My Thailand And Why I Love It.

[nocturn]

good lord man give it a rest.

Ian, good thread.

... Sure ... and unlike with your website, Ian has yet to profile the CM 7-11s.

i hardly see the comparison. Ian has started a pictorial thread, and a good one.

My site creates rental revenues for myself by providing information about services and amenities in a small village for tourists who may not otherwise have access to that information. In addition, I am not rabbiting on about it on Ian's thread.

i defer further comment and, for the first time have taken advantage of the ignore feature. goodnight sweet jazzbo, you bore me.

once again Ian, thank you for sharing (never thought i would say that)

edit just noticed i was not the only one who grew tired of spam. no need to ignore someone banned. perhaps a little subtlety would serve the next time he tries.

Edited May 11, 2011 by nocturn

[IanForbes]

Despite the over commercialization of Pattaya and Jomptien there are still lovely, clean beach areas to spend a day in clear, unpolluted water, and still not spend a fortune. If you go mid week there are seldom crowds even during the height of tourist season. Sai Keaw beach is about 25 kilometers south of Pattaya, and between Bang Sare and the naval base at Sattahip. You have to drive (or ride) about 10 kilometers through a Military Naval base area and check in at the gate with Identification. On weekends you have to take a songtaow the final few kilometers to a parking area. During mid week you can ride a motorbike right to the beach. The water is clear, clean and warm. There is a small area to buy food and drink and there are tents and beach chairs for rent. Watch out for thieving monkeys and don't leave anything for them to steal near the parking lot.

If the beach is not secluded enough for you there is always the option of hiring one of the beach boys and their speed boats to take you to the off shore islands: Koh Khram Yai, or Khram Noi. There is a nature conservatory park for sea turtles on Koh Kram Yai.

We went there once on a busy holiday weekend and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves...

And another thing I love about Thailand is an old fart like myself with a camera is accepted with smiles from a group of teenage Thais. That would never happen in Canada.

Of course, there was always the other sights as well...

And to contrast that we had other sights...

A guy has to have SOME place to store his beach towel.

[southbot]

Ian, I am starting to understand why certain posters have issue with your posts. You love life. You only live in places that you enjoy and avoid places that you do not and you have a generally positive outlook. Maybe you should do more moaning and whinging so that you will fit in better on the forum

Bravo. TRUE. Besides, nothing wrong with wearing white socks. I mean, I would not wear white socks. But nothing wrong with that is there? Enjoy Ian, good stuff, good photos, great words. I love Thailand too even after almost twenty years living down south. Life ain't easy, but heck, it ain't easy anywhere is it.

[IanForbes]

There is no dearth of beaches around Thailand. The only problem is deciding which one suits your needs the best. Although Koh Samet is a lovely island you can find spectacular beaches in nearby Rayong with no effort at all. And, hotel accommodation is both reasonable and available.. Silver beach is a good example.

For those that insist on going a bit further there is always Koh Chang. Twenty years ago, Koh Chang was just another sleepy island in the Gulf of Thailand, but it is rapidly becoming a popular holiday area and new resorts are springing up all the time. Had it been closer to Bangkok, Koh Chang would have been "discovered" many years ago and become over crowded. As it stands now, it is rapidly going the way of Koh Samui and Phuket. The trade off with popularity comes added features and more variety. The island is about 20 miles long and 8 miles wide. There is a vehicle ferry that services it on a daily basis from nearby Trat. There is a rough road that follows the west coast of the island where all the beaches are located. The central part of Koh Chang is mountainous, with thick, tropical forests and very little access. At one time, Koh Chang was noted for having malaria carrying mosquitos, but that pest is "somewhat" under control... but still exist. The beaches are nothing short of being spectacular and the sunsets are amazing. The storms usually come from the west and the sky can be lit up in a lightning storm. A visit to Koh Chang makes a nice break from a trip for a passport visa stamp run to Sihanoukville in Cambodia .

Koh Chang from the mainland side

Just a few views of Koh Chang's west side.

The ferry arriving at Koh Chang

[IanForbes]

Most people who think of Thailand's beaches head south on the Penninsula, either by bus, train or aircraft. There are busy airports at Koh Samui, Krabi and Phuket, and they drop off vacationing tourists by the thousands. Many tourists to Thailand go no further than these tropical paradises and are more than happy to stay their entire visit at one or two resorts. For me, there is too much to see to stay in any one place for more than a few days.

On my second trip to Thailand I met a woman in Sakon Nakhon and she acted as my tour guide. We flew to Bangkok, took a bus to Hua HIn and took the night train to Surat Thani where we got conned by a fast talking promoter into taking what he said was the "fast" ferry to Koh Samui. He told us it would only take 2 hours. Ha, Ha! It SHOULD have only taken 2 hours, but they over loaded the ferry to a point where we had balance the boat with passengers on either side so it wouldn't over-turn. Kung and I were stuck for 4 hours with our legs dangling over the side of the ferry, and we couldn't move for people on either side and behind us. Our luggage was burried, along with my sunscreen, under a pile of other back packs. It was the only time in Thailand that I got a sun burn. Fortunately, we didn't run into any storms, but spray over the bow set off sparks on the ferry's electric wiring. When we returned a week later we chose the much bigger vehicle ferry and took the bus back to Surat Thani.

Eventually we reached our destination and landed safely at Koh Samui where we were met by an agent with a small van that that drove us to our resort. The resort was attractive enough, but they had squat toilets that didn't flush very well and we left the following day for a much cheaper resort that didn't have a swimming pool, and didn't look so fancy, but had proper toilets and a bed that was more comfortable. They also had a motor scooter for rent for 150 baht a day. On the scooter, Kung and I thoroughly explored the island.

There are no shortage of beaches and rocky headlands on Koh Samui

The sunsets are always gread, but during a storm they can be spectacular. After a while the beauty is just expected.

Koh Samui is also famous for the well known Grampa rock and Grandmother rock... named for obvious reasons.

[ozzieovaseas]

Great pics Ian

Although sometimes i do ask myself why anyone would even bother,considering how many posters on here bag you out about it

Anyway, keep it up old son, I for one am very glad you post them. I share your situation in spending part of my time back home, so seeing your pics while in Oz always makes me drool and start counting down the days before the next trip over.

Must say you are looking pretty smick with the cool sunnies too

[ozzieovaseas]

BTW, the story in your last post reminds me of a trip me and friend took to Koh Chang.

It must be a usual tactic to tell the punters it takes X hours, when in reality it would be impossible to do it in that time. I think we were told 4-5 hours each way from BK??..yeh right!..try doubling that!!!

We had multiple buses picking us up from different legs of the trip, to and from the ferry ect. Often they would show up very late, looking very unorganised and not seeming to know who they were supposed to be picking up, let alone us knowing what in the !#$% was going on.

To make it worse, on the way back to BK the bus was ambling along at about 30kph and eventually broke down (somewhat suspiciously) at some guys restaurant, where we were waiting for hours while they were fiddling with the belts.

Quite a few of European tourists were getting severely pi$$ed off, some tourists even left the bus and had to find other transport back to BK as they had outgoing international flights that night.

I must say i have never had a trip quite as bad as that since, but suffice to say i wont be heading back to Koh Chang in a hurry

[F1fanatic]

Reminds me of the Phuket to Phi Phi ferry a few years ago.

The announcer kept going on about some snorkeling excursion so much that we all feared we were headed for this destination and would have to wait a few hours before going on to Koh Phi Phi!

Fortunately, he dropped us off on Phi Phi first - BUT, coming back a few weeks later, they honestly did stop for some passengers to take a boat trip somewhere ! The ferry was packed and we were stuck on the top hiding under our jackets to protect us from the sun. At the time we were not happy bunnies, but its funny now....

[PoorSucker]

Next time you come Ian, take a trip to Chiang Dao.

I think your going to like it.

Easy ride on your bike.

For a detour take highway 1178 to "The Chinese village" (Arunootai) on the border to Burma.

[PoorSucker]

View south Outside Ban Nahwai, along highway 1178, Ampur Chiang Dao.

[Nawak]

Great pics mate, thanks a lot for sharing.

We really feel good here up in the North

[IanForbes]

Next time you come Ian, take a trip to Chiang Dao.

I think your going to like it.

Easy ride on your bike.

For a detour take highway 1178 to "The Chinese village" (Arunootai) on the border to Burma.

Thanks for the reminder, PS. That area was on my list. Nice photo, by the way.

I don't like traveling too far afield on my bike while alone (safety reasons), but now I have a friend who has the time and wants to come along, so we are going to make annual bike trips. I loaded all the Thai maps into my Garmon GPS and it's been very handy in finding accommodation and other points of interest.

[moe666]

Ian, I have been home only 3 weeks and your photos have made me home sick already. We will have to get together at the Doo-Dee in November.

Oscar

[DP25]

BTW, the story in your last post reminds me of a trip me and friend took to Koh Chang.

It must be a usual tactic to tell the punters it takes X hours, when in reality it would be impossible to do it in that time. I think we were told 4-5 hours each way from BK??..yeh right!..try doubling that!!!

We had multiple buses picking us up from different legs of the trip, to and from the ferry ect. Often they would show up very late, looking very unorganised and not seeming to know who they were supposed to be picking up, let alone us knowing what in the !#$% was going on.

To make it worse, on the way back to BK the bus was ambling along at about 30kph and eventually broke down (somewhat suspiciously) at some guys restaurant, where we were waiting for hours while they were fiddling with the belts.

Quite a few of European tourists were getting severely pi$$ed off, some tourists even left the bus and had to find other transport back to BK as they had outgoing international flights that night.

I must say i have never had a trip quite as bad as that since, but suffice to say i wont be heading back to Koh Chang in a hurry

Were you taking a Khao San bus or some other tourist chartered bus or minivan or something? I've taken the normal bus (you know, from the bus station) to Ko Chang and back a dozen times and nothing like that has ever happened, and it always takes 4-5 hours. There's no need for multiple buses, the bus from Ekkamai goes straight to the pier where you get the ferry to Ko Chang. And you can get the bus back to Ekkamai at the same place

[IanForbes]

Were you taking a Khao San bus or some other tourist chartered bus or minivan or something? I've taken the normal bus (you know, from the bus station) to Ko Chang and back a dozen times and nothing like that has ever happened, and it always takes 4-5 hours. There's no need for multiple buses, the bus from Ekkamai goes straight to the pier where you get the ferry to Ko Chang. And you can get the bus back to Ekkamai at the same place

Thanks for the additional information, DP25. I forgot to mention the bus times and Ekkamai station. I think we all get suckered into bad tour trips at some point while traveling in Thailand. Athough we don't want to repeat the experience, it very often is something we remember the most, and have great stories to tell later. Tuk tuk rides in Phuket come to mind. I had TOO many of those experiences while traveling in the Philippines and finally decided I had enough of THAT sort of "fun". Knife fights just aren't that much fun anymore.

[jackr]

The ferry ride only takes about half an hour, but you have to wade to shore after transferring onto a landing barge. There is no dock on the island.

Ian, Koh Samet has piers with the main one, Na Dan, just north of Hat Sai Kaew. They might be a bit rickety, but one certainly doesn't have to wade ashore. Some nice pics, btw.

[IanForbes]

The ferry ride only takes about half an hour, but you have to wade to shore after transferring onto a landing barge. There is no dock on the island.

Ian, Koh Samet has piers with the main one, Na Dan, just north of Hat Sai Kaew. They might be a bit rickety, but one certainly doesn't have to wade ashore. Some nice pics, btw.

Thanks for the update, jackr. It's been a while since I was down there last. I guess it depends on what ferry you take. There is so much to choose from that paying an extra 200 baht because it's a National Park took it off my list for future visits.

[IanForbes]

I had heard a lot about Phuket before I ever got there. Most of my information came from guys who told me how expensive it was in comparison to Pattaya. Being an island province in the heart of tourist land, Phuket had a lot to offer the beach lovers who wanted a bit of night-time entertainment included. Patong Beach attracted the holiday crowd as well as the seedier gang. Prices sky rocketed and it attracted the worst of the tuk tuk drivers and seadoo renters. Beer prices in the seedy bars of Phuket were double that of similar establishments in Pattaya. There weren't any of the inexpensive Thai cafes where you could get a 30 baht meal. A simple Kow Padt Gai (chicken fried rice) cost 100 baht or more. One thing I quickly discovered is there are beach gals who buy beer and soft drinks from wholesalers and keep it in coolers with ice. Then they sell it for a small mark up at various locations along the beach. The girls were friendly and the beer was cheap in comparison to the bars in town. After wandering around the bars on my first night in Patong I never went back and spent the remainder of my time sitting on the beach with friends.

I would not have bothered going had one of the hotels not been part of my time share group in Pattaya. As it turned out it was the only exchange that ever worked in my favour. I booked my week and flew down from Bangkok. The airport pick-up was part of the hotel package, but the 40 km return trip cost me 800 baht. A couple of my lady friends came down from Chiang Mai to join me and we rented a car to do some exploring. Had it not been for the personal transportation I think I would have been disappointed with the lack of things to do. As it turned out we had a great time.

Patong Beach looks nice, but it doesn't get the lovely sunsets that other beaches have.

Patong is a seedy little beach town with a handful of expensive, over priced hotels.

[IanForbes]

I quickly learned to get away from Patong Beach area and explore the rest of the island which I found to be much nicer.

Patong Beach is in the distant background in this photo

There is a lot to see if you get out and explore a bit...

When I was there last in early 2005 there was still some of the devastation around Rawai Beach caused by the Tsunami

My favourite beach in Phuket is still Laem Sing Beach. It is small and friendly, and has great sunsets.

[IanForbes]

What I love about Thailand is all the unusual things that can happen if you don't take life too seriously... Like this little lizard that was hiding under the beach umbrella and jumped onto my head when we opened it.

Or when my friend went stalking through the shallow water and grabbed a brilliant blue Parrot fish and brought it back to shore.. I asked if she was going to release it and she said "No way!" We had it for an afternoon snack. I should have know that if it is edible a Thai will eat anything.

Parrot fish have odd beek like teeth they use for chomping mollusks.

[axisgec1]

Of course, Chiang mai is good city, better than BKK. I'm stay thailand over 15 years. However, I'm still confuse to here.

I will move to U.K or Aus, if I do not have son and doughter. when you come to Thailand, first. you should be got a good immperssions. But if you stay and live in Thailand over 3 years... You should be got a lots of questions.

all facilities not confortable.. even banking systems and doing business. Money can be doing everything in here. Money solve every problems.. if you have your own money in your pocket.. you may be get a happy hours.

However, if you don't have money.. you are one of monkey in here. Thousand of smiles country? Angel's heart? mostly thai peoples has two faces. one face is "Mai Ben Rai" face, and the other face is not " Mai Bel Rai" face.

anyway, I stay here for support to my family. But, I will try to escape to other place if I have chances. For my son and my family, here is no more good place in the earth.

So, what ever.. have good time in Thailand..

-James

[F1fanatic]

Good one Ian, nice pics and a good news story. Regards

+ 1

Thanks

Yes, its wonderful to see how Ian (or his gf here) is depleting the few remaining fish around the coastline of Phuket...

If you go to the couple of remaining good snorkelling sights on Phuket you'll find a few fish worth catching and eating (unfortunately they are used to people looking - not catching them). You and your g/f could have a few more good meals.

Sod the snorkellers or those just looking to enjoy looking at the few remaining fish around Phuket.

Edited June 5, 2011 by F1fanatic

[IanForbes]

Yes, its wonderful to see how Ian (or his gf here) is depleting the few remaining fish around the coastline of Phuket...

If you go to the couple of remaining good snorkelling sights on Phuket you'll find a few fish worth catching and eating (unfortunately they are used to people looking - not catching them). You and your g/f could have a few more good meals.

Sod the snorkellers or those just looking to enjoy looking at the few remaining fish around Phuket.

There is no need for sarcasm, F1fanatic. If you've followed any of my fishing topics you would know that I seldom kill the fish that I catch. And, I never kill the tropical reef fish. However, I have no power over native Thais that DO eat anything and everything. I agree that it is a shame that most Asians have no concept of conservation, and given the chance they will over harvest just about anything alive that is of some value.

[F1fanatic]

Yes, its wonderful to see how Ian (or his gf here) is depleting the few remaining fish around the coastline of Phuket...

If you go to the couple of remaining good snorkelling sights on Phuket you'll find a few fish worth catching and eating (unfortunately they are used to people looking - not catching them). You and your g/f could have a few more good meals.

Sod the snorkellers or those just looking to enjoy looking at the few remaining fish around Phuket.

There is no need for sarcasm, F1fanatic. If you've followed any of my fishing topics you would know that I seldom kill the fish that I catch. And, I never kill the tropical reef fish. However, I have no power over native Thais that DO eat anything and everything. I agree that it is a shame that most Asians have no concept of conservation, and given the chance they will over harvest just about anything alive that is of some value.

So why post the photos showing this is a 'good' thing about living in Thailand?

ANY reef fish are a rarity on Phuket and you should have known better than to allow your latest 'g/f' to kill one of the few remaining.

[IanForbes]

So why post the photos showing this is a 'good' thing about living in Thailand?

ANY reef fish are a rarity on Phuket and you should have known better than to allow your latest 'g/f' to kill one of the few remaining.

I really didn't have any say in the matter. Let me quote what I said...

What I love about Thailand is all the unusual things that can happen if you don't take life too seriously

Or when my friend went stalking through the shallow water and grabbed a brilliant blue Parrot fish and brought it back to shore.. I asked if she was going to release it and she said "No way!" We had it for an afternoon snack. I should have know that if it is edible a Thai will eat anything.

Nowhere did I say I agree with killing reef fish. But, it it has already been caught then there isn't much I can do about it. I only ate a bit because I was curious about the taste.

[F1fanatic]

So why post the photos showing this is a 'good' thing about living in Thailand?

ANY reef fish are a rarity on Phuket and you should have known better than to allow your latest 'g/f' to kill one of the few remaining.

I really didn't have any say in the matter. Let me quote what I said...

What I love about Thailand is all the unusual things that can happen if you don't take life too seriously

Or when my friend went stalking through the shallow water and grabbed a brilliant blue Parrot fish and brought it back to shore.. I asked if she was going to release it and she said "No way!" We had it for an afternoon snack. I should have know that if it is edible a Thai will eat anything.

Nowhere did I say I agree with killing reef fish. But, it it has already been caught then there isn't much I can do about it. I only ate a bit because I was curious about the taste.

Great excuse... As I said before there are only a few good snorkelling points on Phuket, but those few have fish that are easy to 'catch in you hand' 'cos they're used to happy people looking - not hurting them.

You should have TOLD your gf to let it go - it was a rare fish (in these waters) to be enjoyed by the many - not the odd gf that thinks its OK to deplete the enjoyment of many.

[losworld]

Ian, I am starting to understand why certain posters have issue with your posts. You love life. You only live in places that you enjoy and avoid places that you do not and you have a generally positive outlook. Maybe you should do more moaning and whinging so that you will fit in better on the forum

roflmao... <deleted> Canadians just give em a beer and a hockey game and they'll never complain:)

[IanForbes]

Ian, I am starting to understand why certain posters have issue with your posts. You love life. You only live in places that you enjoy and avoid places that you do not and you have a generally positive outlook. Maybe you should do more moaning and whinging so that you will fit in better on the forum

roflmao... <deleted> Canadians just give em a beer and a hockey game and they'll never complain:)

:lol:

That's only partially true. You should hear them complain when their 10 million dollar goalie lets in a puck that he MIGHT have stopped had he not made a tiny mistake.

Right now I'm EXTRA happy because our Vanvcouver Canucks are 2 games away from winning the Stanley Cup. After beating Boston last night there was dancing in the streets for 3 hours after the game.

[gpdjohn]

Ian, I am starting to understand why certain posters have issue with your posts. You love life. You only live in places that you enjoy and avoid places that you do not and you have a generally positive outlook. Maybe you should do more moaning and whinging so that you will fit in better on the forum

roflmao... <deleted> Canadians just give em a beer and a hockey game and they'll never complain:)

:lol:

That's only partially true. You should hear them complain when their 10 million dollar goalie lets in a puck that he MIGHT have stopped had he not made a tiny mistake.

Right now I'm EXTRA happy because our Vanvcouver Canucks are 2 games away from winning the Stanley Cup. After beating Boston last night there was dancing in the streets for 3 hours after the game.

It's not over yet! On to the Garden.

[IanForbes]

It's not over yet! On to the Garden.

Agreed. It ain't over until the fat lady sings, and I ain't hearing her singing just yet. If the Canucks get a split in Boston I think they'll wrap it up, but if the Bruins win both games in Boston it's anybodies cup to win.