Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Welcome to 700 travel blogs, to access a full index on your mobile please scroll to the bottom & choose from 700 locations. Email is [email protected]

Big Changes Nana Plaza

March 18, 2018 by David Herd

Improvements to Nana in Bangkok

Big Changes Nana Plaza

Big Changes Nana Plaza Big Changes Nana Plaza Plus Soi 4 are taking place right now in March 2018. A huge roof is being built over the Plaza & the bars in the centre are being built again.

Lucky Lukes is still the same

Big Changes Nana PlazaFirst bar on the right as you enter.

 VW bar at the back

Big Changes Nana Plaza Plus Quite a nice addition to the plaza, apparently it has been here 3 years yet I rarely venture to the back of Nana.

Playschool is an old favourite revamped

Big Changes Nana PlazaYou gotta love the pink. 🙂

Big Changes Nana Plaza Plus Soi 4

Big Changes Nana PlazaLollipop makes a comeback. It was Suckers & before that Lollipop again.

Here it is in 2017.

Big Changes Nana Plaza

This to me is the quintessential Nana Plaza photo, sums up many of the customers. 🙂

 Re-building the bars, again.

Big Changes Nana PlazaThis is at least the 3rd time the bars in the centre courtyard have been re-built, I have a feeling the current owners will do it right this time.

Last re-build was 2013, check this link.

Turn the clock back to 1997

ea33f1fd-370b-4fd4-a7d3-233653917273

My first visit was 1997 which was the start of a long and happy connection, not necessarily because of the Thai girls who are there basically to relieve you of your hard earned cash, more because of the great times I have enjoyed with friends from all over the world. Check out this photo blog which showcases them and many of the gorgeous babes we got tangled up with over these decades of decadence. 🙂

Another longtime Nana Plaza bar.

Big Changes Nana PlazaRainbow 1 has been at Nana Plaza for as long as I can remember.

Let’s wander down Soi 4

Big Changes Nana PlazaThis is one of about 4 Hillary bars.

New kid on the block

Big Changes Nana PlazaJust a short stroll down Soi 4 on the opposite side of the road.

Located in front of  the old Rajah hotel.

Big Changes Nana PlazaThe bars offer a nice alternative to the rowdy Nana Plaza.

Semi open beer garden

Big Changes Nana PlazaAt the front of Broadway in Soi 4.

Opposite Broadway is the Red Zone

Big Changes Nana Plaza Plus Soi 4Apart from the new bars there are a couple of high rise buildings under construction, hotels or condos, not sure which.

Used to be Bangkok & before that Spellbound

Big Changes Nana Plaza The more things change the more they stay the same. I first came to Nana Plaza in 1996, & here I am again in October 2018 drinking ice cold Tiger beer & listening to the Eagles sing Hotel California, the perfect song for this incredible venue. “You can check out anytime you want but you can never leave.”

Big Dogs has also changed a little.

Big Changes Nana Plaza Still a great spot to watch the arrivals.

Hello sailor.

LadyBoys Nana Plaza Bangkok  Girls will often be boys.

Lots of improvements at Nana

LadyBoys Nana Plaza Bangkok The best I have ever seen it look.

Always busy here

LadyBoys Nana Plaza Bangkok The action never stops.

Thanks for visiting my Big Changes Nana Plaza Plus Soi 4 photo blog.

Click on bottom right hand corner for full screen.

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

 
  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

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

Budapest beautiful river Danube

March 21, 2015 by David Herd

Budapest beautiful city

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Budapest beautiful river Danube bridges on show in eastern Europe, in fact rarely has the first 24 hours in any city had such an impact on me. The lights, the beautiful buildings and bridges on the Danube are breathtaking. Buda Castle dominates the skyline near my hotel, certainly it’s more spectacular at night. The castle is the historical complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, and was first completed in 1265.

Little Princess

Budapest beautiful river Danube

The original 50 cm statuette of the Little Princess (Kiskirálylány) statue sitting on the railings of the Danube promenade in Budapest.

Hungarian Parliament building

Budapest beautiful river Danube

 Budapest was united from three cities in 1873 and seven years later the Diet resolved to establish a new, representative Parliament Building, expressing the sovereignty of the nation.

A short video of the Parliament

Hungarian Parliament

Matthias Church and Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion at the heart of Buda’s Castle District.

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Budapest beautiful river Danube

On their website they say “The AmaBella offers the ultimate in custom-designed luxury. This 161-passenger vessel features a combination of amenities and design details never before seen on the great waterways of Europe. Featuring an impressive range of stateroom categories, dining options and public lounges, AmaBella will transport you on the river cruise of a lifetime.”

This should be called the rainbow boat

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Cruising along the river was one of the highlights for me.

100 year old restaurant Budapest

Budapest beautiful river Danube

That is the actual name of the restaurant, I had dinner there on my first night in Budapest. It’s only 80 meters from my hotel, I was very tired after a long day travelling from Zagreb so perhaps I was not in the right mood.

100 year Old restaurant

Budapest beautiful river Danube

 I found the music was good but too loud and the Hungarian Goulash was ok, but I didn’t like the pasta that came with it.

Margaret Bridge

Budapest beautiful river Danube

  It is the second northernmost and second oldest public bridge in Budapest.  

Szeacutechenyi Chain Bridge Budapest beautiful river Danube

Budapest beautiful river Danube

One of Budapest’s famous bridges.

The Kiosk is my favourite bar

Budapest beautiful river Danube

  Just around the corner from my hotel this terrific bar shows old movies on the wall.  

Some like it hot

Budapest beautiful river Danube

One of the best comedy movies ever made was playing the other night, I had forgotten just how good it was.

Bar staff at the kiosk

Budapest beautiful river Danube

The guys behind the bar were very friendly.

Pretty face at the Kiosk

Budapest beautiful river Danube

That beautiful smile was certainly worth a photo.

The Buddha Bar

Budapest beautiful river Danube

This is the Budapest Buddha bar, I was in the Paris Buddha bar exactly 10 years ago in February 2005, have a look at my Paris post.                         

Museum of Fine Arts

Budapest beautiful river Danube

  I took this photo from the “hop on hop off” bus. These tours are a great way to get a feel of the city.  

Heroes’ Square

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Heroes’ Square or Hősök tere is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and other important national leaders, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

New York Cafe

Budapest beautiful river Danube

While riding on the “hop on hop off” bus I heard about the New York Cafe, I immediately got off and had lunch in this fabulous establishment.

New York Cafe lunch

Budapest beautiful river Danube

  Delicious food and not overly expensive give the venue.  

Piano man at the New York Cafe

Budapest beautiful river Danube

    Budapest’s answer to Billy Joel.

Oinos Restaurant

Budapest beautiful river Danube

A terrific restaurant which was recommended by Attila from the KIOSK. TripAdvisor rate Oinos 15 out of 1942 restaurants in Budapest. Their sweet Pea soup was as good as I have ever tasted anywhere. I also enjoyed the Lasagna but I wish I had ordered the ribs instead. A nice touch was a champagne welcome drink plus a liquor to finish.

Buda Castle

Budapest beautiful river Danube

  I really like this statue at the castle.  

Buda Castle

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Certainly one of the major attractions in Budapest.

Buda Castle

Budapest beautiful river Danube

The Buda castle is certainly a highlight in the city.

Hot rods at Buda Castle

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Wonderful vintage cars waiting for customers.

Budapest beautiful river Danube”

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Budapest beautiful city, Parliament house viewed from Buda castle.

Another short video of the Parliament  

Hungarian Parliament

On guard at Buda Castle

Budapest beautiful river Danube

    This guy reminded me of similar guards on duty when I was in Prague in the 90s.

Matthias Church

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Matthias Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion at the heart of Buda’s Castle District.  

Inner City Parish Church.

Budapest beautiful river Danube

  The oldest church in Pest still stands by this spot : the Inner City Parish Church. Originally built in Romanesque style, it was later rebuilt in Gothic style. It stands in part on the foundations of the Roman castrum.

German occupation Memorial

Budapest beautiful river Danube

The memorial to the victims of the German occupation in Budapest. Liberty Square statue erected composition, which is intended to restore the memory of the people who are directly linked to the death of Hungarians in 1944 the German occupation.

Shoes on the Danube Bank

Budapest beautiful river Danube

This is to honor the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. This memorial represents their shoes they left behind. 

St. Stephen’s Basilica

It is named in honor of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. Today, it is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary.

Buda Castle

Budapest beautiful river Danube

The castle at night is one of the greatest sights I have seen anywhere in the world.

I hope you enjoyed my post on this wonderful city.

Budapest beautiful river Danube

Here are three bits of advice for you when Budapest, for a reasonably priced hotel in the very best location book the Promenade City hotel. Secondly, spend around $25 on the “hop on hop off” bus which will give you two days on the bus and also a very good river tour.

Live webcam here.

Finally stay away from this bar in Vaci St,  it is a shocking rip off joint, 2 girls struck up a conversation with me on the way in, we sat together and I had one beer, they were drinking like crazy. The bill came to 99,000 or $350 USD, I refused to pay it then they wanted 1/3. The waitress was in on the scam siding with the two blonds, she knew very well I only ordered and drank one beer. Just to get out of there I decided to pay 10,000, or $35 USD and left. Avoid this place at all costs. It’s such a shame they let this happen in this great city.

I hope this warning may save some people the cost and embarrassment.  Of course I should have realized as soon as these two young women started to chat me up there was  scam involved. Which only reminds me when travelling in strange cities you must always be on your guard. 🙂

       Budapest beautiful river Danube     Budapest beautiful river Danube

Thanks for visiting my Budapest beautiful river Danube bridges photo blog.
 Here are some more posts to check out 

          Zagreb Croatia                      Rio de Janeiro                  Brisbane River 

Zagreb Croatia bars restaurants        a7ff7566-9628-434d-a2b1-8c6e8b9a9021       IMG_0100

       

     Koh Samui                                   Korea                                  London

32780a6c-baf6-428a-bd71-68b1bed30b4c         Changdeokgung Palace (2)        IMG_7042

         Bangkok                                   Osaka                                     Pattaya

Soi Cowboy (25)          Osaka 1st night (17)       Walking St Pattaya is wild & sexy 

                                     

             Chiang Mai                      Pattaya                      Chao Phraya river

Chiang Mai with Tone        9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)   191de3bb-38fc-45cd-bce7-ef24081c554b

 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

 Take a look at Budapest from the air.

 

Airshow Budapest 2014 Highlights

 

Sarajevo was one of my stops on the way to Budapest

 

Dubrovnik is a fabulous city

 

Mostar in Bosnia was a real surprise

 

Here is the entire trip

 

A stand out feature of this trip was my selection of hotels and apartments, everyone of them was in a perfect location…

Posted by Travel blogger Fivestarvagabond.com” on Thursday, March 26, 2015

 

Check out these great photo blogs.

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos

London Westminster Big Ben

April 3, 2014 by David Herd

You gotta love London

London Westminster Big Ben

London Westminster Big Ben

London Westminster Big Ben is one of the most popular tourist areas of the city, people swarm like ants around Big Ben, the Abby & Parliament house, they queue for hours to ride on the London Eye.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of  Westminster Palace in London, and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower.

Does anybody know what time it is?

London Westminster Big Ben

Or as “Chicago” would say, “does anybody really care”?


 

Westminster Abbey London

London Westminster Big Ben

Westminster Abbey, was originally known as the Collegiate Church of St Peter, it’s a large, mainly Gothic, church in the City of Westminster,  just west of the Palace of Westminster.

Westminster Abbey London

London Westminster Big Ben

Westminster Abbey London is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.

Westminster Abbey Sanctuary

272ed677-f848-4343-81c7-6eab38032645

In England, the right of sanctuary and officially recognized places of sanctuary had existed since the Anglo-Saxon days. The foremost among these places of refuge was Westminster Abbey London. 

The London Eye

London Westminster Big Ben

The entire structure is 135 meters (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 meters (394 ft). It is currently Europe’s tallest Ferris wheel, the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million visitors annually.

One of my favorite places in Westminster

London Westminster Big Ben

When you tire of the crowds and monuments head for a pub.

Westminster Arms Hotel

London Westminster Big Ben

The are some terrific pubs in London, check out my London Pub link here.

Only a short walk to Downing St

London Westminster Big Ben

When I finished lunch I took a short walk to Downing Street. However the street that caught my eye was the one below, reminded me of a couple of people I know.

You gotta love this street

London Westminster Big Ben

Say no more, wink wink, nudge nudge.  😆


Downing St security

London Westminster Big Ben

There are so many nut cases in London which explains why they need high security at Downing St.

A very unusual sight

London Westminster Big Ben

 Blue sky in London, must be photoshopped. 🙂

Beautiful at night

London Westminster Big Ben

London Westminster Big Ben is a fantastic area to explore and enjoy, I will be there again in March 2015.

Sadly five people have died, with 50 injured – some critically – in a terror attack near the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday March 22 2017.

To receive my latest posts please follow me on Twitter     

That’s all folks

London Westminster Big Ben

Pattaya live webcam

                     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

 
  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
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

 

 

 

Click here for another English post.

 

From London I flew to Cape Town

 

A short flight from London is the wonderful city of Lisbon

 

 
 

Here is a terrific London budget hotel. Great location opposite the Holiday Inn in Gloucester Rd. The hotel has just been refurbished and is very close to the underground which takes you direct to Heathrow for 6 Quid. Within 100 metres there are 3 Italian restaurants, 1 Thai and 1 Indian. Also a very good tavern & sports bar at the Holiday Inn.
Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos