Hua Hin bars of old

[flyfifer]

Does anybody remember the Headrock Pub. Opposite the Hilton. I think Mick, Mike from wales, and Aussie Pat as well as Ya ran the place. excellent!

[Sabai Jai]

Yes Gee's was a really timeless place in the small hours, can't think of anywhere that had the same mixture of Thai's and Farangs and easy, laid back atmosphere.

Difficult to describe the ambience there or understand how it was so popular, as Roel said a visit to the Loos was an experience in its self.

Usually the only way you new it was time to go home was either by the monks coming round on Alms round or the sun coming up.

Actually the 'Yahm' (village guardian) still patrolled in those days and there was a 'bell' hung on pole close by where the hours were struck 'Song Toom', 'Sam Toom' etc .

Sabai Jai

[lomuamart]

Does anybody remember the Headrock Pub. Opposite the Hilton. I think Mick, Mike from wales, and Aussie Pat as well as Ya ran the place. excellent!

Yes. I've already mentioned the place. Knew Mike fairly well when I first came over here.
See a previous page for post.

[lomuamart]

SJ,
Or the early duty (6am ish) police going for a coffee!!!!
I never had any problem with them, but it was a wake up call. Time to go home. I could almost set my watch by the time.
Gee took over my old bar on Bintabart for a short while. I stumbled in there at 3am ish one morning and asked for a beer.
I got one, but only the glass, not the bottle. When I asked her why the bottle wasn't on the table, she just said "do you want me arrested?". It was after 2am and the Taliban had entered HH.
C'est la vie.

[Guess]

....all the stuff I had already posted

Was there supposed to be something else with that or was it a case of too much of the Holy Water?

[Guess]

Billy's and Bernie's were both originally on Soi Bintabart. Bernie would have moved around 1996/7 and Billy around 1999/2000.
Hare and Hounds was Soi Kanjanomai.
The original Coconuts was on the same road as All Nations, up towards the night market on the other side before Chomsin.

All Nations is in Soi Dechanuchit. It travels East and does not touch Chom sin. Could the original Coconuts be in the section of Dechanuchit between Soi Poolsuk and Selekarm 5. (Lucky Shot, SugarCane, JW etc. and the Corner Bar on the corner)?

Edited out question 1. Already answered.

[Bamboo Grove]

Isn´t Toro Bar now where Bernie used to be?

[Guess]

............. Maybe it's the owner/host that makes or breaks a place.

No doubt about it. It's actually only changed hands three times since Barry had it. It was Richard's (Original Fish & Chip Shop) Lloyds Bank before that.

In the period you mention you must have met Lomu and I for sure.

[hhfarang]

In the period you mention you must have met Lomu and I for sure.

Probably did, I met so many ex-pats there I can't begin to remember them all. Although, being an old married man, I only went there at night maybe once a week (but was in attendance for all the special occasions/parties they threw, like the Canadian Tim's going away party after he sold his place... what was his place, was it All Nations?). I went there for breakfast or lunch almost daily for the first year I lived here. After Barry sold out I went to Coconuts II for breakfast for a while.

Now I eat a bowl of cereal at home.

[Guess]

................Monta's Garden Restaurant was close to All Nations on the same side of the street. And did Alex (nowadays running the Halex business) not have the Piaff Restaurant before or did he own one of these guest houses on stelts or both?

I first knew Alex at the Amadeus Restaurant in Soi Naresdamri but he may have taken it from someone else. He sold it about two years ago to Theo when the Old Germany in Binthabat's lease could not be renewed.

So this generates a few questions.

Was Old Germany in Binthabat in 2000?
Was it the old Checkpoint Charlie site?
What is there now?
Was Amadeus in Soi Naresdamri in 2000 and who ran it?

I seem to remember Willy's Beer Station and Heidi's at the same time and Willy's in Saturkurn Square. There are still two places in Soi Poolsuk opposite the Temple that I remember as Heidi's and Willy's.

There was also Sawan Steakhouse (Henning) and Lips in 2002. I knew Henning well and Lips was offered to me before Croatian Leon took it. The Italian Restaurant (Bela Roma) further up towards was also on offer at the time. They were both owned by a Thai/Chinese family who also owned the Hotel (Anybody know the name?) at the Poolsuk end of Binthabat.

like the Canadian Tim's going away party after he sold his place... what was his place, was it All Nations?)...................... After Barry sold out I went to Coconuts II for breakfast for a while.....(

Yes Tim was in the All Nations before I arrived. I had a few Karaoke nights with Tim & Barry before they both went up North. Many of the Canadian customers of Barry moved to Coconuts 2 Mark II.

Which reminds me, the first Coconuts 2 was in Selakarm near Naresdamri and had been Cheers (Chuck) and Chok Dee (Lee) before Jim got it. Jim only opened it for a few weeks and sold it to Headstone Fred. He took Nancy's Karaoke and sold the old Coconuts 2 to ???. Jim moved to Naresdamri where Coconuts 2 is now.

Did Chuck have Cheers in 2000?

[Bamboo Grove]

Old Germany was Checkpoint Charlie. Theo took started the OG in about 2003. I think it´s still closed as the battle goes on in the court.

[buksida]

Can anyone remember what Sawan was called before Henning took over? Used to be a great little place but the name escapes me.

Anyone remember when the klong road was a partially paved dusty strip and going to Paradise 4-up on a motorbike was hairy trip?

Gary Jones' first internet cafe in Hua Hin and his ground-breaking jukebox?

[lomuamart]

Guess,
Apologies, I said Chomsin when I meant Nebkarab (sic). The first Coconuts was definitely on Dechanuchit, up from All Nations on the other side of the road, before you get to Nebkarab (sic). It's where I first met Jim. He moved from BKK and started there about 2 months after I came over. I think he had the place for about a year or so before relocating to Coconuts up by the temple - along from JWs etc. Again, I have to walk there to see what the business is now. It did become a jewellers, but could have changed now. About 200 yards up from All Nations, the other side of the road.
Edit: I've just remembered. The place used to be a bar even before that, run I'm sure by another Canadian. The place had a nautical name (Admiral's? not to be confused with the restaurant down from the Post Office). Roel, you must have been around in those days. Can you remember?

[lomuamart]

BG,
Correct. Toro is where Bernie's was. It was also my old bar when it was the (Un) Friendly Bar. After we sold, the ex restarted the Friendly Bar from scratch on Soi Selakam. It's still a bar, but the name has changed - don't know what to. The ex started the Selakam version in 2001.
Buksida,
Wasn't it Henning who changed the name himself when he tried to make it more into a restaurant? I'm sure I'm right there. Can't remember the original name though.
Others,
Old Germany was in Soi Kanjanomai wasn't it. Mags, help!!! Was just down from your place. Kees had The Amsterdam Bar more up towards the Hilton end.
A Belgian chap started Lips.
I'm pretty sure that Willi, Heidi and ANother were all in partnership at Willi's Station. There was some falling out and Heidi started up almost next door.
Enough for now. My brain's fried.

[lomuamart]

Hold on - the first Coconuts was The Captain's Inn??????? before, not Admiral's. Wasn't it?????