One of the oldest parts of Pattaya, Naklua also happens to be both one of the wealthiest and poorest regions of the city. I focused on the latter on this particular trip to visit my friend in Pattaya. We spent most of the day simply wandering as I put my camera through a workout. Though the poverty could be a bit much to take in at times, I felt that, since I had made Thailand my new home, it wasn’t right to focus only on the jungle and beaches and food while ignoring other less tourist-friendly aspects of reality in the country.

My friend wanted to take me to a particular seafood market where fresh fish and prawns and squid and crab can be purchased then brought to an onsite grill to be expertly cooked for a ridiculously low price.

We then took our fresh-as-fresh-can-be meal to a nearby park for a picnic. The area was crowded with blankets and tarps loaded with food—we clearly weren’t the only ones to’ve come up with this idea—but this only added to the atmosphere. Gentle but ambitious stray dogs and cats roamed the area, hoping for scraps or maybe even a fresh morsel.

The sun set, a rather spectacular cap on yet another fascinating day.