After arriving in Pattaya yesterday, we got ready in the morning and went down for breakfast. As usual, even this hotel had a great breakfast spread. We were scheduled to take the Coral Island (Ko Lan) tour today.
A tuk-tuk arrived to take us to the beach. We reached the shore and had to wade through the water to reach the speedboat that was going to take us to Coral Island. There were about 20–25 people with us. Our first stop was parasailing. We had to climb aboard a floating platform where parasailing was available at an extra cost. We were, of course, more than willing to try it. The platform was a hive of activity, bobbing gently in the Gulf of Thailand as colorful parachutes bloomed against the sky.
We watched in awe at the precision and timing with which the crew handled the activities. As soon as a person came in for a landing, a group of people would assist them and remove the harness; one person would lead the landed passenger away, while another group would attach the harness to the next person waiting in line, who would be lifted off their feet almost instantaneously. And all this happened within a 5–10 second window while the boat pulling the harness and parachute continued moving ahead in the water. Soon, it was my turn, and before I knew it, I was in the air being led by the boat for a loop around; it felt exactly like flying.
Our next stop was the underwater sea walk, but no one from our group seemed interested in that, so we headed for Coral Island (Ko Lan). The speedboat ride was amazing—with bumps and turns, it was almost as thrilling as a roller coaster. Ko Lan welcomed us with its pristine white sand beach and clear blue water, a tropical escape just a few kilometers off the Pattaya coast. I went for a swim in the sea, and then we sat on the beach to unwind, watching the gentle waves roll in.
After returning to Pattaya, we were taken to a restaurant for an Indian lunch buffet. We went back to the hotel in the afternoon to relax before our tour of Mini Siam, which features miniature replicas of iconic structures from Thailand and all over the world. Walking through the park felt like a whirlwind global tour, where the craftsmanship of the tiny details brought world-famous landmarks to life at a 1:25 scale.
It was nice to see smaller-scale versions of many Thai temples, such as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and also sites from around the world like the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
We also saw the model for Bangkok Hua Lamphong railway station, where we had arrived in Bangkok just a few days prior, and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, from where we would be departing in a few days. Seeing these familiar transit hubs in miniature was a quirky reminder of our own journey through Thailand.
After returning from Mini Siam, we walked along the road next to Pattaya beach to shop for souvenirs. We saw an Iranian restaurant on our way back to the hotel and picked up grilled chicken for dinner. This was our last night in Pattaya, and we would be heading back to Bangkok the next day.