Margarita Island Venezuela & Caracas in 2001, digital cameras were very ordinary in those days so my apologies for the poor quality of the photos. 2001 was another frantic year for travel, two trips to Thailand & around the world via Spain, Venezuela & Los Angeles.
Caracas
I wasn’t too impressed with Caracas, after a couple of days there I headed for Margarita Island. Above is the view from my hotel of the city & the surrounding mountains.
One of the best steaks I have ever eaten.
It was Argentinian beef & I went back another night for a repeat. I was travelling with Les Scheffer back when we were good friends, it’s now 2020 & I have been on his blacklist for the last 5 or 6 years. 🙂
I’m sorry to sat Les passed away in March 2020, RIP.
I had arranged to meet a couple of ladies
Through an internet dating site, they were very nice & a lot of fun.
Margarita Island
Margarita Island is part of Venezuela, & lies in the Caribbean Sea 40 kilometers north of the mainland. It’s a very popular holiday destination.
View from our hotel
Porlamar is the favored haunt of holidaying Venezuelans and is full of glitzy shops, huge hotels and beach bars.
We hired a car to check out the island
Most people live, or stay, on the eastern peninsula, home to the cities of Pampatar, Porlamar and La Asuncion.
Shuck more oysters please they taste wonderful, and did you know that American and Italian researchers found they are rich in amino acids, which trigger increased levels of sex hormones. Consequently their high zinc content aids the production of testosterone. This photo blog will feature many of the places in this wonderful world where I have indulged my love of this incredible delicacy. The photo above is from the Surf & Turf restaurant in Pattaya Thailandwhere I enjoyed lunch on Friday August 24 2019.
Look at these beauties
I was in Sendai in Japanin June 2018 at Ostra de Ole restaurant & found that the Monday special offered half price oysters, I thought I was in heaven, sitting in a great little oyster bar drinking ice cold beer, listening to Abba singing Dancing Queen, & waiting on my 10 oysters to arrive. And as I said, tonight they were half price, 300 Baht or $12 AUD, priceless.
I’m a very happy guy.
My waiter Ryuichiro Yamamoto a nice young university student who was studying Space Engineering, rolled up with a bonus 3 oysters on the house. Shuck more oysters please Keep them coming buddy, I’ll tell you when to stop. 🙂
My old friend Dennis Young from the 70s & I are enjoying Coffin Bay oysters. Coffin Bay is a 700 km drive from Adelaide via Port Augusta or a 50 minute flight from Adelaide to Port Lincoln Airport.
Two dozen oysters = two days food poisoning on Copacabana Beach
I was totally out of it for 48 hours after eating these oysters on the beach, this was way back in 2006.
The Evil eye
The look on his face should have warned me about eating his oysters. He even had madman printed on his cap. 🙂
Back in Brazil in 2009
And back on a beach in Florianopolis pigging out on oysters au naturel.Oysters are good for your heart. They are high in omega – 3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium which can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and lower blood pressure.
This is the best seafood shop on the Gold Coast, that’s my old friend Frank who always looks after me.
Shuck more oysters please
I have been eating oysters here for 30 years.
El Mercado in Bangkok
Currently the best value oysters in the northern hemisphere. 🙂
Oysters from Cancle in France
A huge selection from the Brittany coast. For prices & information please check out THIS LINK. Renowned for its oyster production, the commune of Cancale is located in Brittany, in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine. Fishing port, it takes place at the western end of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, on the Emerald Coast, about fifteen kilometers from Saint-Malo. Prices at El Mercado From as low as B35 or $170 AUD each.
June 2022
A huge jump in prices.
Do I enjoy the oysters at El Mercado?
You bet your bloody life I do. 🙂
Finally we are at Port Macquarie on the west coat of Australia.
People either love them or hate them. If you love them, head to the NSW mid-north coast, where a string of oyster farmers have opened up their doors to oyster lovers who know that fresh from the farm is best.
First trip to Tokyo in 2007
The quality of food in Japan is wonderful.
Dining with Phil & Junko
This was my first trip to Japan & I was very lucky to have my friends show me the ropes.
Life does not get much better than this.
Add a stunning view, excellent decor and very efficient staff to the great food and you have all the ingredients for a perfect lunch in Cape Town.
The Kitchen Pattaya
Oysters from France delivered fresh every Thursday & usually sold out by Friday.
$42 AUD per dozen
They add ++ in Thailand for tax & a service charge, very annoying being forced to tip 10%. Thanks for visiting my Shuck more oysters photo blog. I’m planning to visit Canale in France in 2020 to totally pig out on their wonderful oysters fresh from the sea.
Pattaya seafood market
Thai oysters at B40, or $1.30 USD.
Large Thai oyster
I only tried one & it was better than I expected, even without lemon etc. We will include in our next oyster night.
Oysters at Central Festival Pattaya
These oysters were on special, B360 or $11 USD for 9 & they tossed in one for free. 🙂 Certainly the best value I have found in Thailand.
Tuesday oysters special in Pattaya
The Beach Club at the Pullman hotelfrom 3 pm every Tuesday they serve fabulous oysters from France for B30 a piece. Of course being an upmarket hotel the Pullman adds ++ to the price, 7% VAT & 10% service which brings the price to B35 or $1’60 AUD. About $19 per dozen making it the best value I have found in Thailand.
Great value here…
At L’Auberge in Pattaya fine de claire from France are on special, B570 per dozen, or $23 AUD.
Belon oysters
February 11 2022 & L’Auberge were sold out of fine de claire so I ordered the Belon oysters. Belons are the native oyster of Europe. They are an entirely different genus from the rest of our oysters. They act different, and they taste different. Way different. Love ’em or leave ’em.
Menton on the French riviera
Many of the oysters I eat here in Thailand come from France. Here are some I actualy ate in France. 🙂
Hamish Elton
Hamish eats more oysters than I do simply because he has more money than I do. 🙂 Consequently I have christened “The Oyster Man”. Check out Hamish Elton “The Oyster Man”.
Beachfront restaurant Pattaya is aptly named Surf & Turf & is rated number 100 out of 1187 restaurants in Pattaya. For far better food photographs than in this post just check out THIS LINK for my previous Surf & Turf photo blog.
Location
On the beach next door to the Long Beach Garden Hotel.
Beachfront restaurant Pattaya
A fairly ordinary front entrance.
Air conditioned inside section
It’s much nicer inside which you can clearly see.
Catering for the smokers
The further away from me the better. 🙂
Inside in the aircon.
Especially during the day the front area beside the beach is the most popular part of the restaurant.
Another outdoor area
There is quite a number of different sections in this popular Beachfront restaurant Pattaya.
This is the beachside section
No aircon but they have plenty of fans & there is usually a beautiful breeze coming off the ocean.
An unusual dish
My friend ordered snapper, as you can see the portion was rather small & there was a skewer of beef with it.
Here is the seared tuna
Rather delicious.
Chicken Satay
The peanut sauce was excellent.
Oysters from France
Delicious, rather expensive here, around B500 or $24 AUD for 6, double what I pay at El Mercado in Bangkok.
My 2 Australian friends
Ian Fraser-Smith & David Robertson from the Gold Coast in Australia are regular visitors to Pattaya. They were both impressed with the food at the Surf & Turf.
For far better food photographs than in this post please check out THIS LINK for my previous Surf & Turf photo blog.
Thanks for visiting my Beachfront restaurant Pattaya photo blog, Surf & Turf has good food in a great seaside location.
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This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history, you may describe it as the melancholy musings of an old man. My answer to that is simple, it’s far better to be a “has been” than a “never was”. 🙂
Pretty woman stop awhile, Pretty woman talk awhile, Pretty woman give your smile to me, Pretty woman yeah, yeah, yeah, Pretty woman look my way, Pretty woman say you’ll stay with me, ‘Cause I need you, I’ll treat you right, Come with me baby, be mine tonight. It seems fitting looking back on a random selection of some of the Pretty women I have been lucky enough to know, that Roy Orbison should help me recall some of those wonderful memories.
That’s Karen Smith in 1985, my 3rd & last fiancee, I have never known a nicer girl.
Carol Aboud in 1978
This was taken on my birthday which fell on 7-7-77, Carol & I were an item (on & off) for around 4 years.
Sing it for me Neil. 🙂
Carolyn Clark 1994
I still see Carolyn when I’m on the Gold Coast, in fact in July 2019 we made a little promotional video for her boyfriend Andy Sims.
Next we have Glenn Frey sing a beautiful song, ok I know the song is Caroline as opposed to Carolyn, but you get the picture.
Now this definitely is a pretty woman.
Kelly Davis hailed from Tasmania, we knocked around together for a few months in 1991.
Kelly was a huge fan of Van Morrison so here is another one of my favourites.
One of the sexiest of all the girls I knew.
There is something about those Kiwi girls, hot, hot, hot. Karen Greenwood & I had an on & off relationship for over a year in 1991. She stuck around mainly because I lent her a car. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Now here we have a real wild child.
Allison Schroeder, 18 years of age & gorgeous. Of course I was only 45 at the time. 🙂 If I remember correctly I promised her the world & bought her an atlas. 🙂
As they say in the classics, I was having the time of my life. 🙂
Allison was wild but Tanya was crazy. 🙂
Great company sober, but give her a couple of drinks too many & she would turn into a nightmare. This was 1989 on the Gold Coast.
Time to feature a triple treat.
Meet Kitty, Di Parko & Helen Burke, before you ask the answer is yes. 🙂
They don’t come any hotter than Donna Turner.
This was 1996 & she still looks fabulous today in 2019.
Marlene Cuthbert
Around 1983 Marlene worked for Ansett Airlines, she had a very sexy voice on a microphone, that’s why Ansett used her to make all the announcements at mascot airport. 🙂
Looking back I sometimes regret I chose Karen Smith to be my 3rd fiancee instead of Marlene. Don’t get me wrong, Karen was one of the nicest person I ever knew, our personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Lee Gregory was my 2nd fiancee.
Lee was from Adelaide where met, then we reconnected again in Melbourne in 1974. We had a fairly hectic dramatic short time together, travelled to Singapore & Bali & saw Frank Sinatra in concert in Melbourne on my birthday 7-7-74.
This is one of my all time Sinatra favourites, I can think of no better song to play when I think of Lee.
And they did…..
Teresa Hamilton-Smith & Helen Burke, we had a lot of fun together in 1982 & 1983.
Barbara Manneli aka the Gypsy.
The classic island romance, we celebrated the millennium on Koh Samui, 3 months later I flew to Italy to re-kindle the affair. Guess what? I didn’t make 1st base. 🙂
This one’s for you Gypsy.
Tall & tanned & young & lovely
This is Mel, we me on Copacabana beach, she had green eyes & was 6′ tall, say no more. 🙂
Bebel Gilberto will sing the song for us.
Someones knocking at the door.
Do me a favour open the door & let em in.
This is Emily at the Sheraton Mirage.
Was a Gold Coast meter maid.
Then there was Jill….
Cool, sexy & a lot of fun. Last time I saw her was in Sydney in 2102.
Back to the 60s
Veronica Crocker was my 2nd serious girlfriend, we dated for a couple of years when I was a teenager until the wanderlust took hold of me & at the ripe old age of 20 I sailed to England.
Dion DiMucci was a huge artist in the 60s, here are two of his songs. Both bring back great memories of my time with Veronica.
Teenager in Love
Take good care of my Baby
My first serious girlfriend
What incredible memories I have of this gorgeous girl Elizabeth Wiggington, better known as Beth. She lived on the corner of Wellington Rd & Antwerp St & I would ride my bike 3.3 Km from my home at 58 Kihilla Rd. It was much easier when I got my drivers licence & bought my little Morris Minor, except for the night I was driving home from her house & collided with a horse on Cumberland Rd. 🙂
Now here is one of the reasons I love Facebook, it was 1960 when we were together for 1 to 1.5 years, then I never really saw her again. It’s now September 2019, 59 years later & we have re-connected on Facebook, in fact Beth sent me quite a few photos, because way back then for some stupid teenage reason I had torn up all the ones I owned. 🙂
Johnny Burnette can remind us how it was back then.
The old shipboard romance.
I needed to get over my long romance with Veronica & Leanne Scott on the ship to England seemed like the perfect solution. 🙂
Sing it for me Bobby……
Wendy Winspear, tall & gorgeous.
A lovely Dutch girl on the Gold Coast, sadly she passed away far too young around 2017, RIP.
My first fiancee, Melbourne 1970.
Paula Wills was an Adelaide girl living in Melbourne & working as a an hostess for Ansett. After 3 months living together I think we just ran out of things to say.
Dianne Parkinson in 1975
To say Parko bought some dramas into my life is a gross understatement. Read about some of it on THIS LINK.
The sweetest Diane of them all.
Adelaide 1973 Diane Butson was one of my neighbours in a condo block on Anzac Highway. She was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray dance studio. A great girl & absolutely gorgeous. Follow THIS LINK for more old photos.
Great song from the Bachelors in 1964.
The Bachelors ~ Diane ~ 1964
Another beautiful Adelaide girl.
Jan Seagers was another neighbour, we had some terrific times together. We caught up again in 2015, I had not seen her for 40 years. Check out THIS LINK.
Pretty woman stop awhile
Helen Burke from Melbourne, we really had some fun, played backgammon all through Hawaii & the California coast in 1982.
Linda Ronstadt will tell you about the coast.
Well by now you are bored silly by the memories & musings of an old man. But make no mistake, Glenn Frey will describe exactly how I feel today.
Boys must have toys, it’s ingrained in our DNA. I have searched through my photos to find nearly all of the cars & boats I have had the pleasure of owning throughout my life.
They don’t come much prettier than my yellow canary shown above, I owned this beautiful Mercedes 350SL for 17 years from 1990 till 2007.
Here’s what you do with a beautiful carYou fill it up with pretty girls of course. 🙂
When you own a beautiful Mercedes….
Naturally you need a Porsche to keep it company. 🙂
When you drove a Porsche on the Gold Coast……..
Good things seemed to happen.
My first Mercedes 350 SL
I purchased this classic in 1980, it was the ultimate chick magnet. 🙂
When you have a Mercedes & a Porsche…..
Naturally you need a boat. 🙂 This is a 22′ Fraser with a 200 HP Yamaha.
Next you need a crash test dummy
This keeps the birds away when the covers are off. 🙂
My previous boat.
19 foot long with a 150 HP Suzuki.
Life is hard, then you die.
Joking of course, life is wonderful, when you die you can take a rest. 🙂
A little runabout to get me around Pittwater & Scotland Island. Do you like the name?
Here is my Bertram 25
A terrific flybridge cruiser with twin 165 HP Mercury inboards. It was moored outside my Drummoyne apartment in the early 80s & spent most of the time visiting Doyles at Watsons Bay.
When you own a boat…..
Good things seem to happen. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Loading the team on board
Off to Doyles again.
Gluttony at it’s very best. 🙂
So many memories of long lazy lunches at Doyles.
A typical Sunday at Doyles
Huge crowd at Doyles & the Watson’s Bay hotel next door.
Back to the cars
Early 80s I drove a Ford Marquis for a while.
You gotta love a Benz. 🙂
This was my Mercedes 280 E in 1989.
My beautiful Jaguar XJ 6.
It came with 2 petrol tanks & 2 gorgeous girls.
My first car
Sorry about the photo quality most of my photos were damaged when my home in Melbourne was firebombed in September 1977. But that’s another story, it & others are on THIS LINK.
Next car was an iconic FJ Holden.
My girlfriend Beth washing my FJ Holden outside my home at 58 Kihilla Rd Auburn.
I was lucky to survive some of the things I did in this car. Looking back, I was a typical teenager in the 60s who knew no fear.
Then came the Volkswagen
I can remember floating it on the flooded highway at Ballina in the floods. I just pushed it 50 metres to the dry road.
When you owned a VW in the 60s……
Good things happened, for example “Veronica Crocker”.
EH Holden station wagon.
This was my next car after arriving home in 1965 after 18 months in England & Europe, including a 4 month stint as an officer on the La Maria.
A 1970 MGB, my first new car.
It set me back just under $3000, worth every cent. Purchased in Melbourne, relocated to Sydney for 2 years then moved to Adelaide in 1972.
A 1971 E Type Jaguar
Forget the photo quality the car was magnificent. I remember driving from Adelaide to Melbourne in the middle of the night in 5 hours 45 minutes.
When you drove an E type good things happened.
Meet Jan Seagars & my Doberman Ziggy, this was Lexton Grove Windsor in 1974. Three thoroughbreds together.
My two sports cars
One was a little faster than the other, but I loved them both. Madison was guarding the fleet.
The work horse
My Commodore station wagon initially was my 2nd car, in 2003 I took 3 Japanese students on a road trip which started in Surfers Paradise & went through Broken Hill NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia. The next leg took us to Uluru aka Ayers Rock.
Boys must have toys
You may think this Lexus is a little out of character, I owned it for 3 years prior to moving to Thailand in 2011. Without a doubt it was the best value out of all the vehicles I ever owned. Paid $7,500 in 2008 & sold it for $7,000, it was as smooth as silk.
Well, that’s all folks.
Many thanks for visiting my Boys must have toys photo blog & indulging me in truck loads of nostalgia.
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia which is officially known as Flagstaff Beach, is the northernmost beach in New South Wales. It’s at the mouth of the Tweed River and the rocky headland Point Danger, which also marks the Queensland-New South Wales border.
Sand transport system
The Project is a sand transport system that collects sand from the southern side of the Tweed River entrance at Letitia Spit, and pumps it under the river to outlets on the northern side. From there the sand is transported by waves and currents to nourish the southern Gold Coast beaches.
Great view of the beach
We are standing on a cliff in QLD looking across Flagstaff Beach to NSW.
Surfers waiting for a wave.
There seems to be many personal and indescribable experiences in their lives that keeps them paddling out again & again. Plus the willingness to wait for them often defines a surfer more than his or her individual ability.
Bring it on.
The waiting is really worth it.
Everyone loves the beach
Not just surfers, kids with their mums & dogs as well. 🙂
My friends from England
Joan Baptist & Bill Austin from Wiltshire visited Australia in 2010 & naturally I took them sightseeing along the coast. The following week we drove down to Sydney.
They actually got married in England yesterday August 3 2019 after being together for over 20 years.
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia
It’s not just the board-riders who love to surf. Kite-boarding is an action sport combining aspects of wake-boarding, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding, skateboarding and sailing into one extreme sport. A kite-boarder harnesses the power of the wind with a large controllable power kite to be propelled across the water, land, or snow. Wikipedia
Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia
I’m guessing he is heading for a cold beer.
OK, I’ll meet you at the pub. 🙂
This is what the Beach Boys call a “surfer girl”.
Thanks for visiting my Surfing Duranbah Beach Australia photo blog.
Two weeks Gold Coast 2019 provided a welcome relief from months of hot weather in Thailand. Caught up with some old friends & celebrated another birthday at Melbas on the park. Most days were overcast with scattered showers which suited me just fine. Above is Marine Parade Labrador.
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Talking about Labrador…
There is a nice restaurant next door to the Aqua building called The Lazy Lobster.
Lunch with an old friend.
I have known Shane for around 30 years, he took me to lunch for my birthday.
I chose the baby Barramundi
The dish was very nice however I must admit my favourite place for seafood is on Chevron Island.
Chevron Island Seafood
Always fresh & the price is right. If you go make sure you say hi to Frank & Wozza.
Malcolm Kennedy
Coffee on Chevron Island with Mal, another guy I have known for 30 years. Mal originally owned the Typsy Prawn restaurant on the corner of Upton St & Ashmore Road. He moved to Phuket around 2001 & opened a restaurant on the beach with the same name. Then after a few years he moved to Jomtiem & bought a venue called Simon’s Fish & Chips, he now resides on Chevron.
Melbas 38th birthday
Beside me is Dave Allen, Adrian, Greg Craig & Graham La Roche. More birthday photos on THIS LINK.
Check out this new illuminated LED menu idea.
Now you can throw away your glasses. 🙂
Breakfast at the Island Cafe.
Excellent food & coffee here.
Australian lamb price is at all time record levels.
To be fair this is at the Brickworks in Ferry Rd Southport, both the seafood & butcher shop are known for their over the top prices.
Meet Sam Murphy
I stayed with Tony & Nikki Murphy at their lovely home in Sorrento, Sam however is totally in charge of the house. 🙂
Burleigh Heads Surf Club
A very good breakfast here, more photos of Burleigh on THIS LINK.
Avanti St Mermaid Waters
My brother Ian & his wife Sandra just demolished their home & built duplexes. They sold one & live in the other. 50% of the homes in this street are now duplexes. Incredibly there is one a few doors down from Ian that just sold for $1.8 million.
Drinks at Melbas
Caught up with the usual suspects.
Two weeks Gold Coast July 2019
Thanks for visiting my Two weeks Gold Coast 2019 photo blog, I hope you enjoyed it.
Beautiful tropical garden in the heart of Pattaya.
AVANI Pattaya Resort
AVANI Pattaya Resort gardens and pool area has a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. I remember staying at this hotel way back in 1998 whit was call the Royal Garden Resort. More recently it was the Marriott.
The main entrance from 2nd Rd.
The property runs all the way to Beach Road & is adjacent to the Royal Garden Plaza shopping mall.
Entrance to Royal Garden Plaza is next door to Avani Resort.
Lots of interesting shops & a very good food court.
AVANI Pattaya Resort gardens reception
Has not changed much in 20 years. 🙂
Lounge bar off the foyer however the pool area is the main attraction.
This lovely hotel is in a perfect location, TripAdvisor rate it number 10 out of 497 hotels in Pattaya. If you would like a very good discounted room rate with free cancellation & a pay later option, just book through THIS LINK.
AVANI Pattaya Resort from Beach Road
Wander through this arch & enter the beautiful gardens.
Now we start seeing Thai architecture.
Plants & trees grow at a very rapid rate in Thailand as you can imagine.
AVANI Pattaya Resort has a beautiful inviting pool
It has a pool bar as you cane see where you can sip a cocktail or a cold beer while you cool off. 🙂
It really feels like you are on a tropical island.
You are surrounded by a fabulous tropical environment.
My question is “where are the macaws”?
I took this photo in November 2012 when the property was run by the Marriott, they had 2 of these fabulous birds living in a cage in the gardens, however most of the time they were on a perch outside the cage. I wonder where they have gone?
All I could find were swans. 🙂
Nowhere near as beautiful as the Macaws. 🙂
Lots of places to sit here.
They serve Thai food in the garden at a very reasonable price for a five star hotel.
Table tennis & sun lounges
Lots to do & a terrific shopping mall next door.
AVANI Pattaya Resort the rooms are excellent as you would expect.
Please remember what I said earlier, if you would like a very good discounted room rate with free cancellation & a pay later option, just book through THIS LINK.
At the Beach Rd entrance there is a Benihana sake bar.
A few shots of sake will get you in the mood to party. 🙂
Turn left when you exit at Beach Road & 30 meters along is one of my favourite restaurants, the Wine Connection. It just opened on November 28 2018. See their fabulous on THIS LINK.
Wine Connection Beach Rd Pattaya has finally arrived in our city by the bay. Opened November 28 2018 & a friend & I dined there the following day.
Welcome to Wine Connection
A nice warm welcome awaits your arrival. 🙂
Relaxed friendly atmosphere
The restaurant is quite large, I’m guessing it would seat 100 people.
This is what makes Wine Connection different & unique.
The wine cellar is part of the restaurant & you can browse & select your bottle to enjoy with dinner. As you can see there are wines from all over the world starting at a low B500 or $15 USD, which is good value in Thailand where wine prices are ridiculously high.
Australians are so lucky they can buy very good low price wine for $4 Aud or $3 USD. Just last year Coles took home the title ofbest wine under $20 from Australia and New Zealandat the Winestate Wine of the Year Awards, with their $5 James Busby Big & Bold Shiraz 2015.
Recently an $8 Aldi rose was named one of the best in the world — catch was you couldn’t get it in Australia.
However another Aldi wine has won big at the Melbourne International Wine competition & a bottle is going to set you back only $6.99! Here is a selection of their best wines for under $10 AUD.
The guys behind the bar are ready & eager to look after you.
We found all the staff here were eager to please & very friendly indeed.
Spanish Style Gambas.
My favourite dish at Wine Connection, cooked to perfection. 🙂
Caesar salad was excellent.
The two entrees above are the perfect way to start a meal. 🙂
Wine Connection Beach Rd Duck Confit
Another excellent dish, Duck confit is duck that has been cured with salt and then gently cooked in its own fat. The duck emerges meltingly tender with a rich, slightly salty but mellow flavor—there’s nothing quite like it. Traditionally, the whole duck is used for confit.
La pièce de résistance
A 200 gram grilled Australian tenderloin cooked to perfection.
To finish I had the Cream Crème brûlée & my friend Ron Rigg from Hawaii had the chocolate cake.
Crème brûlée, also known as burnt cream or Trinity cream, is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a texturally contrasting layer of hardened caramelized sugar. It is normally served slightly chilled; the heat from the caramelizing process tends to warm the custard producing a cool center. Wikipedia
Here is a story that fits the theory of “six degrees of separation”, Eugene Chew was here from Wine Connection head office in Bangkok & he generously gave us complimentary deserts. We were chatting about various subjects & my friend Ron Riggs who lives in Hawaii told Eugene he grew up in Manchester Michigan. Here is the surprise, it turns out Eugene was also born & raised in Midland Michigan only 2 hours north of Manchester.
Also he went to college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor which is only 30 minutes from Manchester, what are the odds? 🙂
Manchester to Midland
Thanks for visiting my Wine Connection Beach Rd Pattaya photo blog. I have also had the pleasure of dining in several of their Bangkok restaurants as well as Koh Samui.
Morning walk Beach Road Pattaya is an everyday occurrence for me starting around 8 am & lasting for 25 to 30 minutes. I usually head for Starbucks for a ham & cheese croissant with a tall latte while I browse through the Bangkok Post.
Lots happening in this shot.
People waiting to board the boats to take them para-sailing or to Koh Larn Island.
The crowd is building….
The buses haul them into Pattaya & offload them in Beach Road, then as you can see they line up to board the boats.
February 2020 see no Chinese tourists in Pattaya
Many tour boats based in this resort city will be moored for at least the next three months, based on the number of cancellations by Chinese tour group agents, according to a large tour operator.
The Chinese government’s suspension of outbound Chinese tours to contain the coronavirus had been a direct hit for boat operators, who mainly serve Chinese tour groups.
“Chinese tour agencies were closed for a month from Jan 29 to wait and see how the situation developed… As a result, boat operators have to halt services for three months, based on the agencies’ tour programmes.
“Since the closure of Chinese outbound tours, there has not been a single customer.”
Not as many boats as usual
Less than half that used to be here.
A boat from many years ago.
It must be at least 50 or 60 years old, so much character. For more examples of Pattaya boats just follow THIS LINK.
Worked stopped about 3 years ago on the ghost building in the background.
Beach needs a clean up here.
The boat drivers are far to lazy to lend a hand & clean up the tree branches.
Let’s clean up the beach.
It’s the late Kings birthday, he was born 1927 & passed away October 13 2016. These volunteers are doing a great job cleaning up the beach in honor of the late King.
Replacing the drains
The council is replacing the drains to hopefully stop the street from flooding after a storm. This is February 20 2020 & the project was to be completed by now, I think it will take at least another year. 🙂
Too many selfies are never enough.
The female of the species never tire of looking in the mirror or taking selfies. 🙂
Smoking used for weight control
I am told many super models smoke to help keep their weight under control, clearly in this case it has not worked.
This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposite the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate.
I wasn’t too impressed with Caracas, after a couple of days there I headed for Margarita Island. Above is the view from my hotel of the city & the surrounding mountains.
It was Argentinian beef & I went back another night for a repeat. I was travelling with Les Scheffer back when we were good friends, it’s now 2020 & I have been on his blacklist for the last 5 or 6 years. 🙂
Through an internet dating site, they were very nice & a lot of fun.
Margarita Island is part of Venezuela, & lies in the Caribbean Sea 40 kilometers north of the mainland. It’s a very popular holiday destination.
Porlamar is the favored haunt of holidaying Venezuelans and is full of glitzy shops, huge hotels and beach bars. 
Most people live, or stay, on the eastern peninsula, home to the cities of Pampatar, Porlamar and La Asuncion.
A luxury hotel in the middle of nowhere. 🙂 Use this link for a discounted room rate.
It was about 2 years later in 2003 when I finally quit for good.
A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. 🙂
I shouted one of the locals a coke. 🙂
Thanks for visiting my Margarita Island Venezuela photo blog.
Here is an article on Margarita Island Venezuela written on May 5th 2019.
