You can find whatever you want here but it is very often just an illusion True love and friendship is rare and not always obvious until it has nearly passed you by I hope your dreams and some of mine become a reality in the new year Happy New Year 2553 - 2010 Sawatdee Bpii Mai ... read more

Pattaya to Korat - back to the real Thailand There is always entertainment of some form available and fortunately for me there was a huge Isaan Concert near Pattaya Beach Road which I attended on Friday 18th December. There was a big crowd in attendance, all sorts of food available and two stages providing great Isaan style music which should get anyone up and dancing although most of the audience were fairly reserved tonight. I was going to have an early night but wanted to find out where the local Ta Wang Daeng Club was located in Pattaya. This is a chain of Thai Isaan/folk music clubs located in the major cities which I have attended many times in Korat. Well I found the place on Pattaya Third Road near the fishing lake/restaurant and the staff ... read more

CHANTHABURI - as my guide kept saying “Beautiful too much” Chanthaburi near the south eastern coast of Thailand is a very beautiful place to visit with many nice beaches, historical landmarks and waterfalls. I was fortunate to have a Thai friend and guide show me around for a few days. This is not an area regularly visited by foreign tourists and I saw only a few other farangs. There is not much English spoken although the roads were fairly well sign posted in English. Some of the hotels can organise tours but I have not seen much advertised on the internet and I would have been struggling to get around and see what I did without my fabulous guide. We hired a car from Budget in Pattaya for the drive to Chanthaburi with stops at the ... read more

Oh to be beside the seaside !!! Pattaya and Jomtiem I was not impressed about my first trip to Pattaya in 2008 and it can be very sleazy near the beach and beer bar areas. Everyone seems to be trying to sell something or themselves down by the seaside area, "you need a suit sir?" or "massage sir?", or just use your imagination on what is being offered. Since returning I have found that with some effort this can also be a fairly relaxing place with great shopping and food malls all in close proximity. If you escape from the tourist area and catch a baht bus to nearby Jomtiem to you will find some nice beaches and fresh air, quite pleasant after the pollution of Bangkok. There are also some very good attractions like the ... read more

Songkran - 3 days of fun and chaos in Thailand Amidst the political turmoil of Thailand, none of which is mentioned in the rural areas except for a glimpse of the news on TV, I boarded a truck full of kids and adults from the village near Chock Chai about three hours by bus north-east of Bangkok. It is Songkran water festival time and "Happy New Year" for the Thais. I stood in the middle of the crowded truck next to a large barrel of water and everyone was armed with water shooting guns and anything suitable for throwing water. Soon we were passing large groups of locals dancing in the hot midday sun to the sounds of the upbeat Isaan music, all smiling and water was spraying everywhere. It did bring a momentary tear to ... read more