Leaderboard

Rescuing a huge Green Turtle that was clearly in distress and couldn't submerge as we were coming back from diving. Probably ate a plastic bag thinking it was a jellyfish 😟 We got it out of the water and to the Park Ranger Vet. Incredibly it survived, I'm very happy to say.

And yet another WS dinosaur goes extinct. The shutting down of these open air beer bars that used to line WS on both sides, for me, has made it a much less desirable place to go. I know there are many here who are old enough to remember beer bars such as Stoneys, which was my first bar I would go to after arriving in town and making my initial wander down WS. There was Kilkenny, Abbe's Bar, the Roo Bar, the Black and White from way back in the mid-90s which was on the left side of WS not 40 meters inside the archway entrance. And so many more. And now the New Star. It just isn't the same. I understand the changing demographics of Pattaya tourism and the type of crowd that is now a huge chunk of the tourist trade doesn't exactly fit the prototype of the Western punter who made up the bulk of the beer bar crowd sipping suds while watching the parade go by. It's just sad that places like this aren't able to compete with the newer places that have been built and inevitably have to close. The only option seems to be the beer bars farther down and clustered together back off of WS. But they lack any street front view. Last time I was there in June, the further down I got going toward Bali Hai Pier, I had to ask myself if I was still in Thailand or if I was really in Bangladesh.

I can't remember the prices in the 90s. But one thing's for sure, i didn't care about the prices in the 90s. I burnt through some wad. Dealt with many a sick buffalo's veterinary bills, educated younger sisters and managed to hold it all together. I emerged older, wiser, poorer and happy.

How is the vibe in Patong right now? Had a blast there last NYE...Heading to Koh Lipe for the first time ever in a few weeks...a buzzed wifey is always fun LOL! Weather was absolute fantastic last year the entire week.

Ice fishing, with a Kuksa of hot chocolate!

Pork Adobo

A few snaps from last night....didn't range to far....got a cold... Plenty of opportunities at the Soi Buakhao end of Soi M I T....... Started banging about here.......... Popped into ''Space of Billabong'' for my night cap about 00.15 am ...beer up to 90 Baht+ at that time but bargains to be had up to 22.00 hrs....A few more people about and they do cocktails now.. Within 10 minutes of arriving band had a break....lol...check bin...gone......

Aug 21, 2021

Yep, as have I several years ago, pre-Covid. I'm happy that Sois 7 and 8 have come back, though both not nearly to what they were in years past, but still a viable option. I figure to mix in more time in Pratumnak, especially Soi 5, and Jomtien, in the Soi 7 and Rompho area, while still making the rounds in TT, Pothole, Myth, LKM, etc. Plus a few spots beyond 3rd Rd, especially the gents clubs. One of the few actual beer bars that are worth a visit, though not on WS but on the pathway on Soi Diamond near 2nd Rd, is Egg's Le Pub, which I'll swing by a time or two. Always a good chat, a cold beer and maybe a game of pool. And the girls, while not everyone's idea of a striking beauty, are usually fun for an LD and a laugh or two.

Most locals and frequent caucasian visitors have moved on to Soi Buakhao/LK Metro/Tree Town.

Chicken masaman, was a bit watery, but very nice.

The journey home in the early hours is always interesting!

All of that and it was pussy heaven😁😁

Bunch of fucking hypocrites !! Ooooooohh you've got to wear rainbow laces........No writing on the rainbow armband.......... I don't care what your religion says just wear the fucking armband .. How much money did you say??? Ok then, just don't get caught chucking poofters off the stadium roof during the tournament and try not to let anybody see the Filipino construction crews' dead bodies being shipped home ..!!

Bloody awful when a gent of my girth is reduced to getting only a kids’ meal….. 😢😢😢

Nice weather this week in Neath. Cold but dry, will be walking up the distant ridge tomorrow.

My father was a WWII war hero. He earned two bronze stars for bravery as well as numerous other medals. He was part of the first charge at Omaha on D-Day. My historian cousin recently put together a couple of boards with all of the medals and citations. I gifted these things to my younger son, as he is the type of person who would honor these items. My father entered the Army as a buck private in the early 1930s to find a way to make a living given the effects of the dust bowl and American Depression. He died 4 days before my second birthday in combat in Korea. He was killed by friendly fire. I have no memories of the man other than what I have been told. We have in our family possession a book on the history of Texas that was written in the late 1800s. I gifted this book to my daughter-in-law who is a bit of a genealogist. The male namesake of our family was Scottish. He borrowed the landlord's English name and packed the family up to travel to North Carolina. Word is he had the landlord's permission in order to escape some planned skullduggery by the "Bloody British" against the Scots in the area. This was in the late 1700s. The family quickly proceeded West and ended up in Western Texas where they are mentioned for building bridges and some other infrastructure improvements, For the next 200 years my forebears married Irish lases. I would guess this was attributable to the potato famine in Ireland. My father broke with this and married an American woman of Czech decent. Not much is known about this branch of the family before they entered the US in the early 1900s. The ones that came over were primarily carpenters and they built their own houses on the Southwest side of Chicago. Word is I had an uncle who was murdered by the Capone mob for moving into one of their territories.

Tonight I noticed a sign at the end of the fence.....Love the dates...lol...

Just been packing for tomorrow's drive to Bangkok,5 nights in the Dynasty Grande then back to Starmageddon land. My bro-in-law is coming with us & will drive our pickup back to Korat & from what the missus has just been saying some of the family are coming along for the ride.

It never interested me until I spent 2 months here in the Sand box. Now it has become a regular part of my Winter trips.

Nice photo I could never get interested in Phuket went down solo twice took a girl once and just never could really get comfortable.

All mouth and no trousers .....

Unbelievable, where was this. Seems high or very drunk. Big guy, give the Thai guys their due, they tried to hold him. Needed a taser or a bullet to the head.

When you gotta, you gotta go

The very best of times as far as I'm concerned

That guy parks in the same place every morning and does a ton of business everyday.

A few snaps from this morning's stroll. When going cheap on walkway material, this is what the result looks like after only a couple of months. When you walk on the panels you can feel them flex and give, so no surprise the damage done when motorbikes use the walkway. Wonder what the dBA level is at the monitoring station when the festivals are pounding out music at volume 11.

Well the good news.... The Baggies have finally won a game. The Bad/ sad news is that Saudi Arabia are likely hosts for the 2034 world Cup finals. Isn't FIFA bent as f**k? Money grabbing wankers.

Just having a bite at McDonald’s, finally took a moral inventory and went through my bank statements since last June for new “hobby”…….Bad , but doesn’t show the withdrawals I made either….Barely 100K THB in a year and a half, plus I learned a HELL OF A LOT…..What does that get me in BKK these days? A couple of freelancers in Thermae and a bottle of Chivas ? I know I know bloody degenerate I am

Just had a ruck with the wife, she wanted to superglue a picture to the wall by our front door. It was some kind of Buddha painting. Kataleya was telling her not to do it and I agreed. Other than the stupidity of using superglue, I told her to restrict her need to turn our house in to a temple to the conservatory, where she has set up some sort of worship/praying area. Really can't handle her getting moody, but to tell a Thai not to do something is like the start of WW3. Thank god, I am taking Kataleya to her Taekwondo lesson, something her mother was meant to do until she threw her toys out the pram. Porn will calm down but I don't want to be around until she does.

Stayed in tonight as a long drive tomorrow,I think @Pumpuynarak would've been impressed loads of AC/DC then Sabbath followed by Uriah Heep....& loadsa this....

Some sweet and sour shrimp and a couple of fried chicken thighs another 90 baht meal from my favorite market vendor.

This evening in L K Metro....I wonder if that is NDtvi negotiating in the background...lol...