations that I went to to carry a camera around. Also i'm kicking myself for realizing that I don't have any quality video of this great week, oh well, maybe I just have to come back again.
This past Songkran I had the privilege to celebrate my
seventh Songkran in Thailand, three of them I’ve celebrated in Bangkok and the
rest in Pattaya. This year I actually managed to do both Bangkok and Pattaya
for the first time, I celebrated two nights in Bangkok and one in Pattaya.
Bangkok being so big it is only celebrated in certain locations that are worth
going to (if you want the ultimate water fight experience) such as Khao San
road, Silom, and RCA. Other individual spots also arrange pool parties and foam
parties such as the club Narsisist that has a foam party for every day of
Songkran. This year also RCA arranged a massive concert with world class
artists such as Afrojack and Deadmou5e to name a few. For those who don’t know what Songkran is, it
is the traditional Thai New Year and mainly celebrated in Thailand and is some
other areas of South East Asia. The reason it is the New Year because it
follows the Buddhist/Hindu solar calendar and the purpose of throwing water is
because it’s a way of washing away the sins and bad luck. Often when locals
come pour (or spray) water on you, they say Happy New Year or vice versa you
can go pour (or again, spray) it on the locals and often they will acknowledge you
with a smile and Wai (putting the hands together and bowing the head).
Me personally I was at Khao San twice and club narsisist
once and the first thing you realize is that once you get to Khao San road is
that it is packed, very packed with people. It takes a good solid hour to walk
through from one end to the other end. The atmosphere is great, people are
soaking wet and shooting water at each other in all directions and everyone
seems to be dancing as soon as they hear music, the mood is very festive to say
the least. Sonkgran is a great way to connect with the locals as they rarely go
out in such a fashion as they do on Songkran. If you are at Khao San I suggest
you pick wisely a street bar to park at with your friends, order a bucket or
drinks and just stand there shooting at by walkers while listening to good
music. This is always the best way because you avoid being in the crowds and
have space while still part taking in the water fighting.
As Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday rolled past and Bangkok
sonkgran was celebrated once again, I left for Pattaya on Friday, where
Songkran is celebrated on Sunday which I was sure not to miss. Having celebrated some of my most memorable Songkran’s
there I was really looking forward to it. My friends and I have a tradition of
getting a pick-up truck and a driver to drive us around the town from noon
onwards. From the back of this pick-up we shoot and throw water stopping in
front of people who have water fights on the streets and honestly it is the
best way to do it. In Pattaya the streets are everywhere flooded with people
within the immediate area, the cars are all packed with people throwing water
and the whole city is in a festive mood.
Beach road (the main road) is closed for water fighters; think of Khao San
road but twice as long and twice as wide and everyone throwing water. It’s
amazing how fast a good solid six hours can go by when you have so much fun,
and if you are hungry, need water or anything it is all within an arm’s reach
on the side of the streets as people sell all of the above mentioned items next
to the street at every short interval. When Songkraning you let your inner kid
out, you have to. You throw and splash water at everyone and everyone does it
back to you, and everyone does it with a constant smile on their face. You
notice yourself just dancing to the loud music blaring from the people who
party and splash water on the side of the street even stopping and jumping
around with them, pulling people into your truck and so on. There is no feeling
like it and honestly anyone who is in Thailand during this time period I dare
you to leave Bangkok and try out other locations for Songkran such as Chiang
Mai (heard it is one of the premier places), the North East (Isan) or even the
islands down South.
After it gets dark we leave the car and head up to beach
road by foot where the non-stop water fighting continues, Beach road is so wide
so they manage to set up DJ sets and stages for people to party in front of,
also the street vendors are in full mode selling everything from food to water
guns, if you are one of the lucky ones who can keep going for a solid 12 plus
hours then you definitely will end up at the walking street which is at the
very end of beach road and has all the clubs and bars, some clubs even allow
people to water fight indoors so don’t even consider yourself being safe from
the water at any point . For me personally I wasn’t up to it this year, I
called it quits way before midnight and headed for a well-deserved rest. Five
days out of a seven day Songkran week isn’t a bad achievement in my books. Till
next year, or the next time.
