Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Coronavirus impacts Pattaya

March 10, 2020 by David Herd

Pattaya-Beach-Coronavirus,Chinese-tourists

Coronavirus impacts Pattaya

Coronavirus impacts Pattaya which has resulted in a 44% drop in tourists in February 2020. Many Thai people find themselves without work so they have left Pattaya to return to their villages in the country. As you can see the beach is deserted at 8am on March 3rd 2020, only a few short months ago it was teeming with Chinese tourists.

This is how it was…

Seven days a week thousands of Chinese tourists would storm the beach to clamber aboard the boats to para-sail & visit Koh Larn island.

Typical over powered tourist boat

Only about 25% of the boats remain on Pattaya Beach, the rest are in moth balls. 🙂

Patrick is feeling lonely

Well known restaurateur Patrick Van Den Berghe finds himself alone on the beach, time for him to go back to his steakhouse & order some French oysters & lamb shanks. 🙂

Pattaya Beach never looked so good

Of course my opinion is purely a selfish one, however there really is nothing to like about thousands of Chinese tourists inhabiting the beach. 🙂

“There is high chance that the country will be in a technical recession — contraction of the economy for two consecutive quarters,” said Anusorn Tamajai, director of Economic and Business Research Centre at Rangsit University.

The masked man cometh

I actually tried a mask, I hated it & lasted 1 hour, in fact it was because of pollution not the virus.

Pattaya pollution

This was January 10 2020.

This was a typical Pattaya morning

Hundreds of buses would clog up beach road from 8 am seven days a week.

Waiting to pick up the tourists around mid day.

It’s fantastic now without these monsters taking over Beach Road.

Nothing like a peaceful Pattaya morning

Well folks enjoy it while you can because at some stage in the future the dreaded Chinese tourists will return. 🙂

A beautiful Pattaya morning

March 8 2020 & a perfect day. See for yourself on my webcam, just follow THIS LINK.

Coronavirus impacts Pattaya

This man & his dog are loving the peaceful atmosphere.

Desperate times in Pattaya

People queue in jomtien for a free meal outside Yupins. Twice a day. The queue goes past The Venue, past The Spring Onion, down the road, round the corner and today reached Dicks Cafe. 75% of working age people have lost their jobs in Pattaya. No savings, & no chance of getting any money over the next few months. Can’t pay their rent & 3000 are homeless. They can’t sleep on the beach without getting arrested. Can’t sleep in the parks (closed) and can’t sleep on the street (strict curfew after 10pm). Desperate, desperate times here for these poor people.

Here are the numbers as of March 10 2020

Thailand doesn’t feature in the high risk area.

April 15

Country	Cases	Deaths	Region
United States	613,886	26,047	North America
Spain	174,060	18,255	Europe
Italy	162,488	21,067	Europe
France	143,303	15,729	Europe
Germany	132,210	3,495	Europe
United Kingdom	93,873	12,107	Europe
China	82,295	3,342	Asia
Iran	74,877	4,683	Asia
Turkey	65,111	1,403	Asia
Belgium	31,119	4,157	Europe
Netherlands	27,419	2,945	Europe
Canada	27,063	903	North America
Switzerland	25,936	1,174	Europe
Brazil	25,262	1,532	South America
Russia	21,102	170	Europe
Portugal	17,448	567	Europe
Austria	14,226	384	Europe
Israel	12,046	123	Asia
India	11,487	393	Asia
Ireland	11,479	406	Europe
Sweden	11,445	1,033	Europe
South Korea	10,564	222	Asia
Peru	10,303	230	South America
Japan (+Diamond Princess)	8,597	158	Asia
Chile	7,917	92	South America
Ecuador	7,603	369	South America
Poland	7,202	263	Europe
Romania	6,879	351	Europe
Norway	6,623	139	Europe
Denmark	6,511	299	Europe
Australia	6,400	61	Australia/Oceania

Lets put it in perspective

One hell of a difference don’t you agree?

Thailand on march 11 2020 cancelled visa on arrival for 18 countries.

On Wednesday March 11th Donald Trump announced the United States would ban all travel from Europe for 30 days.

Thai Airways suspending all Italy flights to and from Italy following the Italian government’s decision to lock down the country to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Thailand update September 11 2020

The figures are excellent, they may resume flights etc before Xmas.

Businesses close in Pattaya

Burger King on 2nd Rd has closed it’s doors as well as 2 other branches, beach Rd & Central Fesival.

Coffee shop at the Bay

Another one bites the dust.

Closures in North Pattaya

Please follow THIS LINK.

It will take years to recover.

Covid booster jab

It only took 35 minutes to get the booster at Royal Garden Plaza in Pattaya on January 6 2022.

Thanks for visiting my Coronavirus impacts Pattaya photo blog.

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.

Soi Cowboy Nana Plaza Patpong

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Sensational life Sydney 1983

March 4, 2020 by David Herd

Sensational life Sydney 1983

Sensational life Sydney 1983 is no exaggeration, in fact the 80s was probably my favourite decade. A harbour side condo with my Bertram cruiser moored outside, my very own liquor store & a white Mercedes Sports.

Above are two of my best friends at the time, Wolf Wottke & Ross Ansell, we spent a lot of time in my boat on Sydney harbour & lunching at Doyle’s on the beach at Watson’s Bay.

Sydenham Cellars

Located in Unwins Bridge Road next to the railway station. I opened it in 1980 & sold it in 1984 with a tax loss of $150,000. Luckily I owned the freehold which showed a profit of $180,000 which was tax free. That’s Madison sitting at the front door. 🙂

Boats, babes & booze

What more could a man want in life. 🙂 I feel so lucky having the fabulous life I had in the 80s, + lucky I was always a photo fanatic, & have thousands of shots to display on my photo blogs.

Marlene Cuthbert

Great lady with a sexy voice, workrd for Ansett airlines & did their announcements at the airport.

Boxing Day 1983

The start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, we used to follow the boats out to sea.

A crowded harbour

Throw in the choppy water & you had to be very careful to avoid collisions. 🙂

Sydney heads in the distance

Great memories of my Sensational life Sydney 1983 on the world’s best harbour.

Peak Avenue Surfers Paradise

Here I am in the middle of a plethora of gorgeous, where else would I rather be?

Always lots of parties in Peak Ave Main Beach.

That’s Chris Adams on the left & Harley Bradstreet on the right. When I often visited I would sleep on a mattress in the garage. 🙂

Never a dull moment in Peak Avenue. 🙂

That’s Rob Rubis on the left, a well known Gold Coast chick magnet in the fabulous 80s.

Judy Paris a pretty blonde babe

Judy was tangled up in a messy court case in 1952 when her husband Bobby Lulham was poisoned by his mother-in-law.

A few days in Melbourne

Ross Ansell with his 2 daughters Tanya & Fiona, Marlene Cuthbert & I stayed at Ross’s pub in Curzon St North Melbourne.

The Black Prince

Doesn’t look too special but we had some great nights there.

Back to Sydney for a Drummoyne BBQ.

I lived in Wrights Rd Drummoyne for 6 years from 1979, & wow! Diddn’t we have some parties there. Here I am with Dirk Kammerling, aka Dirk Suave.

View from my apartment

Life was very good for me in the 80s.

This gorgeous babe live just around the corner.

A well known Sydney model Yolande did a popular toothpaste commercial in 1969.

Macleans Toothpaste Advert 1969

Watch this video on YouTube

Meet Helen & Roylene

Two of my favourite party girls.

Lets have a closer look

One of the many dinner parties at my apartment.

Sensational life Sydney 1983

It seemed like the end of an era, meet Karen Smith who became my 3rd & final fiancee, we moved to 31 Herbert Avenue Newport & parted 3 years later. So I packed up my belongings & moved to Surfers Paradise. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Sensational life Sydney 1983 photo blog.

Take a look at exciting 1982 and my big change of lifestyle in 1984.

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Niseko Ski Resort Japan

February 13, 2020 by David Herd

Niseko Ski Resort Japan

Niseko Ski Resort Japan is the most famous and popular of the all of the Japanese ski resorts, offering a variety of accommodation, fantastic restaurants and modern facilities to complement the epic mountain.

Mt. Niseko-Annupuri

Not a bad view. 🙂

Coronaviris

As you can see my friend Hamish Elton is in contact with the Coronavirus. Hamish took all the photos for this blog, but it seems he spent more time in the wonderful restaurants than on the slopes. 🙂

See what I mean

Hokkaido is like a crab-lovers fairy-tale with its coastal waters containing some of the biggest and most delicious crab in the world. Famous hairy crab, snow crab and king crab are abundant, and each morning in the markets of Hakodate and Otaru, buyers and sellers trade the best crab available. Many of these crabs are purchased by Niseko restaurant owners, and within just a few hours, could be on your plate!

Hokkaido is famous for seafood

Make sure you take your platinum credit card. 🙂

Komagatake Single Malt

This will help keep you warm in the snow.

Single Malt Komagatake Limited Edition 2018 is a blend of "nicely aged" whiskies that have spent at least 3 years in either a Bourbon cask or an American White Oak cask. Unlike the Double Cellars and Yakushima Aging releases, the Limited Edition 2018 is aged entirely in Shinshu.

Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar

Salmon roe is another Hokkaido favourite that you simply must try in Niseko. Often marinated or soaked in soy sauce to add a rich, savoury element to the flavour, the 'popping' sensation when eating Ikura is a fun experience when dining with friends. You will commonly find ikura served with uni in a rice bowl or salad.

Little girl, big crab

She had to struggle to get it out of the tank. 🙂

Team Hamish

On the final night the mob decided to have Indian food instead of seafood, I can't imagine why? 🙂

Magic mountain

The team from Healthcert

They provide medical and Patient Education: In collaboration with universities and other teaching institutions, Min focus is to teach GPs how to diagnose and treat various medical conditions.

Steak Rosso Rosso restaurant

These Hokkaido scallops look good enough to eat. 🙂

The main course

TripAdvisor rating is # 19 of 252 Restaurants in Kutchan-cho.

Niseko Prince Hotel Hirafutei

Very close to the snow with an Onsen on the bbalcony. A short ski to the main lift. Hamish stayed here & was very pleased with cleanliness& location. Get an excellent room discount through THIS LINK.

Niseko Ski Resort Japan

Thanks for visiting my Niseko Ski Resort Japan photo blog.

For an excellent room rate sround $80 USD at the Niseko Grand Hotel just use THIS LINK.

For London & UK hotels there are great discounts through this link.

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Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar

February 12, 2020 by David Herd

Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar

Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar is ranked #4 of 328 Restaurants in Kutchan-cho Hokkaido. The following photos were taken by my friend Hamish Elton who was in Nisenko for 10 days skiing.

Even though Hamish & his friends dined at many other restaurants including the Michelin starred Kamimura, Ezo was his favourite , in his opinion it had the best and most unique range of fresh seafood.

Bring on the oysters

Hamish & I live in Pattaya Thailand & his nickname there is “Oyster Man”. 🙂

Big & Juicy

I must admit I am also an Oyster, a couple of years ago I had some wonderful huge oysters in Sendai, please check out THIS LINK.

Very expensive compared with Sendai

6,600 Yen or $89 AUD.

Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar fabulous scallops

These look wonderful. Here is their web page for bookings & information.

King crab

The pièce de résistance without a doubt.

Say no more….

How good does this look?

Hairy Crab

The hairy crab (kegani in Japanese) or horsehair crab is found in the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. It gets its name from the spiky hairs that cover its entire body. This little critter is smaller than the snow crab and the red king crab, making many people say it is more difficult to eat, but it has a dense , sweet flavor, making the effort of cracking open that shell well worth it. People who call themselves true crab lovers will often choose the horsehair crab. It is often boiled in saltwater to bring out its rich original flavor, then cut into sections and eaten by hand.

Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar

As I said earlier Hamish said Ezo was his favourite restaurant in Niseko, put it on your bucket list.

Thanks for visiting my Ezo Seafood Oyster Bar photo blog. Before you leave check out Sushi Kato.

Here are some more posts to check out

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

Plus free cancellation .

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

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Kamimura Michelin Starred Restaurant

February 11, 2020 by David Herd

Kamimura Michelin Starred Restaurant

Kamimura Michelin Starred Restaurant is located in Niseko Hokkaido, Japan’s premier ski resort. The owner/chef is Yuichi Kamimura spent his early years in his parents’ restaurant. Finally when he met renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney, he became fascinated by both Testuya’s culinary philosophy and proficiency.

Take plenty of money. 🙂

My good friend Hamish Elton & his colleague Paul Elmsie are not shy about spending a fortune on food & wine. They enjoyed the 11 course degustation menu with the appropriate wines for a mere 63,000 Yen, or $850 AUD.

Chef’s Degustation 18,000 yen per person

The menu is a chef’s ‘Omakase’ tasting menu, as a showcase of Hokkaido ingredients and challenging to some new tastes, exploring the treasure of food.

Such a romantic setting

Hamis, what a shame it was just you & Paul. 🙂

Strawberry & black pepper tart

Hamish took most of these photos on his Google Pixel 3 phone, thus the high quality. I’m only guessing the names of certain dishes so I could be wrong.

I have no idea which dish this is….

I’ll have to see if Hamish can remember.

I’m betting this is the Wagyu

Plus I bet it tastes sensational.

How good does this look

If it tastes half as good as it looks it will be terrific. 🙂

Quite a small serving

Lucky there are eleven dishes in total. 🙂

The magical mystery tour continues

Works of art everyone of them.

Could this be the pumpkin ravioli?

Your guess is as good as mine. 🙂

Another mystery dish

My apoligies for not knowing the correct names.

Kamimura Michelin Starred

Thanks for visiting my Kamimura Michelin Starred restaurant photo blog. Before you go please check out. Sushi Kato.

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Sushi Kato Niseko Japan

February 10, 2020 by David Herd

Sushi Kato Niseko Japan

Sushi Kato Niseko Japan is an interesting restaurant in Japan’s number one snow resort which is located in Hokkaido, a 2.5hrs drive from Chitose Airport. There are 4 interlinked ski resorts here – Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and An’nupuri .

First thing you will see is the rustic Bar Kato pictured above, a whiskey and sake bar that serves as both the waiting room for the restaurant as well as a perfect spot to unwind over a quality drink.

Sushi Kato Niseko Japan Set menu

Most of the photos here were taken by my friend Hamish Elton who enjoys food more than he enjoys skiing. 🙂

Sushi Kato offers three different set menus, Matsu (pine), Take (bamboo) and Ume (plum). The restaurant solely practices Kaiseki style of dining, meaning it is a prescribed set course dependent on the seasonal produce.

Hairy crab

This opening dish was appropriately the restaurant’s staple ingredient; hairy crab served in its shell accompanied by cod roe and ponzu jelly garnished with citrus flowers.

Just bring out the food

The owner Kato-san, Chef JJ and their impeccable team, have brought true authentic Japanese sushi to Niseko.

Portions are rather small

As you would expect with so many dishes on the set menu.

Tempura

More wonderful hairy crab, too much hairy crab is never enough. 🙂

Sushi Kato Niseko Japan

Shiraoi Beef grilled on a hot stone. The selected beef is Japanese Black beef, raised locally in the nearby town of Shiraoi which provides the perfect combination of weather, food and an abundance of water allowing the farmers to craft their prize cattle into some of the best produce on the globe.

Some sweet tasy fruit to finish

Thank you for visiting my Sushi Kato Niseko Japan photo blog, & thanks to Hamish Elton for sharing his wonderful experience. Before you leave check out this Michelin Starred restaurant.

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.

Plus free cancellation .

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

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First six months 2020

January 27, 2020 by David Herd

First six months 2020

First six months 2020 happily living in Thailand with a view to die for. For most of December & January we have had severe pollution in Pattaya (and elsewhere), the government seem to lack the skill & the will to solve this unhealthy problem. Most of it seems to come because farmers burn off their sugar cane crops, surely they would be easy to find & 6 months in jail may make them think twice next year.

The first was January 10 & finally we got clean air on January 26, however within a couple of days the pollution was back. The 2nd photo is June 12th, what a fabulous clear day it was.

Beach Quarter

Mid January the old Mantra site (part of the Amari Hotel) is almost completed, can’t wait for it to open. 🙂

Two new chairs

I’m guessing I spend 8 to 10 hours a day in both these chairs.

Pothole & one of the Squabblers

Pothole, aka John Martin has 2 sons aged 9 & 11, this is Tyrone who has just busted open his piggy bank to find just over B110,000 or $5,300 AUD, both sons are very good savers.

Fabulous chicken teriyaki skewers.

The food park at Central Marina is one of my favourite eating spots. Normally I have a wonton soup & 2 chicken skewers for a B100, or $4.80 AUD, this day I had 4 skewers for B60, or $2.90 AUD.

Genki Soi 4 North Pattaya

A very authentic Japanese restaurant with good quality reasonably priced food.

View from my balcony

Without a doubt I am lucky enough to see some of the best sunsets in the world from my condo, for more please follow THIS LINK.

New drains on Beach Road

For many months they have been digging up Beach Rd to improve the drainage system, only time will tell if it’s worth the effort. 🙂

Painting Markland Condo

These guys seem to have no fear. 🙂

Spiderman is here wearing thongs. 🙂

I would certainly have a heart attack if I tried this. 🙂

Toast Skagen

My favourite entree at the Beefeater restaurant.

Clean up Pattaya Beach

The beach will be clean, the water not so much. 🙂

Holiday Inn at happy hour

Drinks & dinner at Holiday Inn with Mark Yagalla, buy a bottle get one free. 🙂

Healthy lunch at home

It’s hard to find good avocados in Thailand, most of the time I use them for smoothies. The avocado bistro in Bangkok is an exception.

Soi 2 North Pattaya

Lots of construction & renovations happening in Soi 2, I’m directly above this hotel on the 20th floor in Markland Condo.

Rain at last

It’s March 15 & this is the 1st significant rain we have seen this year.

2nd Road North Pattaya

Only 9 am & this tall LadyBoy is dressed to kill. 🙂

The result of the Coronavirus

March 2020 and Chinese tourists are not allowed to swarm into Pattaya, many business owners are suffering but residents like myself are loving the peace & quiet.

February 2020

What a fabulous smile, this is little Charli with her mum Laura, my gorgeous niece.

Two of our local lads at the Holiday Inn

Greg Clee & David Rose enjoying a drink at the Holiday Inn.

My million dollar view

From my balcony on March 26 2020.

First six months 2020

Now anybody who has been to Pattaya & some parts of Bangkok knows the uneven footpaths are rather treacherous. Yesterday morning while walking I was briefly distracted which resulted in “a leap of death.” With 109 kg crashing to the ground strangely enough, (don’t laugh) it was my two big toes that came out the worst. Both toenails were damaged rather badly, but I assure you my friends I was shaken not stirred, I’m guessing no morning walks for a few days.

Takeaway only

Starbucks & the few restaurants that are open can only serve takeaway due to Covid-9 restrictions. No big deal, I’m happy to sip coffee by the beach. 🙂

Pattaya beach has never looked so beautiful.

However the thing I miss most are the restaurants.

More drinks at the Holiday Inn

John Martin & David Robertson, aka Pothole & Chocolates. Chocs lives in Surfers Paradise & spends quite a bit of time in Pattaya, he rents one of Pothole’s studios in Markland, & pays far too much rent. 🙂

Beautiful clouds

April 20th & a beautiful morning.

Combating the virus

Who is that masked man?

Hamish has a barbecue

That’s Jonathon Sheaffe & his girlfriend Anne with Hamish Elton.

Sausages & chicken

So much food & such little time. 🙂

Proud father with baby Jasmine

One month old & gorgeous.

Creme brulee

Perfect end to lunch at the Longhorn Steakhouse.

Amazing cloud

May 5th at sunset.

Robin Hood Tavern

Sunday roast is very good value at around $16 AUD.

First six months 2020

Another of the many business closures due to Covid-19, this was a massage parlour in Soi 1 opposite my condo.

Pattaya Bay looking fabulous

I never grow tired of the view from my balcony.

Ancient timber ferries

Lots of character but I( would not like to be onboard in a storm. 🙂

Beach re-opens June 1st.

After many weeks you can now go to the beach.

First six months 2020, at last a foot massage

I can now enjoy a massage after the salons have been closed because of Covid-19.

Lunch at Miyazaki

Teriyaki chicken was delicious.

Best pancake I have ever tasted.

Holly’s cafe at Terminal 21.

Magnificent clouds June 1st 2020

The view from my balcony.

Safe at last

Building lifeguard towers on Pattaya Beach. 🙂

And here it is.

I really wonder if it will ever get used. 🙂

Soi 2 hotel construction

View from my balcony June 29th.

Holiday Inn opens again June 25

So happy to be able to relax here after 2 months of shutdown due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Delicious food

Fettuccine with smoke salmon & asparagus, washed down with 2 glasses of Wolf Blass shiraz.

Thanks for visiting my First six months 2020 photo blog, life in Thailand has been very good even with the virus restrictions.

For what it’s worth in my humble opinion the danger from Covid-19 has been greatly exaggerated.

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 .

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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

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Food review Pattaya 2020

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Sydney Chinese Food

January 5, 2020 by David Herd

Sydney Chinese Food

Sydney Chinese Food can be found at the very trendy Mr Wong in Bridge Lane not far from Circular Quay. Focusing on Cantonese food in a French Colonial setting, with a large selection of dishes including a huge dim sum selection.

Wonderful decor & atmosphere

A very impressive venue as you can clearly see, with a seating capacity of 240 people.

Rather expensive as you can imagine

Around $100 per head which is probably not over the top for Sydney.

Too much duck is never enough. 🙂

Just looking at this photo makes my mouth water.

An ideal setup for lone diners like myself

They cater for all requirements from large parties to lone diners like myself.

Large selection of Dim Sum

Other than Japanese Dim Sum is my favourite way of eating.

Waiting to be cooked

For all you amateur chefs out there who want to cook Cantones roast, just follow THIS LINK.

Sydney Chinese Food

Always nice to see the busy chefs working.

Mr Wong is owned and run by the Hemmes family, who for over 60 years, began as an iconic fashion house started by John and Merivale Hemmes. Merivale’s fashion beginnings were soon followed by the hospitality business, opening a Thai tea café within their Sydney CBD fashion building in 1970. From here, Merivale’s hospitality roots were firmly planted.

Merivale is now led by CEO Justin Hemmes, whose creativity and knack for pushing the boundaries has made Merivale what it is today. Hemmes has become a pioneer within the Australian hospitality industry, growing the ever-expanding Merivale portfolio to over 70 brands and venues.

Sydney Chinese Food That’s all folks

Thanks for visiting my Sydney Chinese Food photo blog.

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

That’s all folks

Check out these great food photo blogs.

World is my oyster

Tokyo fabulous food

Upmarket Chinese Food Sydney

Food review Pattaya Thailand

Good English restaurants

Amazing World Food

Fresh seafood Bangkok

Steakhouse New York

Korea restaurants Itaewon

Pattaya live webcam

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Australia burns Xmas 2019

January 4, 2020 by David Herd

Australia burns Xmas 2019

Australia burns Xmas 2019 from the worst bush fires ever experienced in this great country. As of January 4th 2020 a total of 18 people have died nationwide, and in the state of New South Wales alone, more than 900 houses have been destroyed. Sadly almost half a billion animals have been killed with fears entire species may have been wiped out. Ecologists from the University of Sydney now estimate 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been lost since September with the figure likely to continue to soar.

Losing so many animals is heartbreaking

Unprecedented temperatures across the continent have made this season’s fires particularly deadly, killing at least 20 people and bringing apocalyptic scenes to an area roughly twice the size of Belgium.

One of our courageous fire fighters

The NSW Rural Fire Service, which has over 74,000 volunteer members, said that as of December 22, at least 829 homes have been destroyed in fires, including 100 homes in the last week.

How heartbreaking would this be?

Australia gives foreign aid totaling over $4 billion a year, Scott Morrison would be a hero if he cancelled all aid for 2020 & used it to rebuild every lost home & business caused by these horrific fires. Sadly though it’s not going to happen.

Many country towns have been devastated

I would be happy to see everyone who lost a home or a business given a $25K handout from government to help with the trauma they have suffered. Hold back foreign aid for 6 to 12 months, of course this will have an effect of a lot of the criminals who are using our aid money for their own benefit.

New Guinea for instance purchased 40 Maserati’s & 3 Bentley’s, despite their high levels of poverty, multiple health crises and shortages of basic services. Wander around the streets of Phnom Penh & see the Hummers & luxury vehicles driven by government officials, where do you bloody well think the money comes from?

Oh, and lets not forget Thailand where Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has appeared in public wearing 25 different high-end timepieces, with a total estimated value of $1.5 million. How did he afford these I wonder?

Hold back the aid & have a massive project to replant forests & set up areas where animals & birds can be bred to replace some of the millions we have lost. Let’s be “stingy” towards other countries & look after Australia first. I nearly forgot that we give Indonesia $300 million a year, & they don’t particularly like us, but in 2018 they spent about $400 million on attack helicopters, I wonder if we may see them in the sky over Darwin sometime in the future?

So many kangaroos lost….

So terrifying for these poor animals.

Australia burns Xmas 2019

How brave are these wonderful individuals?

Sadly some didn’t make it, RIP.

Two volunteer firefighters, Geoffrey Keaton, 32, and Andrew O’Dwyer, 36, died when their truck overturned battling the Green Wattle Creek blaze.

We owe so much to these brave people

There have been 10 deaths from the fires in NSW and Victoria so far this week, about half the total toll for the current fire season. Twenty-one people remain unaccounted for in Victoria, down from 28 reported Friday.

These guys & their colleagues deserve all the praise we can give them

Let’s hope they will be properly compensated for their effort.

Good way to be safe

Just head for the beach. 🙂

Kangaroo Island

Almost half of Kangaroo Island has been scorched as damage assessments continue into the devastating bushfires still burning on the South Australian island.

Smoke on Kangaroo Island

Overnight, many residents and tourists evacuated to Kingscote where they spent a sleepless night on the town’s oval and close to the jetty. Evacuees and residents have been stranded with many road closures still in place.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison

Finally I really wish people would stop criticizing Scott Morrison, he didn’t start the bloody fires, he seems to be a genuine nice fellow, sadly however the Greenies & the loony left wind Labor losers can’t help themselves. Take a look at this NEWS BULLETIN.

Sky news bulletin January 4th fires.

Thanks for visiting my Australia burns Xmas 2019 photo blog, I could write so much more about this national disaster, however enough is enough, I’m sure you get the picture. My opinions are bound to aggravate some people, my message to them is simple, please don’t confuse me with somebody who cares what you think. 🙂

All those burning bridges.

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Fat Coco Pattaya (noise machine)

December 31, 2019 by David Herd

Fat Coco Pattaya

Fat Coco Pattaya is certainly a noise machine, a couple of days after they opened, on December 28, the music was excellent, one of the many bands actually had saxophones etc. The following night the quality diminished greatly, quite monotonous including a shrieking female presenter with a microphone.

Life is good…..

Unless of course you are a neighbour (which I am) or a hotel guest trying to sleep. 🙂

Could this be the stairway to heaven?

Probably not, but here is the song anyhow by Led Zeppelin, by the way it goes for 8 minutes. 🙂

I like these colours

The opposite side is not as attractive, then again, at night with the music blaring who would really care?

If you want to just lounge around & listen to the music….

This is the place for you. 🙂

Jimmy Buffet knows exactly what to do.

The stage

Here is where the noise is manufactured. 🙂

There’s an attractive rubber duck.

It’s so important to have the right toys in a pool.

Another bar on the north side

Not sure what the drink prices are, but they were charging a whopping B500 or $24 AUD to enter. I wonder how many Thai ladies will fork out 500. I also wonder if they are actually being charged that ridiculous amount. They can come to my room in Markland & listen for free. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Here is my view

Trust me ladies the music is still very loud up here. This photo shows the pool area before it was transformed.

Fat Coco Pattaya

Even though they have been operating there is still some fine tuning to be done.

Cactus anyone?

Just don’t get too close if you have had too many tequilas. 🙂

“Tequila” is a 1958 Latin-flavored rock and roll instrumental recorded by the Champs. It is based on a Cuban mambo beat. The word “Tequila” is spoken three times throughout the tune.

La vida es buena

Of course you all know this means “life is good” in Spanish.

Finally the food…

Looks like wood fired pizzas to me.

Here is how it looked on Feb 16 2020.

On the 15th they had an event which was widely advertised, for some crazy reason the entry fee was B800, or $40 AUD. In my opinion very few Thai people or foreigners would pay that inflated price. It turns out there were only around 20 people, & half of those would have been staff.

Two days later

The wreaking crew moves in.

The cost so far must be very high

They don’t seem to understand people are not stupid, they want value for money on a night out.

Here is the next project

Let’s hope it has more success than Fat Coco, aka the noise machine. 🙂

Swimming pool is re-born

After the failure to attract a crowd they have done an about turn & bought back the swimming pool. The main reason for the failure was the entry fee of B800, or $40 AUD, nobody is prepared to pay such a ridiculous price.

Thanks for visiting my Fat Coco Pattaya photo blog. If you would like to stay in the A-One hotel, for a very good room discount just use THIS LINK.

Here is a history of the construction.

My webcam looks down over Fat Coco, check it out.

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