Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Welcome to 700 travel blogs, to access a full index on your mobile please scroll to the bottom & choose from 700 locations. Email is [email protected]

My Long Winding Road

November 8, 2019 by David Herd

My Long Winding Road

David Herd Family History

My Long Winding Road has been a wonderful journey, born way back on July 7 1943, & grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney Australia. One of the great benefits to me with this photo blog, is I get to re-live all the fabulous experiences in my life, I’m certain that without photos as a reminder, I probably would forget 80% of what I have done in life.

I was the eldest of 5 boys with the most wonderful parents any child could wish for.

Rather than focus on the early years just follow THIS LINK for lots of old photos of all the family.

This post covers memories from the 60s & 70s, part 2 will be the 80s & 9os.

Please note this is not part of my travel blog, it is my online photo album.

My 21st birthday in 1964

David Herd Family History

We celebrated a couple of months early as I was about to leave for England on the cruise ship Fairsea with my best friend Glen Beasley. Here is the story of THE CRUISE.

May 1964

My Long Winding Road

After 18 months of working 2 jobs, I just qualified as a toolmaker, plus I worked weekends for Don Talbert the Australian swimming coach, my friend Glenn Beasley and I prepared to leave on May 7th to sail to England on the Fairsea. Just before I left I took my young brothers the the barber and had them shorn. They loved the new haircuts but poor Mum almost fainted. 🙂

A girlfriend from the 60s.

My Long Winding Road

Veronica Crocker lived at south Granville, such a sweet beautiful lady, in fact breaking up with her really motivated me to head overseas. I have been so lucky to have know so many GORGEOUS GIRLS.

My Long Winding Road

My Long Winding Road

Halfway to England we took in some very famous sights.

The White Lion Hotel in Cobham

My Long Winding Road

Glen & I worked as barmen for a few months, I think we drank as much as we served. 🙂

7th Engineer on the La Marea

My Long Winding Road

After 12 months away I needed to earn some money to pay for my trip home. Spent a few months working on the ship, we took Volkswagens to America & bought back grain to Europe.

My first job in Sales

My Long Winding Road

 I joined Macdougals LTD in Clarence St Sydney in 1966 selling Victor calculators, this was the year of decimal changeover. Then in 1969 I became Victorian state sales manager for Victor calculators, Smith Corona typewrites, Elliot addressing machines & SCM copiers. I had a staff of 30 salesmen, & what a shit fight that was.

The Hydro Majestic at Medlow Bath around 1968.

My Long Winding Road

Adrian Yates, Ian Rich & Paul Webber. 

Another year at the Hydro

My Long Winding Road

 A big team had a great weekend.

Moved to Melbourne in 1969

My Long Winding Road

Living in Alma Rd St Kilda & working in Swanston St in the city.  From the left we have David Adams, aka the Animal, Adrian Yates, Mike Wright, DH, Graham Edwards & ???.

Sydney 1971

My Long Winding Road

Moved back to Sydney after 2 years in Melbourne, here I am with good friend Peter Lewis & one of his many girlfriends Marilyn.

Living in Adelaide 1973.

My Long Winding Road

This shot was taken at a party I organised on the beach at Semaphore in 1973, at the home of Maria Martin. Lots of photos HERE.

The music in the 70s produced many of my all time favourite songs, here are 3 of those.

Piano man 1973

Hotel California 1977

Suttans of Swing 1978

Darwin airport 1972

My Long Winding RoadAnsett hosties & Arch Wilke (RIP) an ex north Adelaide Aussie rules player.

The following day

My Long Winding Road

Manton dam south of Darwin.

Anzac Highway Plymton in Adelaide.

My Long Winding Road

 The cool dude on the right is Grahame Farquhar who was one of my regular drinking partners. I last saw him in 2014.

Melbourne Cup 1975

My Long Winding Road

Di Lett & the man in the black hat. 🙂

Wood St North Melbourne

My Long Winding Road

I transferred from Adelaide to Melbourne with Sanyo, in 1973, lived there 2 years & met many new & interesting people, got engaged to a beautiful lady and narrowly escaped an attempt on my life. 🙂 I was 1 year at Lexton Grove Windsor & 1 at North Melbourne.

I love this photo

My Long Winding Road

It was 1975, I’m with Di Parkinson, her brother Phil, Wolf Wottke & Angie.

A little bit of erotica. 🙂

My Long Winding Road

As they say in the classics, two ladies called  Dianne are better than one. 🙂

The Herd family in 1979

My Long Winding Road

 A rare photo of the five brothers together with our beautiful Mother.

Adelaide in 1975

My Long Winding Road

Sadly as time goes by we lose some friends, that’s Hank Wottke between Angie & Parko, he passed away while living in Western Australia, RIP. Kneeling at the front is Trevor Beach, worked for City Ford in Sydney for a number of years, RIP old buddy.

Thanks for visiting my My Long Winding Road photo blog, PART TWO is coming soon

     Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 

Australian adventures

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Favourite photos Japan part one

October 6, 2019 by David Herd

Favourite photos Japan

Favourite photos Japan

Favourite photos Japan, there are so many, I need to do two, maybe three posts. Such a fabulous country with a wonderful mix if old & new, or should I say ancient & modern. 🙂 The beautiful garden above was in Kyoto.

Yokohama station

Favourite photos Japan

There is a surprise around every corner in Japan. 

Tōdai-ji Nara

Favourite photos Japan

Originally founded in the year 738 CE, Todai-ji temple was not opened until the year 752, absolutely spectacular. 

Nara is 50 minutes by train from Osaka.

My favourite Tokyo restaurant.

Favourite photos Japan

 Sushizanmai is a well known restaurant chain, this branch is open 24 hours a day & was adjacent to the old Tsujiki fish market, without a doubt it’s my favourite restaurant in Tokyo. 

I really love this photograph.

Favourite photos Japan

In Kabukicho there is a small lane called “Piss Alley”, there are many tiny restaurants serving fabulous food. I have named this photo “Only the Lonely”.

Peace & serenity

Favourite photos Japan

One of the many artists in Ohori Park in Fukuoka.

Kanazawa castle

Favourite photos Japan

A huge fire in 1759 destroyed the whole castle then it was re-built in 1788. That year is also when 11 ships with 1,530 people onboard, 736 of them convicts, arrived in Botany Bay a few miles south of Sydney Harbour in Australia. This event is known to all us Aussies as “the first fleet”.

Nagasaki Peace Park 

Favourite photos Japan

Awesome statue commemorating the atomic bombing of the city on August 9, 1945 during World War II.

Boat ride around Hikone castle

Favourite photos Japan

Hikone Castle is a Japanese National Treasure, one of five in the whole country. It is regarded as one of Japan’s most beautiful and historic castles.

Here I am with some Harajuku girls.

Favourite photos Japan

Harajuku girls are famous ‘Fashion Aficionados’ or ‘Beauty stars of Japan’ which are known all over the world for their unique clothing style.

Coffee in Tokyo

Favourite photos Japan

 These coffees certainly have the “wow” factor. 🙂

The Shibuya crossing

Favourite photos Japan

I love to sit in Starbucks & watch the peak hour crowd swarm across this famous intersection.

Shabusen in Tokyo

Favourite photos Japan

 In the heart of the Ginza this terrific restaurant is a great place to enjoy Kobe beef. Go at lunch time when the special are cheaper. 🙂 TripAdvisor rating is #45 of 8,342 Restaurants in Chuo.

Another look at the Shabu Shabu.

Favourite photos Japan

I visit this great venue every time I’m in Tokyo.

Favourite photos Japan

Favourite photos Japan

 This is Dotombori in Osaka, there are so many restaurants & such little time. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Favourite photos Japan photo blog.

  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
bd96516a-84df-4ca0-86e6-c757cc9053d1          01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f          e18b6c87-5adc-4a80-92cf-6c643ad130c1
 
Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4          60e7d26d-1039-4dde-863d-62b66656ccbf          1bea4a99-cb07-4161-83ba-75c0ef2b63cc
    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
 
 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

This gallery contains 2 photos

Little old wine drinker me

September 12, 2019 by David Herd

Little old wine drinker me!

Little old wine drinker

Little old wine drinker me, I’m praying for rain in California, So the grapes can grow and they can make more wine, And I’m sitting in a honky in Chicago, With a broken heart and a woman on my mind. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Sing it for us Dean. 🙂

I certainly enjoy a glass of wine or 3, plus I love living in Thailand. One of the few problems here however is the very high price of wine. In this photo blog I will give you some idea of prices & suggestions of where to drink wine at a (fairly) reasonable price.

Leckerle in Soi 33 Naklua

Little old wine drinkerAs well as terrific food they serve a very generous glass of wine for B100 or $4.80 AUD.

Atlantic Bar opposite Central Marina

Little old wine drinker I am a regular at this bar, but not as regular as I used to be. Last year they increased the price of a glass of red to B140 or $6.70 AUD, however there is a 10% discount if you have a member card which brings the price down to B126, still overpriced in my opinion. I must say however they do pour me a reasonable size glass for which I’m forever grateful. 🙂

I now drink elsewhere Friday, Saturday & Sunday during the English football season, as the TV volume is so high it’s uncomfortable for many customers such as myself.

This is what I mainly drink at home.

Little old wine drinker Probably because I’m a “Cheap Charlie”, can you believe we pay B1000 or $48 AUD for 3 bloody litres? In 2018 we were buying a 5 litre cask for that amount, then the Thai government jacked up the tax & excise. 

In fact taxes on French, Australian and American wines, for instance, are as high as 400% including excise tax, municipal tax, health tax and import tariffs.

Five litre Australian cask

Little old wine drinker

Amazing value at B315 or $15 AUD. So $3 a litre as opposed to $16 a litre in Thailand.

Little old wine drinker me!

Little old wine drinkerYou gotta love red wine. 🙂

Neil Dimond will explain better than I. 🙂

Wine Connection

Little old wine drinker Very good food & a terrific wine selection, always have some great specials.

Australian red wine at Wine connection

Wine Connection Beach Rd Pattaya

Billy’s shadow shiraz is B650 or $31 AUD, & Angus the bull B850 or $40  AUD. Billy’s sells for $7 in Australia & Angus $19. Is it any wonder I lay awake at night weeping? 🙂

Pssst! Want to know a secret?

Little old wine drinkerFoodland at Terminal have these Aussie wines for only $20 AUD.  Of course you can buy it in Australia for around $8.00.

But wait, there’s more…….

Little old wine drinkerTops mini supermarket on the ground floor of my condo building at Markland on Beach Road.

Is there a better place to drink wine than here?

Little old wine drinkerA fabulous September sunset from the Holiday Inn at happy hour. Every day between 5 & 7 pm a glass of Australian red or white wine costs B240 ++ for 2 glasses. The ++ is the killer of course, it takes the price up to B283, or $15.50 AUD which is a reasonable $7.75 each given the fabulous location.

Terrazzo Holiday Inn

Little old wine drinker As you can see it’s a nice place to sit & have a few wines. 🙂

The best value Aussie red in Pattaya

Little old wine drinkerCan you believe Mathilda Restaurant on 2nd Rd only charge B420, or $20 AUD for this Aussie red? The price of food is very reasonable also.

Xmas has come early

Little old wine drinker me My great friends Nick & Sharron bought me 8 litres of Aussie red for a cost of $28 AUD, the 3 litre Mont Clair costs me $48 AUD, say no more. Many thanks to Nick & Sharron.

La Vida from Chile

La Vida It’s now December 2020 & this 5 litre cask is the best value in Thailand, B979 or $44 AUD, I buy a box of 4 from Best supermarket at Dolphin roundabout. 🙂

Shock! horror! It’s now October 2021 & they have put the price up to B1,080, or $44.91 AUD.

That’s all for now folks

Little old wine drinkerThanks for visiting my Little old wine drinker me photo blog. 

Before you leave please listen to Frankie reminiscing. 🙂

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.

Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 
  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
bd96516a-84df-4ca0-86e6-c757cc9053d1          01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f          e18b6c87-5adc-4a80-92cf-6c643ad130c1
 
Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4          60e7d26d-1039-4dde-863d-62b66656ccbf          1bea4a99-cb07-4161-83ba-75c0ef2b63cc
    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
 
 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Tough times Thailand 2019

September 10, 2019 by David Herd

Tough times Thailand

Tough times Thailand

Tough times Thailand 2019 on two fronts, first we have Thai immigration making it more difficult for expats to live in this wonderful country, secondly the exchange rate for Thai Baht to the Aussie dollar (and other currencies) is hitting rock bottom. 

The following 2 charts will highlight the situation.

This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history.

This photo blog covers from July 1st to December 31, for the first 6 months of 2019 please go to THIS LINK.

Australian $ to Thai Baht

Tough times ThailandIn 2012 there was 33 Baht to the dollar, today it’s 21.

Australian term deposit rates

Tough times Thailand In 2012 they were over 5%, today it’s a miserable 1.5%.

Rising costs for food etc

Tough times Thailand 2019 Five years ago in 2014 this selection cost $72 AUD, today it would be $98 Aud, one of the reasons Thailand has become less attractive for expats.

Life is still very good in Thailand

Tough times Thailand Just ask my good friend Hamish, he hasn’t a care in the world. 🙂

Coffee at the Holiday Inn

Tough times ThailandMost afternoons I tear myself away from the computer & enjoy an afternoon coffee.

A small tip for a little lady

Tough times Thailand I often give this nice lady a B20 tip when I see her of a morning sweeping the road at Terminal 21, it’s just under $1 AUD. She gets so excited you would think it’s 200.  I’m guessing they don’t get paid too much.

Love watching the storms roll in

 So exciting when the storms roll in over Pattaya Bay.

There’s nothing like a September sunset.

Tough times ThailandI was sipping a red wine at the Holiday Inn watching this magnificent sunset.

Soi 1 demolish a small hotel.

Tough times Thailand Right next to Markland condo where I live.

Aussie guys at Atlantic bar

Tough times Thailand Doug Burrows, Bill Perry, David Herd, Brian Rawnsley & Shane Andrews. Shane is here for some major dental work which is around 1/3 of the cost in Australia.

Fusillo Italian restaurant

Tough times Thailand A nice evening with Matt Harkness & is girlfriend Bow.

Spaghetti seafood

Tough times Thailand Fusillo is in Naklua Rd, what a great looking dish.

Pattaya sunset

Tough times Thailand From floor 22 in Markland. For more magnificent sunsets follow THIS LINK.

A super cloud

Tough times Thailand This was 8 am on the morning of October 13, the previous shot was 6.15 pm the same day.

Halloween

Tough times Thailand 2019 Lola, Nina & Lucky playing trick or treat. I anticipated the visit & stocked up on lollies etc.

The boys from Oz

Tough times Thailand 2019 Shane Andrews, Bill Perry & Greg Caldwell were here for some major dental work. According to Greg he paid 55,000 Baht or $2650 AUD for 1 x Implant – 1 x Root canal – 2 x removals and a complete clean which took 2 hours’ in the chair.

Holly’s coffee at Terminal 21.

Tough times Thailand helping me maintain my 112 kilos.

Tough times Thailand with high levels of pollution in Pattaya

Tough times ThailandThe unhealthy haze from farmers burning their crops in Thailand & neighboring countries.

Thailand is the least miserable country

Pattaya life food friends Australia comes in at 54th. 🙂

Let’s talk about convenience, I often wonder what it would be like living in Australia again. I ask my friends on the Gold Coast to imagine if they could walk from their home to Robina Town Centre, Southport Park & Pacific Fair in less than 12 minutes? How convenient would that be?

Well folks, that’s what I can do in Pattaya, add to that the 6 five star hotels also within 12 minutes of where I live. All with terrific restaurants & coffee shops. 

Plus I have a 24 hour supermarket, chemist & The Coffee Club on the ground floor of the condo where I live on the 20th floor with a view to die for. I probably should mention the 200+ restaurants & food courts also within 10 minutes walk.

Convenience folks, are you getting the picture? 🙂 

The burning question is, could I be happy living in Australia again? 

Cruise ship visits Pattaya

Tough times Thailand December 7 & a cruise liner anchors in Pattaya Bay.

Lets’s do the crocodile rock. 🙂

Tough times Thailand Crocodile on the spit at Central Marina.

The Peak at the Dusit Thani

Tough times ThailandI’m with my brother Warren enjoying the best Dim Sum in Pattaya, sadly the Peak is closing on December 8.

Oyster night

Tough times Thailand I brought 4 dozen French & Irish oysters from El Mercado in Bangkok home to Pattaya. My good friend Hamish Elton was in charge of shucking.

Tough times Thailand

Tough times Thailand It was such a good night I would like to make it a regular event.

A typical Thai street scene

Tough times Thailand Thai people really love their street food.

Beautiful morning on Pattaya Beach.

Tough times Thailand This is what I see on my morning walk along Beach Road.

Healthy lunch at Central Festival food hall.

Tough times ThailandThey have doubled the size of the food hall, see much more on THIS LINK.

Central Marina food park

Tough times ThailandThese are the best teriyaki chicken or pork skewers in Pattaya. 

Soi pups

Tough times Thailand Four of these little guys live next to Markland, I have been giving them food most days.

The old Mantra site

Tough times ThailandNot sure what we can expect here, but I think there will be a restaurant & a cafe.

Xmas day

Tough times Thailand Hamish & May are moving into a lovely house in Jomtien.

Xmas dinner

Tough times ThailandA terrific meal at Harlan’s to celebrate Xmas.

Brad, poor & cousin Glen

Tough times Thailand We took a Sunday drive to check out the monkeys at Bangsaen.

Lots of people feed them bananas

Tough times ThailandThey will crawl all over your car looking for food.

Asparagus & salmon sashimi

Tough times Thailand Great value fro Foodland at Terminal 21.

Breathtaking view

Tough times Thailand From my Markland balcony.

Glenn Frey will tell you how I feel.

  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
bd96516a-84df-4ca0-86e6-c757cc9053d1          01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f          e18b6c87-5adc-4a80-92cf-6c643ad130c1
 
Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4          60e7d26d-1039-4dde-863d-62b66656ccbf          1bea4a99-cb07-4161-83ba-75c0ef2b63cc
    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
 
 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Music triggers fabulous memories

September 3, 2019 by David Herd

Music triggers fabulous memories, I hope you enjoy these selections, all favourite songs that I really love.  Everything from Sinatra to Freddie Mercury.  Can you imagine a life without music?

This mix starts & finishes with  Harry Nilsson

Music triggers fabulous memories, how many times has a song come on the radio, & in that instant we are transported back in time to a particular moment or a place so many years ago?

Mix 3 begins with Joe Cocker.

Wait, there’s more, over to you Frankie.

 

A mix of many of my favourite songs spanning over 60 years.

So many of my favourite songs starting with Winds of change.

Sultans of Swing, Hotel California & Piano Ma

Here are some more posts to check out 

         Sydney                               Paris                                   Bangkok           
 497d0b6e-c0bd-4ba2-86be-c02100f050a8        65470622-d17a-4b90-bf97-2574df4c412d        1a2160c1-41f7-465a-954c-631e083eb229
          Tokyo                        Rio De Janeiro                        Budapest
f59e958e-8eaf-48b4-8e96-c291a0c13d1a        f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4        a6a948cd-f30a-49ea-a905-82be4d202cc9
           London                            Beijing                            Capetown
2246c6cf-5fa6-4fbe-ac30-b569253ad2a6        f65d714b-f44c-4b2e-9505-3511ebecbb80        4e82052a-24d0-41e1-ab84-10e8f27634d1
 
            Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you            
 book through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
                                                                 Plus free cancellation .
                                               Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                                            d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037            01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Pretty woman stop awhile

August 12, 2019 by David Herd

Pretty woman stop awhile

This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history, you may describe it as the melancholy musings of an old man. My answer to that is simple, it’s far better to be a “has been” than a “never was”. 🙂

Pretty woman stop a while

Pretty woman stop awhile, Pretty woman talk awhile, Pretty woman give your smile to me, Pretty woman yeah, yeah, yeah, Pretty woman look my way, Pretty woman say you’ll stay with me, ‘Cause I need you, I’ll treat you right, Come with me baby, be mine tonight. It seems fitting looking back on a random selection of some of the Pretty women I have been lucky enough to know, that Roy Orbison should help me recall some of those wonderful memories.

That’s Karen Smith in 1985, my 3rd & last fiancee, I have never known a nicer girl. 

Carol Aboud in 1978

Pretty woman stop awhile This was taken on my birthday which fell on 7-7-77, Carol & I were an item (on & off) for around 4 years. 

Sing it for me Neil. 🙂

Carolyn Clark 1994

Pretty woman stop a while

I still see Carolyn when I’m on the Gold Coast, in fact in July 2019 we made a little promotional video for her boyfriend Andy Sims.

Next we have Glenn Frey sing a beautiful song, ok I know the song is Caroline as opposed to Carolyn, but you get the picture.

Now this definitely is a pretty woman.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Kelly Davis hailed from Tasmania, we knocked around together for a few months in 1991.

Kelly was a huge fan of Van Morrison so here is another one of my favourites.

One of the sexiest of all the girls I knew.

Pretty woman stop awhile There is something about those Kiwi girls, hot, hot, hot. Karen Greenwood & I had an on & off relationship for over a year in 1991. She stuck around mainly because I lent her a car. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Now here we have a real wild child.

Pretty woman stop awhileAllison Schroeder, 18 years of age & gorgeous. Of course I was only 45 at the time. 🙂 If I remember correctly I promised her the world & bought her an atlas. 🙂

As they say in the classics, I was having the time of my life. 🙂

Allison was wild but Tanya was crazy. 🙂

Pretty woman stop awhileGreat company sober, but give her a couple of drinks too many & she would turn into a nightmare. This was 1989 on the Gold Coast.

Time to feature a triple treat.

Pretty woman stop awhile Meet Kitty, Di Parko & Helen Burke,  before you ask the answer is yes. 🙂

They don’t come any hotter than Donna Turner.

 Pretty woman stop awhile

This was 1996 & she still looks fabulous today in 2019.

Marlene Cuthbert

Pretty woman stop awhile Around 1983 Marlene worked for Ansett Airlines, she had a very sexy voice on a microphone, that’s why Ansett used her to make all the announcements at mascot airport. 🙂

Looking back I sometimes regret I chose Karen Smith to be my 3rd fiancee instead of Marlene. Don’t get me wrong, Karen was one of the nicest person I ever knew, our personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Lee Gregory was my 2nd fiancee.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Lee was from Adelaide where met, then we reconnected again in Melbourne in 1974. We had a fairly hectic dramatic short time together, travelled to Singapore & Bali & saw Frank Sinatra in concert in Melbourne on my birthday 7-7-74. 

This is one of my all time Sinatra favourites, I can think of no better song to play when I think of Lee.

And they did…..

Pretty woman stop a while Teresa Hamilton-Smith & Helen Burke, we had a lot of fun together in 1982 & 1983.

Barbara Manneli aka the Gypsy. 

Pretty woman stop awhile

The classic island romance, we celebrated the millennium on Koh Samui, 3 months later I flew to Italy to re-kindle the affair. Guess what? I didn’t make 1st base. 🙂 

This one’s for you Gypsy.

Tall & tanned & young & lovely

Pretty woman stop a while

This is Mel, we me on Copacabana beach, she had green eyes & was 6′ tall, say no more. 🙂

Bebel Gilberto will sing the song for us.

Someones knocking at the door.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Do me a favour open the door & let em in.

This is Emily at the Sheraton Mirage.

Pretty woman stop awhile Was a Gold Coast meter maid.

Then there was Jill….

Pretty woman stop awhileCool, sexy & a lot of fun. Last time I saw her was in Sydney in 2102.

Back to the 60s

Pretty woman stop awhile Veronica Crocker was my 2nd serious girlfriend, we dated for a couple of years when I was a teenager until the wanderlust took hold of me & at the ripe old age of 20 I sailed to England. 

Dion DiMucci was a huge artist in the 60s, here are two of his songs. Both bring back great memories of my time with Veronica.

Teenager in Love

Take good care of my Baby

My first serious girlfriend

Pretty woman stop awhile What incredible memories I have of this gorgeous girl Elizabeth Wiggington, better known as Beth. She lived on the corner of Wellington Rd & Antwerp St & I would ride my bike 3.3 Km from my home at 58 Kihilla Rd. It was much easier when I got my drivers licence & bought my little Morris Minor, except for the night I was driving home from her house & collided with a horse on Cumberland Rd. 🙂

Now here is one of the reasons I love Facebook, it was 1960 when we were together for 1 to 1.5 years, then I never really saw her again. It’s now September 2019, 59 years later & we have re-connected on Facebook, in fact Beth sent me quite a few photos, because way back then for some stupid teenage reason I had torn up all the ones I owned. 🙂

Johnny Burnette can remind us how it was back then.

The old shipboard romance.

Pretty woman stop awhileI needed to get over my long romance with Veronica & Leanne Scott on the ship to England seemed like the perfect solution. 🙂

Sing it for me Bobby……

Wendy Winspear, tall & gorgeous.

Pretty woman stop awhile A lovely Dutch girl on the Gold Coast, sadly she passed away far too young around 2017, RIP.

My first fiancee, Melbourne 1970.

Pretty woman stop awhilePaula Wills was an Adelaide girl living in Melbourne & working as a an hostess for Ansett. After 3 months living together I think we just ran out of things to say.

Dianne Parkinson in 1975

Pretty woman stop awhileTo say Parko bought some dramas into my life is a gross understatement. Read about some of it on THIS LINK.

The sweetest Diane of them all.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Adelaide 1973 Diane Butson was one of my neighbours in a condo block on Anzac Highway. She was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray dance studio. A great girl & absolutely gorgeous.  Follow THIS LINK for more old photos.

Great song from the Bachelors in 1964.

The Bachelors ~ Diane ~ 1964

Another beautiful Adelaide girl.

Pretty woman stop awhileJan Seagers was another neighbour, we had some terrific times together. We caught up again in 2015, I had not seen her for 40 years. Check out THIS LINK.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Pretty woman stop a while Helen Burke from Melbourne, we really had some fun, played backgammon all through Hawaii & the California coast in 1982.

Linda Ronstadt will tell you about the coast.

Well by now you are bored silly by the memories & musings of an old man. But make no mistake, Glenn Frey will describe exactly how I feel today.

Pretty woman stop a whileSo it’s time for me to go, thank you for visiting my Pretty woman stop awhile photo blog. Here is the collection on Flickr.

Jose Feliciano has the last word.

   Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

Check out these great posts


Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Boys must have toys

August 7, 2019 by David Herd

Boys must have toys

Boys must have toys

Boys must have toys, it’s ingrained in our DNA. I have searched through my photos to find nearly all of the cars & boats I have had the pleasure of owning throughout my life.

They don’t come much prettier than my yellow canary shown above, I owned this beautiful Mercedes 350SL for 17 years from 1990 till 2007.

Here’s what you do with a beautiful carYou fill it up with pretty girls of course. 🙂

When you own a beautiful Mercedes….

Boys must have toys

Naturally you need a Porsche to keep it company. 🙂

When you drove a Porsche on the Gold Coast……..

Boys must have toys

Good things seemed to happen.

My first Mercedes 350 SL

Boys must have toys

I purchased this classic in 1980, it was the ultimate chick magnet. 🙂

When you have a Mercedes & a Porsche…..

Boys must have toys
Naturally you need a boat. 🙂 This is a 22′ Fraser with a 200 HP Yamaha.

Next you need a crash test dummy

Boys must have toys

This keeps the birds away when the covers are off. 🙂

My previous boat.

Boys must have toys 

19 foot long with a 150 HP Suzuki. 

Life is hard, then you die.

Boys must have toys

Joking of course, life is wonderful, when you die you can take a rest. 🙂

26 foot Williams bay cruiser

Boys must have toys

This was my boat when I lived in Newport in Sydney in the 80s.

Also at Newport

Boys must have toys 

A little runabout to get me around Pittwater & Scotland Island. Do you like the name?

Here is my Bertram 25

Boys must have toys

A terrific flybridge cruiser with twin 165 HP Mercury inboards. It was moored outside my Drummoyne apartment in the early 80s & spent most of the time visiting Doyles at Watsons Bay.

When you own a boat…..

Boys must have toys 

Good things seem to happen. 🙂 🙂 🙂 

Loading the team on board

Boys must have toys 

Off to Doyles again.

Gluttony at it’s very best. 🙂

Boys must have toys 

So many memories of long lazy lunches at Doyles.

A typical Sunday at Doyles

Boys must have toys

Huge crowd at Doyles & the Watson’s Bay hotel next door.

Back to the cars

Boys must have toys

Early 80s I drove a Ford Marquis for a while.

You gotta love a Benz. 🙂

Boys must have toys

This was my Mercedes 280 E in 1989.

My beautiful Jaguar XJ 6.

Boys must have toys 

It came with 2 petrol tanks & 2 gorgeous girls.

My first car

Boys must have toys

Sorry about the photo quality most of my photos were damaged when my home in Melbourne was firebombed in September 1977. But that’s another story, it & others are on THIS LINK.

Next car was an iconic FJ Holden.

Boys must have toys

My girlfriend Beth washing my FJ Holden outside my home at 58 Kihilla Rd Auburn. 

I was lucky to survive some of the things I did in this car. Looking back, I was a typical teenager in the 60s who knew no fear.

Then came the Volkswagen

Boys must have toys 

I can remember floating it on the flooded highway at Ballina in the floods. I just pushed it 50 metres to the dry road.

When you owned a VW in the 60s……

Boys must have toys

Good things happened, for example “Veronica Crocker”.

EH Holden station wagon.

Boys must have toys

This was my next car after arriving home in 1965 after 18 months in England & Europe, including a 4 month stint as an officer on the La Maria.

A 1970 MGB, my first new car.

Boys must have toys

It set me back just under $3000, worth every cent. Purchased in Melbourne, relocated to Sydney for 2 years then moved to Adelaide in 1972.

A 1971 E Type Jaguar

Boys must have toys 

Forget the photo quality the car was magnificent. I remember driving from Adelaide to Melbourne in the middle of the night in 5 hours 45 minutes.

When you drove an E type good things happened.

Boys must have toys

Meet Jan Seagars & my Doberman Ziggy, this was Lexton Grove Windsor in 1974. Three thoroughbreds together.

My two sports cars

Boys must have toys

One was a little faster than the other, but I loved them both. Madison was guarding the fleet.

The work horse

Boys must have toys

My Commodore station wagon initially was my 2nd car, in 2003 I took 3 Japanese students on a road trip which started in Surfers Paradise & went through Broken Hill  NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia. The next leg took us to Uluru aka Ayers Rock. 

Boys must have toys

Boys must have toys 

You may think this Lexus is a little out of character, I owned it for 3 years prior to moving to Thailand in 2011. Without a doubt it was the best value out of all the vehicles I ever owned. Paid $7,500 in 2008 & sold it for $7,000, it was as smooth as silk.

Well, that’s all folks.

Boys must have toys

Many thanks for visiting my Boys must have toys photo blog & indulging me in truck loads of nostalgia. 

 Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 2018

December 5, 2018 by David Herd

The end of another eventful year.

New Friends Restaurants Shops  

This is not a travel blog just a personal photo collection from the 2nd half of 2018, check THIS LINK for the first 6 months.

New Friends Restaurants Shops

New Friends Restaurants Shops 2018 in Pattaya & Bangkok & no trips out of the country which is rather unusual. One of my greatest pleasures apart from dining at a good restaurant is watching the sunsets & storms from my 20th floor condo on Beach Road Pattaya. The photo above is at Terminal 21 which opened October 19 & is a truly magnificent shopping mall. In fact you can follow the construction process on THIS LINK.

Drinks at the Atlantic Bar as usual.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Stingy & Chocolates otherwise known as Richard Blair & David Robertson are with a bunch of Thai ladies on August 27.

Still obsessed with Skechers.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

They opened a new store at Central Marina so naturally I purchased anther 3 pair & a red hot price. 

My current collection.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

I’m set for the next 5 years.

The beach restoration continues, check the progress on THIS LINK.

New Friends Restaurants Shops

Surprisingly the Thais have stuck with the job at hand for all of this year & the beach is looking great.

Atlantic Bar 70s party.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Here is Stefan & some of the girls. Here is a long history of my time at this great bar, just follow THIS LINK.

The whole gang are dressed to kill.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

There is no doubt the Thais love dressing up for a party.

Fabulous new restaurant.

Thai Marché bon appetit 

Thai Marché bon appetit, a fabulous new addition to Pattaya’s restaurant scene. 

But wait, there’s more.

Wine Connection Beach Rd Pattaya

 Wine Connection on Beach Rd Pattaya has finally arrived in our city by the bay. Opened November 28 2018 & a friend & I dined there the following day.

After all these years in Thailand I finally got to visit the Sanctuary of Truth.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

On most of the forums the cheap Charlies complain about the 500 Baht entry fee, however in my opinion it certainly is worth it. Check it out on THIS LINK.

The ever changing Bangkok skyline.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

What a fabulous city, I try to visit at least 3 or 4 times a year.

Fabulous Bangkok restaurant.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

El Mercado is an experience not to be missed. Eleven thousand restaurants & such little time, dining in Bangkok can be rather confusing, because there are just so many good places to eat.  More info on THIS LINK.

I always visit the JW Marriott for breakfast.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Apart from having a 20% discount card the breakfast is fantastic.

Some names have changed at Nana Plaza

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Plus they have added a roof. More photos on THIS LINK.

Lets go back to the Atlantic Bar.

New Friends Restaurants Shops

Right across the road is one of the soapy massage parlors. 🙂

Drinks at Atlantic with Mark Yagalla.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Mark of course is famous for a $50,000,000 Wall St Ponzi scheme. 🙂 

Some well known characters here.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Denise is not looking happy, next we have Pothole & Yogurt aka John Martin & Joergen Ulitza, & last but not least Allen from Melbourne who is married to Denise.

The Sabai Resort is diagonally opposite.

Popular with many friends of mine due to the great location. For a very good discount on a room just book on the hotel image.

Clinton from Brisbane.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

On his way back to Brisbane from Poland he popped down to the Hilton for the Sunday buffet lunch.

You too can have bodies like this if you abuse them. 🙂

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Stingy & Chocolates otherwise known as Richard Blair & David Robertson relax at the Sabai Resort.

It’s often hard to find an exciting new restaurant with unique food. One method I use is to send Chocolates, aka David Robertson along to try it, If he says it’s terrible & there is nothing on the menu he liked, you know you are on a winner.
 
That’s what happened recently at Thai Marche. 🙂
This is Ron Rigg from Hawaii

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

He loves visiting Thailand, a couple of days after this photo he flew to Chiang Mai for a 3 day visit.

Lets talk about home cooking.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Lamb shank imported from Australia. Check out the excellent butcher at Big C extra on THIS LINK.

I also buy Aussie lamb cutlets there.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Delicious when served with Gravox & roast vegetables. Or bubble & squeak as shown above. 🙂

My home made pumpkin soup is to die for. 🙂

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Pumpkin is so cheap in Thailand, I make enough to last me 2 or 3 weeks.

Les Mcevoy from Perth dining at Leckerle.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Enjoying the fabulous crepe Suzette at Leckerle which is one of the best value for money restaurants in Pattaya.

The Pattaya sunsets are still the best I have ever seen.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Take a look at THIS LINK for many more.

I also love watching the storms rolling in over the bay.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Same as before, you will see a lot more on THIS LINK.

My message for 2018 is quite simple…..

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Surely that’s not asking too much. 🙂

Tye Critchlow

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Atlantic-Bar-Tye-Critchlow-1-1024x576.jpg

Caught up with Tye Critchlow from California at the Atlantic bar, he is a fan of my photo blogs. Tye loves life in Pattaya & hopes to move here permanently.

Brad Robbins cooks up a storm.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Dinner-Brad-Por.jpg

Brad just sold his law firm in Townsville & will be spending more time at Pattaya in his apartment on the 22 floor of my condo building. Dinner last night turned into a beer tasting & loud music festival. He is a great chef & a terrific host. After the beer I was forced to drink far too many red wines & am suffering for it today.   

NZ lamb shank with baked vegetables. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 46188497092_c7d9f514a2_b-1-1-1024x768.jpg

One of my favourite home cooked meals along with Aussie lamb cutlets.

Darren Loughman comes all the way from Ireland.

New Friends Restaurants Shops

Darren promotes tourism through his website askaboutthailand. Here he is enjoying a drink at the Atlantic Bar.

Amazing view

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

Looking north from the sky bar at the Pattaya Hilton.

The usual suspects

New Friends Restaurants Shops

Hamish Elton. Wayne Croker & David Herd on the shortest day December 21.

Potholes moment was photo bombed

New Friends Restaurants Shops

His sons aka “the Squabblers” were celebrating a great result at the swimming carnival when the sinister face of Joergen aka Yogurt sneaked into the the shot. 

Bryan, Lyn & the grand kids.

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

My brother Bryan on Xmas day with the tribe.

Another family gathering on Boxing Day.

New Friends Restaurants Shops

Traditionally the Herd clan gather on Boxing day, this year Bryan was the host.

Pizza with a knife & fork. 🙂

New Friends Restaurants Shops

Claire Liccardo from Australia dropped into Pattaya for NYE so we had dinner at Bella Italia.

New Years Eve

New Friends Restaurants Shops 

My friend Mark Yagalla & I spent a quiet evening on my balcony drinking Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Thanks for visiting my New Friends Restaurants Shops photo blog, see you next year. 🙂

 Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

Here are some of my most popular posts.

Pattaya live webcam

Beautiful Brazilian beach babes

Copacabana beautiful beach babes

Nana Plaza Bangkok sex sin sleaze

Sexy Cherry Bar babes Pattaya Thailand

Tim Bristow Iron-Bar Freddy Tropical Joe

Atlantic Bar North Pattaya

Sexy Soi Cowboy Bangkok 

Beautiful Budapest

Australian seafood

Counter only started February 16 2020.

This gallery contains 4 photos

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

April 28, 2018 by David Herd

Life is very good in Thailand

 Pattaya Life Friends Family 

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018, this is a photo record of the first six months of the year. You will see a lot of food photos here, visiting restaurants is a huge part of my life, which results in 114 kilos when I step on the scales. 🙂

That’s Pothole aka John Martin, with his 2 squabblers Tiger & Tyrone, on the right is my brother Warren.

 The fruit lady

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Her stall is right beside my condo & the fresh fruit is terrific.

Fresh Mango

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018B60 or $3.00 AUD.

Low tide at Pattaya beach.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018From April on the tides are very low for a few months.

 Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 The beach restoration project started early February and work goes on 12 hours or more each day. The photo was taken on April 3.

High fashion

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Generally when you think of state of the art fashion, Paris & Milan come to mind, however Pattaya is now throwing down a challenge, particularly in cutting edge beach haute couture as you can clearly see. For more exciting examples just follow THIS LINK.

 Salmon caviar

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 My regular choice when I dine at Genki in Soi 4.

My new webcam

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Hosted by EarthCam in New Jersey, in the first 30 days they received 150,000 visits. Check out Pattaya Beach 24/7 through THIS LINK.

After 90 days there have been over 500,000 visits which is a great result for Pattaya tourism.

Aussies & Germans meet in Bangkok

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018My brother Warren & his family met up with Bjorn’s family in Thailand. Bjorn passed away after a long battle with cancer, he was the partner of my nephew Michael.

Warren & Elyssa in Bangkok

Dinner with Warren & Elyssa (3) - CopyWe had drinks & dinner at Wine Connection at CentralWorld.

 Nana Plaza Bangkok

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Big Changes at Nana Plaza are taking place right now in March 2018. A huge roof is being built over the Plaza & the bars in the centre are being built again.

New roof at Nana Plaza

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018The downside may be no breeze on hot Bangkok evenings. Photo credit Daniel Freedman.

 So many restaurants in Bangkok.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Whales Belly is an interesting place to try next time you visit the Big Mango.

Terminal 21 in Pattaya

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Completion is scheduled for October 2018, the high rise section is Centre Point Hotel.

Making progress on April 26

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Such an exciting addition to North Pattaya, Terminal 21 is only 10 minutes walk from where I live.

Stefan from Atlantic Bar

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018With his gorgeous gran-daughter Mimi. 

Thai food in Soi 3 diagonally opposite Seven 11. 

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Very good value here, only B60 or $3.00 AUD. A typical night out for me is 2 or 3 red wines B100 ($4.00 AUD) each at Atlantic Bar followed by the above dish then a one hour foot massage on the way home for B250 or $12.00 AUD.

 Another hotel in Soi 1

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Building never stops in Pattaya.

 Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018We want some busses but they all must be yellow.

Big storm at Holiday Inn

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

I was trapped there for 20 minutes before making a dash for it.

Here is the result 🙂

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

A little bit life a drowned rat. 🙂

 One of my favourite sights

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018A tropical storm rolling in over Pattaya Bay on April 27.

Another favourite sight

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Pattaya sunsets are as good as anywhere else in the world.

Happy faces

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 These kids are going to the Teddy Bear museum.

Maurice Parfitt from Canberra

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Drinks at the Atlantic Bar.

Healthy lunch at the Bistro in Soi 13/1

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018This may well be my favourite restaurant.

Seafood buffet at the Holiday Inn.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Plenty of fresh seafood on offer for B899.

Shakariki

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Certainly one of Pattaya’s best Japanese restaurants.

Sky bar perhaps?

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018

Terminal 21 on May 15 2018, looks like a sky bar to me.

A perfect Pattaya morning

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018On my morning walk at 8 am.

I love mango smoothies. 🙂

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Fabulous mangoes in Thailand.

Beach restoration is full steam ahead.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018This was May 17, they are working like beavers.

Amari, Holiday In & Markland.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 I have lived in Markland since I arrived in Thailand October 20th 2011.

I often enjoy a fresh prawn sandwich.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018Sadly the prawns are not quite as good as those in Australia.

The boys from Oz.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Or more likely the geriatrics from “down under”, we are watching Australia play France in the soccer world cup.  El Wappo, my brother Warren, Dr Evil, Chris Lockwood & the Sister, Ray Ebzery.

The boys are dining at Soho Town.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Both are well known “Cheap Charlies” & they love the value at Soho Town in 2nd Rd.

Don’t be mistaken, it’s not Pattaya’s new airport……..

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 It’s the magnificent Terminal 21 shopping mall & Centrepoint Hotel.

Patrick’s Steakhouse

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 With Hamish & Warren enjoying dinner at the new Patrick’s which has just had a major renovation.

Lamb shank to die for.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Cooked French style & as good as we have ever tasted.

Coffee & cake at the Holiday Inn

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 June 26 with Warren & Chris.

Japan trip May 18 to June 7.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 Dining at Sushizanmai with my friend Clai. I visited Tokyo, Sendai, Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto, & Hikone.

That’s all for now folks.

Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 A great way to finish. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Pattaya Life Friends Family 2018 photo blog.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate. 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 
  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
bd96516a-84df-4ca0-86e6-c757cc9053d1          01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f          e18b6c87-5adc-4a80-92cf-6c643ad130c1
 
Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4          60e7d26d-1039-4dde-863d-62b66656ccbf          1bea4a99-cb07-4161-83ba-75c0ef2b63cc
    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
 
 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 4 photos

Iconic Photos Series 2

March 6, 2018 by David Herd

Some of my favourite photos

Iconic Photos Series 2

Iconic Photos Series 2 Iconic Photos Series 2,  taken over recent years by me, David Herd. To many people they will be nothing special, however to me they are very special indeed. Pattaya sunsets are I believe as stunning as anywhere on Earth as you can clearly see. 🙂

Take a look at volume 1 here.

Only the lonely…..

Iconic Photos Series 2

Is the caption that comes to mind seeing this favourite photo from Dubrovnik in Croatia.

 An evening in Amsterdam

Iconic Photos Series 2One of Europe’s super cities.

What about this big guy?

Iconic Photos Series 2At Aquilla game park 3 hours north of Cape Town.

 Iconic Photos Five Star Vagabond Series 2

Iconic Photos Series 2

This little Japanese princess in Kanazawa granted my request for a photo, but only after I asked her parents for permission. 🙂

Minesota Fats at “The Game” in Bangkok.

Iconic Photos Series 2  Located on Sukhumvit right under the Nana BTS Station. The photo takes me back to 1961 when I saw “The Hustler”, featuring Eddie Felsen (Paul Newman) and his adventures in the world of professional pool. Fast Eddie is a young hopeful on his way to challenging Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) for his world title.

A taste sensation

Iconic Photos Series 2Salmon caviar at Genki restaurant in Pattaya.

Cooking up a storm at the Pattaya Hilton

Iconic Photos Five Star Vagabond Series 2I’m sure you are not surprised that this is one of my favourite photos.

Chiang Mai Thailand Wat Ban Den

Iconic Photos Series 2By far  the most impressive temple I have ever seen in Thailand. It was totally renovated in 1998 after the new Abbott Kru Ba Tuang raised huge amounts of money from people all over the country.

A candle in the wind.

Iconic Photos Five Star Vagabond Series 2The lovely ladies at Starbucks in Pattaya helping me celebrate my birthday. 🙂

Istanbul                                 Budapest                        London

Fascinating Istanbul Asia Meets EuropeHungarian Parliament Building (2)The Walkie Talkie (5)   

          Mostar                           Dubrobnik                            Split

                     43638e36-5da5-4162-98e3-635e2c149837IMG_7425Split Ancient Croatian Coastal city                    

                 Saigon                            Zagreb                          Vung tau

Ho Chi Minh City South VietnamMain Square (3)Vung Tau statue (6)

Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
 
Pattaya live webcam
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Holiday Inn

bbc35e6d-80db-4e1c-8f51-83dd84f16520

Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.

The building in the middle is the Holiday Inn, on the left is the Amari Hotel which is another very good five star hotel. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good room rate.

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

36555237616_da3ed73d6a_o

The best Pattaya budget hotel, 3 pools & opposite Central Marina shopping mall. For a great room rate just book through THIS LINK.

Sutus Court is a great budget hotel right i the heart of one of Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposite the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate. 

Check out these great photo blogs.

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 1 photo.