RED CLOUD GARRISON, Republic of Korea -- The U.S. Army Garrison Red Could Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation sponsored a trip to Pattaya and Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 22-25.
The tour departed from Incheon Airport, Seoul, Korea, arrived in Bangkok and then took a two-hour drive to the beaches of Pattaya. After an amusing evening at the most famous "lady-man" show Tiffany's, the formal portion of the tour ended, and people were free to explore the beach front night life of Pattaya.
The next day it rained, which spoiled all hopes of beach front experiences. Those that were interested were taken to an elephant show where they also were allowed to take a ride on the elephant. Other folks took a trip to the gems factory for a tour of how gems are mined and turned into jewelry.
It finally quit raining, so everyone departed the gallery and went back to the Siam Bayview Hotel where some took a Thai cooking class. Afterwards, some went for a nice long swim at the hotel pool and a Thai massage.
"I enjoyed the Thai cooking class and shopping with my wife most of all," said Maj. Alexander Lovasz, 2nd Infantry Division.
After a well deserved evening of rest, the group headed to Bangkok for what seemed like an endless river tour and Thai lunch on a river boat. The afternoon was spent at the Thai Royal Palace, which was absolutely incredible. The palace grounds are filled with ornate golden and seemingly jeweled buildings and a famous Emerald Buddha, which incidentally is not from Emerald but jade.
"The best part of this tour for me was shopping for very reasonable prices and the cultural show with all the different daces, music, and Thai boxing exhibitions," said Capt. Erik Melendez.
After having all of our visual senses stimulated beyond a healthy level in a Thai mall, folks escaped to the refuge of the most well appointed movie theater.
For the equivalent of a $6 ticket, everyone was seated in a plush reclining seat with blankets, and waiters to bring you a cocktail.
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