Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park

October 17, 2020 by David Herd

Great location

Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park has 1,388 rooms and suites & convention and meeting facilities that can cater for over 1,000 people. Situated in Soi 22 & walking distance to BTS Skytrain Station Phrom Phong, Emquartier & the Emporium.

Credit for all the photos must go to the Marriott, the high quality of these shots inspired me to write this photo blog.

The Lobby

As you would expect there is Complimentary Wi Fi in the lobby & all rooms.

ABar Rooftop

I don’t know of any city in the world with more rooftop bars than Bangkok.

Surrounded by a concrete jungle. 🙂

Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park has everything you could wish for in a luxury Bangkok hotel.

Goji Kitchen + Bar

Specializing in Parrilla-grilled meats and ocean-fresh seafood, Goji Kitchen’s expert chefs use only the best ingredients to create memorable dining experiences.

Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park ABar

Being an Australian pensioner sadly the bars & restaurants are a little above my budget.

ABar Seating Area

There are so many choices to sit & enjoy the great views of Bangkok.

ABar Balcony

The balcony looks very nice as well.

Perhaps a game of 8 ball while sipping a cocktail?

The facilities at this magnificent hotel are endless.

The Sky Suite

The penthouse duplex unit is nestled on the 37th and 38th floor of the hotel building, featuring a spacious space of more than 1,002 square meters in total, transforming the top levels of Bangkok’s largest hotel into the guest’s own private residence. Marriott Marquis’ new crown jewel features two luxurious levels of living space, three bedrooms (one master with a super-king bed and two spacious doubles), a huge marble master bathroom, two further en-suite bathrooms, a spacious living room, pantry, and a huge entertainment area complete with a grand piano and a circular dining space with seating for up to 16 guests. The entire suite is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows, encompassing spectacular views of Bangkok’s ever-changing skyline. Crowning atop the suite is the outdoor Sky Garden guests could privately unwind with family and friends. Privacy of exclusive guests is also guaranteed with private lift access.

ABar Rooftop

Looks like a good spot to watch the sunset.

Rooms are beautiful

As you would expect. 🙂

You may prefer a suite

For an excellent discount just book through THIS LINK, you will have the option of paying later or a free cancellation.

Sunset cocktails

A perfect way to start the evening. 🙂

Here is Michael Hogan

Michael is a fellow Australian from south east Queensland, he is the execrative chef at the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park. This photo was taken when he was at the JW Marriot on Sukhumvit at Nana. Here is what they say about him; Executive Chef Michael Hogan is pushing the envelope on local cuisine at Goji Kitchen & Bar! Showcasing stellar products from small, regional farms and turning them into contemporary fares, inspired by Thai staples.

Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park

Thanks for visiting my Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park photo blog, & don’t forget to use THIS LINK for a discounted room rate.

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Breil Sur Roya devastated

October 6, 2020 by David Herd

Breil Sur Roya devastated

Breil Sur Roya devastated by storm Alex on October 4 2020, it destroyed dozens of houses and washed away roads in the mountainous border region north of Nice.

Riny Doyle

Ten years ago I spent 2 weeks in this beautiful French village as a guest of Riny Doyle & his partner Suzanne. We are dining on one of Riny’s specialties, wild boar pasta. I remember Riny saying the boar had to be frozen for 6 months before cooking. 🙂

Main street in Breil

The force of the flood water must have been incredible.

Cars submerged in mud.

Three more bodies have been discovered on the French side of the border with Italy after severe mountain flooding ravaged parts of both countries, leaving at least 12 dead.

It will take months to clean up

Sadly the village may never fully recover, many residents will be afraid the flood waters may return in the future.

Perhaps there was no warning

That may be the reason there were so many vehicles in the middle of the village.

Breil Sur Roya devastated

Barely hanging on to the edge of the cliff, how frightening is that?

Another one bites the dust

Totally heartbreaking for the residents of this beautiful village.

This home I’m sure will be demolished.

It’s difficult to see any other solution.

Breil Sur Roya devastated, such a sad sight

Another photo of the main street in the middle of Breil.

This is so hard to believe…

A simple reminder that we should never underestimate the awesome power of nature.

Compare the area above to 2010

From a tranquil setting to a scene of devastation.

A little roadwork needed here

How frightening would this have been for anyone driving on this busy road?

Flashback to 2010 with my friend Riny Doyle.

Also with me were two Australian friends, Jodie O’Neil & Deborah Holiday. Here is the message I got from Riny the day after the disaster; “no water no électricité no phone roads collapsed. A temp road-fix allowed me to go to next valley to let everyone know we are ok. Village is a disaster.”

Thanks for visiting my Breil Sur Roya devastated photo blog, my sympathy to all the residents who have suffered in this horrific event.

Lots more posts here;

Please check out my 2010 photo blog.

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L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya

September 27, 2020 by David Herd

L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya

L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya has recently moved from Pratumnack Hill to 3rd road so I figured it was time to see if it lives up to TripAdvisor’s rating of 127 out of 1,433 restaurants in Pattaya.

Oysters from France

Quite large & tasty, B890 or $40 AUD for a dozen, however as of October 2021 the price is B590 or $23 AUD.

The fine de claire is for those who prefer a less fleshy oyster. These oysters are finished for several weeks in shallow clay ponds where they acquire a superior quality shell to oysters grown in the open sea.

It is during this process that the claires of the Marennes Oléron basin impart the subtleties of regional flavours.

This oyster is particularly appreciated by the consumer who prefers an oyster rich in water and balanced in flavour.

Good service & friendly staff

The owner regularly came out from the kitchen to check with all the customers that everything was quite OK.

Red wine from Chile

The house wine was good at B120 per glass or B240 for a 250 ml small carafe. I managed to put away 1/2 a litre. 🙂

L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya, the Sunday special

Consists of cheese & cold cuts, I will most certainly visit on a Sunday in the near future.

More of the Sunday special

A terrific variety.

4 course lunch menu

Great value at B390 or $12.50 USD.

Terrine

Served with gherkin & fresh bread.

Assorted cold cuts

A nice way to start what was to be a great value lunch.

Lasagne to die for. 🙂

Slow cooked lamb with carrots or mashed potato

The lamb was very tender indeed & the carrots were superb. 🙂

Piece de resistance

We both thought the Creme Brûlée was magnificent.

L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya

I took a motorbike taxi both ways from Markland in Soi 1 2nd Road for B80 each way.

Oysters on special January 2022

Fine de Claire oysters from France for only B590 or $23 AUD.

The world is my oyster

I can totally relate to this famous saying which means that you can achieve anything you wish in life, or go anywhere because you have the opportunity or ability to do so. On another level I have eaten oysters all over this wonderful planet called Earth. To check out my adventures please follow THIS LINK.

Contact number.

The restaurant is quite small so pre booking is the safest option. I was there on a Saturday evening & a few people were turned away. Another very good French restaurant in this neighborhood is Le Bordeaux, for more information just follow THIS LINK.

September 9 2022

Eating Gillardeau oysters with my friend Brad Robbins from Townsville in Australia.

Gillardeau no 3

Luckily the chef gave us a 50% discount with bought the price down to B9oo per dozen, or $36 AUD.

Nice decor, good food & service.

Thanks for visiting my L’Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya photo blog. I have written about 60 Pattaya restaurants, here is THE LINK to them.

Check out my Pattaya webcam here.

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New Zealand Holiday 1991

September 22, 2020 by David Herd

This is not a travel blog just a personal photo collection from 1991.

New Zealand Holiday 1991 in Auckland & the Bay of Islands in the north. My girlfriend at the time Karen Greenwood was a kiwi, we travelled with her mother & enjoyed beautiful countryside.

In the shot above I’m wandering around Auckland looking for a pub. 🙂

New Years Eve 1991

As you can see Karen was a beautiful looking lady with a gorgeous smile. We knocked around together for a year or so, our reasons were a little different. I was happy having a gorgeous babe on my arm, Karen stuck around because I loaned her a car. 🙂 🙂 🙂

The lovely seaside village of Russel.

Russell, known as Kororareka in the early 19th century, was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand. It is situated in the Bay of Islands.

The jetty in Russell

This is where we boarded a charter boat for a couple of days cruising around the islands.

What a fabulous boat.

I could be very happy living on this with a bert at Marina Mirage on the Gold Coast. 🙂

What a fabulous babe. 🙂

Absolutely beautiful.

We caught up again in 2017

Here we are at Frank’s seafood on Chevron Island. It’s amazing that these photos were taken 26 years apart yet Karen has hardly changed at all.

Three generations

Karen’s Mum & her daughter Natasha.

Happy faces on the boat.

The ship’s captain was Karen’s mother’s boyfriend.

New Zealand Holiday 1991

Right at the top of this beautiful country.

Thanks for visiting my New Zealand Holiday 1991 photo blog.

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Soapy Massage Pattaya Bangkok

September 8, 2020 by David Herd

Soapy Massage Pattaya Bangkok

Soapy Massage Pattaya Bangkok certainly is an experience you will enjoy and remember for a very long time. The one above is on the corner of 2nd road & Soi 2.

Opposite Atlantic Bar in 2nd Rd.

The Atlantic bar has been my local for many years, for lots of photos just follow THIS LINK.

Waiting for a customer

They usually sit in a glass room & have a number displayed, the potential customer studies the group then makes a decision.

A typical body-to-body massage parlor in Bangkok is open from 10:00 until midnight, seven days a week. They only close on major holidays. Most parlors are located in townhouses and have small rooms with shower. More exclusive parlours offer larger VIP rooms with Jacuzzi. The price level will, of course, reflect this. Read general information about B2B massage in Thailand HERE.

The price level in central Bangkok is quite standardized because most parlors are located side by side in a few areas in Sukhumvit Road, namely Soi 22, Soi 24, Soi 24/1, Soi 26 and Soi 33. This is what you should expect to pay:

Body massage with happy ending from 500 to 1,000 baht (30 to 60 minutes). The masseuse is dressed.
B2B massage with happy ending from 1,000 to 2,500 baht (60 to 120 minutes).
B2B massage with full service from 2,000 to 3,000 baht (60 to 120 minutes). NB: This service is not offered by all B2B parlors.

Showtime

It does not get much better than this. 🙂

Sabai in 2nd Rd next to Central Marina.

There is a bar so you can relax with a beer while making your choice.

VIP body massage

Choose who should massage you. 🙂

Yogurt massage

What the heck is a Yogurt massage?

I guess I’ll put it on my list. 🙂

What harm could it do?

Soapy Massage Pattaya Bangkok

This is as good as it gets, you gotta love Thailand. 🙂

Some guys may prefer a crowd. 🙂

Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. 🙂 🙂 🙂

I usually stick to a foot massage.

I indulge 3 or 4 times a week, totally relaxing spending the hour reading my Kindle.

Prices have not changed for 15 years

I only pay B200 for a foot massage in Pattaya, Bangkok is around B100 more.

Rossco from Australia

this was 2016, it took 3 months the get the smile off his face. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Soapy Massage Pattaya Bangkok photo blog, if you have never had a soapy you are missing out on something special. 🙂

Check out my Pattaya webcam here.

Get a very good discount on Pattaya hotels by using THIS LINK.

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Hawker Chan Hollys Coffee

September 3, 2020 by David Herd

Hawker Chan Hollys Coffee

Hawker Chan Hollys Coffee are both at Terminal 21 in Pattaya, I visit both for lunch at least once a week. Being a creature of habit I always order the same dishes. Hawker Chan is located next to Foodland & Hollys Coffee is upstairs on Tokyo Street.

Here are your choices

Lots of delicious choices at very low prices. The noodle dishes are my favourite. Having said that I will have to make an effort to try some of the other dishes on offer.

Noodles & pork

Crispy pork belly & noodles is only B130 or $4.15 USD & totally mouth watering. The sauce they use with this dish is a fabulous taste.

Slight difference from the previous dish

It’s always difficult to decide between the roast pork or the pork belly. 🙂 You have to admit that is a great problem to have.

It’s worth mentioning the restaurant & tables etc are always spotlessly clean, & the staff very efficient.

Hollys Coffee

I think this may be the best pancake I have ever eaten, a little expensive for Thailand at B170 or $5.40 USD but worth every cent. 🙂

Living on Beach Road is so convenient, I can walk to Cental Marina in 5 minutes, Terminal 21 in 8 minutes & Central Festival in 10 minutes, that gives me access to about 250 restaurants. 🙂

I have never tasted a pancake so light & fluffy, it's the sort of desert you dream of. For many more terrific Pattaya deserts please just follow THIS LINK.

Hawker Chan Hollys Coffee

Put Hollys pancakes on your bucket list.

Thanks for visiting my photo blog. My lunch at these two restaurants totals B300, or $9.55 USD.

Check out my Pattaya webcam here.

Get a very good discount on Pattaya hotels by using THIS LINK.

Check out these great photo blogs.

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Le Bordeaux Pattaya Restaurant

August 19, 2020 by David Herd

Pattaya French Restaurant

Le Bordeaux Pattaya Restaurant is located in what you could call the Pattaya French Quarter behind Tukcom, due to quite a few French restaurants in the area.

Nice warm atmosphere

I was the only person there at 6.30, 2 more customers arrived an hour later, however like most businesses in Pattaya they are suffering due to Covid-19.

Very friendly staff

Meet Lay. he provides great service at Le Bordeaux Pattaya Restaurant.

Wine & a liquor

Two drinks are better than one. 🙂

This is what I came for

Marennes Oleron number 2, these oysters are born in Marennes Oleron, then when they are 1 year old they are taken to Brittany where young oysters will grow more easily thanks to a more favourable environment. At the age of 2 they come back to Marennes Oleron, a few kilometres out in the sea, so that the shell can harden and take a cupped shape. There they remain for 1 year, until the time comes for refining in Claires (saet marshes) for up to 6 months.

Lamb stew

Lots of flavour here however I wish I had ordered the slow cooked lamb shank. 🙂

Warm atmosphere

A very classy fit-out, put this delightful restaurant on your bucket list.

Gay Paree

Très bonne ambiance

Here is a nice version of the song Gay Paree.

Gay Paree - Robert Preston

Watch this video on YouTube

The bar at Le Bordeaux Pattaya Restaurant

As you can clearly see the decor is excellent.

Crème brûlée to finish

One of my favourite deserts, for more great deserts just follow THIS LINK.

Thanks for visiting my Le Bordeaux Pattaya Restaurant photo blog. Friday or Saturday night if the best time to visit for fresh oysters.

Check out my Pattaya webcam here.

Get a very good discount on Pattaya hotels by using THIS LINK.

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Flashback Sydenham Cellars

August 12, 2020 by David Herd

Flashback Sydenham Cellars

Flashback, Sydenham Cellars was the name of my liquor store from 1980 to 1985. Situated in Unwins Bridge Road adjacent to Sydenham station. The photo above was my opening night in March 1980, the gorgeous girl Debbie Don who lived near me in Drummoyne.

A closer look at Debbie.

You must admit she is very easy on the eye. 🙂

The original shop

After three years I decided to renovate & sell the business.

Let the facelift begin

Here I am with my best friend Madison.

Flashback, Sydenham Cellars

Lucky for me my best friend & his brother Wolf Wotke & Hank were bricklayers.

What an improvement

Far too classy for a downtrodden suburb like Sydenham. 🙂

Madison’s favourite spot

Perched on top of a stack beer cartons in the middle of the shop, he scared the hell out of some of the customers. 🙂

Here he was at 6 weeks old

My ex girlfriend Carol Aboud decided I needed a watch dog. 🙂

This is how it looked around 2001

A wholesale clothing shop.

I owned the business for 4 years & amassed losses of around $150,000 due to the council closing the road for 3 months each year for various roadworks.

This really destroyed any chance of me making a profit. Plus my clients were mainly purchasing cases of beer & cheap flagons of wine, both of which had very small profit margins. Looking back I should have done my homework on the demographics.

However it was not all bad news, I enjoyed a terrific lifestyle during these four years, I only worked 3 or 4 days a week & enjoyed myself the rest of the time on Sydney harbour in my 25′ Bertram. Check out my life in 1983.

Say no more, wink wink, nudge nudge.

Life was very good as you can clearly see. 🙂

I also spent 3 months in California in 1982 while my brother Warren & auntie Dorothy looked after the store. The real upside was the decision I made at the beginning to buy the actual property, the profit when I sold was about $160,000, tax free because it was before 1984.

One of my best years ever was 1982, check it out.

Then in 1984 I got engaged to a lovely lady & sold the business. See more on THIS LINK.

Many thanks for visiting my Flashback, Sydenham Cellars photo blog, who was it that said “nostalgia is a thing of the past”?

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Art of desert Pattaya

August 2, 2020 by David Herd

Art of desert Pattaya

Art of desert Pattaya is a far more interesting subject to me than the Art of War for instance, written by Sun Tzu in the 5th century. For some excellent images of the Art of Desert here is a LINK on Pinterest.

The photo above was taken at the Pullman Hotel at Wongamat Beach.

Belgian waffles at Patrick’s Steakhouse

Many people in these troubled times of Covid-19 will feel they are living in their own winter of discontent, well to brighten up their day just check out some of my favourite deserts in beautiful downtown Pattaya. 🙂

Great pancake at Leckerle

Researchers have found pancakes in the stomach of Otzi the Iceman, human remains dating back 5,300 years. In ancient Greece and Rome, pancakes were made from wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk.

Magnificent Crème brûlée

France, England, and Spain all claim to be the country where crème brûlée had its origin. The first printed recipe for a dessert called crème brûlée is from the 1691.

A special from The Bistro at Soi Yamato 13/1.

Tripadvisor rate this small restaurant very highly at #6 of 1,085 Restaurants in Pattaya

Mixture from the Mantra

Sadly the Mantra closed it’s doors in 2018, their Sunday buffet was the best I have ever seen anywhere in the world. Here is over a decade of dining on THIS LINK.

Mango & sticky rice

The iconic Thai desert needs no introduction, it’s simply wonderful.

Hollys Coffee

Without a doubt this is the best pancake I have ever eaten. 🙂 This company was established in 1998 and opened Korea’s first espresso shop that year. Its shops offer espresso, coffee, tea, specialty coffee- and tea-based hot and cold drinks, a variety of pastries and other snacks and coffee supplies.

Banana pancake

Absolutely delicious & only B40, or $2 AUD.

The finished product

Surely must be the best value in Pattaya, or perhaps even the northern hemisphere.

Thanks for visiting my Art of desert Pattaya photo blog, I will certainly add more delights as I discover them.

Check out my Pattaya webcam here.

Get a very good discount on Pattaya hotels by using THIS LINK.

Food review Pattaya 2020

July 23, 2020 by David Herd

Food review Pattaya 2020

Food review Pattaya 2020 is simply a record of many of the great dishes I have enjoyed in the Autumn of my years. 🙂 According to TripAdvisor there are about 1300 restaurants to choose from. However 90% of the time I tend to visit places I know & like. The 1st & 2nd photos are from the food court at Central Festival shopping mall.