Willie and Kak, Pui and I took the kids, Gong, Birt, and Pot to Pattaya Park (Pattaya's best/only water park) today. (For those of you who don't know where it is, just find the big 800-foot tall tower (as seen in the photo of Pattaya in the top right corner of my blog) and it lies at the foot of that. Tickets to the park are 100 baht for adults and 50 baht for kids. It's really a great way to spend an afternoon, even if you don't have kids with you.
The weather started off gorgeous, but we had rain showers later on in the afternoon... although that didn't stop anybody from swimming. My favorite thing to do is just relax in the water of the big loop pool, and let the artificial current carry me and my friends around while we chit chat and look at all the young Russian girls in their thong bikinis... and trying to avoid seeing the older Russian ladies in their thong bikinis.
Pot obviously spent most of the time swimming, although he really didn't do too well in the current of the loop pool. He mostly wound up clinging on to me when we were going around that. However, today he did learn how to climb up and stand on my shoulders and jump off into the water. Of course, just last week, he was terrified of the prospect of such a thing. But then, the prospect of pretty much everything terrifies Pot before he actually tries it.
Pot worked up one heck of an appetite, and (for what was probably the first time in his life) ate an enire hamburger by himself. (We all clapped when he was finished.) He also ate an entire roll of Mentos, a botle of Sprite, as well as some chicken and rice. And no, Mom, we didn't warn him about cramps before jumping back in the pool immediately after eating. Heheh. (There is going to come a time eventually when I will yearn for the days when Pot would eat only a few grams of rice, and a bite or two of chicken each day. I am sure that he will become a human food disposal system in a very short 8 or 9 years.)
Gong and Birt actually took care of Pot really well in a big-brother kind of way, helping him swim around, taking him down the water slides, and just being friendly. It's amazing how well-behaved most Thai kids I have met are. That most likely has something to do with the Thai eductional system, which teaches not only reading and writing, but Thai culture, and good behavior... something the English-only schools in Thailand don't emphasize as much. (Pot's bilingual school does emphasize it though. It was one thing I made sure of before sending him there.) Anyway, Birt and Gong are such good kids, I plan on getting Pot to spend time with them as often as possible.
After swimming, eating, and relaxing, we went on some of the rides. Pot and Birt rode on the "bumper cars". (They really didn't bump... they just rode on a track in a figure-8 motion, spinning, and barely missing each other at the 'crossroads'.) Pattaya Park has a small amusement park as well, with equal parts kiddie rides, and grown-up rides. None of them are anything spectacular (other than the "parachute jump" off of the 800-foot tower). Most of the kiddie rides are 50 baht or so, and the adult rides more expensive, with prices being twice as much for farangs as they are for Thai people.
Willie, Gong and I rode the roller coaster. Willie treated me to a ticket since I never would have paid 200 baht for the 30-second ride. (Granted, the ride operator did send us around twice... but with the jarring, lurching motion of the ride, leaving you with rapped elbows and a sore neck, that is not necessarily a good thing. Well, after a dozen visits to Pattaya Park, I can at least now say I've ridden on the thing.
Willie and Kak, Pui and I took the kids, Gong, Birt, and Pot to Pattaya Park (Pattaya's best/only water park) today. (For those of you who don't know where it is, just find the big 800-foot tall tower (as seen in the photo of Pattaya in the top right corner of my blog) and it lies at the foot of that. Tickets to the park are 100 baht for adults and 50 baht for kids. It's really a great way to spend an afternoon, even if you don't have kids with you.
The weather started off gorgeous, but we had rain showers later on in the afternoon... although that didn't stop anybody from swimming. My favorite thing to do is just relax in the water of the big loop pool, and let the artificial current carry me and my friends around while we chit chat and look at all the young Russian girls in their thong bikinis... and trying to avoid seeing the older Russian ladies in their thong bikinis.
Pot obviously spent most of the time swimming, although he really didn't do too well in the current of the loop pool. He mostly wound up clinging on to me when we were going around that. However, today he did learn how to climb up and stand on my shoulders and jump off into the water. Of course, just last week, he was terrified of the prospect of such a thing. But then, the prospect of pretty much everything terrifies Pot before he actually tries it.
Pot worked up one heck of an appetite, and (for what was probably the first time in his life) ate an enire hamburger by himself. (We all clapped when he was finished.) He also ate an entire roll of Mentos, a botle of Sprite, as well as some chicken and rice. And no, Mom, we didn't warn him about cramps before jumping back in the pool immediately after eating. Heheh. (There is going to come a time eventually when I will yearn for the days when Pot would eat only a few grams of rice, and a bite or two of chicken each day. I am sure that he will become a human food disposal system in a very short 8 or 9 years.)
Gong and Birt actually took care of Pot really well in a big-brother kind of way, helping him swim around, taking him down the water slides, and just being friendly. It's amazing how well-behaved most Thai kids I have met are. That most likely has something to do with the Thai eductional system, which teaches not only reading and writing, but Thai culture, and good behavior... something the English-only schools in Thailand don't emphasize as much. (Pot's bilingual school does emphasize it though. It was one thing I made sure of before sending him there.) Anyway, Birt and Gong are such good kids, I plan on getting Pot to spend time with them as often as possible.
After swimming, eating, and relaxing, we went on some of the rides. Pot and Birt rode on the "bumper cars". (They really didn't bump... they just rode on a track in a figure-8 motion, spinning, and barely missing each other at the 'crossroads'.) Pattaya Park has a small amusement park as well, with equal parts kiddie rides, and grown-up rides. None of them are anything spectacular (other than the "parachute jump" off of the 800-foot tower). Most of the kiddie rides are 50 baht or so, and the adult rides more expensive, with prices being twice as much for farangs as they are for Thai people.
Willie, Gong and I rode the roller coaster. Willie treated me to a ticket since I never would have paid 200 baht for the 30-second ride. (Granted, the ride operator did send us around twice... but with the jarring, lurching motion of the ride, leaving you with rapped elbows and a sore neck, that is not necessarily a good thing. Well, after a dozen visits to Pattaya Park, I can at least now say I've ridden on the thing.
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