LittleBear57

A word of warning. Went snorkelling at this beach as I have done many times over the past 15 years and came across the strongest current I have ever encountered which dragged us away and to the left of the island as you look at it from the beach. We were all good swimmers but really struggled getting back to the beach. They are building an oil refinery down there and I believe they have dredged out the harbour so tankers will be able to dock. I assume this has had a massive effect on the currents. It has also pretty much wiped out all the coral due to silt and nearly all the fish have gone. Stay within the buoys and in your own depth. I know the beach has always has a small current but this was extreme. I did snorkel a little on the other beach Nang Rong (second beach) didn't feel any current there but that was a different day.

Thanks guys.

Watched the video properly this time, it's not about the beach itself it's all about searches on the internet. Not about quality of said beach or even about visitors to beach. all about hits on searches.

My daughters UK passport runs out before her 16th birthday (4 months). She has a Thai passport. I would like to renew her UK passport here in Thailand after her 16th birthday so she can have a 10 year one instead of the child's five. Will probably do it in October as she will be off school then and free to travel to Bangkok. Has anyone done this before and can anyone see a problem arising from being here in Thailand.

Not even close.

Beaches on the mainland are not as good as Samet beaches. However I would recommend Mae Phim beach which is near Klang. There is another small beach just east of there which is lovely. Mae Phim has lots of restaurants etc. but can get busy with Thais at the weekend or Bank Holidays. A note on Samet, they probably stopped all the boat from going onto the beaches to ensure the parks authority got the cash, but the good thing is there are no speedboats on the beaches making them quieter and safer.

Just remembered, where I used to live in Sattahip a house just round the corner had seven dogs. Absolutely crazy and she used to just let them out on the street to do their business. Some of them were very aggressive and it was best not to go out until they had gone back in. They also had a young daughter and she was badly bitten around her face needing many (over 40 if I remember correctly) stitches which I'm sure would leave her scarred for life. Believe it or not they didn't get rid of the dogs as "We don't know which one attacked her". Any normal person would have got rid of all the dogs. Mind you any sane person would not have had 7 dogs in the first place. They looked just like Soi dogs which is probably where they came from in the first place and just bred. This just sums up some Thai people's mentality I'm afraid.

Three dogs allowed to run free whether pit bulls, German shepherds, Rottweiler's or even soi dogs is the real problem. I run the gauntlet some days with aggressive soi dogs. Any dogs over two are a pack and a pack is dangerous. Pitbulls are bred to fight other dogs fact and can be aggressive to them and unpredictable but if looked after and trained and socialized an individual dog is like the other breeds not a problem. Again it's down to the owner why have 3 dogs and not look after them. Pitbulls always get the bad press even if it's not a pitbull just looks a bit like one. Only a photo of one dog and is that one involved in the attack? RIP to the person sadly attacked by an out of control pack of dogs.

It rarely moves from my patio area. There is no gate or anything else in the way. We have like most of our neighbours had issues with the man of the house so I like the others do not speak with him. I will look into the law more and take legal action or just put one up which will cover the edge of my property and a bit of his pool which he will not like.

My neighbour has cameras installed on their property, however one clearly is aimed over my property covering my front door and patio area. I asked the woman next door why it's looking over my property and the answer was " If you are not doing anything illegal what are you worried about. Has anyone had similar issues and knows the legality of this. Of course I could get my own cameras and ensure they not only cover my property but theirs as well. This I find rather childish but most of my friends say I should do it, especially as he wants his privacy and has built a high wall. If this is in the wrong forum please move it. And thanks in advance for any replies.

I don't believe the statistics many things are up over 20%. bought potatoes from Makro this week 65 bht/kilo earlier this year it was 36. Other things up too. Pork has almost doubled over the past two years chicken up 40% too over that period. Noodles up Bread up milk up all above the "rate of inflation" and thats just what I've noticed. Started growing our own peppers now as they've gone up around 40% too.

Sharks jaws seem to on display in many places.

Had 5000bht stolen from our hotel whilst we were at breakfast in Koh Pangan. Just been to the ATM to pay for a trip to Ang Thong Nat Park. Didn't get the cash back had to be stolen by the maids only out of room 30 mins. Wife forget her purse left it by the TV. Year after at Khao Lak our friend had money stolen whilst swimming from his bag on the beach. Happens everywhere I'm afraid and not just Thailand.

I am very concerned about this as I doubt if I could stay here if I got hit by a 2500+ tax bill. So hope you are right Torquay fan. I see your logic as I would not be the only one returning home putting a strain on the NHS and housing etc.

On the eastern seaboard, first beach I would swim at is Sai kaew which is just down the road from me. It is on the Thai Naval Training base and they will charge you 100bht for the privilege, beach pleasant but water clarity not great. My personal choice is Hat Nang Rong at Sattahip Port, again it's on the Navy base there. Drive past Utapao airport on the extension of the 331 and turn left at the checkpoint about 3 or 4km further on. Very nice beach clear water with coral around the island. Busy with Thais at weekends and Bank holidays. 20bht a vehicle and 20bht a falang. In my opinion best beach by some way.

You should also be checking the test date of the bottle. They should be pressure tested. They should not fill anywhere near full in Thailand. The heat causes expansion especially if the sun gets on them and they are designed to allow the pressure out which means you are leaking a dangerous gas out the back of your pickup if full. Hope no one is smoking. Seriously it's very dodgy.

I would have answered earlier but my Huawei phone wouldn't let me, you must have the good one mine is a pile of sh-t.

The Swiztika was a sign of "good fortune" and "well being" in many Asian religions until Hitler stole it in the rise of fascism in the 30's. Unfortunately I like most can only associate it with the Nazi's. On a minor scale the English flag is often seen as a symbol of racism because it has been used by racist people to suit their agenda. I personally want my flag back and flying wherever I choose without any complaints from anyone in our country.

The only food which has stayed the same price for a few years is Noodle soup. Everything has gone up or shrunk in size or quality. "50 bht meals" in Phuket, that must be nice. You can just about get that at at our local market but most of the food is lacking in real quality. At the market they do a nice tasting chicken and cashew nuts for 50bht (no rice) but since peppers have gone up by 50% I noticed they disappeared from the dish. Meals are around double what they were 8 years ago.

Would like to visit Angkor this month by crossing at Poi Pet has anyone been recently and what are the requirements. We all have had 3 Covid shots but the last was Jan this year. Do I still need to get a visa from somewhere before I go (British). Is it possible to drive a Thai truck over there? Bit of a rush but my planned holiday fell through. All help appreciated.

I assume then that if you do your 90 day report in person it will still be the same. 90 days before it needs to be done again. Please advise if that is incorrect.

Looking at a video of the place there's a few places that are very poorly fenced off, somewhere you have to be very careful.

Hoping to drive that way myself in December so will monitor your post. Been south from Mae Sot to "Thi lo su" waterfall that's quite a trek. Mae Ka Sa waterfall looks interesting just a short drive north of Mae Sot.

Living close to it and travelling past it many days certainly bring home this unnecessary loss. Yes I too think there may be more to deaths to come. Lets hope some good will come from it, in improvement to fire safety. Though from past history it seems people soon forget and revert back to cheap construction , locked fire exits, overcrowding and poor policing.

Vietnam is more diverse in both climate and geography. It has high mountains which are cool and wet, beach resorts , historic towns and Halong bay. Cambodia has Angkor and nice beach resorts too. For scenery and climate options Vietnam wins hands down , both are relatively cheap. Cambodia is nearer and therefore easier to get to, don't even have to fly. If it was me I would go Vietnam more places to visit, and cooler weather in the north.