Evil Penevil

I couldn't see it in the pics, but most likely the horses used in the procession were equipped with poop bags. In the U.S., nearly all cities that allow horse-drawn carriages on their streets require such bags on the horses. I've also read that "ceremonial" horses are fed on a special schedule and given laxatives so they won't poop during events. Evil

Me too! I wonder how it feels for Charles? He's certainly had a long wait for this moment. Evil

Just turned on the heat because it was so cold this morning. Outside it's 48 degrees F (9 degrees C) and raining. Evil

This story attracted a lot of attention in the U.S. I found it quite moving. The soldier had been a member of 71st Regiment of Foot, Fraser's Highlanders, a unit raised in Scotland for service in North America during the Revolutionary War. He was killed in South Carolina in 1780 during the Battle of Camden, a major victory for the British forces. Mel Gibson's highly fictionalized movie "The Patriot" features the Battle of Camden and subsequent battles, but is nonsense in terms of what really happened.

That could very well be the reason. On the other hand, I'm not sure an upgrade would improve business for what's already a popular group of bars. Evil

Surprises me too. I'd go as far as to say those beer bars were among the busiest in Pattaya. They had customers from among 9-10 a.m. until very late, may be even open 24/7. In the late afternoon/early evening, it could sometimes be difficult to get a seat. I wonder what will replace that strip of bars? Evil

Heard on a TV news report last night: there are an estimated 340,000 fatalities due to motorcycle accidents worldwide every year, which is roughly 26% of the 1.3 million traffic-accident fatalities across the globe. In the U.S., about 14% of all vehicular deaths are attributed to motorbike accidents. In Thailand, 74% of all vehicular fatalities, or three out of four, are the result of motorcycle accidents. That's the highest percentage of vehicular deaths due to motorcycles in the world. Evil

That has to be the answer. The entrance to the Nana Shopping Center was narrow and could easily have been hidden by the angle. Evil

That pic must have been taken earlier than 1981. Nana Shopping Center, the forerunner of Nana Entertainment Plaza, was in operation in the late 1970s. It was originally a U-shaped, three-story structure with shops, travel agencies, a few restaurants, pharmacy and a beauty parlor, none of which were very successful. Lucky Luke's, a beer bar at the entrance to Nana Shopping Center, was the first drinking bar. The first three go go bars moved there in 1982. By the early 1990s, it had become NEP. Sign of the times- Lucky Luke's has become a weed shop, Lucky Luke's Tiki Joint. Evil

Learned some details about the Nana Plaza area from the video below, but some of the info may be wrong. I've always heard the family of Lek Nana owned a lot of land in the lower Sukhumvit area long before the 1960s, which is when the video claims the family acquired it.

The Norwegian lundehund ("puffin dog") is the rarest breed of dog recognized by the American Kennel Club, ranking in last place among 197 breeds. The lundehund is considered one of the rarest breeds in the world, with only 1,400 to 1,500 known to exist. The lundehund is an ancient breed, predating the Vikings. It was confined to isolated Norwegian islands and was used to hunt puffin birds among crevices in rocky cliffs. By the 20th century, the puffin had ceased to be a source of meat for Norwegians and the lundehund breed almost went extinct in the 1960s. The dog developed six toes on each foot to help it climb slippery rocks. I learned this when I clicked on an Internet list of the rarest dogs in the U.S.

Steve Byrne is noted for his politically incorrect jokes. The jokes in the clip were cut from a comedy special he did for Amazon Prime.

Holi is about 10 times worse than Songkran because the colored powder really irritates your lungs. It hangs in the air so you can't help but breathe it in. I have never been to Holi in India, but I did go one year to a big Holi celebration in New York City. I left after about two minutes it was so bad. Just like Songkran, the modern Holi celebrations go way beyond the traditional form. Kids around 10 to 12 were using plastic cups to throw powder directly into people's faces at close range. Really stupid, as older people with respiratory problems could be put in real danger. Evil

That's been my experience as well. The Centara Grand Beach Resort in Naklua is one of the best hotels I've ever seen for children. Some years back I stayed there with my then TG and her five-year-old daughter. The little girl loved the place and cried when we checked out. Not only did the hotel have a its own waterpark and dedicated stretch of beach, but also had activities for kid from 8.00 a.m. until 8.00 p.m. It was a dream world for her. I've always recommended the Centara Grand Beach Resort to farang families and those who have stayed there have agreed with my opinion. In addition, Pattaya has numerous daytime attractions suitable for children of all ages. It's easy to avoid the commercial sex scene by not going near a few areas. Even Beach Road before dark doesn't have anything "shocking" for any child. Evil

For those of us (at least me) who don't follow Pattaya vloggers, who are the individuals involved in the ah, shoving? I wouldn't call it a fight. Evil

Recent reviews are very bad. The hotel caters to Russians and the front desk staff doesn't speak much English, a sure sign the hotel doesn't care about non-Russians. Reviewers say the Russian guests behave badly and run roughshod over other guests. Pattaya has a hell of a lot better places in the same price category. No reason to stay at that hotel. Evil

The property market in AC must be different. Anywhere else in the world landlords would fall over themselves to give a lease to a restaurant that had been in business 30 years. Even stranger that it is so difficult to find new premises. Perhaps it's just because the bar and tourist scene in AC is so limited. Evil

I have never watched the Buzzin Pattaya guy's YouTube channel and know nothing about him, so I can't comment on this specific case. But I realized a very long time ago that the surest way become hated in ex-pat circles is to succeed where others have failed. Just enjoying your life abroad is often enough to come in for a lot of criticism and ridicule. I lived 35 years outside the U.S., nine of them in Pattaya. Jealousy and envy among ex-pats existed in every country in which I lived, but was most intense and poisonous in Pattaya, which did seem to have more than its fair share of vocal scumbags. The emergence of social media gave the bitter types a broad and effective means of spreading their message. They could use multiple handles to post anonymous hate-filled messages intended to hurt a bar, restaurant, other businesses or individuals. Examples abound. The old Eden Club in BKK and its Pattaya spin-off, the Hell Club (later the Devil's Den), came in for tons of flames. Same-same with Secrets Bar and Hotel; Sensations A Go Go, Pattaya Addicts and the Nighwish Group. I found it interesting the same core group of individuals flamed all these businesses for no other reason than they were popular and successful. I don't know if it's the same dynamic behind the stalking of the guy behind Buzzin Pattaya, but it is certainly a possibility. Evil

That's a very good suggestion. Evil

I'm glad the article makes clear that Thailand-247 has no connection whatsoever with the Facebook group Pattaya 247. The "247" in both names is merely an unfortunate coincidence. Note: Thailand 24/7 has zero affiliation, ownership, or otherwise whatsoever with Pattaya 24/7 or similar social groups both present and former, and is their own entity. I've recommended Thailand-247 to a number of my friends, but several replied they wanted nothing to do with it. One said it was full of crazy anti-Jewish and anti-Israel conspiracy nonsense and another said it was poorly moderated with trolls given free play to flame any post. It turned out they were confusing Thailand-247 with Pattaya 247. Evil

Back in 2016, I had the worst Christmas dinner of my life at Hooters. It cost 399 baht and was inedible. Hopefully they will have improved considerably over that atrocity: At least Hooters is still in operation. I can remember all the predictions it wouldn't last more than a few months. Evil

b\y now. This looks like a value-for-money option but probably booked solid by now: On Thappraya Road in Jomtien, across from View Talay 2a.

Casa Pascal on Second Road near the Avenue shopping plaza.

Probably a lot of these places are already booked, but never hurts to get them a call if you are still looking for somewhere to have Christmas dinner. Another on the Dark Side: Scandinavian variations: