CaptainS

AFAIK there aren't any specific cross country mountain back tracks on any island. Here on Samui, I love to walk in the hilly interior of the island and I/we are almost all the time alone there on small paths in the middle of nature.

There are some popular waterfalls, with walking trails for tourists, the Menam to Lamai road, which is more broken than usable, and some paths with the safari tour vehicles to Magic Garden and so.

But even on the way to the second rated sightseeing places, like the Overlap Stone, you are alone and apart from that there aren't even any specific paths for walking. Many trails end up nowhere and you have to turm back, can get lost very easily. But good thing is, that Samui is an island, so somehow you will come to the Ring Road sooner or later.

Unfortunately afaik no good maps of the interior of the island. There is plenty to discover.

Better stay out of the way of the safari tour vehicles.

that is 1 (one) very small hill, not over 100 meters high, and the locals ride their mountain bikes there on 2 or 3 very short trails in circles and on that main concrete road ~100m up and down. You certainly can't call that ideally for cross country single track

Yeah, you are right, agree, its probaly more kind of a place for exercise. I think I didnt understand the question detailed/properly enough, sorry, no native english speaker

Maybe its at least a good place to meet people interested in the same stuff.

On the hill in Bangrak opposite of Lae Lay restaurant (almost the western end of Bangrak, not far from Replay Condo) , many locals around there. They prepared some tracks around the hills there.

How about the Toyota dealer?

That was my first call ................Sorry no hab !

Probably better if you would go there in person, or maybe even better going there with a local.

They surely have the paint in big buckets, the question is just if they want to make the effort to refill some for you.

Some rain in KPD this morning

Same here in Samui (Bangrak) , not too less actually, but still not enough. Hope we will all get more soon, at least right now it looks like there could be more.

Here in Bangrak it also rained around 8am already and again maybe 1 hour ago. Not really much yet, hope there will be more coming in the next days, would be great to get rid of the dust.

No Sizzler

Does anyany have a list of all the shops which will be there? Or does Central still want to keep it exciting until the opening?

The building design is very far from soundproof/keeping the noise inside, the way the bulid it is the way to bring the noise as far as possible.

Unfortunately for you and your neighbours, 100% correct.

There was zero attempt to contain the sound. In fact the design would encourage the sound to leave the building. (Open balconies etc)

Sorry - I am off the island at the moment, are the parties continuing in the same name numbers as before?

Yes, so far just the same as before, about 2 noisy parties per week.

Just today they annonced on Facebook to have parties every night of the week, lets see how that goes.

The building design is very far from soundproof/keeping the noise inside, the way the bulid it is the way to bring the noise as far as possible.

Probably not much rain for another 2 months

Funny you should say that...the guy from the water pump/supply shop (just down from Big C) was here at the weekend to replace the innards of my water filter and he said end of April before we can expect any decent amount of rain

Just statistics Its normal in Samui to get very little rain from February to April. Anyhow I think it was quite dry also in the last months, not much rain from December, hope not too many people will run out of water in the next months. Maybe there will be more to do for your pump guy.

Probably not much rain for another 2 months

Put that club at the right location in Chaweng where the crowds are and it would be a lot busier. Anyhow I wonder what group of people they would like to target, I mean considering the style and prices they want to be kind of upmarket, but how many people with money go out to party all night? The people who like dancing until the morning to techno music are probably all in their twenties, most of them wont have lotsa cash on hand.

Considering that and the rental contract (what I have heard 10 years, only 8 of that left) its hard to believe they planed to earn honest money with it.

If their plan wasnt anyhow to earn legal money I wonder why they dont just run it as a daytime beach club/bar (afaik thats actually what they told the land owner when they leased the land), probably very few people would have something against that and they could easily keep going with their real business. (not want to say I support or agree with any illegal activities)

I wouldnt have anything against him in person, but what kind of person is that who decides to disturb so many people and businesses, so its hard to find sympathy for someone like that.

Actually the area from Bangrak Beach inland is one of the highest density areas in Samui. Just check on Google Maps. Not only a few villas but thousands of locals living there. I can tell them you many of them feel very disturbed. Its really extremely loud (my ceiling is shaking) , its not like a local bar around the corner, also because the building is higher than anything else oround there the sound travels very far.

There are surely more people who feel disturbed than being happy by going there to party. Most of the nights the place is just empty, during the week there are often zero customers. Even the noisy saturdays there are often only 10 or 20 people. Lotsa noise for nothing. So with that little turnover the place has no chance to survive if there is not coming any money from outside.

I can understand there are more busines partners involved, I just wonder how they can afford to keep it running if there is not any "side business" going on.

Big C

I don't disagree with you, innocent until proved guilty and all that,

However, the post is about the regular disturbance your friend's club is causing throughout the night!

If, in any small way his "disappearance" means that the bloody noise may stop, then I don't think that he will get any sympathy vote from

the residents.

He is not my friend i barely know him.

As for the club closing there are many partners so sorry but the venue shall stay.

As for smaller businesses can you tell me which ones are effected as there are not many houses for rent in that area. A few big villas and bars and restaurants, A massage shop opposite

I have not heard anyone complain but maybe i am wrong.

also there a quite allot of customers so where there might be some people un happy there are allot that are happy and there are all of of staff employed.

I am sorry but i cannot see much harm in the business at least it is on the beach in a pretty much isolated area. not in the mountains near residential properties.

So far its still business as usual, over there.

If you're looking for a cheap alternative, use AIS package at 99 baht exlc vat for 75meg then after that it's unlimited in amount of data and time, speed is 384kbps.

Thanks, very good idea for an Internet as backup...

Can I ask you how big is the difference between full speed and 384kb for basic usage such as checking email, googling, ...?

Thanks

As I said before, probably they dont offer that anymore, I guess it has been used too much. Anyhow 384kbps would be ok for normal surfing, not super fast but in my experience its usually enough if you dont want to do big download, but 64kbps is really too slow for almost anything, maybe expect Line/whats app/skype chat.

if you just want it as a backup, but not want to stay online 24hours I could recommend you the "dtac/happy internet sim" . Cause this one offers you a time based package instead of megabyte. So for your kind of emergency use it usually works out cheaper. Its the one I use for power or internet cuts. It costs 0.25 baht per minute, you can also book hourly packages which work out even cheaper. Its also limited to 384kbps, but usually enough as I said/think.

Make sure you get the "happy internet sim" , maybe you have to look around for it, its often sold out, they often try to sell you another one, for example the "Smartphone Sim" which is not the correct one, as this one just got the megabyte credit, but no time based offer.

If you're looking for a cheap alternative, use AIS package at 99 baht exlc vat for 75meg then after that it's unlimited in amount of data and time, speed is 384kbps.

I couldnt find that one anymore on their website, only the package which offers 64kbps after the package is gone. I guess they might be changed it. If you want to have 384kps after the credit is finished you have to book at least 2 Gigabyte.

Maybe you still have and can keep the old package, so better not change.

Phew! .... this is going on and on!

I just use a 3bb modem, coming off a land line, (not fiber optic) for less than 1000 baht a month, which has a WiFi router and can use Skype, no problem, watch movies or you tubes, if I want... no buffering ...upload up to a few hundred images. pretty fast ....

Very rarely down time, (I think only time was when having problems in BKK a month or so ago).... well into second year of using 3bb, no complaints at all really... at any time of day or night ....

Yeah, totally agree, tried all the providers, even expensive business packages, still the cheapest 3BB is my favourite so far.

No, what I mean is you need two devices.

1) Fiber optic modem from CAT. This connects to their fiber line. You have to use their device.

2.) Wireless Access Point. Connects to the fiber modem and gives you wireless capability. This can be a "normal' one.

exactly, 100% agree

So you just need a wifi access point or router without a included modem. You will connect that to the box they supplied.

All nice resorts. Just a few remarks;

Akaryn and six senses are pretty far from any civilisation. If guests don't intend to go anywhere else or have transport then fine of course.

Lawanna may not have much water in front at low tides. So depends on time of year if you have daytime swimming opportunity or a km mud in front.

All resorts face Northeast or East. Until at least March winds come from that direction so one can expect big waves. The past month was really bad, but is calming down now.

Until March my suggestion for luxury resort with nice calm beach would be Four Seasons (if within budget). But even further from everywhere.

Actually wind is changing these days, as every year, the windy days of the last weeks here in the North should be more or less over. From February to April its coming from South-east, so the north coast should be fine.

Thanks for the comment Virt... .. (and Absolut too in his post ^ ) I some times wonder if I post a tad too many!!!! ? .....I'll use the photo section more... unless appropriate....

Yours are great too!... ... I cannot figure out where they are though....?... other than the airport ...

No pics today.... but at least things are calming down .... Maenam beach almost calm late this afternoon ..... and there was sun today... Hope it lasts a while this time!

It's still a little chilly for us acclimatized folks!

Hope weather gets better when we arrive in march

Staying 5 days at Maenam and 11 days at Chaweng at our usual hotel and then 5 days in Bangkok is situation has settled down a bit, but our first time in Maenam, so will be fun to see a new place.

Sure, it will be hot as usually by then. Nothing to worry.

21 degrees right now on my terrace, folks back home would kill me if I tell them we feel cold here

Homepro?? Are you definitely sure about this? You remember exactly what things which were cheaper?

The prices are supposed to be identical on all outlets.

It's the same as BigC, Tesco, Tops, etc etc. All prices are the same everywhere.

Promotions and discounts, however may vary.

I cant remember all the items in details now, it has been two months ago, didnt write it down. When I visited Ikea in Bagna I also visited Homepro there to compare a few prices, just after I bought many things at Homepro Samui. Right now I can just recall for the tiles. All the tiles I bought in Samui for 199 baht have been 175 baht per sqm.

I am sorry to be unable to give you any more detailed proof If I remember anything else I will tell you.

But homepro has identical price in any outlets in the country.

I dont know about Surat, but I just compared and noticed many things are cheaper in Homepro Bangkok than in Samui. Just to let people know, not that it would be worth going there

Dont know if the kind of russians travelling to Pattaya or Phuket are diffferent, but here in Samui I have met so many kind ones. No bad experience at all yet.