Christmas and New Year with Charly

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Fortunately, Charly's life is full of pleasant surprises (unfortunately sometimes also less pleasant ones). Until a few years ago, he would never have dared to predict that he would spend the rest of his life in Thailand. However, he has now been living in Thailand for a while and in recent years close to Udonthani. This time: the holidays with Charly.

Christmas and New Year with Charly

Well, the holidays at the end of December. Whether you like it or not, you just can't escape it. In Bangkok, Christmas trees in all sizes are offered for sale at the major shopping centers and you will stumble across all Christmas attributes. In the Isaan, things are just not going that fast, but here, too, commerce is slowly but surely making its mark.

In all (bear) bars, the animators are dressed in red dresses and strange Christmas hats on their heads. They don't quite understand why themselves, but yes, the boss has instructed them to do so. And every passing farang is not shouted “welcome” or “hello handsome man”, but “merry christmas”.

After the failure of the Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve last year, Teoy and I had decided never to accept such an offer again. But behold, nothing is more changeable than a man. By chance we learn that the Pannarai hotel has a buffet on Christmas Eve for the tempting price of 499 baht per person. Of course excluding drinks. And since the Pannarai is our favorite hotel, we want to consider that option anyway. So first looked at the composition of the buffet and when that composition looked extremely attractive, with a very extensive choice of dishes, decided to try this, coupled with an overnight stay in, of course, the Pannarai.

On the road on Monday 24 December. Not very excited, because we are both quite affected by a bad cold. But curious about the implementation of the buffet. The hotel is not exceptionally busy. Judging by the number of free places in the parking lot and the almost empty swimming pool. Check-in was done quickly. Unpack your suitcase, install the laptop and Charly can handle it again. Teoy prefers to stay in bed after taking medication.

Charlie sets off alone. First for a beer at Good Corner, where tonight there is a Danish Christmas dinner. From Good Corner to daSofia, took a small lunch there in the form of some cheese and some sausage. Always good at daSofia. Next to daSofia is the Fun bar. I have always avoided that bar over the years. I don't really know why. Today I decide to please the animation girls present with a drink. The announcement of a drink for all the girls present, there are six of them, is received with loud cheers and the bell is rung. A pleasant hour with the girls having a drink and then back to the hotel for a small siesta.

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At 19.00 pm Teoy and I go to the restaurant downstairs in the hotel. We are nicely received by a few ladies, seated behind a table, who keep track of which of the expected guests have arrived. When our papers are in order, one of the ladies leads us to a reserved table. We are clearly not the first guests. There are already many people scattered here and there. Together we walk past the food, displayed on a large U-shaped table. Everything looks very appetizing and is presented in a professional manner.

In short, the food is simply delicious with a lot of variety. So apparently it is possible to prepare food for a large group of people. My compliments to the Pannarai. I estimate that there are about 150 people, divided between the two dining rooms and the large terrace around the pool. I am the only farang sitting inside, in one of the two dining rooms. Teoy tells me that there are many farang on the outside terrace, apparently not disturbed by the many mosquitoes. Funny is that we also meet a girl we know from the P&F pharmacy. She is with her Thai husband and is also having a good time.

At about 21.30 pm we call it a day and go to our room. We actually want to sleep, but the band at Little Havana in Day and Night produces so many decibels that sleep is actually impossible. But look, here is the strong arm of the junta, at exactly midnight the music stops. When I look out the window, I see one car/motorbike after another driving away from the parking lot. So Day and Night really closes at midnight. None of the operators takes the risk of a warning from the police or, worse, a hefty fine, or, even worse, having to close. At least we can sleep peacefully now. I write this story and then go to sleep.

The next day we check out of Pannarai and do some shopping in Central Plaza, at TOPS supermarket. Well, it's Christmas Day, but for all Thai it's a normal working day, just as well as the kids just go to school. I want to buy some ingredients to make apple fritters and a Russian salad. I'm hungry for that. Have been missing these dishes for many years. Now they decided to make their own.

From Central Plaza back home. Today we were going to eat something with the children and supporters in a large Thai restaurant. Unfortunately, that will not happen, because Teoy's son has also been hit by a bad cold. This happening will be postponed to a later date. We will also be celebrating New Year's Eve (Silvester evening) outdoors this year.

We went for a New Year's Eve dinner (silvester abend dinner) from our favorite eatery, the Italian oriented daSofia. Eaten there many times over the years and always to our great satisfaction. The dinner that daSofia presents is basically based on dishes that they have always had on the menu. This gives enough confidence that the New Year's Eve dinner will be of an excellent quality.

It is a pity that daSofia includes three glasses of wine, otherwise very good wine, in the pricing. As a result, he arrives at a dinner price of 950 baht. That may put some people off and it is also not fair to those people who do not want to drink wine, but prefer something else. Teoy, for example, does not drink alcohol at all. And there are plenty of farang who prefer beer to wine. I think it would be better to offer such a dinner excluding drinks.

On New Year's Eve we leave on time and check in at the Pannarai hotel. Teoy then goes to her native village where some kind of celebration is taking place. I use the time to update a few things on my laptop. Then, for a change, I walk out of the hotel not to the right but to the left. Zum Pfalz can be found just past Day and Night. There are always a few farang chatting with each other. I take a simple lunch in the form of a ham and cheese bouncer. The bouncer is good with nice fresh bread.

I get into a conversation with a few farang and it even gets fun, while enjoying a few ice-cold beers. Then it's time to go back to the hotel. I rest for a few hours and wait for Teoy. When Teoy is back, we freshen up a bit and then head for daSofia. We are welcomed by the waitresses and taken to our table. It is already quite busy and the mood is high. We are served our welcome drink, a Pinot Bianco. That's good, because I get Teoy's glass, after all, he doesn't drink alcohol. Teoy himself takes a fruit juice.

After about half an hour all guests have arrived and all tables are occupied. Among the guests are many regular visitors to daSofia. Most are from Italy and Switzerland. Dinner starts with a “bruschetta” with lots of garlic. A tasty appetizer but a bit on the simple side for a New Year's Eve dinner. I had expected more shrimp or salmon here. Anyway, the “bruschetta” has a good taste, so nothing wrong with it at all. Then we get a platter with assorted, sliced ​​meats, such as parma ham and salami. Both starters are also on the daily menu, so I've been able to taste them before.

Braised veal

The main course consists of a delicious ossobuco. As most readers will know, ossobuco is a top meat dish from the Italian (Milanese) kitchen. The basis of ossobuco consists of veal shanks that simmer over a low heat for a longer period of time. Usually onions, carrots and celery are added, sometimes tomatoes too, and the whole thing is stewed. daSofia's ossobuca is a hit. Excellent in taste. The ossobuca is usually eaten with risotto, but you can also just eat it with (heated) bread or some spaghetti.

A red wine is served with the ossobuca, a French cabernet. Since many guests already know each other, everything is very animated. After the ossobuco it's time for coffee with a slice of Italian cake (panettone). At the end of the dinner everyone gets a glass of prosecco. The after-drink with a number of guests is very pleasant and only after midnight, after wishing each other a happy New Year, we go back to our hotel.

In summary, I can only say about the Christmas Eve buffet in the Pannarai hotel and the New Year's Eve dinner at daSofia that both festivities were very successful. Fortunately, they are at odds with my previous experiences in both the Netherlands and, like last year, in Thailand.

Enough reason to look forward to the holidays at the end of next year and then participate in these proven successful festivities.

I wish all readers a happy and healthy 2019.

Charly (www.thailandblog.nl/tag/charly/)