2016 | Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Ski Japan Hakuba Happo-one Winter Resort has many good hotels as you would expect, Shirouma-so is a modern Japanese ryokan (inn) combining both traditional wood and modern Japanese ”Wa” architectural styles, resulting in a creative and beautiful design This traditional hot spring hotel is surrounded by trees and only 10 km from Mount Shirouma and 12 km from Lake Aoki.

The mountain looms

The ryokan is 500M away from the main ski resort called Happo One so it’s an easy walk to and from the lifts at the base, only takes 10-15 mins. Very quiet with no line ups at any of the lifts jut jump straight on every time.

Nice rooms

Shirouma-so is a traditional Ryokan, rather than a hotel, you have traditional room and the beds are put out a night on the floor. Shared showers plus it has a Onasen (bath house) in the basement, and a very traditional Japanese breakfast as you would expect. Use this link for an exceptional room rate.

Small rooms

All hotel rooms in Japan are rather small and this is no exception.

Hotel restaurant

In my book there is no better food in the world than Japanese.

Wonderful Japanese food

Over the centuries Japanese people have made eating and food an art form.

Hamish Elton

My friend Hamish is building up his strength for the slopes. I introduced him to Japanese culture in October 2015 and he is now hooked.

Big dump last night

What a day time to hit the slopes.

Bus snowed in

Ok folks time to break out the shovels.

OK team lets go

Adam Fletcher is a close friend of Hamish and hails from Melbourne.

Here is the team

Well, it’s certainly not the A team, like his golf Hamish needs a little improvement to his downhill slalom technique.

Hamish’s speciality

If taking “selfies” was an Olympic event Hamish would certainly be a medal contender. 🙂

Where are all the people?

According to Hamish 80% of all the skiers were Australians who were enjoying both the fabulous conditions and lower prices than Australia.

Catch me if you can Hamish

No doubt about it, the boys really looked the part.

Ski Japan Hakuba Happo-one

Only four hours by bus from Narita airport in Tokyo.

Selfie bomb

Adam is wise to Hamish’s love of selfies, so he successfully bombs this one. 🙂

Thanks for visiting Hamish’s Ski Japan Hakuba Happo-one photo blog.

Granbell Hotel

If you would would like to stay at Shibuya I got an excellent deal booking through this Agoda link.

Here is my favourite Japanese song.

Watch this video on YouTube

Here are some more posts to check out

Sydney Paris Bangkok

Tokyo Rio De Janeiro Budapest

London Beijing Capetown

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

A-One hotel on Beach Road

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

Brazil Hotels

Pattaya live webcam

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That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

Dotonbori in Osaka

Piss Alley Tokyo

Oyster bar Sendai

Shinkansen bullet train

Fukuoka – Hiroshima – Sapporo – Sendai

Tokyo – Kagoshima – Kanazawa – Nagoya

Nagasaki – Yokohama – Kyoto – Kamakura

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Babes Blogs Love Pattaya

February 26, 2016 by David Herd

You gotta Love Pattaya

Babes Blogs Love Pattaya

Babes Blogs Love Pattaya Thailand, a popular Pattaya web site that asked me to write some blogs for them. Sadly I don’t get paid for doing it however I thought it would be a good way to promote my fivestarvagabond blog site. Plus they invite me to all their promotions where the food and booze flow non stop. 🙂

Miss Love Pattaya grand final

Some great looking Thai & Russian girls here.

Webcam Pattaya beach

Bookmark this link and check out the weather, beach & traffic any time you wish.

Virgins in Walking Street Pattaya

A new club recently opened featuring eastern European ladies. It’s rather upmarket so take plenty of money with you. There is also an interesting roof top bar and a jacuzzi where for B6,500 you can spend 30 minutes with the girl of your choice including a bottle of champagne.

Hooters bike wash

Unlike many other people I’m a Hooters fan, the Pattaya venue is terrific and there are lots of gorgeous babes. I believe these girls get paid very good money compared to similar jobs in restaurants and hotels, plus they get to keep their tips, however they really worked hard on this particular charity day. When they were not serving drinks and food they were dancing as you can see above. I’m sure by the end of the evening the poor girls would have been totally worn out.

Sexy Girls Dancing At Pool Party

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All I can say is WOW! What an incredible body and trust me folks this blonde Russian babe knew how to move it. She was one of several who work at Galaxy Cabaret in Walking St. I am told the drinks start around B400 which is way above my pay grade.

No boats in Pattaya

A very windy day saw the boats were idle and tourists had to find something else to do. January 25th 2016 they disappeared for three days apparently because a storm surge was causing rough water and unsafe conditions. Full marks to the officials for giving tourist safety priority over big business.

Thanks for visiting Beach Babes Blogs Love Pattaya

I will add more in the near future, Songkran is approaching, there will be some great shots of bikini babes .

Here are some more posts to check out

Holiday Inn

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

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

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

Please check out these fabulous posts

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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

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

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Thailand Beach Mae Pim

February 25, 2016 by David Herd

Thailand Beach Mae Pim

Thailand Beach Mae Pim on the gulf of Thailand is only ninety minutes by car east of Pattaya, and 2 hours south of Bangkok. Beautiful white sand and clean water, and so quiet and peaceful after the noise & Madness of Pattaya.

The main road in Thailand Beach Mae Pim

Reminds me of the Eagles song “Long Road out of Eden”, so little traffic midweek compared to Pattaya.

Fresh seafood caught by these boats.

There are about 15 seafood restaurants offering all varieties of fish and shell fish.

One of the many seafood restaurants

There are about 16 live seafood restaurants.

Xing Xing at Thailand Beach Mae Pim

After much discussion this id the one we chose and it proved to be an excellent choice.

Curry crab & spring rolls

The crab was very good (B600) however the spring rolls were absolutely fantastic.

Thailand Beach Mae Pim

Our hotel was rather old fashioned but the rooms were very good and the pool was enormous.

Olympic size pool

The water was a perfect temperature for guys like us who are allergic to the cold. 🙂

Larry Krausz, Warren and David Herd

Here we are the three amigos having lunch at Tequila Sunrise.

This was double schnitzel day

The meal was huge, however the Swedish meat balls were the pick.

Step down to the beach

Grab a little sun and sand before lunch at Tequila Sunrise.

Tequila Sunrise

A busy bar with a great selection of food, however B175 for Jack Daniels is way over the top.

Mae Pim beach resort Thailand

Watch this video on YouTube

Thailand Beach Mae Pim

Tequila Sunset restaurant overlooked the sandy beach where the gentle waves brushed against the shore, we marveled at the beautiful onshore breeze blowing from the west, and thoroughly enjoyed the solitude of Mae Pim compared to the madness of Pattaya.

Mae Pin street vendor

All the usual souvenirs and floats for kids.

Thailand Beach Mae Pim bike for hire

These multi passenger bikes are for hire, the roads are very quiet so I’m sure they are reasonably safe.

Mae Pim Resort

This is certainly the hotel I will stay next time I visit, nice facilities with a good pool and across the road from the beach.

Mae Pim Resort pool

Nice setting on the 1st floor of the hotel. Book through this link for an excellent room rate.

Rabik Coffee

You realise you are in a Thai village when the local coffee shop does not show any English. 🙂

Bus to Ban Phe or Rayong

The cheap way to get to Pattaya is take a 30 minute songthaew ride to Ban Phe then hook up with a mini bus.

20 minutes past Rayong

Mae Pim is two hours from Bangkok airport & only 90 minutes east of Pattaya. Thanks for visiting my Thailand Beach Mae Pim photo blog. Use this link for a discounted rate at THE MAE PIM RESORT.

Farewell from the Herd brothers

Many thanks for visiting my Thailand Beach Mae Pim photo blog.

Check out my Tequila Sunrise photo blog here.

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Please check out these fabulous posts

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Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

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That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

Check out these great photo blogs.

Rio beach babes

Florianopolis Brazil

Bangkok river ferry

Fabulous HCMC

Amazing World Food

Lyme Regis Jurassic coast

Hiroshima Japan

Sydney Harbour

Lake Como Lake Garda Italy

Pattaya live webcam

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Tequila Sunrise Mae Pim

February 25, 2016 by David Herd

Mae Pim restaurant

Tequila Sunrise Mae Pim

Tequila Sunrise Mae Pim Thailand is an example of multiculturalism on the gulf of Thailand. The restaurant Tequila Sunrise is named after my favourite cocktail, we happily sip our drinks while overlooking the sandy beach where gentle waves brush against the shore, we marvel at the beautiful onshore breeze blowing from the west, and we enjoy the solitude of Mae Pim compared to the madness of Pattaya.

A Swiss owner, a German chef, an Australian manager & Thai staff run this popular establishment, where the Wednesday lunch special is a huge schnitzel for the princely sum of B159 or $6 aud. My brother Warren chose the Swedish meatballs with mashed potato which actually outshone the huge schnitzel.

Larry chooses lunch

Born in Austria 66 years ago and moved to Australia around the age of two, moved to Thailand in November 2015, Larry Krausz would walk a mile for a Weiner Shnitzel.

Larry Krausz was a friend for around 30 years, sadly he suffered a major stroke on October 28 2016. After 2 months in the Bangkok Pattaya hospital on life support he was transported to Australia by a hospital Leer jet, thanks to his Medibank travel insurance. After a further month his life support was removed & he passed away peacefully. RIP little buddy.

Here’s the proof

I struggled to eat 75% of this monster schnitzel for lunch, in the evening the restaurant was full as it is most Wednesdays when the locals converge on the double schnitzel special.

Mai Pin fishing boat

Fishermen preparing their boat for another night on the gulf.

Tequila Sunrise Mae Pim Thailand

We returned to Tequila Sunrise for after dinner drinks, naturally I had two Margaritas.

Margarita night cap

A great way to end a delightful day in Mae Pim.

Manager at Tequila Sunrise

Gary is the Australian manager at tequila Sunrise, grew up Guildford in Sydney before moving to Maroochydore in Queensland.

Step down to the beach

Grab some sun or have a swim then come up for a cold beer.

Swedish Skagen at Tequila Sunrise

This is certainly one of my favourite dishes, absolutely fantastic.

Sea Bass at Tequila Sunrise.

My friend Nikki from Australia capturing the moment on camera.

Peter is the chef

Peter is the German chef who provides all the wonderful meals at Tequila Sunrise. Previously he was the chef at the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya. For a great room rate in Pattaya or elsewhere just book through THIS LINK.

Mae Pim resort

Across the road is a nice hotel where you can get a great room rate if you use this link.

Farewell from the Herd brothers

Many thanks for visiting my Tequila Sunrise Mae Pim Thailand photo blog.

Check out my Mae Pim photo blog here.

Here are some more posts to check out

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Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later.

Free Cancellation.

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Webcam Beach Road Pattaya

February 15, 2016 by David Herd

Webcam Beach Road Pattaya Thailand from my balcony overlooking Pattaya beach

Webcam Beach Road Pattaya

Click right bottom corner for full screen.

For a discounted hotel rate with free WiFi in Pattaya or anywhere in the world, just book through THIS LINK

Thanks for visiting my live beach-cam.

Willkommen an alle unsere deutschen Freunde aus daspattayaforum

Every morning in Pattaya here is the chaotic scene with Para gliders criss-crossing the bay.

Chaotic & crazy Parasailing in Pattaya

Bookmark the link so you can check out the view and the weather 24/7.

Pattaya is a city in Thailand, a beach resort popular with tourists and expatriates. It is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of Bangkok. Bookmark Webcam Beach Road Pattaya Thailand so you can check out the weather anytime you wish.

Pattaya webcam only shows you a small part of this great holiday location. Pattaya is a city of extremes, anything your heart desires is available here, from fabulous five star hotels & restaurants to down & dirty backstreet beer bars offering sex drugs & rock & roll. OK, so we admit there is sex in the city but there is so much more to this wonderful seaside resort, four million tourists each year can’t be wrong. Only 90 minutes south of Bangkok airport and thousands of miles from stress.

Thanks for visiting my Webcam Beach Road Pattaya Thailand site.

Lots more posts here;

Please check out these fabulous posts

Gold Coast Pattaya Cinque Terre

Rio de Janeiro Singapore Eastern Europe

Bangkok Bars Tokyo Cape Town Safari

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

That’s all folks

Pattaya live webcam

Bookmark this Pattaya beach-cam so you can check out Pattaya beach anytime you wish.

Five Star hotels in Pattaya overlooking Pattaya beach are The Amari, The Holiday InnThe Hilton & the Dusit. Amari has the nicest grounds & pool area + the magnificent Mantra restaurant, the Hilton is above an upmarket shopping mall & is the most central, Holiday Inn has the best pizzas, the Dusit in North Pattaya has the best Dim Sum.

Without a doubt AGODA is the best online Hotel booking site.

Please remember what you have probably already read in the press, hiring a jet ski is flirting with danger, 80% of the operators are running scams, when you return the ski they will claim you have damaged it and try to extort huge sums of money from you. Sadly many police are part of these scams as well, they will pretend they are on your side and negotiate the asking price down from say 60,000 Baht ($2,000) to 20,000 Baht, in Thailand unfortunately they have turned corruption into an art form. However it is no worse than Indonesia, India or Brazil, so just be careful.

Bangkok Post September 9th 2015

At the emergency meeting in August 2015, Pol. Maj. Piyapong was reported in local media saying that his office received numerous complaints from scam victims that first went to the Pattaya police station only to be ignored. The same press reports also showed that, as far back as 2011, Pattaya mayor Itthiphol Kunpleum said Pattaya’s police were part of the jet ski problem, with corrupt

officers assisting scammers…

Bookmark this Pattaya webcam. Check out some of the strange & weird sights in Pattaya.

Check out Walking St

The Tiger zoo is worth a visitHere are some terrific luxury hotels, book through the Agoda links for great deals.If you favour budget hotels like I do, here are some suggestions.

Click right bottom corner for full screen.

For a discounted hotel rate with free WiFi in Pattaya or anywhere in the world, just book through THIS LINK

Thanks for visiting my live beach-cam.

Willkommen an alle unsere deutschen Freunde aus daspattayaforumEvery morning in Pattaya here is the chaotic scene with Para gliders criss-crossing the bay.

Chaotic & crazy Parasailing in Pattaya

Bookmark the link so you can check out the view and the weather 24/7.

Webcam Beach Road Pattaya

Thanks for visiting my Webcam Beach Road Pattaya Thailand site.

Please check out these posts;

A-One hotel on Beach Road

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

Brazil Hotels

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

Please check out these fabulous posts

Gold Coast Pattaya Cinque Terre

Rio de Janeiro Singapore Eastern Europe

Bangkok Bars Tokyo Cape Town Safari

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

Brazil Hotels

That’s all folks

Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book

through these links below. Book now & pay later. ?

Bangkok Hotels Pattaya Hotels

Bookmark this Pattaya beach-cam so you can check out Pattaya beach anytime you wish.

Without a doubt AGODA is the best online Hotel booking site.

Bangkok Post September 9th 2015

officers assisting scammers…

Bookmark this Pattaya webcam. Check out some of the strange & weird sights in Pattaya.

Check out Walking St

The Tiger zoo is worth a visit

Here are some terrific luxury hotels, book through the Agoda links for great deals.

If you favour budget hotels like I do, here are some suggestions.

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Webcam Beach Rd Pattaya

February 15, 2016 by David Herd

Webcam Beach Rd Pattaya from my balcony overlooking Pattaya beach in Thailand.

Webcam Beach Road Pattaya Thailand

Click right bottom corner for full screen.

Thanks for visiting my live beach-cam.

Willkommen an alle unsere deutschen Freunde aus daspattayaforum

Every morning in Pattaya here is the chaotic scene with Para gliders criss-crossing the bay.

Chaotic & crazy Parasailing in Pattaya

Bookmark the link so you can check out the view and the weather 24/7.

Pattaya is a city in Thailand, a beach resort popular with tourists and expatriates. It is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometers (62 mi) southeast of Bangkok. Bookmark Pattaya beachcam so you can check out the weather anytime you wish. Pattaya webcam only shows you a small part of this great holiday location. Pattaya is a city of extremes, anything your heart desires is available here, from fabulous five star hotels & restaurants to down & dirty backstreet beer bars offering sex drugs & rock & roll. OK, so we admit there is sex in the city but there is so much more to this wonderful seaside resort, four million tourists each year can’t be wrong. Only 90 minutes south of Bangkok airport and thousands of miles from stress.

Here are some more posts to check out

Sydney Paris Bangkok

Tokyo Rio De Janeiro Budapest

Carla, what a girl. photo CopacabanabeachNov2003-128.jpg

London Beijing Capetown

Bookmark this Pattaya beach-cam so you can check out Pattaya beach anytime you wish.

Without a doubt AGODA is the best online Hotel booking site.

Bookmark this Pattaya webcam. Check out some of the strange & weird sights in Pattaya.

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Check out Walking St

The Tiger zoo is worth a visit

Here are some terrific luxury hotels, book through the Agoda links for great deals.

If you favour budget hotels like I do, here are some suggestions.

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Bangkok Silom Sky Bar Cloud 47

January 24, 2016 by David Herd

Bangkok before & after sunset

Bangkok Silom Sky Bar

Bangkok Silom Sky Bar in Sathorn Rd is one of the many wonderful Sky bars in this great city. Much more casual and affordable than the others with an amazing city view.

Looking toward Baiyoke Tower

About 45 minutes before sunset in this city of 8 million people.

A closer look at Baiyoke Tower

The building directly in front of the Baiyoke Sky hotel is Centara Grand at CentralWorld. On the top floor is the magnificent Red Sky Bar.

Chang draught beer special

Pay only B299 or $12 AUD for unlimited Chang draught between 5 and 7 pm. A great deal for beer drinkers.

Thai Wah Tower II aka e Banyan Tree Hotel

The tall building in the centre is the Banyan Tree Hotel which has another famous Sky bar and restaurant called Vertigo on the 61st floor.

Bangkok’s tallest buildings

Stunning outlook

This is from a small bar area on the 2nd floor which would be a great spot for a private party.

A slightly different angle

A very casual atmosphere.

Maybe you prefer a tent

Bangkok Sky Bar Cloud 47 really is one of the cities great location. 47th Floor, United Center Building, Silom, Bangkok. Tel: +66 91 889 9600. For you Thai speakers suay mak mak.

Just before sunset

We are eagerly waiting for the lights of the city to come on.

Bangkok’s tallest building

MahaNakhon is a luxury mixed-use skyscraper currently under construction in the Silom/Sathon central business area of Bangkok. Designed to fit into the Thai landscape with a unique pixelated facade, it will have the unconventional appearance of a glass curtain walled square tower with a cuboid-surfaced spiral cut into the side of the building. Upon its estimated completion in 2015, it will become the tallest building in Bangkok at 314 metres (1,030 ft), with 77 floors. Featuring hotel, retail and residences, 200 units of The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Bangkok inside the building are priced between around US$1,100,000 to US$17,000,000, making it one of the most expensive condominiums in Bangkok. From Wikipedia.

My favourite time of the day

Such an exciting sight to see the lights of the “Big Mango” start to come to life.

Bangkok traffic

Peak hour is a good time to avoid the Bangkok traffic, take the Sky train instead.

Larry is quenching his thirst

My friend Larry Krausz has recently moved to Thailand from Australia, we have known each other for quite a while, in fact in 1999 we travelled around the world including Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

Absolutely breathtaking

City views don’t get much better than this.

Bangkok Silom Sky Bar

By now we were on our 6th beer and feeling no pain at all.

Sadly my old friend Larry suffered a major stroke & passed away in January 2017.

A great night

This certainly was a night to remember, Cloud 47 will become one of my regular Bangkok haunts. For those of you who like to boogie the band starts at 9 pm.

Remember the name

Put Cloud 47 on your bucket list, especially if you are a beer drinker.

Cloud 47 Bangkok Sky Bar sunset (1)

Watch this video on YouTube

Goodnight folks & thanks for visiting.

My Bangkok Silom Sky Bar post simply proves once again what a fabulous city this is.

When I’m in Bangkok I like to stay in Sukhumvit Soi 11, here is an excellent budget hotel, if you USE THIS LINK you will get a great rate of around B1100 per night, or $30 USD.