It's all for charidee folks

It's the event of the Pattaya calendar, the night the creme de le creme of Pattaya society ditch the shorts and flip flops and don their finest. The annual Pattaya International Ladies Committee charity ball was held last night, complete with Champagne reception, five course dinner, a live band and free flowing wine, lubricating many a wallet during the live auction. All the proceeds go to worthy causes in and around the Pattaya area, as the American auctioneer reminded us again and again during his hour long performance - and a performance it was. Whoever this guy actually was, he took to the role of auctioneer with gusto, enjoying being the centre of attention so much that he only upped the bids by about £10 at a time. Luckily, someone had the sense to remove him from the floor just as most of the ball-goers were about to find a creative use for their cheese knifes.

As there was nothing in the live auction that we particularly wanted, we instead participated in the (most) silent auction (in the world). We didn't realise at the time that they were being literal when they called it a silent auction. When we enquired at the end of the evening how The Parents should pay for the antique Buddha head that they had successfully bid for, we were informed that their name had been read out and as no-one had come forward, the Buddha had gone to the next highest bidder - some £80 less than the £100 we had bid. No doubt that bidder was one of the 'Pattaya Ladies' from the afforementioned committee as, unless the names were whispered at the back of the ballroom, The Parents' names were certainly not called. It is a shame that the no doubt incredibly worthy charities couldn't benefit from the extra £80 that our bid would have provided but then, I suppose, they do say that charity begins at home.

Despite all this, and the fact that the wine was pretty terrible (whoever was responsible for selecting it should get a full tastebud check-up), we had a fantastic evening - the food was delicious, the Champers was a rare treat in a country that imports so much import duty that even wine is a luxury, and we rarely left the dance floor.

Tomorrow The Parents and I are off to Koh Samet, a nearby island, for a three day jolly, sadly without The Husband who has to work. Being a small island, gaining internet access may prove difficult, so please forgive me if I am amiss in my blogging regularity over the next few days.