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crowbait
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Know those two beautiful spots very well Onze, thanks for the pics
Nothing to thank me for. Have been going to Krabi (live in Pattaya) once or twice a year since
17 years now. Seen it change a lot (not all for the better). Remember sitting alone on the beach
in front of the last café sipping a cold beer enjoying the most wonderful scenery in the world
(my opinion). Fond memories abound.
cheers
onzestan
Last Cafe is a really nice place, very rustic - they do nice lunches and cold beer (although I prefer to drink chinese tea at lunchtime 'coz beer wrecks me for the afternoon) before you get there you walk along "massage Alley" which is a row of open-sided shacks with massage platforms. There are about a 12 of them and the advertised price is around 200 B for an hour - head & face, foot or whole body plus various other beauty treatments. We tried a couple and found them to be excellent. The staff are very friendly and if you set up your beach towels etc in the shade of the trees in front of them, they bring you friut as a welcome. They keep their areas spotless sweeping up all the leaves and rubbish.
Beyond the Last Cafe, there is a small shrine to Rama or Vishnu (I can't remember which} and beyond that a small stream crossed over by a wooden bridge where wild monkeys come to play and try and cadge food off the tourists. The bridge leads to a steep footpath which leads round the headland.
We love Krabi and Ao Nang, in our opinion it's far nicer than Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin or Pattaya.
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Hey
Can anyone help I live in Wimbledon and haven't yet found a really good Thai supermarket, does anyone know of one in the Wimbledon area or close by?
Thanks
I don't know of local Thai supermarkets to you, there are none near me so I use the online site
I have found them very good with a wide range of Thai groceries including things like green papaya and pea aubergines. Their delivery is prompt and while they are by no means cheap (compared to Thailand) their products are cheaper and better quality than UK supermarket stuff.
Hope this helps.
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My sister, gasp! sometimes makes that awful minute rice stuff. Couldn't believe it and most certainly wouldn't touch it.
Now, I am picky about rice and prefer the Mali hom type.
What about you? Is it mali hom or nothing or don't you notice a difference?
I always get the Royal Umbrella kaow hom Mali type. But only because the g/f says it's the best.
And when I order an Indian take-away, the guy is often surprised when I don't order any rice (at 80 baht a serving).
Now I just say "we have rice, thanks."Hom Mali is certainly my favourite rice of all but it's wasted in an indian curry where basmati triumphs. The neither of those is any good with a risotto where you need a shorter grain to give you that creamy texture, I find Arborio rice works best here.
Valencian long grain for Paella, round pudding rice for wonderful Queen of Rice Puddings but never, never, never instant or boil-in-the-bag rice for anything except perhaps animal feed and glue!!
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If we're talkin' Septic films, I'd agree trading places and add Kelly' Heroes, MASH and True Lies
For the Brit pack, how about Up Pompei, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.
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Sweet Honesty - John & beverley Martin
Nice folky/jazzy song..........goes on a bit though
Reminds me of when I was young
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LOVE me do - The Beatles
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Half kilo of
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I've been to Thailand on hols 5 times and can now order a meal (culinary Thai), ask for the bill and count out the change in Thai. Also (most impoortantly) ask for the toilet..............but he1l, I can do that in 8 other languages, it's sooo necessary.
Spoken Thai seems to be a lot easier than Greek which I have been learning for 4 years, I can't comment on written Thai 'coz the thought of learning another complete alphabet makes me want to go somewhere and open a vein.
I think it helps if one can already handle more than one language at any level of competence 'coz adding another doesn't seem half so bad.
I think also it helps to be musical........all languages have a music to them, if you can get the feel of the music then it helps you to extract the meaning of what is being said without knowing all of the words. If you can mimic the music when you speak the language you seem to be understood better as well.........never mind Brummy/Thai or any other awful combination.
Which reminds me, back in Thailand in Jan, I'd better get the books and tapes out again.
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but finely honed
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always a woman..billy joel..
Always on My Mind" originally recorded by Brenda Lee and not Elvis........whoever he was!
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Just my two satangs worth, and I'm probably not qualified to speak 'coz I'm in the UK and not one of the lucky expats....................but I thought that when TRT and the Taksin government tried and failed to steamroller the Thai people into accepting what certainly appeared to me to be an illegal election, and then tried and nearly succeeded in coercing the Constitutional Court into declaring the election good...........but for the oh, so gentle input from His Majesty, that the TRT's days were numbered.
It has taken a coup and a lot of political, legal and constitutional wrangling for it to happen but now, finally, TRT - the dead man walking - can lie down, pronounced extinct.
Should we have a wake?
Who will be first to dance on the grave?
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Have a look here:
George saw that before, but just links through to a hotel booking company, be nice for some personal recomendations?
We stayed at the Krabi Heritage in Jan this year. It was a very pleasant hotel, stayed 11 nights. Room reasonably sized, bed comfortable, hygiene and linen excellent. Bathroom in good order. Breakfasts (buffet) were quite good although there was no variation from day to day in the western menu (if you want eggs, best get them fresh cooked by the chef as the fried eggs were always cold). The staff were lovely, always friendly and very helpful. The pool is smallish although with the sea so close it doesn't matter.
The location is excellent down a short soi off the main road (so no noise) and under a 5 minute walk to the beach. If you are lucky you can get a room at the back on the 4th floor - the views are fantastic!
Overall we were impressed an have no hesitation in recommending the hotel.
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If i had a choice. It would be Ko Lanta, Krabi or not on your list. Ko Samet. DEFINATELY not KOh Samui or Koh Panghan.
Krabi does it for me, every time
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For travel guides I'd recommend Moon Guides. Lonely Planet used to have some edge to it before their authors got older and more conservative.
Not so much a travel guide but a culture guide is Culture Shock! Thailand. A good intro into the intricacies of the Thai culture.
The best map I've come across (plus loads of info & a handy & up-to-date booklet on where to eat, shop etc) is Nancy Chandlers.....check her out at:-
Hope you have fun
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Maybe it's my all fault in the first place. Maybe I actually flew the wrong Emirates Airlines a dozen times or so last year when I encountered nothing but dirty, overcrowded lounges, crappy airplanes, barely edible food, and employees who on the whole couldn't give a stuff. Yeah, that's it. Must have been my fault.
Just curious as to why you would travel a dozen times in a year with an Airline that gave you such bad service?
My thoughts exactly.
Yes yes there are a bunch of sloppy TCNs camping out on the upper levels sure. But they keep them out of the areas you would want to go to anyway. The shops are clean and have great brands, and the eateries have good food, and the lounges may be crowded but they are by no means cramped, plenty of liquor and snacks. Decent lil airport Bars...not at all bad considering it's a "Work in Progress" they are doing construction there remember...
When I think of a crappy airport I think of Athens time frame before the olypics that took place there recently. That was hideous, Zeus himself should have struck down that dilapidated, smoke filled, vile little cesspool, and the smelly, illiterate, hairy backed ape like bastards that ran that sh*^ hole too.
Though from what I hear it's much better now
I also remember the old Athens airport and it truly was bad.................nearly as bad as Kalamata or my least favourite UK airport, Bloody, bleedin' Stanstead!! I've never tried the middle Eastern stopovers but have used either Amsterdam or Zurich, both of which are quite pleasant, if impersonal
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Great topic, November Rain. Now let's see that we don't do too much Thai-bashing. We've been talking on other topics about this problem: the bus crash where 29 people died in the fire; the village where the police allows a 10-year old to drive a car; driving habits, etc.
Is there some cultural tradition like mai bpen rai that affects this? Is there a fatalism in Thai Buddhist-animism that keep them from protecting themselves from hazards? Is it a fault in the education system, or in the police system?
I passed a family last night on a dangerous road. Dad was driving, Mom was on the pillion, and she held the infant up high. One quick swerve or braking would have sent that baby flying to its death.
you know, when I was a kid, (a fair few years ago) in the uk, I learned to ride a horse, bare-backed and standing up, at a gallop - out shooting with a shotgun before I was 12, jumped onto water (and rubbish) filled quarries for a dare, learned to swim in deep fast running rivers, built go-carts, bombs, canons etc. and generally had fun.
In todays Health-and-Safety led culture where risk-taking is frowned upon and where, following any sort of incident, our usual response is to find someone to blame, I find myself looking back and cringing at the risks I took and survived (just). On the other hand, I had a richness of experience that my children were unable to have because of the necessity to wrap them up in cotton wool.
I have no answers, only two questions..........................is it better to be safe than curious? when everyone has grown up in the no-risk culture, who will be prepared to risk their lives on our behalf?
Just my two pennyworth.
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This is interesting as I am planning to go visit Koh Lantha this coming summer around may or june.
i've been looking around to see the beaches or islands i must visit when i go down south this year. it would be really great if everyone can give some advice as to where is the best areas to go. i'm currently looking at samui, koh lantha, koh ngai or koh hai as they call it? i've looked at phuket but it looks like a very busy area, additionally i want to go to phi phi island, but what is the difference of phi phi le and just phi phi?
i've looked at many pictures, and many knows pictures captures much more than the eyes can see, and i've realized this fact when i saw how pretty cha-um was on the pictures and i wasn't so happy with it when i saw it in person.
anyway, thank u in advance for the help!
See the thread on summer weather or got to the site recommended by Bambina http://www.guidetothailand.com/thailand-tr...ion/weather.htm
You may want to consider the Gulf of Thailand resorts rather than the Andaman Sea ones. Koh Samui is a lovely island with a good range of beaches and resorts that cater to most kinds of traveller.
We have stayed at Bophut (restful but not the greatest beach) and Chawaeng (great beach but very lively). Lamai looks nice - good beach, not as built-up as Chawaeng.
I haven't been to Cha Am or Hua Hin or around Pattaya so I can't comment on those
Hope this helps
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well, whatever Lopburi's fantasies, at least he ain't no PIKE(y)
Nextdoor neighbours are pissing me off seriously, time I got on my BIKE
So much venom in these posts.........so much BILE !!
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the long way home / norah jones
Blackberry way / The Move
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Do they rent unbrellas and chairs at the Klong Muang beach (Andaman Holiday Resort) like the Phuket beaches.
No beach beds or umbrellas to spoil the view on Ao Nang....................we bought a couple of cheap hammocks (around B300 for a large one if you bargain) and slung them under the trees in the shade..................fantastic. When we wanted to tan, either strolled up 'n down the beach (around 2Kms) or did the towel on the sand bit......no probs.
If you go up the beach towards the "Last Cafe" there is a row of massage stations - we called it "Massage Alley", and if you park yourselves by one of them, they will bring you fresh fruit (bananas and pineaplle) in the hope you will have a massage with them. They will usually offer you beach mats and/or plastic chairs and will bring iced drinks (B20-30) all day long. They also keep the beach clean, sweeping up fallen leaves etc. We always camped out in front of Massage Station No. 12, the lady is lovely.........massages are great, whole body, foot and/or face........all around B200/hr.
Around lunch time we would stroll along to the "Last Cafe" (lunch for 2 around B200) leaving our stuff behind as the beach is very safe and the Massage ladies take care of things.
The scenery is gorgeous, cliffs, jungle, sea and sand. Around the end of the beach there's a pack of wild monkeys that play by the side of a small stream.
The resort, generally is low key no big malls, no high class shops mostly just the usual tourist stuff. So my advice there would be......... take a day or two extra in Bankok and get the shopping out of your system and then head for Krabi.
We don't like tourist-type restaurants, so the nightmarket at behind the headland suited us fine. Ate there most nights, really good Thai food (hot) and never paid more than B450 for the two of us.
Most of the entertainment is pretty low key too, which is one of the greater attractions for us. We had planned to do all sorts of stuff, trips, hire car, visit Wats etc., but when we got there we found it was sooo beautiful we just couldn't be bothered so we chilled for the 11 days we were there..........and we absolutely loved it.
We have been to both Phuket (twice) and Samui (twice) and loved them both.........but...........for us, the bestist place we have been to on Thailand is Krabi and we can't wait to get back (Jan 08).
Hope this helps.
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Thanks to every body for all your suggestions.
Might consider doing Pnom Penh combination.
Back to the drawing board.
Thanks again
Cheers
Onzestan
I Can recommend the "Bopha Angkor" Hotel in Siem Reap...........it's just the other side of the river and a short 5 mins stroll to the night market, bars and restaurants...........lovely staff, comfortable rooms and a good breakfast.
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I would value advice on where to go next Jan
Stayed in Krabi (Ao Nang) in Jan 07 and loved it!!! Will be going back July 08.
Have stayed in Phuket (Bang Tao & Karon) and Koh Samui (Chawaeng & Bophut).
Krabi was the nicest so far................I like great beaches, good local food (not pizza, not tourist) and can take the heat, a few shops, fantastic scenery etc. but not too many people or too much noise.
I have heard that Khoa Lak has gone very upmarket since the Tsunami and also that Koh Lanta is more expensive than the mainland.
When we were in Krabi, the most we paid for dinner for two was B450 and the quality and choice was fantastic.
Many thanks for any advice you can give me.
My advice is stick to Krabi, maybe try Raileybeach.
I have been to Koh Lanta and Khao Lak only once. Never again but thats my personal opinion.
Cheers
Onzestan
Thanks, I had had me doubts about both Koh Lanta and Khao Lak so I may well head back to Krabi, although I think I prefer Ao Nang 'coz the beach up by the "Last Cafe" is almost perfect (except, when the tide's out, it's a bloddy long walk to get wet!) and we love the atmosphere on "Massage Alley".
On the other hand we may look at Kamala in Phuket (see below)
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Try Koh Kood. I went there a couple of months ago. Very calm and quiet. No shops, not too many ppl. The beach is crystal clean. Very relaxing.
Thanks, I don't know anything about Koh Kood..............I'll have to look it up.
I guess Kamala in Phuket is also in the running, it always seemed a pretty nice place although last time we were in Phuket it was in the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami and it had been devastated.
We found what seems to be an ideal hotel, "Kamala Dreams" which I think would suit us right down to the ground.
However, we are still open to suggestions.
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The trouble is that LHR is the best bet, I think its all down to time managment ie book 9 months in advance the days of getting a last min deals are gone, im not saying they are not there but you have to be online por on the phone 24-7 checking 30 different travel companies, the airlines have wised up the fact that so many people are trying to get so few seats & last min deals they don't have to discount, we travel 2 times a year now and the far best carrier we have found over the last 15 yrs is EVA Air, get youselve on the website to evaair.com and login as a patential regular user,
Good Luck
Eva is good, but it still means trucking through bloody awful Heathrow!!! I much prefer to fly Swiss from Birmingham via Zurich - nicer experience all round, flight times as good and the chocolates superb!
Things To Do in Krabi?
in Krabi
Posted
We went to Krabi with the intention of at least doing some of the above ACTIVITIES!!..........................we ended up doing just ne thing..........................CHILLING!! I've never been to a place that emcouraged me to elax half as much as Krabi, and guess what, I'm completely hooked.
We will be back in January