Thailand Explore

Thaivisa has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and 5 great sponsors to encourage expat travel across all of Thailand. We must thank the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Blue Haven Bay, The Riviera Group, Global Insurance - for all your Expat Insurance needs and Dan about Thailand for their huge support with this project.

3 Nights with Island Excursion at Pimalai Resort & Spa Koh Lanta - expires 1 Nov

Valid for Thais and Expats with stay period of 01 November 2020 - 03 December 2020

Package included 3 nights stay, daily breakfast, Roundtrip Krabi airport transfer, 1 exotic Thai Set Dinner, 1 surf & turf BBQ set Dinner and 1 island excursion.

Complimentary Beach activities:

Kayaks, Windsurf, Paddle Boards, Sailing Boats, Body Boards, Beach Football, Beach Volleyball, Beach Petanque

Complimentary massage classes:

The Art of Traditional Thai Massage - Every Monday 10.30 – 11.30 am.
The making of small Aromatic Herbal Pouch - Every Wednesday 10.30 – 11.30 am.
The Art of Neck & Shoulder Massage - Every Saturday 10.30 – 11.30 am.

Follow Expat Explore on Facebook - To ensure you get the best deals and offers from across Thailand specifically for Expats

Still being relatively new to Hua Hin as a region I am filling my weekends with as many things as I can, and more often than not the decisions are based on what my two young kids want to do.

So it was inevitable that at some stage we would visit the Hua Hin Zoo and although not awash with lots and lots of animals it certainly offered a good selection. It also made for a nice walk around the gardens and made for the perfect Sunday morning jaunt.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2019/02/11/never-too-old-for-the-hua-hin-zoo/

Thaivisa has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and 5 great sponsors to encourage expat travel across all of Thailand. We must thank the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Blue Haven Bay, The Riviera Group, Global Insurance - for all your Expat Insurance needs and Dan about Thailand for their huge support with this project.

Join Muscle Factory Bangkok & Pattaya Gyms with Friends and Save

If you want to join the biggest and best gym in Bangkok and Pattaya then why not join with friends and reduce your annual membership?

An annual gym membership is 18,000 baht but if four of you join at once it is reduced to 16,000 baht per person a year (43 baht per day).

Muscle Factory is located on Sukhumvit 56 Bangkok or Pratamanak in Pattaya. Your membership means you can use either gyms during the year.

More details via https://www.facebook.com/musclefactorybkk

or email [email protected]

Follow Expat Explore on Facebook - To ensure you get the best deals and offers from across Thailand specifically for Expats

Thaivisa has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and 5 great sponsors to encourage expat travel across all of Thailand. We must thank the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Blue Haven Bay, The Riviera Group, Global Insurance - for all your Expat Insurance needs and Dan about Thailand for their huge support with this project.

Coastal Thailand news for September 15th, 2020

Greetings from coastal Thailand, where rough seas necessitated rescues in the Andaman Sea, and the government has announced a “special tourist visa” to target long stayers. These stories and more are in this edition of the Island Wrap.

If you missed it last week, join me on ultra-relaxing Ko Phayam to take your mind off all of the crises in the world. Now that we’re looking at a return of unrestricted global travel no sooner than next year, if we’re lucky, I reckon that this is a time for self-preservation. If you’re stuck inside, take your mind to the beach.

This week I will not publish the usual Friday post because I want to devote the time to a couple of freelance articles that I’m been working on. I’ll share them here once they’re published.

A soothing dusk on Ko Libong during less strenuous times.

Stuart launched a redesigned Travelfish site and, I must say, it looks spiffy. For the new “long reads” section, Julia Winterflood contributed a thought-provoking story on the importance of listening to local voices as Bali “forges a new era.”

(Many of the insights can be applied to Thailand as well.) Meanwhile, Stuart wrote about “quality tourists” and a “death highway” in Cambodia for his newsletters.

Continue reading: https://thaiislandtimes.substack.com/p/coastal-thailand-news-for-september-357

In recent years there has been a somewhat explosion of high quality water parks across Thailand and certainly plenty of high octane ones for the thrill seekers too.

But by and large I make my decisions on what to do in my leisure time for the good of my two young kids (aged 3 and 4), so I look for family orientated attractions. I don’t need a fast water flume but more a lazy river…

Anyway in Hua Hin Thailand I found a wonderful water park geared more towards kids and families, I have now been a few times and each time left relaxed and with two happy kids.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2019/01/28/the-perfect-water-park-for-a-young-family-in-hua-hin/

Thaivisa has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and 5 great sponsors to encourage expat travel across all of Thailand. We must thank the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Blue Haven Bay, The Riviera Group, Global Insurance - for all your Expat Insurance needs and Dan about Thailand for their huge support with this project.

500 baht food voucher for every night booked at 15 Palms Koh Chang

Come and enjoy a wonderful stay at 15 Palms located directly on White Sands Beach, with prices starting from only 1,200 baht per night. They also have some very popular family rooms, so please email for current prices.

With every night booked at 15 Palms they will offer 500 baht to spend at their beach front, relaxed restaurant.

Terms and conditions:

• This offer can only be booked directly with 15 Palms at [email protected] or [email protected].
• Rooms subject to availability and offer not available during public holidays
• Rooms must be redeemed before 31st October 2020

You can check out 15 Palms on their website: https://15palms.com/

Follow Expat Explore on Facebook - To ensure you get the best deals and offers from across Thailand specifically for Expats

Thaivisa has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and 5 great sponsors to encourage expat travel across all of Thailand. We must thank the Dusit Hotels & Resorts, Blue Haven Bay, The Riviera Group, Global Insurance - for all your Expat Insurance needs and Dan about Thailand for their huge support with this project.

Rayong: 20% discount at MM Villa Kon Ao

Welcome to our small and friendly guesthouse MM Villa Kon Ao located only 100 meter from the beautiful 10km long Mae Rumpung Beach.

We have a restaurant that serves both thai and western food. We have a well sorted bar and free WiFi and pool table. It’s only 5km to Ban Phe and the ferries to Koh Samet. We have easy and safe car parking on the street.

Prices ranges from 500, 700 and 1400 for a big family room. 10% discount on all rooms during September, October and November. 20% discount if you stay for a week. 

Telephone: 06-3928-6662. Email: [email protected]. 

Follow Expat Explore on Facebook - To ensure you get the best deals and offers from across Thailand specifically for Expats

Coastal Thailand news for September 8th, 2020

Greetings from coastal Thailand, where a four-day weekend that made up for the canceled Songkran holidays just gave several destinations a boost. That story and the low-down on Thailand’s first known domestic case of Covid-19 in more than 100 days is coming your way in this edition of the Island Wrap.

Last week I dug into coastal Thai geographical terms in a post from the Island Nerd category. If you don’t already have a handle on the Thai language, do give it a read to prevent yourself from butchering words like เกาะ (“island”). And even if you already know the terms, I guarantee that at least one of the six trivia questions will stump even the nerdiest of Thai geography nerds.

Ko Phayam is coming.

On the way later this week I have a story about riding out a storm on mellow Ko Phayam in Ranong, the rainiest province in Thailand.

In Travelfish Weekly, Stuart published some timely thoughts on “a fear of travel” as the pandemic grinds on. And on Couchfish, he recounted a “weird hotel” on Ko Samui before heading to Don Dhet, “the laziest of Laos’ 4,000 Islands.”

Geographical terms and trivia from Thai islands and coastal areas

David Luekens

Today I’m getting nerdy by explaining words, like หาด (“beach”), that you’ll see on maps and road signs in the Thai islands and coastal areas. To keep it fun for those who already know this stuff, I’ve scattered in six trivia questions on coastal Thai geography. Answers are at the end.

Admittedly, I don’t always pronounce Thai words 100% correctly. So rather than face the wrath of Thai language police by recording my own pronunciations, I’ll point you to Paiboon Publishing’s Talking Thai app for Android and iOS. It has an audio function that allows you to hear precisely how some 200,000 Thai words are pronounced. I’ve used it in tandem with other Paiboon resources for years.

(Note: Those are *not* affiliate links. Any time you see me promoting a company here in Thai Island Times, it’s because I genuinely like it.)

Thai is a tonal language in which the tone — mid, low, high, rising, or falling — changes the meaning of words. Getting the pronunciation right takes most native English speakers years of being around the language, and some of the more tone-deaf folks never get there. With that said, this article will prevent you from totally butchering words that you can’t avoid in coastal Thailand.

Foreign travelers who pronounce all five of these islands correctly get a free ferry ticket. Just kidding, but you might impress the ticket seller.

Continue reading: https://thaiislandtimes.substack.com/p/geographical-terms-and-trivia-from

Last year International Living published a top 5 list of the best places to live in Thailand and I must say, although some I can agree with, I just do not buy into their claims. I made this vlog a year back now but never actually published it here on my website, but when I checked it out found the subject very interesting.

I am sure you have your opinions too on the subject so do drop a comment below. Quick footnote, I stand corrected on ‘fresh air’ in Chaing Mai – I visited only once before outside the farming burning season!

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2018/11/16/5-best-places-to-live-in-thaiand-really/

If you think about it some of the best things in life don’t need to cost money to enjoy, from your family to the stunning landscapes offered by our planet, such as a beach.

When I visited the unfashionable Thai beach in Cha-am I was with my family and so it went without saying that this just doubled the fun.

I often have to remind myself of these precious moments with my young family and certainly when I look back on days out like this, in this case whilst editing my vlog, I realise how special these times are.

Watching my kids play on the beach from looking for crabs to digging in the sand is quite simply awesome.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2018/12/09/why-our-day-at-cha-am-beach-was-so-awesome/

Rockclimbing in Krabi, Thailand
By Nikki Busuttil

Almost every climber with outdoor aspirations has either been to, or dreams of scaling the rocks in, the southern Thailand paradise of Krabi, adorned with dramatic rocky landscapes, thick jungle and epic off-shore island vistas...

One of my personal favourites for outdoor climbing, Krabi Province, in the South of Thailand, is a veritable mecca for rockclimbers in Southeast Asia. With hundreds and hundreds of well-maintained, titanium bolted, marine-glue fixed routes with strong slings and firm anchors, it is almost a rite of passage for any self-respecting climber to scaling its stunning limestone walls.

Although Krabi has many climbing locations dotted around, the main attraction is a comprehensive combination of Railay and Tonsai, reachable only by boat from various ports, including Ao Nammao (best access for East Railay) and Ao Nang (most convenient for West Railay and Tonsai Bay). These two destinations, side by side, offer stellar climbing opportunities for all level of climbers, with Tonsai providing the most challenging options and Railay safe for even the clumsiest beginners.

With friendly climbing guides and instructors at reasonable prices, all gear available for rent, copious accommodation types for all budgets, from backpacker to luxury lover, this truly is a climbing must. Whether you bring all your own gear and climbing buddies, or travel solo and go with the flow, it's easy to find your way around and climb your heart out.

Continue reading: https://www.nikkibusuttil.com/post/rockclimbing-in-krabi-thailand

A History Lesson at the JEATH War Museum
By Meanwhile in Thailand

World War II history lessons

Today I want to visit the last places in my travel schedule here in Kanchanaburi. I rent a bicycle near the guesthouse. The program includes the Wat Khao Pun cave and the JEATH War Museum. Wat Khao Pun was used by the Japanese during World War II as storage space for ammunition and such but now filled with Buddha and Hindu statues. The cave is about 10 kilometers away on the other side of the river, also the furthest point of my trip today.

Buddha and Hindu relics inside a former storage cave

With a map supplied by my guesthouse – though not to scale – I find the cave reasonably easy. To reach the site, you have to drive up a hill at the end. Quite a challenge with my rickety bike. I arrive almost completely exhausted. I decide to rest a bit and have a soda before going down into the cave. Inside Wat Khao Pun regularly you have to crawl through narrow dens to get further, it is all somewhat creepy – especially as I also walk around the place alone. In the larger rooms, and even in all sorts of corners and niches, you will find many statues Of Buddha`s and Hindu gods. Bats are also present. I am satisfied that I have made an effort to visit this cave.

Kanchanaburi has 2 war cemeteries

About a mile away on the way back is a war cemetery which I also visit. In the center of Kanchanaburi, there is another one, but I skip that one. After a rest at the edge of the river for a while, I head to my last destination for today, the JEATH war museum. JEATH stands for Jew, English, American, Australian, Thai, and Holland, but also as a pun on death. The museum was founded by a Buddhist monk to explain the atrocities committed by the Japanese during World War II.

Continue reading: https://meanwhileinthailand.com/a-history-lesson-at-the-jeath-war-museum/

The Erawan Falls near Kanchanaburi
By Meanwhile in Thailand

A sole passenger in a mini-van to Kanchanaburi

Visiting the Erawan Falls is the last destination of my Thailand journey. At the tourist office, it appears that I am the only one who wants to travel from Ayutthaya to Kanchanaburi by mini-van today. I am on my guard, the driver hardly speaks English, so I regularly look at the road signs, but everything turns out to be correct. I arrive in the city after precisely two hours.

Worn out room with a discount

The mini-van driver drops me off at an affiliated guesthouse, hoping to catch some commission for that, but I have set my mind on another place to stay, which is located next door. Fan rooms here cost little, but I find them rather desolate. I like the air-conditioned rooms better, so I take one of them, even though it is a bit worn out. Because I immediately book four nights, I get a nice discount.

Tours on offer but easy to visit on your own
During check-in, three youngsters hand out leaflets for excursions in the area. I kindly say that I will go through them all, but I know that everything I want to see here is entirely possible to visit on my own. The chances are small that I will book any tour with them.

Crossing the Death Railway Bridge over the Kwai river
 

I eat a nice tuna baguette before I leave for the famous Death Railway Bridge over the river Kwai (or: Kwae in phonetic Thai); it is a 2-kilometer walk from where I am staying. Once there, the place is stacked with Japanese and Taiwanese. You can freely cross the bridge on foot via a narrow aisle between the rail tracks. Quite tricky with all those oncoming traffic. I wonder if anybody ever fell into the water. While I am still on the trails, a (tourist) train passes by, at walking pace, a necessity with all those pedestrians on the bridge. Some people only make room at the last moment.

Continue reading: https://meanwhileinthailand.com/the-erawan-falls-near-kanchanaburi/

If you had not guessed from the title already, I was totally amazed by the natural beauty to the West of Hua Hin in Pran Buri. With no expectations I set off in my car on Sunday just to explore nearby locations with my family. Having spent a huge amount of time in Bangkok and Pattaya it was the polar end of the spectrum to this. No traffic, no buildings, clean air and plenty of vegetation – and when I laid my eyes on the Pran Buri Dam it was just awesome.

For me, this country ticks so many boxes as a place to live and explore. Bangkok for business and that city vibe, Pattaya to party and have fun, Hua Hin for the more relaxed family lifestyle and the many islands to spend a few days each time to chill out on. And each of the islands have their own characteristics so you can expect a new adventure on every island you visit.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2018/11/05/stunning-scenery-of-pran-buri-west-of-hua-hin/

For any Expat lucky enough to be in Thailand at the moment, this is the time to explore the beaches of Phuket and have these stunning coastlines all to yourself.

Phuket is currently a shell of itself with the International borders closed and it’s painful to see. Everywhere is quiet – very quiet – from hotels, restaurants to beaches.

I must admit I had not really ever paid much attention to Phuket as a destination in Thailand and in my 15 years of living here had visit the region on 2 or 3 times. This time round I made more of an effort to look around and I was impressed.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2020/09/05/the-beautiful-beaches-on-phuket-with-nobody-on-them/

Ko Wiang: A rugged karst island in remote Thung Maha Bay
David Luekens

A look at Ko Wiang, alongside Ko Yor and Ko Phra, from Ban Bo Samrong on the mainland.

Previously I wrote about Ko Phitak, a serene fishing island in southern Chumphon province. Today we’re heading to another sleepy corner of Chumphon, this time in the far north. There, at the center of Thung Maha Bay, the mid-size island of Ko Wiang towers beside several islets, mainland cliffs and mangroves. Few travelers know about this remote yet gorgeous part of the Mid-Southern Thai Gulf.

During our latest visit in January, a local tour operator told us that whale sharks are spotted more often than foreign tourists. Why isn’t Ko Wiang more popular?

The island’s far-flung location near Chumphon’s border with Prachuap Khiri Khan is one factor, with no public transport servicing the area. Coconut, rubber and palm trees fill out most of the surrounds. Expect an hour’s drive up from Chumphon town, or down from Bang Saphan Yai. In both directions, the coastal scenery is lovely.

The biggest reason for its low profile, perhaps, is that Ko Wiang lies uninhabited apart from a few stilted shacks used by swallow nest hunters. Though the island is not part of any national park, the only way to stay overnight is to arrange beach camping through one of the tour operators. The steep cliffs, rugged interior and minimal beaches, which often flood at high tide, have kept developers away.

Continue reading: https://thaiislandtimes.substack.com/p/ko-wiang-a-rugged-karst-island-in

Coastal Thailand news for September 1st, 2020
David Luekens

Greetings from coastal Thailand, where whale sharks are in the spotlight; dugongs face seagrass degradation; elephants need some help; and all kinds of people are yapping about how to resume foreign tourism. All of these stories and more are on the way in this edition of the Island Wrap.

Last week I published a recap of a trip we took to Ko Wiang, the largest in a group of karst islands found in a remote corner of Chumphon province. Even if you don’t do a boat trip to Ko Wiang and its satellites, the surrounding Thung Maha Bay is a gorgeous area for road trippers, cyclists and those who like things quiet. Later this week, I’m thinking it might be time for another Island Nerd post.

Yesterday I joined two other Thailand-based travel pros in a Travel Massive panel moderated by Ric Gazarian of Global Gaz. We dug into a bundle of issues regarding the effects of Covid-19 on the tourism industry and environment in Thailand. You’ll find a link to the video down the page in tourism industry news.

Continue reading: https://thaiislandtimes.substack.com/p/coastal-thailand-news-for-september

Thailand is home to a lot of world beaters from it’s food, beaches and to its markets. I had heard a lot about Chatuchak market in Bangkok but always resisted the visit as I am not a big one for shopping. However my wife has always wanted to go so I finally gave in and decided to go.

I knew it was big, but not as big as it actually was. It was huge and actually some of the stalls offered far more than your regular market offering.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2018/09/17/chatuchak-market-the-largest-weekend-market-in-the-world/

Koh Chang is for some reason one of the more unfashionable islands in Thailand. People world over are more likely to mention Samui and Phuket when discussing where to go on vacation. This is a big mistake as Koh Chang is up there with the best in Thailand. It offers a natural beauty and diversity for all holiday makers. If you just want wonderful sandy beaches Koh Chang offers in abundance. If you want to go trekking then this is a world beater.

The island is the third biggest in Thailand and that ensures a plentiful range of things to do and see.

You can travel on a budget, indeed in Lonely beach many backpackers do just that, or you can travel in style. In recent years I have been a big fan of Siam Royal View resort it is located in its own bay so you get pretty much exclusivity of the coastline. The Penisular hotel is a series of beach front rooms that offer a 5 star accommodation directly onto your own beach front, it really has the air of a Maldives and at a fraction of the price. In fact the price is mainstream for the island and my personal opinion is they price the rooms too low.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2018/07/01/picture-perfect-postcard-paradise-in-koh-chang/

A quick glance on Thaivisa.com and I can see what the big debates are among the expats living in Thailand, and one of the most popular at the moment caught my eye. A forum user asked what others would miss if they had to leave Thailand. We all from time to time have a moan about living here, but pushed into a corner on the subject most of us could never entertain the thought of leaving. Although, for the record, I could certainly see my family and I leaving one day.

You had some predictable ones from hot weather, cheap Thai food and accommodation, but then you had some gems.

Plenty to miss in the land of smiles

What about the low priced cinemas for starters. I think it costs around 150 baht to go and watch a movie in Thailand, a fraction of the price you would pay in your domestic country.

Cheap public transport, which is spot on. When the meter is actually used in the taxis or you just use Grab taxi it’s peanuts. The baht buses get you from A to B for around 10 baht is amazing value. I would also add that Thailand has an excellent road network throughout the country – Although I would certainly not miss the dangerous driving here.

To read the rest of this blog by Dan about Thailand visit https://danaboutthailand.com/2018/06/27/if-you-had-to-leave-the-land-of-smiles-what-would-you-miss/