We Knew That Sunday Was Going To Be A Busy Day,

first thing Mr. Tony called in,

for a cup of tea and a chat,

just as he left we had a call from Mick and Mass to say that the monks had arrived to bless their street,

this happens every year here, the locals start preparing food in the early morning,

the monks meanwhile chant prayers for I guess, good fortune to the people that live there, after the prayers the congregation brings food over to the monks,

everybody fills a bowl with rice to make a offering,

then for us a bit of shopping in the market,

potatoes for tonight's evening meal,

as this was early afternoon the market had not really started to get busy,

a lot of stalls still empty, easy way to buy small items, each bowl 10 baht,

for bigger items, just put them in the basket and weigh them,

I am not quite sure what these are, but I think beetle nut,

and of course some fresh fruit,

lots to chose from,

trotters and chips anyone?

after our evening meal Mark called in for a cup of tea and a chat, then the heavens opened up, so we went upstairs to play with the trains till it stopped,

then it started again, but by 8.00 or so it had finished so off to town we went,

as we walked past Marine Plaza towards Walking Street the road was deserted,

as was Walking Street itself,

in both directions,

and nothing in Soho Square at all,

we continued to walk towards Bali Hai pier,

which was still wet from the downpour, but still not many tourists,

Diana tried (and bought) a pair of sandals which had a sort of 'Middle Eastern' look about them, also they had gone down 100 baht to 199, bargain!

well I had to strike the pose,

the floating seafood restaurants in the bay,

and this is what we had come to see, or I should say listen to, the Pattaya Cowboy Music Festival,

not many people here but it was early days as the group was on at I thought 8.30,

we decided on a jug of beer at 130 baht,

unfortunately the only other drink they had was water, so Diana went to some of the stalls for a fresh coconut and a bite to eat,

beer, poured like an expert!

well by 9.00 in the evening and one jug of beer later the group still had not started so we decided to take a walk around, as you might have guessed there were lots of cowboy themed stalls around,

and a few buggies as well,

and Indians! how? as the Lone Ranger would have said,

we have never seen these before, they are like rings of potato on a stick,

batter and flavourings are then put onto them,

and popped into boiling oil, we did not try one as we were both not hungry, but they looked good,

after that we went to some of the other stalls, this is one where with skill you have to lift the bottle and place it upright on the board it is on,

roulette for watches,

I should say that gambling is illegal in Thailand, except the lottery, but what we are seeing is not gambling, they are games of skill, like throwing the darts to burst a balloon and win a prize,

beside the dart throwing stall this guy was using the ballons to fill out his bra,

or like this one the skill is in throwing the balls to knock over the cans,

another skillful game, you buy 3 rings for 20 baht and put them skillfully where you think the arrow will stop and win a prize, look at that! a bottle of whisky for the winner,

another view of the floating restaurants as we make our way back to the show,

by now Diana was hungry again, so a quick snack,

bar-b-q meat on a stick, covered with tomato sauce,

by now more people had arrived so we had a table at the rear of the beer park,

the show has begun and good they sounded too,

I do not know many country and western numbers, but I was soon singing away, (some unkind friends would say howling, but I digress), I knew the words or at least courses to so many of them, Diana asked how did I know them, answer I remembered them from when I was a kid!

oh, more beer arrived, I had to keep my vocal cords lubricated!

by now everyone was tapping their hands, feet, both or joining in with the singing,

then the guy with the balloons in his bra walked past, but I was a bit slow with the camera, but like everybody else seemed to be having a good time,

by now I was a bit full of beer and went to the toilets, one thing, I do not mind paying to use them, but would the people that own Bali Hai pier and charge me 5 baht for the privilege of going to the toilet please mop up other peoples urine that I had to wade through to get to them, the floors are tilled so it should not be that difficult on the way back I spotted this Yamaha lots of lights,

and in Diana's favorite color, pink!

after a hour or so the group stopped playing, there then started a seemingly never ending series of children dancing to I guess hip-hop music, after a half an hour of this we and most others left, it was the country and western music we had come to listen to,

on the way back we past the hot chestnut stall,

so half a kilo for 100 baht, but to be honest they were past their best, but Diana loved them, all of them!

welcome to Walking St et,

one of the great things about being out here is that you never know what you are going to bump into next, like this autromotron,

or this guy at his stall,

the sand man,

he takes a glass bottle and some highly colored sand,

then using a funnel,

and a metal 'tapper' also with considerable skill,

and makes unique works of art,

sand pictures in a bottle, no two ever the same, fascinating,

Diana is still looking at wigs,

well her favorite color is pink!

there is of course the completely unnatural look!

by now Walking Street was getting crowded,

fresh fruit to snack on for when we arrive back home and settle down to watch a DVD or two,

just what the doctor ordered! a few episodes of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, totally politically incorrect - on so many levels! so funny, but I guess in these PC times I should not admit to that! then off to bed.