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MK restaurants great value

December 6, 2021 by David Herd

MK restaurants great value

MK restaurants great value

MK restaurants great value at a very reasonable price. You will find them in most shopping malls, in fact there are 3 within 6 minutes walk from my condo on Beach Rd Pattaya. The one I visit most is at Central Marina.

My favourite soup

MK restaurants great value

Prawn dumplings, noodles & BBQ pork, delicious.

Terrific Dim Sum

MK restaurants great value

It’s December 2021 & I have eaten the same 3 dishes twice in the last 4 days at Central Marina. Shumei, prawn dumplings & BBQ pork buns.

Another of my favourite selections

MK restaurants great value

Braised beef & vegetables.

MK restaurants great value with low cost food

MK restaurants great value

There is an excellent range of Dim Sum & prices are very low as you can clearly see. ๐Ÿ™‚ Even with the low prices the food quality is very high, as is the service.

Promotion

MK restaurants great value

There always seems to be a promotion, I find it hard to believe all of the above is only B210, or $8 AUD.

Another look at the soup

MK restaurants great value

It really is delicious, from memory it costs about B106 or $4 AUD. I’m getting hungry just looking at it. ๐Ÿ™‚ 

Another triple treat

MK restaurants great value

 Cost for these 3 is about $7 AUD or B 180. It’s hard to find a restaurant in Pattaya which is better value than MK restaurant. 

These are favourites

MK restaurants great value

Prawn dumplings & crab shumei, a perfect pair, even the carrot they sit on is very tasty. ๐Ÿ™‚ The good news is, you will find an MK restaurant in nearly every major shopping mall in Thailand.

Thanks for visiting my MK restaurants great value  photo blog, as you have probably gathered most of my blogs are all about food. ๐Ÿ™‚

Counter only started December 6 2021.

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Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

February 5, 2018 by David Herd

Thailand or Osaka, where am I?

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants which are so authentic you will think you are in Osaka. There are several branches in Bangkok & one in Pattaya, the Asoke branch is ranked by TripAdvisor # 866 of 10,352 restaurants in Bangkok.

Pattaya branch

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

I prefer to sit upstairs.

Location

ShakarikiOpposite the Mike Hotel in 2nd road, +66 33 036 369.

Now for the food

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurantsOn my first visit in 2017 I ordered two of my favourite dishes, salmon caviar & Unagi or Japanese eel.

Shakariki 432 great Japanese restaurants

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurantsHard to fault the food at this noisy authentic Japanese restaurant.

How good is this?

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurantsIs it any wonder this is now one of my favourite restaurants along with Genki in Soi 4 North Pattaya.

Is there a better beer than Asahi?

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

I don’t think so, the Belgium beers are great but my pick is Asahi. ๐Ÿ™‚

Fabulous colour combination

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurantsAnd what a taste, perfect.

Salmon Caviar washed down with Asahi.

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

As good as it gets. Plus they have a special on liquor, all you can drink in 90 minutes for B299.

Home delivery is a great idea.

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

The restaurant is two floors, upstairs is better.

Shakariki 432 great Japanese restaurants

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurantsDinner with friends February 21 2018. Hamish, Jonathon & Anne.

How good do these oysters look? Photo credit Nick & Sharon. ๐Ÿ™‚

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurantsAbsolutely mouth watering.

Have I convinced you?

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

Just trust me & try out this great little hole in the wall & you will feel like you have been transported to Osaka. In fact follow THE LINK for one of my Osaka photo blogs.

Meanwhile thanks for visiting my Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants photo blog. I will be back in Japan in May 2018, here is my agenda.

Shakariki 432 Japanese restaurants

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Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.

Thatโ€™s all folks

1g Duck

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Great Pattaya German Restaurant

April 7, 2017 by David Herd

As good as any restaurant in Pattaya.

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

 Great Pattaya German Restaurant located in Soi 33 off naklua Rd just north of the Dolphin roundabout. It’s one of many very good restaurants in the lively busy Soi. 

Two sections

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

The outoor & open area as you can see in the photo plus the air conditioned bakery  in the first photo which is where I prefer to eat.

Lets talk about the food

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

It is such good value for the excellent quality. I guessing 80% of the customers are German, in fact the Naklua area is where they prefer to live.

 Lots of healthy entres

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Leckerle have a large menu to choose from, all dishes are reasonably priced.

However this one is my favourite

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Pea soup with German sausage. The good news is that it’s the best I have ever tasted, the bad news is it is rather filling and I have to settle for a small 2nd course. ๐Ÿ™‚

 Everyone loves the soup

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Here is my good friend from Australia Geoff Robinson & his Thai lady Nana, they agree with me that Leckerle is great value.

A wonderful waffle

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

What a way to finish.

More Aussie friends

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

The big guy Viv Kennelly is another friend from Australia, I introduced hiom & his friends to Leckerle in February 2017 & they likes it so much they returned the following evening. ๐Ÿ™‚

Great Pattaya German Restaurant, another favourite dish

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

After the soup this is a small dish I often order, prawns & bacon on German bread, delicious.

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Another tasty small dish I often have after the soup. Slices of ham on German bread. 

 Nice decor

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Plus another bomus is they always seem to play very good background music from the 80s & 90s.

Hamish & I attack the Pork Knuckle

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

My friend Hamish Elton also loves his food & remarked the knucle was one of the best he has eaten in Pattaya.

Great Pattaya German Restaurant, monster schnitzel

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

 You have to be pretty good on the fang to get through this one. ๐Ÿ™‚

Even super tooth Ray Ebzery was a little overwhelmed.

Great Pattaya German Restaurant 

To his credit he bravely battled through it. ๐Ÿ™‚

Another excellent dish, Kasseler & Sauerkraut 

Great Pattaya German RestaurantTender pork & sauerkraut.  Kasseler in German cuisine is the name given to a salted (cured) and slightly smoked cut of pork similar to British gammon.

How many calories here?

Great Pattaya German Restaurant Far too many to worry about, this pancake is sooooo good. ๐Ÿ™‚

Xmas 2019

Leckerle German RestaurantA lovely Xmas photo of some of the nice staff members.

Sabai Wing Soi 1 North Pattaya

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Sabai Wing Soi 1, 3 swimming pools and nice rooms, 100 meters from BigC, & a 10 minute walk to Leckerle, great value at only $30 usd per night as of 2017. I live in the high-rise in the background, Markland. For a great room rate book here.

Farewell from Leckerle

Great Pattaya German Restaurant

Thanks for visiting my Great Pattaya German Restaurant  photo blog.

For details of their menu follow THIS LINK.     

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.             

     Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

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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
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1g Duck
 
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  • Breakfast Bake nโ€™ Brew

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Great week Surfers Paradise Australia

March 18, 2017 by David Herd

Catching up with old friends March 2017

Great week Surfers Paradise

Great week Surfers Paradise Australia catching up with lots of old friends, here I am at Melbas with Michael Wood & Greg (Noodles) Craig.  This was my first stop before driving south to Sydney via Kingscliff, Yamba, Port Macquarie, Forster, and Gosford.

Melbas on the Park

Great week Surfers Paradise

I first visited this iconic bar on New Years Day 1982, 35 years ago. The reason I am so sure of the date is it was the day after my unforgettable NYE on Sydney harbour with my overloaded boat being showered by sky rockets.

O’Malleys on Cavil Avenue

Great week Surfers Paradise

After Melbas we wandered down to O’Malleys to have a couple more drinks and watch the rugby league.

The view from O’Malleys

Great week Surfers Paradise

Overlooking the famous Surfers Paradise Beach.

 Great week Surfers Paradise  in Cavill Avenue, what a terrific poster.

Great week Surfers Paradise

That photo is always going to grab my attention. ๐Ÿ™‚

The Avenue in a new location

Great week Surfers Paradise

The Avenue moved across the road to make way for a new property development. 

Orchard Avenue Surfers Paradise

Great week Surfers Paradise

Certainly on of the most famous streets in Surfers Paradise.

Costa D’oro restaurant

Great week Surfers Paradise

I can remember eating at this restaurant over 35 years ago.

Corner of Orchard & the Gold Coast Highway

Great week Surfers Paradise Australia

You can clearly see the light rail tracks that stretch from Helensvale to Broadbeach.

 Certainly one of the highlights of my trip.

Great week Surfers Paradise

Caught up with Karen Greenwood an old girlfriend from 1991, 26 years ago. As you can see see still looks fantastic. ๐Ÿ™‚ So many terrific memories came flooding back, it certainly made it a Great week Surfers Paradise Australia. We are at Franks seafood cafรฉ on Chevron Island.

Here we are 26 years ago.

Great week Surfers Paradise

I could’t resist posting this photo from 1991.

Fabulous breakfast

Great week Surfers Paradise Australia

Green Days restaurant on the corner of Bundall Rd & Ashmore Rd offer my favourite breakfast.

Green Days restaurant

Great week Surfers Paradise

It is difficult not to feel totally relaxed here. Open for lunch every day & dinner Friday & Saturday.

 Two of my best friends

Great week Surfers Paradise

Ross Kennedy & Bryan Dart are two very old friends, we met for a few drinks at the Benowa Tavern.

Talking about old friends

Great week Surfers Paradise

Here are two of my oldest friends, both in years I have known them & years they have been on this planet. Tony Murphy aka Murph the surf & David Robertson aka Chocolates.

 Back to Rossco and his new home.

Great week Surfers Paradise

Paradise waters is now home for the Kennedy’s.

They plan to pull it down & re-build

Great week Surfers Paradise

A wonderful location with beautiful water views.

Last but not least the Legendary Lloyd Ross.

Great week Surfers Paradise

Caught up briefly with Lloyd & hope to see him in Thailand soon.

Thanks for visiting my  Great week Surfers Paradise Australia photo blog.

 Here are some more posts on my wild wicked ways. :)               

 

         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
 
 Thatโ€™s all folks
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
 
 
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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.               

Australian adventures

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Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

July 11, 2016 by David Herd

Doyles and Watsons Bay hotel

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 and 81 living on the waterfront in Drummoyne with the view you see in the header on this post. I drove a white Mercedes Sports, had my Bertram 25 moored in front of my apartment, and a liquor store in Sydenham, quite a few good friends and a long line of beautiful girlfriends, life was very close to perfect. The Watsons Bay hotel shown above was one of my regular haunts as was Doyles restaurant. It’s a great place to stay when in Sydney, for an excellent room rate just book through THIS LINK.

This is not part of my Travel Blog. Itโ€™s part of my personal history, check it out if you wish.

My boat

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

I had an absolute perfect mooring right outside my apartment, it was so much fun on Sydney harbour visiting all the great beaches & restaurants. They really were Great years Sydney 1980 to January 1987 when I pulled up stakes and moved to the Gold Coast.

Smooth operator

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

It seemed the parties and drinks never stopped at my Drummoyne apartment, life was very good indeed.

Jeff and Debbie Don

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Gorgeous Debbie & party animal Jeff, another smooth operator.

Sade - Smooth Operator - Official - 1984

The party never stopped

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Looking back to my 6 years at Drummoyne I feel I made a serious mistake getting engaged and moving to Newport. My decision was based on a particular mindset we grew up with, eventually we all should settle down, marry & have children. In hindsight I now know that’s OK for the majority of people, but not everybody, & I’m certainly in the category of “not everybody”. ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

Talking about being engaged, here is my future fiancee in 1981

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Karen Smith and Dirk Kammerling were an item for several years until her and I started going out in 1984 which led to our engagement.

Karen & I in 1981

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Who would have thought in 3 years we would be engaged and living together at Newport?

Castle Cove 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Two of the girls here were sisters, Carmen & Antionette Sherry, plus my good friend Rob Symonds and Peter H.

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 included Carmen & Antoinette 

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Decorating my XJ 6 in 1980.

Antoinette Sherry

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

What a beautiful redhead. ๐Ÿ™‚

Here are some of the usual suspects

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

John Malouf, Peter Singleton and Dennis Moran at another one of my Drummoyne gatherings.

Joanne Barrett came 3rd in Miss Universe 1969

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

What a beautiful face, is it any wonder she was 3rd in the Miss Universe?

Singapore 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Some people who have seen this photo have been cruel enough to suggest that I looked like a Miami drug dealer, and here was I thinking I was just a very cool dude. ๐Ÿ™‚

Rob Symonds & I in Singapore 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Rob & I had a great trip to Manilla, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Pattaya and Singapore.  This was when I first got hooked on Thailand, little did I realise 31 years later I would move there permanently. Take a look at my photo blog, just follow THIS LINK.

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980, the blondes are here

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

That’s Teresa on the left sitting at my bar, and I can’t believe that I have forgotten the name of the other beautiful creature. ๐Ÿ™‚

Here is the beautiful anonymous blonde as a redhead

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Now is that a fantastic face or what?

When can I start having fun?

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Right about now I would say, in fact I clearly remember a mรฉnage ร  trois with two of these gorgeous babes. ๐Ÿ™‚

Tall gorgeous redhead

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Her name was Louise and we had a brief fling, Antoinette & I are checking her prowess on the BBQ. She knew how to handle a sausage. ๐Ÿ™‚

I told you she was gorgeous

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

An absolute knockout.

Two more knockouts, Kerry & Terry

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Two of my favourite Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980.

Shirley Jones  1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Shirley was an air hostess for TAA which does not exist anymore. She & Debbie Don were flatmates who lived around the corner in Drummoyne ave and came to most of my parties. Compare us in the following photo. ๐Ÿ™‚

After many hours of booze

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

At the end of the day decorum would go out the window. ๐Ÿ™‚

Another Shirley

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

This Shirley worked for Stripper-gram, we used to go out together occasionally. A very funny thing happened at my Dad’s retirement party, he had worked for Berger paints for 46 years. We were celebrating at what was then the Silverwater Businessman’s Club, in came a gorgeous girl in a bikini, draped in feathers, and proceeded with her well-practised routine.

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

The shocked look on my motherโ€™s face had nothing to do with the girl sitting on Dadโ€™s knee, it was when she walked over to our table and said to me, โ€œhi David, nice to see you, when are we going out on your boat againโ€? Yes, it was Shirley, somebody had hired a stripper-gram for him. ๐Ÿ™‚

This was Vickie in 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

The long line of Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 continues, it seemed there were so many babes and such little time. ๐Ÿ™‚

Carol Aboud the ultimate party girl

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Even though Carol was the mother of four young children she was the ultimate party girl. Part of a wealthy eastern suburbs family, her father was the managing director of Century batteries & in his eyes she could do no wrong.

We really had some great times together over a four year period, although it was one of those on & off relationships that ran into quite a few road blocks along the way.

Talking about party animals

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

This is Roger “Ramjet” Williams who could always be relied upon to put on a show. Two of his party tricks were drinking a Bloody Mary containing 1/2 a bottle of Tabasco sauce. If a normal person had one sip it would set your mouth on fire. His 2nd trick was to take a raw onion and eat it like an apple, this man obviously had no taste buds. ๐Ÿ™‚

A Mexican bandit? No it’s Chris Adams

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

One of the Adelaide guys I knocked around with when I lived there in 72 to 74, Chris wound up in Sydney then I lost track of him. I have always had a knack of giving people nicknames that seemed to stick with them, in Chris’s case his name was “The Mouth”. ๐Ÿ™‚

Another Shirley, Xmas 1981

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

A gorgeous little girl from the eastern suburbs who had a wealthy father and lived at Darling Point.

Ron Walsh from Broken Hill with Donna.

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Ron was a close friend for many years, he owned the Retravision store in Broken Hill and would find any excuse to visit me when I lived in Adelaide, we had some wonderful fun times together.

Debbie Secombe another of the Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Debbie a cool Aussie chick who worked at the Manilla Playboy Club for a few years before turning up at one of my famous parties.

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980, Di Parkinson Xmas 1981

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

Di was one of the most beautiful ladies I ever knew, also one of the craziest. No woman has caused me more problems in my life than this one. Apart from all that we had many great times together during the last 10 years.

New Years Eve 1981

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

One of the great nights of my life, and one of the best NYEs of my life, we overloaded my boat with 16 people and headed off to a seafood restaurant at โ€œthe Spitโ€ for dinner before heading to the Opera House for the incredible fireworks. My girlfriend for the night was the gorgeous one in the middle, very unusual that I canโ€™t remember her name.

Follow this link for the full story on New Yearโ€™s Eve 1981, the Great Escape.

NYE on board

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

I considered Wolf Wottke my best friend since we met in Adelaide in 1973, that friendship continued until I moved to Newport in 1984, sadly after that it was never the same.

Sydenham Cellars grand opening 1980 featuring Debbie Don.

Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980

In the 4 years I owned my liquor store I never really made too much money, 3 of those years the road was was closed for 3 or 4 months which effected my turnover rather badly. Luckily I had purchased the property and made a killing when I sold.

OK, one last look at Debbie.

Debbie 1980 SS

She is certainly worth a look don’t you think?

Thanks for visiting my Gorgeous girls Sydney 1980 photo blog, what an era that was. No doubt at all 80, 81 & 82 were amazing years for living large & gorgeous ladies.

Itโ€™s now 2017 and here is Glenn Frey to tell you exactly how I feel today.

Great hotel rates here, just book through THIS LINK.


   Here are some more posts on my wild wicked ways. :)

         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
 
 Thatโ€™s all folks
1g Duck
Pattaya live webcam 
 
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

 

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Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Great Buddha Kamakura

October 21, 2015 by David Herd

Great Buddha Kamakura

Great Buddha Kamakura

 Great Buddha Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara’s Todai-ji Temple. The weight is approximately 93 tonnes.

Kayo and Hamish 

Great Buddha Kamakura 

My friends taking selfies with the Great Buddha Kamakura.

Kotokuin Temple entrance

Great Buddha Kamakura

This was the third temple & shrine we visited today after getting the train from Tokyo to Kamakura, a journey that took a little over and hour.

I almost needed this guy

Great Buddha Kamakura 

After all the walking I almost needed this guy. ๐Ÿ™‚

Great Buddha Kamakura, old bridge

Great Buddha Kamakura

The old bridge surrounded by beautiful Japanese trees. This stone arched bridge in the old days used to be reserved
only for the Shogunโ€™s use (others used the flat bridges). This sort of bridge is usually called a Taiko Bashi (drum bridge), since the reflection in the water makes it look like a drum.

 Japanese tradition

Great Buddha Kamakura

 The Chozuya (purification pavilion). Visitors wash their hands and rinse their mouths before entering the shrine.

Washing hands and mouth

Great Buddha Kamakura We did wonder whether or not this may be a way to pass on germs to each other.

Buddhism

Great Buddha Kamakura

 Buddhism originated in India in the 6th century BC. It consists of the teachings of the Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha. Of the main branches of Buddhism, it is the Mahayana or “Greater Vehicle” Buddhism which found its way to Japan.

Donations from Japanese business.

Great Buddha Kamakura

I have seen these displays at other temples and parks, they acknowledge support from various businesses.

Oh no, more stairs ๐Ÿ™‚

Great Buddha Kamakura

After all the walking today I was not thrilled climbing the stairs to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

This shrine was originally founded in 1063 and Burnt down in 1191, it was reconstructed as the shrine which we see today.

1000-year-old Assassin Gingko

Great Buddha Kamakura

 In March 2010, after standing next to the steps since just after the Shrine was established, the 1000-year-old Assassin Gingko was uprooted and fell in a storm. Part of the trunk and the stump itself were replanted, and are now growing new leaves, so it looks the fine old tree has survived.

Shrine at the top of the stairs

Great Buddha Kamakura

I was happily taking photos around the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine until a guard told me it was forbidden, luckily by then I had enough for this post.

Not sure of the significance

Great Buddha Kamakura

I never did find out the significance of all these labels. I can only guess they indicate support from various businesses and individuals.

Kotokuin Temple

Great Buddha Kamakura

In the peaceful grounds behind the Great Buddha Kamakura.

Down we go

Great Buddha Kamakura

We took the back stairs down to ground level.

Great Buddha Kamakura, happy shopkeepers

Great Buddha Kamakura

As soon as you raise your camera you are sure to get a smile.

Walking to Hase station

Great Buddha Kamakura

 The Great Buddha Kamakura is located a 5-10 minute walk from Hase Station, the third station from Kamakura along the Enoden railway line. The Enoden is a streetcar-like train that connects Kamakura with Enoshima and Fujisawa. It is well worth taking the trip to Enoshima, the venue for the 2020 Olympics yachting.

 Hase station

Great Buddha Kamakura

About a 30 minute train ride to Fujisawa.

 Two Buddhas at Kamakura 

Great Buddha Kamakura

Thanks for visiting my Great Buddha Kamakura post, in case you missed it take a look at Engaku-ji and also Kencho-ji.

A week before the above photo was taken I broke a front tooth eating a ham sandwich in Seoul Korea, I had to wait until I returned to Thailand to have it replaced.  Most of the photos showing it I photo shopped but in this case I thought I would leave it as it was.

The Villa Sacra gets very good reviews on Agoda, use this link for an excellent rate.

                         Here are some more posts to check out
 

       

   Istanbul                                 Budapest                        London

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

          Mostar                           Dubrobnik                            Split

                     43638e36-5da5-4162-98e3-635e2c149837 IMG_7425 Split Ancient Croatian Coastal city                     

                 Saigon                            Zagreb                          Vung tau

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

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

Thatโ€™s all folks

1g Duck

Holiday Inn

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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

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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 Pattayaโ€™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 opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate. 

Fukuoka Hiroshima Sapporo Sendai

Tokyo Kagoshima Kanazawa Nagoya

Nagasaki Yokohama Kyoto Kamakura

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Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

September 1, 2015 by David Herd

Japan

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC 

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC New York starting with Japan, Iโ€™ll list the 5 countries in alphabetical order rather than by personal preference. The photo above is  Shabusen at the Ginza A terrific restaurant for Kobe beef, go at lunch time for special prices. Check out my first post in this series here.

The train system is fantastic, from Tokyo it’s a 40 minute trip to Yokohama or 3  h0urs by bullet train to beautiful Kyoto.

One square meter of land in the Ginza center is worth more than ten million yen (more than 100,000 US dollars), making it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan. It is where you can find the infamous $10 cups of coffee and where virtually every leading brand name in fashion and cosmetics has a presence. To me Tokyo is all about food, food and more food, interestingly the Michelin guide has Tokyo comfortably ahead of Paris (10 three-starred restaurants), New York (7) and London (2), with a total of 350 establishments making it into the guide this time around.

 Kabukicho                        Harajuku girls                                   Tokyo

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

     Kabukicho is an entertainment and red-light district in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Kabukicho is the location of many host and hostess clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants, and nightclubs, and is often called the โ€œSleepless Town.โ€   Make sure you check out my post called “Piss Alley”.

I donโ€™t know any other person who has travelled more than I during the last 20 years. Perhaps I can provide you with a few ideas on where to go for your next holiday.

Thailand

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

  I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. My first trip to this great country was in 1980, however it wasn’t until 1997 when I started visiting 2 or 3 times each year. In the early days Koh Samui was a favourite destination, however in my opinion progress has not improved the island, it was far better before all the modern gold shops etc moved in. These days I prefer Koh Chang near the Cambodian border & of course Bangkok is fantastic with so many great bars, restaurants & shopping malls.

              Chiang Mai                           Pattaya                            Chao Phraya river

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Chiang Mai tiger warning, the sign could not have been clearer. It was placed a metre from the cage which was at the rear of the zoo away from the other tiger enclosures. It simply said โ€œdanger, donโ€™t go past this signโ€. Looking back I have done many stupid things in my life and this certainly ranks highly in the โ€œstupidity stakes.โ€

Naturally I ignored the warning and moved past the sign and put my camera lens through the wire to get a clear shot of the magnificent beast sitting quietly in the pond two meters from my lens. Within one second of taking the photo there seemed to be an explosion in front of me and suddenly I jumped backwards totally soaked with water.

I could barely hear my brotherโ€™s raucous laughter from several meters away due to the rapid beating of my heart. The 240 kilo beast had lept from the pond and hit the wire full force with all his four giant paws. My luck held as did the wire, which without exaggeration saved me from being torn to pieces.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

I e-mailed the tiger zoo and inquired about this particular tiger. They told me his name was Tone, he weighed 240 kilo and was far too dangerous to allow the public to get close, he was just used for breeding.

United Kingdom part of my Travel tips five great countries photo blog.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

So many places to see & so much history. I travel there most years making London my base, then visit cities & towns all over the country either by train or car. Apart from London some of my favourite places are Brighton, Bath, Glasgow & Bradford on Avon. The photo above is Gold Hill is a steep cobbled street in the town of Shaftesbury in the English county of Dorset.

      London pubs                      Lands End                  Hyde Park

 Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC  

Travel tips. Great Britain has an excellent rail service, save up to 80% by booking your ticket before you arrive, just click here. London Undergroundโ€™s Piccadilly Line provides the most cost-effective rail route between Heathrow Airport and the capital, so look for accommodation around Earlโ€™s CourtGloucester Rd or Knightsbridge. For more information click here.

United States of America

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Another huge country offering everything from snow capped mountains to desert, beaches & exciting cities. New York of course is everyone’s favourite however hotel costs are so expensive. I really enjoy Miami with the wonderful Cuban influence, but I must say the last time I was in San Francisco I was quite disappointed by the high numbers of beggars on the city streets.

Miami                                San Francisco                           New York

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Car hire and internal flights are reasonably inexpensive. In Los Angeles I always stay in Santa Monica where I enjoy the restaurants and Venus beach.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC Vietnam

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

 Ho Chi Minh City is Honda heaven, it is quite a shock when you see the number of motorbikes on the streets, crossing the road seems like a game of Russian roulette. My main memories of this wonderful country are the beautiful ladies and the terrific food. My first visit was twice in 2003 then 12 years later in January 2015. Halong Bay is a magical experience, make sure you stay overnight on one of the many boats, it’s an experience you will never forget. Vung Tau and Nha Trang are two of my favourites places in this great country.

Hoi An                             Chill Sky Bar                      HCMC 2015

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

Warning, when catching a taxi in Saigon stick with Vinasun or Mai Linh for clean honest low priced taxis. Many other companies are rip off merchants who will try to rob you.

Donโ€™t under any circumstances use the company below.

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC New York

Thanks for visiting my Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC photo blog.

            Checkout some more of my terrific blogs on the links below.         

Pattaya Hilton

Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC

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

 Travel Tokyo Bangkok HCMC           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 
  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
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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
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 Thatโ€™s all folks

1g Duck

 

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos

Great Ocean Road Australia

November 3, 2014 by David Herd

Twelve Apostles 

Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Great Ocean Road Australia on the south coast of Victoria offers some of the most breathtaking spectacular scenery in the world. Look at the following photos to see what I mean.

Breathtaking scenery

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I drove from Adelaide to Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road Australia in October 2014, I had driven this road once before in  1988.

Twelve Apostles in 1988

 Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

One of Australia’s best road trips.

In 2009, gone baby gone.

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Now there are only 8 Apostles left. ๐Ÿ™‚

Great Ocean Road Australia in 1998

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Of course there were more Apostles back then. ๐Ÿ™‚

The Twelve Apostles Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

The Great Ocean Road officially starts at Torquay and travels 243 kilometres westward to finish at Allansford near Warrnambool, the largest city along the road. The road is two lane (one in each direction), and is covered by a speed limit changing between 80 kilometres per hour and 100 kilometres per hour Great Ocean Road as viewed from Teddy’s Lookout, south of Lorne The road is considered a tourist attraction in the area, in which much of the road hugs coastline affectionately known as the Surf Coast between Torquay and Cape Otway and the Shipwreck Coast further west of Cape Otway, providing visibility of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone, which is susceptible to erosion. 

The road travels via Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell, the latter being notable for its natural limestone and sandstone rock formations including Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto, London Arch and The Twelve Apostles.  At the stretch of the Great Ocean Road nearer to Geelong, the road meanders along the coast, with tall, almost-vertical cliffs on the other side of it. Road signs put up along the road warn motorists of possible rockfalls, which have occurred before.  

Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

The whole coast here is quite breathtaking.

Looking east from Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

If you ever visit Australia put the Great Ocean Road on your bucket list.

Nice view on the Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

    Certainly one of the best views I saw today. ๐Ÿ™‚

A stunning view

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

It really does take your breath away. ๐Ÿ™‚

Great Ocean Road Australia featuring The Arch

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Another famous landmark.

London Bridge

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

  When I last drove this road in 1988 London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road was one piece, some years later the middle collapsed as you can clearly see.

London Bridge 1988

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I consider myself very lucky to have seen the bridge intact.

London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Now you see it, now you don’t.

Here is one of my favourite travel stories, I’m guessing the conversation went something like this, “gee Dave do you think it’s safe to go out there?” “Of course it is, what could possibly go wrong Kelli? This has been standing here for millions of years. It was the 15th of January 1990 & just as they got to the end of the bridge it collapsed behind them, they were later rescued by police helicopter.

 Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Australia has many wonderful landscapes, none better than this.

Great Ocean Road Australia near London Bridge

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I imaging this coastline looked the same hundreds of years ago.

Bay of Martyrs

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Small islands weathered by millions of years of erosion. 

Great Ocean Road Australia Bay of Martyrs

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I bumped into only a hand full of tourists on my road trip.

Bay of Islands

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

  Travelling from Adelaide on the Great Ocean Road the Bay of Islands is the first of the spectacular vistas.

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia Bay of Islands

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Of course the other famous Bay of islands is on the north island of NZ.

Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Here is a photo I found online. 

Bay of Islands

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Magnificent colours.

Bay of Islands Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Too many rock formations are never enough. ๐Ÿ™‚       

There is a hole in my cliff.

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

 Many thanks for visiting my Great Ocean Road Australia photo blog.

           Istanbul                                 Budapest                        London

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

          Mostar                           Dubrobnik                            Split

43638e36-5da5-4162-98e3-635e2c149837        IMG_7425    Split Ancient Croatian Coastal city                     

                 Saigon                            Zagreb                          Vung tau

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

 
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Thatโ€™s all folks

1g Duck

Click here to see my post on the Outback.

 

After the Great Ocean Road I flew to the Gold Coast.

 

Next time you visit Bangkok take a canal cruise

 

  

Australian adventures

 


Counter only started June16 2020.

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