Excellent day out again Jimmy ...hardly congested tho

Yep.... except for the riderless bike parked in the middle of the road....

Yep.... except for the riderless bike parked in the middle of the road....

Ciggi break time

This looks like fun.... Maenam beach area .... armchair water skiing ! ..... while the weather was nice this morning!

and they are off!

Lamai this afternoon... around Buddies area. Quite a nice place to walk around!

That's one big elephant head,! Motor bike and side car plus racing car!

Fort hose wanting the slow lane! A Rickshaw ..... !

Across the road toward the beach.... putting in a new seawall.

This looks like fun.... Maenam beach area .... armchair water skiing ! ..... while the weather was nice this morning!

and they are off!

Don't think the cat enjoyed it

This looks like fun.... Maenam beach area .... armchair water skiing ! ..... while the weather was nice this morning!

and they are off!

Don't think the cat enjoyed it

poor pussy! .... and no life jacket either....

A daily trip to Haad Yao East (Koh Phangan):

Koh Phangan - The car at Haad Yao East

Koh Phangan - Haad Yao East

Koh Phangan - A view of the wild East coast

Koh Phangan - Haad Yao East - A cat from Samui

Koh Phangan - Haad Yao East beach - If you need to stay alone this is your beach

Phangang

A few months back, I walked from Bottle Beach on KPG to Thong Nai Pan. I returned today to explore some of the sideroads I didn't have time for last time... And I came upon this:

This is overlooking TNP (Noi in the foreground, Yai background) on a hill towards Bottle Beach. A big, unfinished compound, seemed to be several years old and only partially finished, though at least one of the buildings seemed to be in use. Seemed huge - that wall (including barbed wire) stretches a few hundred yards around the compound. Did not look inviting, though the views were breathtaking (the picture doesn't do them justice). The works had clearly been abandoned some time ago, so I guess some big hitter was going to build himself a castle but never finished it.

Anyone know when this was built and for whom? There were signs in Thai, no idea what they said.

A few months back, I walked from Bottle Beach on KPG to Thong Nai Pan. I returned today to explore some of the sideroads I didn't have time for last time... And I came upon this:

This is overlooking TNP (Noi in the foreground, Yai background) on a hill towards Bottle Beach. A big, unfinished compound, seemed to be several years old and only partially finished, though at least one of the buildings seemed to be in use. Seemed huge - that wall (including barbed wire) stretches a few hundred yards around the compound. Did not look inviting, though the views were breathtaking (the picture doesn't do them justice). The works had clearly been abandoned some time ago, so I guess some big hitter was going to build himself a castle but never finished it.

Anyone know when this was built and for whom? There were signs in Thai, no idea what they said.

One of many skeletons around the islands.... money ran out perhaps....?

Probably did, just wondering whose money The road outside was tiled, not just paved... There was a house at the end of the road, built in Thai style and only extravagant, not a bloody compound like this one. I've never seen anything this bloody huge here. The dogs persuaded me not to explore too closely...

Lady Honda and her man on Had Yao East, KPG:

Now this is a horrible spot y'all must avoid at all costs. Only suitable for introverted hermits who love swimming and silence.

On my way there, I picked the wrong road. It was the craziest badass road I've seen, and I must have lost a gallon of sweat pushing my Lady up the hills when going back; the road went nowhere, it just stopped dead right after the nice part pictured below (the biggest crack was 3-4 foot deep). It was so soft from rain and lack of use that my non-offroad scooter had huge trouble climbing it - but I managed it in the end, soaked in sweat and both ams hurting like hell. I believe it will eventually go down to Had Yang, currently a deserted beach; a local said there are no roads and no footpaths to Had Yang, but that's probably BS. Looked bloody gorgeous from above:

...and the road that eventually will probably find its way down there...

It was a memorable trip, not least because soon after leaving Had Yao, I fell in a steep slope, broke both mirrors, scraped my scooter & leg and ended up paying a thousand baht for repairs... Will rent a dirt bike next time.

One lucky fishing trip for this guy today, off western end of Maenam beach.... it's a King Fish!

Caught from his surf board too ...... no rod either!!! ...

Ban Tai beach

It was a memorable trip, not least because soon after leaving Had Yao, I fell in a steep slope, broke both mirrors, scraped my scooter & leg and ended up paying a thousand baht for repairs... Will rent a dirt bike next time.

Looks just like the road to Haad Rin, circa 1996.

Ban Tai beach

Same part of that beach now.... high tides over last few months, have caused a lot of problems on that end of Ban Tai beach... even the resort in that area has been closed...

Every time I go down there it is a little bit worse...

From above...

Looks just like the road to Haad Rin, circa 1996.

Must have been lovely times. I tried driving to Had Thien, my Click couldn't do it - will try again later with a dirt bike.

I guess that circa 2016, the Had Yao East road will look like the road to Had Rin today...

Perfect on Samui today ! Lots of sand gone from the west end of Maenam beach, beyond Lomprayah ferry terminal.

November storms perhaps will bring the sand back....

Looks just like the road to Haad Rin, circa 1996.

Must have been lovely times.

Indeed. I would often make the bike trip to Haad Rin just for the trip's sake. After a while one would get to know each individual rut on the dirt road quite well - and those hills were steeper and more challenging then. Even managed to get the bike up the super-steep track attempt (from the Buddha lookout point up the mountain towards Haad Yao) before that washed away completely. Saw lots of skin-shedding accidents during that time, but very few or no fatalities on those much slower dirt roads.

The mountain track to Haad Yao East needs some serious Baht from the government before it can become a viable access road. The couple of hundred metres of twin cement tracks (laid in 2008-2009 on the steeper sections) cost the resort owners a small fortune, and what's left won't hold up against the rainy season erosion much longer.

Looks just like the road to Haad Rin, circa 1996.

Must have been lovely times.

Indeed. I would often make the bike trip to Haad Rin just for the trip's sake. After a while one would get to know each individual rut on the dirt road quite well - and those hills were steeper and more challenging then. Even managed to get the bike up the super-steep track attempt (from the Buddha lookout point up the mountain towards Haad Yao) before that washed away completely. Saw lots of skin-shedding accidents during that time, but very few or no fatalities on those much slower dirt roads.

The mountain track to Haad Yao East needs some serious Baht from the government before it can become a viable access road. The couple of hundred metres of twin cement tracks (laid in 2008-2009 on the steeper sections) cost the resort owners a small fortune, and what's left won't hold up against the rainy season erosion much longer.

Too bad I got here so late. Although now is no doubt better than, say, 2023... I thought the Had Yao road OK up to the junction where one road heads off to the airport and another in the opposite direction (Had Yao), it becomes worse maybe half a mile or so after that when it begins to head downhill towards the beach. The slope I fell in was almost the last before the concrete part leading to the beach.

Some abandoned bungalows and bungalow foundations in the Southern end of Had Yao, on the rocks, only one "resort" (a handful of simple bungalows and a couple of tents) in operation when I visited, in the Northern end... Someone went bust?

Ban Tai, early 2013..

The hanging tree

High and low tides Maenam beach, recently (October)

End of Soi 4 Maenam

About 2 kilometers west ... people still enjoying swimming!

Breath taking view from Conrad.... SW Samui... looks better than seeing it from the sea!..... Friendly welcome once reaching the steep road up!

Looking down!

High and low tides Maenam beach, recently (October)

End of Soi 4 Maenam

About 2 kilometers west ... people still enjoying swimming!

Interesting to see what happens to the beach restaurant, where I dined, in the daytime.

Thanks, Jimmy.

Chaweng lake flooded... :

Leaving Phangang..

Dance, lovely pic

Another one of chaweng still flooded...

^Great shots Khman and Dancealot!!!

Fortunately not all of Samui is not as bad as that part of Chawang! Hope they have dried out a bit more....

At least a day of mostly sunshine and white puffy clouds! Headed up Soi 5 Maenam today.

Coral Bay on Phangan this morning, looking in the direction of Chaloklum (not visible):

Phaeng waterfall at Koh PHangan Than Sadet National Park 24 November, after the rain.