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Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

November 27, 2015 by David Herd

Float a basket

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

 Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand means “float a basket”, it’s a beautiful Thai ceremony held every November coinciding with the full moon. The baskets are constructed from banana leaves and flowers, some are small and some are large and elaborate.

Hard at work for Loy Krathong Thailand

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

From 7 am these ladies are busy constructing the Krathongs.

 Small Krathongs

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

The idea is you place a little money in the Krathong then send it out to float and it will take your bad luck with it.

Extra large Krathongs

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

As you can imagine a lot of work goes into making these fabulous Krathongs.

These girls will work for hours

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

Sitting on the Beach Road footpath for hours is no problem for these industrious ladies.

Fast asleep

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

It’s all too much for this young guy, it’s 7’30 am and he is taking a nap.


All hands on deck

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

Even the kids are recruited to help out granny. 🙂

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand early evening

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

Beach Road come alive when the sun goes down. This guy certainly has a lot of stock to sell.

Opposite the A-One hotel.

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

It’s 8.30 pm and where are the crowds?

The lanterns are the star of the show

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

  Lanterns are a wonderful sight floating high in the  sky. Thai people believe if you make a wish prior to take off, and if the lantern is still alight when it goes out of sight, your wish will come true.

Houston, we have a problem

Loy Krathong Pattaya

These guys initially had a problem with lift-off, however perseverance won out in the end.


The crowd in 2014

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

 

The beach was packed last year for Loy Krathong Thailand 2014.

Loy Krathong Thailand 2015

Loy Krathong Celebration Thailand

This year I estimate the crowd was only about 10% compared with last year.

Many thanks for visiting my Loy Krathong Thailand photo blog.                       

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 Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

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

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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

 
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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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1g Duck

 

Pattaya live webcam
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Royal-Cliff-Hotel-Pattaya

September 12, 2015
by David Herd
Comments Off on Royal Cliff Hotel

Royal Cliff Hotel

If you want luxury……. Royal Cliff Hotel  Royal Cliff Hotel Pattaya is a wonderful property on Pratumnak Hill overlooking the bay, in 1980 on my first trip to Thailand this is where I stayed. Pool under repair This was 2013 … Continue reading

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

August 13, 2015 by David Herd

Markland

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road is in the very best location in Pattaya, I should know because I live there. The 27 floor building has 4 floors of hotel, all the other floors are condominiums.

Opposite the beach

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Located on Beach Rd just 10 Baht on the bus to get to Walking St. 🙂


Two bedroom apartment

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Most of the hotel rooms are studios however there are some terrific two bedroom apartments with views to die for.

Best view in Pattaya

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

However you must be on the south side to see this magnificent view of Pattaya.

Studio apartment 45 square meters

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

The south side has the better view.

Markland Hotel Pattaya beach northern view 

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

That is the Holiday Inn next door.

Pool at Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

There always seems to be a nice breeze around the pool.

Holiday Inn

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Holiday Inn is next door to Markland.

Holiday Inn

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Half price pizza at Holiday Inn Tuesday night and 2 for 1 drinks between 5 & 7 pm.

Amari, Holiday Inn & Markland.

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

A great location on Beach Road, and much quieter than South Pattaya.

Mezzo coffee at Markland now closed

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Very good coffee shop on the ground floor of Markland and Tops supermarket is in the basement.

The Coffee Club has replaced Mezzo.

Coffee Club Beach Road Pattaya

I am going to enjoy a daily coffee here. 🙂

Security at Markland

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Occasionally Markland security is not quite up to the task. 🙂

Fabulous view from 27th floor

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

This is my lovely friend Kayoco who was visiting from Tokyo.

Markland Hotel Pattaya beach is in a great location with the best views in Pattaya, use this Agoda link for very good room rates.

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

I must confess I have never been to this restaurant. 🙂

The view from my room on the 17th floor, I have ow moved to the 20th floor.

Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road

Thanks for visiting my Markland Hotel Pattaya Beach Road photo blog, I hope to see you in the coffee shop when you arrive. 🙂

 

                     Please check out these fabulous posts     

Holiday Inn

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

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

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

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

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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 Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

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

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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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

1g Duck

 

Pattaya live webcam
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Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

July 21, 2015 by David Herd

A great day out.

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

 Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens is a nice day out especially if you have children. A 30 minute drive from Pattaya and you can watch elephants play soccer.

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha purchased the 600-acre (2.4 km2) plot of land in 1954 with the intentions of developing the land as a fruit plantation. However, the owners instead decided to plant tropical flowers and plants as a wildlife conservation project. The garden opened to the public in 1980, and management was transferred to Pisit and Nongnooch’s son Kampon Tansacha in 2001. The garden currently fills 500 out of the 600 acres (2.4 km2).


 

No need to walk

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

  If you are lazy like me just jump on a bus or an elephant.  

Bus or elephant?

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

I thought my 110 kilo may have been too heavy for the poor elephant. 🙂

I still prefer the bus. 🙂

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

They are such magnificent animals.

Skinny legs

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens   

All sorts of bird life at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.

Are you looking at me punk?

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

  Great colours on this guy.  

He’s not looking at you but I am

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

There is lots to see and do at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens  

 Up close and personal

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

The little guy is about to have a bath.

Time for a bath

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

He is loving every minute of being hosed down.

Thirsty work at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Carrying people around all day is thirsty work, but this hose really hits the spot. 🙂

Jeff Gill

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

  Here is my friend Jeff Gill from Melbourne, he fell in love with Pattaya and the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.  

After a few hours in the sun I’m cactus 🙂

Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens

Sorry folks that’s just Aussie slang for “I’m worn out”. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens photo blog.

                          Here are some travel posts to check out 

           

Holiday Inn

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

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

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

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

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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 Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

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

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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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

1g Duck

 

Pattaya live webcam
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Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

July 21, 2015 by David Herd

Dusit Hotel

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

Dusit Thani Hotel North Pattaya

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya sits on a prime location on the headland in Pattaya with wonderful views of the Bay. Two nice pools and a good restaurant selection.

Hotel foyer

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

 

For an excellent room rate at this five star hotel please use this link.

The Dusit Thani garden

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

 

The gardens are huge and beautifully maintained as you would expect.

Hotel entrance

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

The hotel is on a huge property, in fact the Woman’s Thailand open tennis is held here every year.

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

Dusit Thani Hotel North Pattaya

The hotel entrance is beside the Dolphin roundabout at the start of Naklua Rd where there are many good restaurants.

The 2nd pool

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

 

The pool area and others sections have just been upgraded. I often use this as a short cut when I walk to Wongamat as the pathway around the waterfront has collapsed.

Beach Rd view from the Dusit.

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

 

The building next to the Holiday Inn is Markland condos, I have lived on the 17th floor on the south side since 2011. In my opinion I have the best view in Pattaya.

Yum Cha at the Peak Restaurant

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

I am a regular customer here for their fantastic Yum Cha, the restaurant is quite hard to find, take the elevator near the pool to the 9th floor. The food is fantastic and the service is excellent.

Very sad to say the peak restaurant is closed permanently.

More of my favourite dishes

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

For a five star hotel the dim sum lunch is reasonably priced, about B550 for 5 baskets, plus the quality is exceptional.

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya is perched on the point

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

Guests have one of the best views in Pattaya.

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

Thanks for visiting my Dusit Thani Hotel North Pattaya photo blog, put it on your bucket list it really is a great place for lunch.

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya

The Dusit Thani Hotel North Pattaya is a fine hotel in a great location, use this link for an excellent rate.

               

Holiday Inn

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

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

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

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

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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 Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

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

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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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
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 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

Pattaya live webcam
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A-One Beach Road Pattaya

July 17, 2015 by David Herd

A-One Hotel pool

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Unique Beach Road Pattaya Hotel the A-One has two main pools to enjoy or simply walk across Beach road to the beach. The hotel is in a perfect location next door to my condo. 🙂

Twin ships

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

The main hotel consists of 2 buildings at the front shaped like ships and 2 at the back, in adjacent Soi 3 there are 3 more 6 story hotels and a huge 20 story one under construction. The 27 floor high-rise in the photo is Markland where I live on the 20th floor.


A-One Beach Road Pattaya

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

This is only one of around 6 of there properties in the area.

Stunning at night

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Unique and unforgettable, no wonder it is one of the most popular hotels in Pattaya. Take a Baht bus in front of the hotel for a short trip to wonderful Walking St for 10 Baht or 30 cents usd.

Seafood BBQ every night

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Sit beside one of the two large pools and enjoy the seafood buffet.

All aboard

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Beautifully lit up at night this Unique Pattaya Hotel represents good value. For an excellent room rate just book through THIS LINK.

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Located on Beach Road north Pattaya between Soi 2 and Soi 3.

Exciting & spectacular

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

The view looking down from my condo in Markland.

September 16 2016

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Big renovation going on around the pools.

Another A-One in Soi 3

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Ai have quite a few adjoining properties, this one is located in Soi 3.

The big mishap in Soi 3

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

This new A-One hotel will be huge, over 20 floors, they had a little mishap late 2014 when the crane toppled over.

A closer look

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

Luckily there were no reports of any injuries.


 

June 2015

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

One and 1/2 years later they are still at ground level.  Once they start above ground the progress will gain momentum.

September 4 2016

A-One Beach Road Pattaya

On the way to being completed, has reached 19 floors high.

July 2017

A-One Beach Road PattayaThe finished project, they call it the MYTT Hotel.

A-One Beach Road Pattaya, lights at Xmas 2017.

A-One Beach Road PattayaQuite spectacular. 

Thanks for visiting my A-One Beach Road Pattaya photo blog, use THIS LINK for a very good room rate.       

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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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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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Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

July 8, 2015 by David Herd

Centara Grand at Wongamat

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya or lost city Atlantis? They have created quite an extraordinary environment in the hotel grounds. Perfect for children to have fun.

Pools or beach, you decide.

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

The Centara Grand is located on the beach so you can choose between a number of different pools or a nice sandy beach.

Is that a totem pole?

 

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

The hotel grounds are quite special, a fabulous place to take your children.

Elephants R Us.

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 

The attention to detail is incredible, reminds me very much of some Las Vegas themed hotels.

For a great discount on rooms just book through THIS LINK.

A short walk along the beach to my favourite bar.

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

This is the Beach Club at the Pullman hotel, only about 200 metres along the beach. The best place in Pattaya to watch the sunset.

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

What a great place for kids to have fun, use this Agoda link for very good rates at Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya. This is a rather expensive hotel as you can imagine, however book through THIS LINK and you are guaranteed an excellent room rate.

Kids paradise

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

Lot’s for the kids to do here.

Many places to explore

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 

At the Centara Grand there is a surprise around every corner.

An imposing entrance

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 

When you arrive at the door of Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya you just know this hotel is rather special.

Spectacular entrance

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

Most certainly one of the premier resorts in Thailand.

The Cove condo is beside Centara Grand

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

Beyond the Cove is Cape Dara Hotel.

A fascinating property

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 

There are restaurants and coffee shops should you care to visit.

Copper elephants

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 

As I said earlier it does remind me of Las Vegas.

Great design

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

 

Everywhere you look there is something interesting to see.

For a great discount on rooms just book through THIS LINK.

Warren Herd, Nikki Murphy and David Herd

Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya

My friend Nikki Murphy and my brother Warren at the Centara Grand Lost City Pattaya.

 
                          Here are some more posts to check out

Holiday Inn

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

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

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

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

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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 Pattaya’s main bar areas, just use THIS LINK for a terrific room rate. 420/100 Moo 9 Soi Buakhao.

Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

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

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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

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

1g Duck

 

Pattaya live webcam
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Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Two Thailand trips 2002

May 1, 2015 by David Herd

This it not part of my travel blog, just my personal photo & travel history from 2002.

Two Thailand trips

Two Thailand trips

Two Thailand trips in 2002, by my standards it was a very quiet year for travel. Shanghai & Beijing however gave me a great introduction to China. Digital cameras were in their early stages so the photo quality is very average indeed.

The photo above shows the team in Bangkok celebrating John Sinclair turning 60. From the left is John Martin aka Pothole, Michael Dowd, John Sinclair, Apple Pie, David Herd and Tony Murphy.

Happy birthday John

Two Thailand trips

Birthdays seem to roll around so fast the older you get.

Christy’s in Soi 33 Bangkok

Two Thailand trips

Soi 33 Sukhumvit in Bangkok.

Here was my choice.

Two Thailand trips

That is a super smile.


 

This really needs no caption.

  Two Thailand trips

You gotta love Thailand.

Hit the road Jack

Two Thailand trips

    John Sinclair and Bruce Donnachie outside the Office in Soi 33, it is a terrific sports bar with lots of TVs and good looking staff.

Phung, aka Cleopatra

Two Thailand trips

My favourite Nana Plaza girl, we met last year in 2001 and hooked up with each other for quite a few years until about 2009. I believe she found a sponsor and is living in Europe now.  

The Bus Stop in Soi 4 Nana

Two Thailand trips

Mike Dowd, David Herd, Pothole Martin and John Sinclair. Once again I’m so disappointed with the photo quality, early days of digital cameras. This was actually AFL grand final day 2002 when Brisbane Lions beat Collingwood.

The Office in Soi 33.

Two Thailand trips

Even now in 2015 the Office sports bar in Soi 33 is still open.

Pothole Bin Ladin and Apple Pie.

    Two Thailand trips

Our regular village idiot with his new girl. When things became serious we were not allowed to call her Apple anymore, Champen was her name. 🙂   I really have to relay this funny story, Pothole took Apple to Australia a couple of times and they planned to marry. At that time in 2003 little did he realize she was actively managing 4 or 5 other suitors from Europe and America. He only discovered the truth much later after cracking into her Hotmail account.

  Anyhow Pothole actually used some common sense (most unusual for him) and presented Apple with a pre nuptial agreement for her signature. Her assets were about $16,000 worth of jewellery that he had given her, his were way in excess of $1,000,000. This all happened on a Thursday night, then Friday he came home early from work to discover her jewellery laid out on the bed alongside a suicide note.   I think I already mentioned that he was known as the village idiot, and in keeping with this image he raced up to North Sydney police station distraught and weeping, and pleaded with the local cops to help him find her. They came to his apartment, took photographs and asked many questions.  

He called me during the day totally distressed and I gave him the following advice, I said “pack all her clothes etc in her suitcase, leave it outside the door and get your locks changed. Naturally my advice didn’t go down all that well. Much later that evening who should turn up all bright and bubbly, you guessed it, Apple Pie, aka Champen. 🙂   He of course forgave her and took her back, even after finding out she was in fact having a long lunch (and who knows what else?) with a friend of his.  

Two things about Apple however, she was the best Thai cook I have ever seen, secondly she finally moved to England, married an ex cop and had a lovely daughter. The husband was awarded an MBE or similar around 2013 and Apple rolled up at the Palace with him when he received his award. Not a bad ending for a chick from Nana Plaza. 🙂  

As I said previously, Pothole is known by many as “the village idiot”, but he is our village idiot and he has provided us with a huge amount of entertainment over the years. His final piece of stupidity in the above “Apple Pie” saga was showing her my texts and relaying the advice I gave him to her, consequently I had abusive phone calls from Apple indicating I was the villain in the whole fiasco. That’s our Pothole for you. 🙂

 Master chef 2003

Two Thailand trips

  This girl could really cook Thai food. What a difference in photo quality in just one year.  

From 2003

David Herd unforgettable year

Sue on the right was one of my girlfriends from Shanghai, I took her to Sydney for a weekend. The other girl is Apple.  

Bee from Bangkok on her 21st birthday.

Two Thailand trips

Another funny story, I was drinking in the Big Dog bar in Nana plaza when this gorgeous little girl rolled up about 8pm to the hamburger stand in her pyjamas and slippers. She looked so cute I went and spoke to her, well to cut a long story short the next night we got together for her 21st birthday, you gotta love Thailand.

You saw Bee, well here is Beer. 🙂

  Two Thailand trips

Beer was a dancer at Rainbow 3 in Nana Plaza and a girl with a terrific personality.  

Na was one of my favourite girls.

Two Thailand trips

Another funny story, as you can see I met Na in a beauty salon in Soi 22 when she was giving me a pedicure. For a couple of years every time I came to Bangkok we would get together. Mostly she would arrive at my hotel around midnight after she finished work.

Lovely Na

    Two Thailand trips

Things were fine for a long time until one day she said to me “I can’t see you any more David”. I was very surprised and asked her “why not, have you found another boyfriend”? She said “no, I have found a girlfriend”. Looking back I guess this was a “George Costanza” moment, I had driven a girl to lesbianism. 🙂  

John settles Murphy’s debt

Two Thailand trips

Luk closed her shop for 10 days to look after one of our friends. When he left to go back to Australia he completely forgot to leave her any money (on purpose I might add). John Sinclair being the gentleman he is made sure she had enough to cover her expenses.

The result

Two Thailand trips

Luk is a lot happier now.  

Two Thailand trips 2006.

Two Thailand trips

As I am so disappointed in the photo quality I have jumped forward to 2006 to show better shots of my favourite Bangkok girl Cleo.

Thanks for visiting my Two Thailand trips photo blog.                       

 Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

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

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

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

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

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

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

 
 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Three Fabulous Thailand trips 2003

April 29, 2015 by David Herd

Atlantic Bar Pattaya

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Three Fabulous Thailand trips 2003, in fact the whole year was frantic, not sure how I survived, it was one of the busiest & best years for travel that I have ever experienced. I went to Vietnam twice in January & April, Thailand in April & July, then around the world in November starting in Chile, then on to Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, Barcelona & Bangkok on the way home to Australia.

Low tide at Pattaya beach

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

The skyline has changed a lot since 2003, now in 2015 there is a building boom in condominiums and hotels.

Golf at Phoenix with John and Andy

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Andy got tied up with a Thai girl who relieved him of his one million GBP inheritance.

Surrounded by caddies at Phoenix.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Now this is the way to play golf. 🙂

Marta was a pole dancer from Prague

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Marta was quite a wild Russian girl, I chatted to her on Walking St and invited her to join us at Cosy Beach. We had a great day culminating in an even better night. 🙂

The rear view

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Here is Marta again at my hotel, the Sunshine Vista in Soi 3. There are more photos in the slide show at the end, I can’t show them in this part of the post as Photobucket censor any bare boobs. 🙂


John Martin aka Pothole at the Sunshine Vista

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Certainly one of the craziest people I know. He moved to Pattaya a year or two after this, grabbed a girl off the pole and produced two children with her.

John Sinclair, Sinclair Waters (RIP) and Bob Dark.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Sinclair is famous for adding people to his “black list”, after a couple years of being in favor in 2016 he put me back on it. 🙂

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

We are just a bunch of naughty little boys. 🙂

Thai music on Beach Rd Pattaya

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Traditional Thai music.

Here are some gorgeous Thai girls from 2003  

Three Fabulous Thailand trips  Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Three Fabulous Thailand trips  Three Fabulous Thailand trips

How sweet they were. 🙂

Oysters

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

  At the Lobster Pot in Walking Street, there are many seafood restaurants where you overlook the bay.  

Lunch at Fuji

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Here is a typical Thai story, I invited Ja in the yellow to lunch, she worked in the phone section of Big C. However unbeknownst to me she then invited 4 of her friends to come and enjoy a free lunch at my expense. 🙂 This is quite normal in Thailand and it’s not the first, and won’t be the last time I have been caught.

Soi 4 hotel Pattaya

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

   New hotel Soi 4, + North Shore in the background.  

Fresh food in Soi 3

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Thai people have taken street food to an art form.

Still same price in 12 years later in 2015

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Foot massage still same price 12 years later in 2015, however the Thai massage is now 200. I still have 4 or 5 foot massages every week.  

Songkran in Pattaya

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

This is one of my all time favourite photos. Songkran is a week of madness in Pattaya to celebrate the Thai New Year.

Songkran Pattaya

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

  Another tradition is plastering the face with white powder.  

Pothole, prince of fashion.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

  Here is another weird sight around Songkran, John Martin aka Pothole Bin Ladin and his wonderful Thai style shirt.  

Chinatown Bangkok

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Always lots to see in Chinatown.

Chinatown Bangkok

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Chinatown is a “must see” part of Bangkok, another good look into the past is “Jim Thompson” house. I also love taking a cruise on a long tail boat along the mighty Chao Phraya river. Make sure to stop off at Wat Arun, “The Temple of Dawn”.  

Here is an amazing sight in Chinatown.

 

Fresh fish in Bangkok Thailand

Bangkok babe

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Some of the most beautiful babes in the world.

Lovely Jane from Bangkok  

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

This is my friend Jane, we first met in 1999 at Nana Plaza. I took her to Koh Samui for a holiday.  

John Sinclair and David Herd

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

It’s 2017 & John still lives in Soi 4 Nana.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

  Elephants have now been banned from the city streets.

I remember this happening

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

It is now 2016 and they are still prosecuting the criminals.

Atlantic Bar Princesses

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

On the left is Nok in 2003, the next photo shows her in January 2011. A couple of years later she quit Pattaya to live in the country with her new baby.  

Here is Nok in 2011.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

    Here is a coincidence for you, I published this post two days ago on April 30 2015, then last night on May 1st I ran into Nok who is back working at the Atlantic. Her theme song should really be “All my life’s a circle”.:)

Harry Chapin - All My Life's a Circle

Mable from Beijing

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

 I met Mable online in a chat room, she was one of my excellent guides when I went to Beijing where she lives. In 2003 I flew her to Thailand to meet me for a holiday. We visited Bangkok, Pattaya and Koh Chang.

Cosy Beach Pattaya

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

  The elevator to the beach is the Royal Cliff Hotel.  

Notice how the sand enhances the colour of the towel.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

Towel, what towel? I don’t see a towel. 🙂

John Sinclair at Cosy Beach

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

In 2015 the Navy removed all the food vendors from Cosy Beach, such a shame.

Many thanks for visiting my Three Fabulous Thailand trips photo blog.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips, Citadines in Soi 11

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

The rooms are compact and nicely laid out including a kitchen if you like to prepare some food. This is now my hotel of choice, plus Soi 11 is a great street for bars and restaurants.

Excellent pool & Gym at the Dynasty Grande

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

For an excellent room rate just book through THIS LINK.

 That’s all folks, thanks for visiting.

Three Fabulous Thailand trips

                  

                       

  Here are some more posts to check out 

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

Seven deadly Songkran days

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

 

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 4 photos

Bangkok floating market

February 6, 2015 by David Herd

One of the most popular attractions.

Bangkok floating market

Bangkok floating market

Bangkok floating market is a little over two hour west of the city, a short taxi ride then a long-tail boat will take to the fascinating market.

Long-tail boat

Bangkok floating market

The long-tail boat is designed to carry passengers on a river & may include a lightweight long canoe hull, up to 30 meters long, and a canopy. There is a great variation among these boats, some have evolved from traditional craft types, while others have a more improvised look, the sole defining characteristic is a second-hand car or truck engine.

Crowded and chaotic

Bangkok floating market

This is really a great day out, put it on your bucket list.

Food, food and more food

Bangkok floating market

Bangkok floating market is certainly about Food, food and more food, everywhere someone is either eating or selling food.

Actually it’s not just food

Bangkok floating market

Plenty of stock to sell here.  

Clothes & hats a well

Bangkok floating market

This is probably my 3rd visit to the Bangkok Floating Market and I’m sure there will be a 4th.

Long-tail boat

Bangkok floating market

  Check out the size of the engine that pushes this little boat along the river and canals.  

 Bag of bananas 10 Baht

Bangkok floating market

  In the supermarket they are 8 Baht each. 🙂  

Genuine “copy” Lous Vuitton bags

Bangkok floating market

In Thailand they will sell anything anywhere. 🙂

Bangkok floating market, Rambutans, yum!

Bangkok floating market

This is my 3rd visit to the floating market and is always enjoyable.

Bangkok floating market

Bangkok floating market

The Bangkok floating market is certainly a “must see” when you visit Bangkok. Other interesting tours are of course the Grand Palace and Wat Arun.

Here is our transport

Bangkok floating market

Check out the waterfront homes Thai style.

Bangkok floating market

Bangkok floating market

Lots of waterfront shops and homes.

Thanks for joining me at the famous Bangkok floating market photo blog

Bangkok floating market

A couple of years after this visit I moved to Thailand to live permanently in Pattaya for about 10 years, one of the best decisions of my life.
 
If you visit Thailand please go and see Famous Bangkok floating market.
 

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.

Bangkok Budget Sukhumvit Hotels

The best Bangkok budget hotel I have ever stayed in.

 
Here are some more posts to check out     
Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

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

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

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

 
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Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
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    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
 
 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

Pattaya live webcam
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)
 
 
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market near Bangkok, Thailand
 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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