Taco

Koh Phangan real nice about now if you can handle some heat.  We got all the big box shops a million 7-11's and whats better when your bored then buzzing around the island on your scooter

Yea but what they fail to mention is that the raja ferry to koh phangan is a car ferry that takes 1 hour 45 minutes and departs from the far west tip of samui which is as far as possible you can get from the main tourist areas of Chaweng or Lamai.  So 30 minute plus taxi (probably 800bt) and that a super slow boat or just do the usual 25 minute Seatran or Lompraya ferry for 300bt.  

This a deal to literally keep that empty boat afloat

Been on a Thai island 20 years and that article is pretty accurate IMO.  Never heard a Thai utter the words "overdeveloped".  I am thinking pretty soon they will be building cement shop houses on top of elephants.  That would bring the amazingness back!!

Koh Phangan a solid choice.  Good cycling. Solid local farang crowd.   Plenty of heavy drinkers to yoga, you name it.   Pretty much have all the comforts minus the theater, but Samui is a 25 minute boat away. The island is no where near as crazy as people make it out to me.  Lots of good western food choices and for the most part affordable for an island.  Plus you can get the Samui resident card and fly Bangkok Air for either 2000 or 2750 one way to bkk or Pattaya when needed. 

For family I would suggest Koh Phangan staying in either haad yao for quiet and nice, seethanu beach for simple bungalows with a nice sunset or tong nai pai yai or noi for a more secluded spot.  Its always a nice island to drive around and get lost.  

Why not take your rage out on some cheap soi 6 action?  Sounds way more fun to me.  

From my experiences working for Brown Forman (famous for owning Jack Daniels), every single tax raise was always complimented by a manufacturers price increase that the consumers would think was all tax hike.  I am sure the same happens here.  Sales reps hated tax hikes, corporate loved it.

Will be coming back from Pai next week on Motorbike.  Considering taking the off road north and north east route for a bit of a challenge and wondering if any special scenic resorts forum members could recommend north of Chiang Mai.  Budget is 2000 down.  Plan on staying and night and then going to sticky waterfalls the next morning and back to CM.  Looking for water, nature, uniqueness.  Any suggestions appreciated.

Next step have all restaurants put down 100,000 baht in case someone has a bad meal.  Sounds ridiculous but maybe it would keep all the tiny bamboo table pop up 50 bt pad thai shacks from stealing business from established restaurants that pay their staff decent wages, social security, sign tax, rental tax, work permits and their monthly tax.  1200 baht for a liquor license is not enough to keep out the 5 day construction instant restaurant shacks from opening every 20 feet down in the islands.

If restaurant licences were 100,000 baht and enforced (haha yea right!)  I would be the first one in line to pay it. 

I have a small piece for sale on the road center of haad salad.  chanote, deep water well and septic in already.  Sea view 1.5 million.  pm me for more details if interested.

Been in Koh Phangan a long time but never saw this one!!  Got a new house in the jungle.  Power went out and was walking below the house and saw two small yellow green lights moving around.  I pulled out the phone and lit up this critter.  The head is on the smaller end and it has two headlights.  Quite a nice evolutionary perk to get around at night.

Anyone know what it is?  Asked a few locals they had no idea

Thanks on the facebook tips. I am the one of the only restaurant owners who has never used facebook (although made a pretty penny on its stock:)) but I do have someone who runs the restaurants face book so will get her on it.  

I still have this gut feeling that dealing with a thai culinary school could work out well.  They know who their best students are and might be able to recommend so I am open for more suggestions on where those might be.

I am looking to hire a young aspiring Thai chef to hire at my restaurant and have had some difficulties finding culinary schools to post my job offer.  Most google searches in English mostly show cooking classes for farang learning Thai cooking.  My Thai manager has not had much luck or my guess has not tried very hard to find information for me with Thai language searches so seeing if anyone out there has been through this experience and might have some tips.  

Restaurant is located in Koh Phangan so I know that reduces the amount of people willing to work far from friends and family so I want to spread the job offer as far as possible.   I am offering a large apartment near the restaurant and think that maybe a younger chef with an open mind to learn new food might be a good fit.  

They should be made to pay!  That is not a sand bar.  That is the end of the reef with many gigantic coral in that area. I often paddle board over that area.  Those black soot spewing jalopys are so outdated and polluting that often tourists see an approaching ship and think it is a vessel on fire.

Coming from experience of 20 years bartending and 12 years of owning a bar here the main issues are not using proper amount of spirits, reusing flat mixers, shaking carbonation out of drinks not meant to be shaked and buying the absolute cheapest bottle sold.  Most cocktails need 45ml minimum to achieve the proper taste.  I find Thais and Burmese can be taught to make a decent drink once you allow them to pour the proper amount of booze but it is very hard to get them to throw out warm flat mixers.  I am constantly coming in the bar and tossing half full bottles of soda and cans of coke that have been open for hours. 

The staff feels like they are helping the owner by using less spirits and using old mixers but they dont realized they have just sold that customer their last cocktail in your establishment. 

Such a shame what happened to soi 3 and most importantly Bamboo Bar.  Bamboo used to be one of my favorite places to go in Bangkok.  Good pool tables, fun atmosphere and decent live music (the only live hip hop I knew of in bkk).  Now I steer far clear of soi 3 unless I need to go to bumrungrad. 

Just renewed my annual registration on my CBR 250 at the office in Koh Phangan.  No question this is a corrupt double pricing set up that preys on farangs and probably quite a few Thais as well.  I am pondering calling the Bangkok corruption number and would like to hear other peoples experiences. 

Background story is last year I was two years late and he said I give you special price and I payed 1300 for one year back registration and the current year.  This year I only payed for this next year and he charged me 950 baht.  Money went straight in his back pocket. 

He quickly handles the scam by trying to not let you see the receipt by stapling the receipt after folding it a few times then putting it into a small envelope and stapling that as well so its hard to open without ripping the receipt. 

I asked him in Thai last year I paid 650 more expensive this year?  His reply was Kap. Come back Saturday.  Upon taking out the staples and inspecting the receipt it was a cost of 347 baht.  I expect a fee on top of that but not almost 200%. 

His real problem is that he is American and Americans are charged by federal laws on the 18 year old consensual US laws no matter what country they committed the act in so if convicted or not here he will be charged in America and be sent to federal prison where he will not be very lonely.  

Plus trump will call him a pig and throw the book at him.  Should have stuck with the Korean passport on this one. 

There is no easy solution to this.  The Thai people's love of plastic bags and the lack of consensus that garbage is to be throw in a bin is the culprit.  It is a never ending battle.  If Samui is dirty come to Koh Phangan.  The beaches are nice and cleaner.  Most resort owners have their staff clean the beaches and we have an small organization called Green Cross that does island wide beach clean days.  I usually host the after party and give everyone who pitched in a free beer and people feel good about it.  Half of what we clean up  on a beach clean day is coming from the fishermen.  Real intelligent folks it seems like, making their money from the sea and trashing it. 

Also in Phangan there is more of a sense of community and people take better (not perfect) care of the island.  In Samui there is more of a feeling that your  on your own.