Touch the Blarney Stone: The Scruffy Murphy’s beer boozer (Pratamnak Road, opposite the school) is having a Loy Krathong party on Wednesday night, October 31 with a free buffet featuring the usual pig-who-drew-the-short-straw whirling away over a hot grill.

The boozer employs a friendly bunch, some of whom are hard to beat on the two pool tables. Heineken and Carlsberg are at 60 baht, vodka and gin at 75 baht while Thai whisky is 30 baht.

Muchos nachos senorita: For about a million years the Blue Parrot nosh house and occasional beer boozer (Pattayaland Soi 2) had a reputation as being the best place in Fun Town for Mexican grub. Then the place changed hands, from one American owner to another, received a lick and a polish and the Mexican menu was revamped. I heard conflicting reports about the quality of the nosh and decided the only way to find out was to try it for myself. I tucked into a plate of Super Nachos and, at a reasonable 110 baht, was suitably impressed.

The Blue Parrot claims to have the ‘best Margaritas in Pattaya’ (Jimmy Buffett please note) with a glass at 110 baht and a pitcher of the lethal brew at 480 baht. The latter is for those who are looking to get seriously sozzled. That’s where you’ll find Margaritaville.

After that, it’s back to business: A few weeks ago I mentioned that Mike, the front man for the After That beer boozer in Soi 7, had suffered a stroke and business in the popular barn had nose dived. In fact, he had what your old grandmother would probably describe as ‘a turn’ and the quacks and sundry medicos appointed to look after him poked, prodded, probed, inspected and inoculated but couldn’t find the source or cause of the problem. The Fun Town rumour mill went into overdrive and he was variously reported as having succumbed to any number of mysterious tropical ailments as well as contracting every communicable disease known to man (and the odd furry animal).

I’m happy to report that he looks fitter than an aerobics instructor, has taken up the cudgels in After That once more and the boozer is again starting to fill up with all the old regulars as well as new faces.

On the move: The Taverne munching den has moved from Second Road into Soi 7, just opposite the Pig N Whistle noshery. For those familiar with the popular International Beerhouse Restaurant in Sukhumvit Soi 23 (behind Soi Cowboy) in Bangkok, the Taverne is trying to recreate a similar beer garden atmosphere with wooden outdoor seating and plenty of potted plants.

Not stupido in Cupido: I’m not sure how they managed to come up with the name of Cupido Fun Place for the series of beer boozers located behind Soi Skaw Beach and across the road from the Diana Estate in Soi Buakhow, but after a faltering start just over a year ago, things are starting to come together in the complex, albeit fairly slowly.

Perhaps one of the main attractions for punters is the fact that music is piped through the complex to all the bars, so you do not have the ridiculous setup extant in places like Soi’s 2, 7, 8 and 9 with boozers blaring out so many different styles that the cacophony on some nights would be enough to wake the dead.

Equally, every bar has a free pool table for customers. So, for those who want somewhere to go that’s a bit off the beaten track and enjoy prodding a few balls across green felt, then saunter on down to the Cupido Fun Place and pick a bar.

In a Bull market: In order to encourage their girls to want to be taken out of the bar by customers, a couple of owners and managers of ogling dens offer a monetary prize to the girl who manages to achieve the most ‘scalps’ in a month. Quite some time ago, the former manager of one now prominent ogling den offered his demure charges 3,000 baht as a first prize. The-then boss told me about a particularly well endowed and enterprising young lass who carried off the prize by paying four of her own ‘offs’. Not bad mathematics, pay 2,000 baht to guarantee yourself a prize of 3,000 baht, a nice 50% percent profit on investment. She was last seen working as a merchant banker flogging pork belly futures to Mongolian sheepherders.

Peter O’Connor, the senior vice-president of Hard Rock Hotels and Resorts, and Andrew Khoo, the general manager of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, were on hand to host the opening of the Hard Rock Cafe. What was being touted as a low key opening turned into one of the better parties in Pattaya, with all the local notables in attendance and a host of Bangkokians as well.

Rene Pisters (right), GM of the Thai Garden Resort, and Ingo Rauber, assistant Manager of the Dusit Resort and friend were amongst Pattaya luminaries at the event.

Even such unlikely night-clubbers as Father Ray Brennan of the Pattaya Orphanage was seen to be enjoying the evening, and said that at least he could remember and enjoyed the American 50’s to 70’s rock and roll era. The Ngampiches family were also in attendance, with political heavyweight Santsak Ngamphiches and son Poramase (Grand Sole Hotel) taking an interest in the new establishment.

(L to R) Hard Rock GM Andrew Khoo receives flowers from Santsak Ngampiches (2nd left), and his entourage on their way in to celebrate the opening

Both the street level cafe and the upper deck were needed to cater for the large crowd, with the upper section giving the guests a great view of the Hard Rock Hotel’s huge pool.

Hard Rock Cafe staff look to be a big part of the fun experience of Pattaya’s Hard Rock Cafe

It was obvious that the new staff were relishing the opportunity to really get their teeth into their new jobs, and it was equally as obvious that the guests were enjoying getting their teeth into the Hard Rock Cafe hamburgers!

VP call home... Peter O’Connor, the senior vice-president of Hard Rock Hotels and Resorts is always keeping things moving and shaking

G.M. Andrew Khoo admitted that it has been a tough 14 months for him and his staff, but he was confident that the hotel would be open by the planned mid November date. There was also no doubt in both his and Peter O’Connor’s minds that the new Hard Rock Hotel would be successful and they were ready for the pre-bookings for the Xmas season.

The Moon River Pub at the Thai Garden Resort is always trying to bring something new and unique for their guests. The management has proven it again and again and they seem to be very successful once more. After having the famous, temperamental Island Soul performing on stage, the management already has something new hidden in its sleeve: Body & Soul.

Body & Soul - coming to the Moon River Pub on November 1.

Body & Soul is a mixture of Filipino and Colombian musicians. This gives the group, which consists of 7 members, its flair and specialty. All members played in different groups before they found each other. In just a short time, Body & Soul have melded together into one of the best groups touring Asia. Their repertoire is very wide and there is no song they couldn’t play if asked.

All the guys of the group not only play instruments, but they are also excellent vocalists - especially Jose Gomez Hernandez of Colombia. The two girls of Body & Soul are truly the soul of the group, with their gifted voices, yet looking at them it makes one wonder if they are not the body as well.

Body & Soul will begin to play at the Moon River Pub on November 1st and the management is confident they will become as famous in Pattaya as their predecessors.