keestha

Koh Tao remains very popular with young people who go there to party, they seem to be blissfully unaware of recent incidents well known among readers here.

I have 2 types of termites. One type eats wood slowly, I continuously have to replace furniture and woodwork, often using the fake wood now. The other type is very aggressive, without exaggeration it eats a cheap wooden table (the screw the legs on yourself type) in 1 month. I lost a cupboard full of books twice.

The war against termites is like the war against the IS or al Qaeda, you might be able to push them back, but you will never win.

Sigh......TOT means DEAD in German, and indeed I have to keep reanimating, restarting the connection. In my area they just put in new fiber cables, doesn't seem to have made any difference.

Agree TOT/fiber has been choppy lately, probably because it is high season, too many people hanging on the line.

Flying ant invasion happened to me twice in 15 years Khao Lak.

The first time was in the house at the edge of the forest I rented after the tsunami had destroyed my living quarters. All alone late at night, I was playing an online backgammon game with a guy probably somewhere in the US. All of a sudden they started coming in massively, and I told the guy I had to stop the game and switch off all the lights because of a flying ant invasion. The guy reacted: "hehe, you're somewhere out in the sticks?", and we broke off the game.

The next day I spent 2 hours cleaning up.

Especially if you are young, you might be hired by a big hotel (probably one belonging to a chain) for a guest relations job, so working at the reception. Prepare a resume and present yourself at all places. Your English seems OK to me, and it is a considerable advantage to also speak German. Two Germans that I know found work in Khao Lak that way, though I have to add they are both female.

Stuff like this, buildings encroaching on a neighboring plot of land, should be sorted out by the local OrBorTor.

Yeah, thanks, that's something new for me. Quite a long drive for them, would be at least something like driving from Denmark to the South of Italy.

I'm in tourist areas pretty much every day and there seems to be a nice increase in European visitors, which is filling up many restaurants that were not full when it was mainly Russians, ie Buffalo Steakhouse, Two Chefs etc. It seems busier now then 3 weeks ago and that's not counting the Chinese, although I did see many Chinese plated cars driving around yesterday.

You mean just tour vehicles with Mandarin writing on them right, not cars with Chinese licence plates that have been driven down from China?

Why did so many people like the post, maybe because they found it hilarious?

Acquaintances I know in Chiang Mai who own Guest Houses have no complaints this year. Sounds like business is brisk.

Sure there are always people around whose businesses are going just great. But no old hand who has his feet on the ground will deny tourism is down this year.

Example: to my experience snorkeling tours to the islands off Phangnga (Similan, Koh Ta Chai, Surin) were always bookable for the next day this season, previous seasons they were booked out often enough.

The whole thing born out of a rumor. Frightening.

Yes, I think Kao Lak is worth it, but, no more than four, or five days, as it doesn't have as much to see, or do as Phuket. You could get bored.

Depends on what you are interested in. The town of Khao Lak (or it is really a number of separate villages) is nothing special, but the surrounding area has a lot to offer: waterfalls, secluded bays, and for instance the mostly untouristy island of Koh Kaw Khao. And besides that, many tourists don't need to see and do that much, are happy hanging out in a village with a limited number of bars and restaurants, easy to get to know people.

I always preferred Karon. Enough nightlife to keep me amused, but still village like, take a short walk and you are out of the buzz. Very nice beach, but be careful swimming, drownings every year.

From the airport there is no bus, minivan or shared taxi going to Khao Lak/Bang Niang. Depending on your bargaining skills, a taxi should set you back about 1200 Baht. If you book a hotel in Khao Lak, you might ask them to arrange a taxi for you, with the additional advantage of the driver knowing how to get to the hotel. If you are on a really tight budget, I suggest you leave the small airport on foot, and hail a taxi/tuk tuk passing by on the public road to take you to the highway 5 km away, and wait for a bus there. Ask to be let off at the turnoff for Bang Niang Beach. In case you spend time in Phuket first, just take a bus from Phuket Town bus station which is easily reached from the beaches by bus.

In Khao Lak, most hotels and all travel agencies will be able to book you on a minivan to Ao Nang@450 Baht.

Have fun in the west coast paradises.

Don't they have anything better to do? In many German states consumption of marijuana is not illegal anymore.

OP, did you buy the ticket at the railway station?

I wouldn't mind so much being abandoned by the tour guide in Pattaya at 11.30 PM, would probably find a way to amuse myself for the rest of the evening.

Shops that are selling stuff like stationary, pencils, rulers and so on probably have them.

My guess is that the anonymous complaint was made by a farang.

I have fond memories of my sole visit to Narathiwat in 1992.

Lovely city, many historical wooden buildings in the downtown, one of them was the hotel I stayed in.

Everybody was extremely interested in me, continuously I was approached by people who just wanted to talk to me.

Though they always were very, very friendly, finally it became a bit too much for me, and I fled into the coffee shop of the most expensive hotel in town, just to be by myself for a few minutes.

Just wait. In 20 years now will be the "good old days".

Yes. When Soi Bangla will have been turned into a fun zone for Chinese families.

The real agenda: as agreed within the AEC framework, Thailand is fulfilling its obligation to stimulate beach tourism in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam.

And another even better video.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=695559417220269&set=vb.100002986526326&type=2&theater