Day 4- heading to pattaya

Up early (5am) and to the gym as we don't anticipate much walking today. 30 minutes on the treadmill then to the room for a 20 minute mat pilates workout.

The breakfast buffet was the same as the last two days but I've just discovered they had pho. It was "so good"! My breakfast was like a trip around the world. Thai, Japanese, Indian, American.

After breakfast we got ready for the day and got on our first tuktuk to head to Silky's tailoring for the fitting. We get there and everything is closed. 🤔 A few tuktuk drivers stop by and tell us that it is a big holiday today "big buddha day" -similar to Christmas in their culture. Many shops are closed and absolutely no one sells alcohol today. 

Silky's is closed also. We are obviously not getting our fitting done today. I took a picture of the dress in the window that I feel in love with. Mine will be in an iridescent orange/pink silk. So excited!

We got a tuktuk back to the hotel to get packed up and ready to leave. We have a few hours to burn and nothin to do, so I decide on dessert!

i choose a pandan cake. Pandan is a plant that tastes like vanilla and coconut and it's very popular in Thailand. I'm told that they use it in a lot of their cooking, even savory dishes.

Packing up was so easy now that I have packing cubes to keep everything organized. I'm so efficient.😸

We match! That one is for Rob and Julianne 😘

Our car arrives and we ready ourselves for a two hour drive. Miserable🥵 I nap much of the way, which helped me get through it. The weather is hot and muggy and the driver had either no A/C or it was on so low that it didn't reach the back seat. By the time we arrived, I was entirely drenched and ready for a shower.

While checking in, the kind lady informs us that the room is not ready and wont be until 5pm. It is now 3:30. They offer us tea service and comfortable seating while we wait. 

The treats were amazing and even John had tea! 

The rest of the day (after getting settled into our room) was walking and checking out all the fascinating sights. People crammed everywhere despite most of the businesses being shut down for the day. Families are on the beach late into the evening and tourists weave in and out of locals eating dinner along the sidewalk.

There are more (legit) massage places here in one square mile than anywhere I've ever seen! Locals and tourists alike enjoy a good massage. I think it's a cultural thing here. 

Shoes are lined up outside each of these business with rows of customers reclining inside getting foot massages. No one seems to be bothered by the big windows and total visibility. No shame here!

After walking for hours we decided to head back and get dinner. We are still not able to bring ourselves to eat the street food. We opt for an overpriced steak and salmon on the rooftop of the Hilton. Beautiful view!

Its 10pm and time for a shower and off to bed. I'm pretty sure we'll be sleeping in tomorrow.