i need to move bike, tv, bed, etc (about a pickup trucks worth of stuff) from chiang mai area to ko pangnan. any ideas about the best, reasonably priced way? moving company, on the train?

BTW, i'm not so keen on the idea of driving it down myself.

After a couple of days in Ko Phangnan you'll want to go back to Chiang Mai - so leave it in place

Remember you'll have to use various modes of transport to get there yourself, it's going to be expensive to move goods. Maybe sell / buy new?

After a couple of days in Ko Phangnan you'll want to go back to Chiang Mai - so leave it in place   

Remember you'll have to use various modes of transport to get there yourself, it's going to be expensive to move goods. Maybe sell / buy new?

Whaddayamean??? I've lived here over 15 years and still love the nice weather, ocean breezes and relaxed atmosphere !

Anyway, to be honest, the hard part will be getting from it Surat to the island. Train would be ok but again, you would have issues getting it from Phun Phin to the island. There is a car ferry that runs several times a day. If you are unwilling to drive it down (frankly, the easiest way to do it) then I suggest hiring a truck and driver to deliver it here.

As to buying new, everything costs more on the island (shipping costs obviously) so unless you were willing to drive over to Surat and hit the Makro, Big C and Lotus for goods and then drive them back, you would still face transportation issues. Also, some things are just not available here. (the price we pay for living on the beach )

Alternatively, befriend someone in Chiang Mai who owns a pick-up truck and ask him to drive the stuff down there. You pay for diesel, the ferry trip, a night in Hua Hin (the furthest anyone can reasonably expected to drive from Chiang Mai in one go, though I've done Krabi in one go once and never hope to do it again) and a small car service/oil change, and you put him up in some house/bungalow/hotel/resort down there for a couple of days holiday. You do (or arrange for) the loading and un-loading.

What's Ko Pha Ngan like these days? Can you get anywhere with a car? Is it an ok place or has it become a cess-pool of mafia, shady dudes and 'everything-else-that-can-be-######-up-in-Thailand, like some other nearby island which I won't mention but starts with 'S'?

Cheers,

Chanchao

What's Ko Pha Ngan like these days? Can you get anywhere with a car? Is it an ok place or has it become a cess-pool of mafia, shady dudes and 'everything-else-that-can-be-######-up-in-Thailand, like some other nearby island which I won't mention but starts with 'S'?

Cheers,

Chanchao

A few more paved roads, the hospital is still worse than terrible. Hadrin is a cess pit but not because of mafia. Actually, if it weren't for the influx of bargirls and ladyboys in the past couple of year it would pretty much be about the same (albeit with a few more buildings. ). There is a growing population of farang on the island, many of them ok, not too thrilled with the ones that come and set up some shady bargirl business tho. Locals don't think much of it either. .