We Are Back!

but a bit late starting our blog, 

at home our Internet has been down for a couple of days, no change there than, thanks BT! I am not making a day by day series of posts, just a few highlights, it would be repetitive to have numerous days by the beach, for the first few days in Pattaya, Thailand, Diana was with me before she flew to the Philippines for 4 or so weeks, then at the end of our holiday flying back to Bangkok for a few more days where we went on a couple of trips, so here goes, we arrived late afternoon, in evening we were out, at the corner of Third Road and Pattaya Tai,

we walked down to the Walking Street sign, renewed this year with a multi coloured LED screen, 

and here she is, 

we passed the Stone House, 

making our way past the bright lights, 

I just love this neon sign, 

so much so that you will see lots of it over the holiday posts, 

and this is what Walking Street is famous for, its brightly sign posted go-go bars, 

as well as drinking only bars with live music, 

and also here at the corner of Soi Diamond, a drinking bar with just background music where patrons can just chat, drink and watch the crowds walk by, and has a convenient snack bar close by!

the bar is called the New Star Bar, but regulars know it as Dang's, the owners name for so many years, it was the 'go to' place for so many, sadly Dang passed away a few years ago before we left Thailand after living there for so long,

so many new bars had sprung up even from last year,

the multi coloured light displays competing with each other, for the tourist dollar, or pound, 

the signs, 

changing colour almost by the second, 

many new places taking the place of old favorites, 

a couple of new ones, 

for this year from our visit last year,

the old tree still here, it was here when I first visited Pattaya with Duncan in 1982! it has become, well it was then and still is a shrine where offerings could be made,  

another building decked in lights, 

and one of the places we like, 

a seafood restaurant, 

one of the many huge establishments catering for tourists from India, 

there are now 3 building on corners, 

with impressive 3D animated displays, they must cost a fortune, 

at this point we made a 'U' turn,

passing Fahrenheit,

and walking to Sea Zone, 

next to it Master Seafood, a new one for us, 

just love the Sea Zone sign, 

we made our way to where the traffic in the evenings has to turn left, making the street a true Walking Street, 

we walked out of the street and turned left, 

along a alley way that leads to the Pattaya Beer Garden, 

we snagged a table over the sea with a view of the restaurants with their dining area like ours over the sea, 

Diana has been waiting for a fresh coconut in the beer garden for so long,

a ice latté for myself, 

'Cheers!',

our view along the bay towards the other restaurants, 

our food arrived, 

tom young gong, (spicy seafood/prawn soup), as well as numerous other dishes, for our first meal of this holiday in Thailand, 

back to the coconut, 

and the view, 

a quick pose by one of the Halloween decorations,

back into the street, 

after having a drink or three in Dang's, a snack, 

to take back to our hotel, 

what a selection, 20 baht a stick, at todays rate 42 baht to the UK pound,

next morning we were up, I took another photograph of the corner, but the lens of the camera fogging up due the the hot damp atmosphere, 

we went for a walk to TukCom, passing lots of street stalls on the way,

we went to TukCom to buy a local telephone and renew my mobile data whatever it is so I have a Internet signal no matter where I am,

 

old memories as we passed Friendship, our local supermarket for so many years out here, 

we stopped for ice coffee, 

which was delicious, 

'Cheers!',

into Soi Buakhao market, 

where all manner of goods are for sale,

from pink eggs, 

to the more usual, 

and of course clothes, 

and other fashion accessories, in the evening another trip to Walking Street, 

next morning a favorite breakfast restaurant, 

the Surf Kitchen, 

in the evening out again, 

taking a walk past Ripley's Believe it or Not, 

opposite The Avenue, with its cinema and restaurants, 

motorcycles parked everywhere, 

at the entrance to one of the department stores a huge display of fruit for sale,

the place to come for souvenirs, 

clothes and almost any thing else for the traveler, 

next to it another bar complex, 

these look like great fun, mobile cocktail bars, they pop up in the evenings pretty much everywhere, 

a look outside of Central Festival, 

food stalls, 

with plenty of paces to sit, 

we went upstirs to the Hilton buffet, 'Cheers!' with a glass of bubbly, for myself, 

and a cocktail for Diana,

I have misplaced the photographs of our meal, I will post them when I find them,

meal finished, we crossed Beach Road, 

and made our way along the seashore, 

along both sides of the road, 

cocktail bars, 

and mobile restaurants, 

incase all of the walking makes you peckish, 

it must have been a busy day for this motorcycle taxi driver!

we noticed this boutique hotel the last year we were here, 

getting near to our hotel, so ended our first couple of days, we stopped for a couple at Dang's before we were off to bed.