OUTSIDE BANGKOK: THE HARD ROCK CAFE HOTEL IN PATTAYA

Located on the Gulf of Thailand, the resort town of Pattaya has a notorious reputation as an adult playground. I've heard a lot of stories about this place and have kind been wanting to check it out stictly for the freakshow that supposedly goes on there every night. These kinds of activities are not something that really appeals to me, but as someone who enjoys people watching it seemed like it would be good for a few laughs. That being said, I was not about to drag my wife and three kids two hours away to Pattaya strictly for this reason.

But then we started hearing about the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel in Pattaya and how much it appeal it has for families. After talking it over for a bit, we made plans with some friends (and their two young girls) to go check it out.

Indeed, Hard Rock Pattaya did have a lot of things for kids to do. The main attraction there for youngsters is the massive pool complete with an inflatable trampoline and water slide. There are also a lot of poolside activities including water volleyball, basketball and a band to liven things up with their brand of Smashmouth and Black Eyed Peas covers.


A man-made beach is connected to the pool for children to frolick in. It really beats going to the actual Pattaya beach that is over-flowing with high-mileage hookers and old, shirtless, European men.


Like any Hard Rock Cafe restaurant, there is plenty of other rock and roll memorbilia on display in Pattaya, making this hotel is the ideal place to go if you want to get a picture of your kid with Frank Zappa's guitar:


George Harrison's clothes:

Or Weird Al Yankovic's accordian:


Other items on display here included Mick Jagger's cape:

Onstage suits from James Brown and Madonna:

Guitars from Prince, Eric Clapton, Sting and members of KISS and the Stray Cats:

And even a pair of blue suede shoes once worn by Carl Perkins:


The rock decor theme kind of carried over to the rooms, where each one had either a large portrait of Sting, Tina Turner, or David Bowie with Diana Ross:


Unfortunately, the halls of the hotel were bland, with nothing adorning them at all. You would think that they could slap some pictures, posters or gold records on every wall to really jazz the place up.


Each floor does have a huge mural of either the Beach Boys or the Beatles that greets you when you get off of the elevator, but they are kind of done up in a cheesy style that this combination rock music/art snob found a bit unappealing.


One great things for kids at Hard Rock Pattaya is the 'Lil Rock Kid's Club. For Baht 600 a day, you can drop of a kid for 8 hours and they get lunch, two snacks and can participate in a bunch of activities like painting and jewelry making. They also have a Playstation and tons of DVDs and books to keep the little ones occupied. This whole set up is pretty convenient for parents who want to drop their kids off for awhile to explore seedy Pattaya and it really is a good deal, especially coming from a place that doesn't even offer free wireless Internet service to their guests and grossly overcharges for beers.


The restaurant here is like every other Hard Rock Cafe I've ever been to (Bangkok, Detroit, Chicago, Orlando, Paris, and Tokyo) in both in style and food selection. It's loud and laid back, which makes it the perfect place for families with hordes of obnoxious kids to descend on.

The one activity that the folks at Hard Rock Pattaya real hangs their hats is their Beach Foam X parties on Saturdays. The first one takes place at 5:00 - 6:30 and is only open to hotel guests and really geared towards kids.

Basically what they do during this event is section off an area by the pool and start to fill it up with bubble bath foam while blasting loud techno music.


The kids really loved it as it was something weird and different for them and they got to yell and scream as much as they wanted during the whole experience.


There's another version of the Beach Foam X Party for adults at 9:30 in the evening, but the concept of foaming up with the huge mobs of Russian clientele at the hotel wasn't really that appealing. Instead, we managed to take that stroll down the main Pattaya drag for about an hour. It pretty much lived up to its reputation in a depressing way, but it didn't put a damper on the good times we had the rest of the weekend. At the very least we can say we treated our family to some good, clean fun (literally) in down and dirty Pattaya.

FARANG RESTAURANT REVIEW: SENIOR PICO AND CHARLEY BROWN'S

Mexican food is quite possibly my favorite cuisine in the whole world. I used to love going to the Mexicantown district in downtown Detroit and my favorite restaurant there was a place called Xochimilco. God, do I miss that place...

So it was only a matter of time before I started searching for a suitable replacement here in Bangkok. After asking around, two names came up the most: Senior Pico (located in the Rembrandt Hotel) and Charley Brown's (Sukhumvit Soi 11).

The first place we tried was Senior Pico.


The atmosphere was nice, but had a kind of "corporate Mexican" feel to it.


The staff was friendly and there was a band ("Los Lamas") on hand that played authentic Mexican tunes in Spanish. They were a bit loud, but I thought that was still a nice touch.


I ordered my standard favorite: a beef burrito. I realize that this is not the most adventurous choice on the menu, but when trying a new Mexican place, I always order one just to set the standard.


They did have fancier fare for order - like this meat on a skewer that my friend Greg ordered.

The food was OK, but a bit unspectacular. Maybe my expectations were too high. One thing odd about the place were the selections on the children's menu: Mickey Mouse Burger, Super Mario's Penne Pasta, Spaghetti Pinocchio, Road Runner Chicken, and Senior Pico's Pizza. You would think that they would have kid's versions of tacos, nachos, burritos or chimichangas, but no dice.

Next up was Charley Brown's.


The decor had a down-and-dirty "Route 66" kind of vibe, complete with a vintage gas pump, old cars jutting out of the walls, thousands of old beer cans, and banged up license plates.


I generally like this kind of style, but I have to admit that it usually fits a greasy burger joint more so than a Mexican restaurant.

The food was similar to Senior Picos - a bit commercial - but for some reason I liked it a bit better (and the kid's menu did have tacos, nachos, etc).

It was really a coin flip in regards to which restaurant I preferred. I would give Charley Brown's the slight edge in food (which I guess is the most important factor when deciding where to eat), but the atmosphere was a bit better at Senior Pico.


Neither one measured up to my beloved Xochimilco (at least in my eyes). Maybe that's a bit unfair, but that's how I feel. It should be noted that we did have some Mexican friends (you know, from Mexico) in Detroit and they thought Xochimilco was crap, so I guess it really comes down to what you're used to. If you've lived in Bangkok your entire life, then Senior Pico or Charley Brown's might just be the zenith of Mexican food for you, and that's perfectly OK.

OUTSIDE BANGKOK: HOUSES OF THE HOLY IN AYUTTHAYA

The Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (or simply Ayutthaya) was the capital of Thailand for 417 years (1350-1767) and was once one of the most majestic cities in Southeast Asia. Located 86 km outside of Bangkok, today it is a historical site populated by crumbling buildings and headless Buddhas (the effects of both earthquakes and invasions). A visit there makes for a great day trip and a fascinating glimpse into Thailand's past.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet & the Grand Palace

During the height of the Ayutthaya Period, this site was the grandest palace complex in Asia, but it was eventually burnt down when the Kingdom was invaded.


Wat Mahatat

This temple is home to one of the most famous images in all of Thailand, the head of a Buddha image overgrown with the roots of a fig tree:

This city temple was the site of many royal rituals in the past and the structures reflect the changing architectural trends of the time.


Wat Chaiwatthanaram

Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, this wat remains in good condition (compared to some of the others we visited). It was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong in the style of Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat to celebrate the King's military victory of Thailand's neighboring country.


Wat Yai Chaimongkhon

The tourist bureau in Ayutthaya lists this as the most popular site in the old Kingdom. It his home to a white recling Buddha:


The temple has great significance for Thai people as it was built during the reign of King Naresuan the Great to commemorate an epic battle that saw him riding an elephant into battle to defeat an invading Burmese prince.


The main structure here is an octagonal-based, bell-shaped stupa that one can climb for some majestic views.


Wat Phananchoeng

Built 26 years before Ayutthaya was established (1325), this temple is home to Thailand's tallest gilded Buddha. Unfortunately, the statue was undergoing extensive renovations when we were there, so we were unable to take a picture of it.

Another thing that makes this monastary stand out is the fact that it is tended to by the local Chinese community. For this reason, the influence of Chinese symbols and architecture can be felt throughout the complex.


It's always interesting to find swastikas in ancient art, and this Chinese Buddha is no exception.


As you can see, we saw many things during our trip to Ayutthaya, but we really just scratched the surface. There is still a lot more to cover, and a trip back to the old Kingdom is definately in our plans.