tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231546232024-03-06T11:03:39.922+07:00Hua Hin LifeThe ramblings of a farang (foreigner) thriving & surviving in Thailand's oldest seaside resort, Hua Hin. Located just over 200km south of Bangkok, Hua Hin is the home of Thailand's much revered King, as well as the nation's oldest Golf Club. Many foreigners visit Hua Hin for holidays long or short, but what's it like to live here year round, to work here, do your shopping & struggle to deal with the local bureaucrats? Here's where you can find out . . .Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-63942690430713877662008-12-16T13:21:00.006+07:002008-12-16T13:29:30.585+07:00Let's Talk Thailand's New PM, Facing a 'Winter' Without Electricity, HH's New Nightclub, and Next Week's Blog Might be Early/Late!<span style="font-size:100%;">
</span><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:100%;">(The main blog can be found at <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/">http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/</a>)</span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">
</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">First off, let me get the Bangkok section out of the way before moving onto the Hua Hin bits. Therefore, here I go. As the whole world has seen, Thailand has a new prime minister -- I suppose I should be feeling proud or at least gratified at being proved right. Last week, as my regular readers (singular or plural?) will recall, I mentioned an English-born and educated Thai politician named Abhisit <img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/abhisit.jpg" align="left" border="0" height="200" width="160" />Vejjajiva as a potential prime minister of this kingdom. Yesterday, the 44-year-old Etonian was indeed named as Thailand's 27th and youngest ever prime minister. However, I can't help feeling its too premature for anyone who cares about this beautiful but blighted country to feel gratified. The young Mr Abhisit is taking on a classically poisoned chalice. He will be taking over a country with a wrecked economy and a deeply polarised population. It is a hopeful sign that the yellow-shirted 'patriots' of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have not yet protested or re-occupied government buildings or airports, but the red shirted supporters of the ex-PM, Mr. Thaksin, did try to interfere with the vote, so the political fighting isn't yet over. Maybe I am biased, with the new man being a British public school boy, but it is ironic that a man who leads a party called the Democrats is becoming PM via a much less than democratic process. However, if there were an election, Thaksin's mob (and I use the word advisedly) would almost certainly win and that would disgruntle the despotic idiots of the PAD, leading to more damage being inflicted upon the Thai economy and reputation. So for me, as a resident of Thailand, this is most certainly the least awful scenario. I sincerely wish Khun Abhisit the very best of luck as he leads his disjointed coalition (united, so it seems, by nothing more than a strong dislike of Khun Thaksin) into government – he is most certainly going to need it! </span></i></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">There was a very readable commentary in Sunday's 'Bangkok Post', in the '<a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/141208_News/14Dec2008_news13.php">Post Script</a>' column, about what is laughingly referred to as the cool season here. The writer, who clearly has a Thai wife, was saying how surprising it must be for a European to see and hear how the Thais feel this season to be so cold whereas, as he put it, "it's the sort of weather that would have people in Britain sprinting for the nearest beach." Down here in Hua Hin, where sea <img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/MeltingSnowman.gif" align="right" border="0" height="144" width="100" />and mountain breezes can sometimes make it cooler than in Bangkok, it is common to see locals going around wrapped up in sweaters, jackets and even scarves. When I lectured at the local rajabhat university, many of my students wore such wintry garb even in the classroom – while I strutted around wearing a polo shirt! This isn't a purely local phenomenon, as the Thais do genuinely consider this weather to be cool. Sunday's weather forecast for the Central region in 'The Bangkok Post' (I very rarely read its rival 'The Nation' since its owner became so prominent in the PAD) read "Cold 18C-30C." Can you imagine any newspaper in Europe or North America printing such a bizarre oxymoronic description? However, it does reflect local feelings, and so every clothes shop in the kingdom is now selling sweaters, fleecy jackets and boots, which the buyers will wear for less than one of the following 52 weeks! However, when one ventures away from the urban areas (if a town of 60,000 like Hua Hin can be termed urban), the cool season can get closer to earning that name. I recently read that some villages in the Hua Hin Amphoe (administrative district), which covers over 839 km², had been declared a disaster zone after temperatures fell to 10c. Now before you scoff about weak Thais, please bear in mind that the residents of those villages, which lie about 70km southwest of central Hua Hin, in the mountains that eventually reach to the Burmese frontier, have no electricity. What, I hear you cry. A community located less than 2<img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/TanaratMonument.jpg" align="left" border="0" height="150" width="200" /> hours drive from a royal palace, from a tourist haven, and yet they have no electricity? What is the 'Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand' thinking of – isn't this the 21st century? Well, don't blame the electricity authority too quickly, for it wasn't their decision to deny those citizens electricity. This decision was made by the military dictator who has a museum in nearby Pranburi (see this Blog's <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog080930.htm">Sept 30th issue</a>), Field Marshal Sari Thanarat, the half-Laotian prime minister of Thailand from 1958 to 1963 and head of a coup-appointed military regime referred to by one source as "the most repressive and authoritarian in Thai history". You see, he decided to make that district a "military safety area," where electricity is not allowed. You might well ask why being a "military safety area" means you can't have electricity. I wish I knew! Yes, the area is close to the Burmese border but what's the link with electricity? Maybe he was hoping the lack of modern power might convince people to move away, leaving the army and border police to work unhindered. Who knows! However, as local district staff and charity workers distributed coats, blankets, and relief supplies to the neglected villagers (who also lack any good transport links with the rest of the area), I doubt if there were plans for them to visit the Field Marshal's museum, or pay homage at his monument (shown right). Then again, this being Thailand, anything's possible! </span></i></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">Any newspaper article that begins by referring to my hometown as "continually evolving" and "never short of lively events" is sure to get my attention, and <img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/SheratonNightclub.jpg" align="right" border="0" height="200" width="150" />that's what I read in the 'Bangkok Post' back on Friday (Dec 12th). The article was about a new entertainment event called 'Black Vanilla', which is taking place at the misnamed Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa's @ Black Vanilla nightclub – misnamed as it is actually located north of the airport, making it part of Cha Am rather than Hua Hin! According to the PR stuff put out by those behind this event, the show-cum-dining event will showcase a 3-hour series of world-class circus, pantomime, dance and musical acts by international performers, complimented by a 4-course meal. Amongst those performing will be a contortion and unicycle show from the Ukraine. All very different to the sort of entertainment presently available in Hua Hin, that's for sure. This extravaganza will cost you "a little over 2,000 baht (inclusive of dinner and free flow non-alcoholic drinks)," according to a hotel spokesman, which isn't too bad when you consider that the hotel claims this new venture cost them over 5 million baht. What's more, if you attend the afternoon performances, where dinner isn't included (but soft drinks are), of course, the cost will be only 1,150 baht. Now I don't expect I shall be going myself, not just because anything that includes dinner being a waste of money for me due to my shrunken stomach but also because the wife and I are not really the nightclub types, least of all since our boy popped into the world. However, I wish the venture every success, as anything that helps this area is good news. The idiots in Bangkok have done their best to wipe out Thailand's tourism business and as Hua Hin is a tourist town, their allegedly patriotic rioting has hurt this place. If this new idea at the Sheraton helps make up for that, great. So if you're interested in visiting Black Vanilla, please do – you might even give me your opinion of the thing. For more information or to make a booking, visit <a href="http://www.at-black.com/">http://www.at-black.com</a>. </span></i> </span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:100%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;"><i>Remember TV for schools? I don't know about where you grew up but I still recall watching educational programmes on a large black-and-white TV in my classroom, usually introduced with Handel's 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba', guaranteeing that music a special place in my affections. Well, Thailand has its own<img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/DLTV.jpg" align="left" border="0" height="200" width="266" /> version of school TV called DLTV, or Distance Learning TV. This admirable service, established in 1996 with 15 educational channels going out to more than 17,000 schools across the country, operates from right here in Hua Hin. To be exact, the programmes are broadcast from the Klaikangwon Palace School, located (as the name would suggest) opposite the King's palace on Petchakasem Road, about 2 or 3 kilometres from where I live. If you live in Thailand and use one of those big, FTA satellite dishes, you may have seen DLTV listed a</i></span><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">mongst the channels – well now you know where those programmes come from. The school itself was originally created by King Prajadhipok in 1938 for the children of noblemen<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;"> but I was told by a Thai fellow-teacher that it was later changed in order to </span></span></i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;"> <i>provide a good education for poor children, part of HM the King's many charitable activities. However, there are rumours within the Hua Hin educational fraternity (which I belonged to when I taught at the awful Hua Hin School on the Khao Hin Lek Fai Road) that admission to the school is now more slanted towards who you know rather your family's income. All I know is that traffic on Petchakasem Road almost comes to a standstill when that school finishes, as the pupils pour out and board the trucks, coaches, minibuses and whatnot that take them home. I do remember one of my worst pupils at Hua Hin School, an intelligent but totally insubordinate and mischievous boy with the nickname of 'Jack' (all Thais have a nickname, which is handy for foreign teachers who might have trouble pronouncing their multisyllabic Thai names), transferred to that school, and unless he has graduated onto a reformatory, may well still be there. I don't envy whoever has the task of trying to make him use that brain of his! </i></span></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">Not long ago (on November 25th, to be exact), I referred to the Royal Hua Hin Golf Course hosting the Thailand Junior World Championships, the first ever <img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/RHHGolf.jpg" align="right" border="0" height="200" width="304" />world-class amateur golf tournament held in this country. Well, that tournament is now over and as it is rather unlikely that your local newspaper carried details of the result, I might as well bring you up to date. The overall title was won by a 13-year-old Thai girl, Ariya Jutanugarn, a former Junior World champion who embarrassed her male counterpart by blasting a blistering final round of six under par 66 for an aggregate of 282. Indeed, Thais dominated the event, without a single foreigner featuring in the final honours list. I had rather hoped that the solitary Zimbabwean participant might get something – even an honourable mention – but it was not to be. The golf club that hosted this event, the Royal, is probably one of the most conveniently located in Asia, being just across the tracks from Hua Hin's famously quaint railway station. Apart from being Thailand's oldest golf course, it was also used by HM the King, in the days when his health allowed him to chase a ball around 18 holes. I used to practice my swing at the Royal's range, which I chose for two good reasons. Firstly, it is one of the very few golf driving ranges in Hua Hin to provide shade, most being fully exposed to the sun, which seems pretty stupid in a tropical locale like this. And the 2nd reason? Simple – it's one of the cheapest golf venues in the Hua Hin district, charging (when I last played there) a mere 20 baht for a tray of balls. They also have a rather nice restaurant located upstairs with a splendid view over the greens. OK, the menu is very limited and you never need to make a reservation, but sipping a cold beer (Singha only, alas, as the brewery owns the course!) as you watch someone sweating over the last hole is a pretty nice way to pass the time! </span></i></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;" align="left"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;">Well, having given you proof that life (and golf) continues as normal here in Thailand, despite what the sensationalist press coverage of the recent political<img src="http://www.huahinjapan.com/Gastroscopy.gif" align="left" border="0" height="120" width="102" /> problems might have led you to believe, I think I shall conclude. Next Tuesday, I shall be returning to Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok for my regular gastroscopy examination, which means I shall be away from my computer the whole day. This trip requires me to be at the minibus terminal downtown at around 7~7.30 and judging by last time, I won't get back to Hua Hin till well after dark -- and I won't be feeling like creating another masterpiece like this! I haven't yet decided whether to do next week's blog on the Monday or the Wednesday, but I'll have to see. Rest assured it will be done, so please feel free to pop round next Tuesday. If the link hasn't been updated, then try again on the Wednesday, OK? Sorry to mix up your schedule but it isn't for the sake of pleasure, believe me! Anyway, as I write (at around noon), it is currently 29c (84f) and sunny, with a very tolerable 58% humidity reading and a 10% chance of rain – which, if comes at all, will doubtless be civilised enough to wait till after dark! Today's a holiday in South Africa but wherever you are and whatever you're doing, I hope you are all fit, well, happy and healthy. Take care, see you next week, and May the wind be always at your back. </span></i></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-68879157787634692542008-12-09T14:24:00.002+07:002008-12-09T14:30:39.809+07:00Let's Talk PAD-Induced Unemployment, Thailand's Saviour a Geordie, HH's Vintage Car Jamboree, Economist Breaks the Rules, & Deputy Mayor Speaks Out<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;">(This is a text-only version of the main blog which can be found at <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/">http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/</a>)
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">It might seem difficult to catch a Cold here in the tropics but I've managed it somehow। Possibly, the insidious little germ was aided by my much-weakened resistance – the chemotherapy and radiation aren't that long finished. Nonetheless, I suppose there are worse places to be sick in than Thailand, even with the political problems the kingdom is now facing. Having a Cold under the grey skies of a London or Tokyo winter is so depressing but at least here, the blue skies and warm (not hot) sunshine of a Thai 'winter' do make things that much more bearable. So be gone self-pity, let's get on with this week's offering.
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The airport occupation might well be slipping into memory but its after-effects are likely to remain painful for quite a while. A recent forecast by Thailand's National Economic and Social Advisory Council (Nesac) estimated that the mob takeover of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, exquisitely timed to coincide with the global economic crisis, would lead to an extra 900,000 unemployed next year – not including those in the tourism industry. Back in the third quarter of 2008, growth in Thailand's agricultural sector reduced the unemployment rate to 1.2% but the 'patriots' of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) soon changed that. An unemployment rate of 6.5% was mentioned in the forecast, affecting all areas of Thailand due to the cut in exports caused by the 8-day airports closure. Of course the tourism authority is running a series of campaigns to try and revive foreign interest in this place as a holiday destination and the forecast did believe that such campaigns could help ease the situation next year. However, the average Thai citizen, be they rich or poor, urban or rural, executive or peasant, will pay for what those idiots did at the airport. It might be through losing their job, increased taxes, higher prices or less customers, but if they have any sense (which might be supposing too much in some cases), they should learn to hate the mob that caused all this. Will there be a backlash? Will the anti-democratic bourgeoisies suffer for their actions? We can but hope.
Throughout Asia, the ruling class often seems to favour America in many ways, but the old Thai elite, the old money, still have a soft spot for Britain। There is a society for Thais who attended British public schools here, the Royal Bangkok Sports Club (ç located on a patch of downtown land that must make property developers weep) was founded in 1901 to rival the various 'jockey clubs' the Brits had established all over Asia, Bangkok has had a cricket club since 1890, and Thailand continues to drive on the left (as did the whole world until the late 1700s). Therefore, it shouldn't be too surprising that when the kingdom is seeking a way out of the present chaos, they look again to a British example. I refer to Abhisit Vejjajiva (è), the young man (he's only 44) many are now openly considering as a potential prime minister. Born in Newcastle (does that make him as Geordie?), and educated at Eton and Oxford, Mr Abhisit is leader of the Democrat Party, often considered the choice of the more reasonable middle class. A self-styled liberal and democrat, Mr Abhisit did criticise (but never condemned) the military coup that removed the polemical Mr Thaksin from power in 2006, and members of his party have been supportive of the anarchic PAD. However, many here believe he is the only major politician who has any hope of ending the 3 years of conflict that climaxed in the hijacking of Bangkok's airports. His opponents claim that he is too callow, too closely linked to vested interests, a man whose patrician foreign upbringing means he cannot understand the problems of Thailand's rural poor, Mr Thaksin's power base. They fail to mention how any Thai political leader, none of whom are in the 'log cabin to white house' mould, can identify with the poverty-stricken masses. It is true that his party is far from being the most popular – they won barely a third of seats in 2007, less than that in 2001 and 2005, and boycotted the military arranged election of 2006 altogether. It is also true that he is being eased into office by unseen powers above the heads of the poor rural majority. However, a genuine general election would undoubtedly lead to another victory for Thaksin's proxies, which would in turn lead to more mob rule by the PAD's minions, and surely almost anything is better than that. The vast majority of the Thai people are poor – largely because of decades of selfish rule by an urban elite with strong connections to the Thai military but little concern for the needs of the poor. Do I think Mr Abhisit will today's election and become PM? Only a fool tries to predict Thai politics. Do I think he will be able to reunite this beautiful country? I can but hope. Will I be happy to see him making the journey down to Hua Hin to receive HM the King's appointment? I'll get back to you on that . . .
To move on to happier, more local news, this coming weekend sees the annual Hua Hin Vintage Car Parade। For those of you who don't know about this event, it involves some of the oldest and most classic cars in Thailand driving down from Bangkok and then parading through the streets of Hua Hin. They are then exhibited within the peaceful splendour of the Sofitel hotel. If you are a fan of classic cars, be it a vintage Fiat or an E-Type Jag, then you'll love this. You can either find a good vantage point to watch them as they drive around the town or you can take the easy way and just pop over to the Sofitel to see them parked beneath the trees. I might pop over to take a look, as my boy is madly keen on any kind of transport – especially trains. However, he doesn't limit his enthusiasm and when one asks him what he wants to be, he usually says "a pilot". He rather worryingly adds that he wants to be a pilot tomorrow, but having seen the skills of some third world pilots, maybe that isn't as ridiculous as it sounds! Anyway, if the weather's good, as it seems very likely to be, then my family and I shall pop down and take a look round. I haven't driven for a very long time and I have never driven a true classic (though some might rate my first car, a VW Beetle, as a classic) but I still enjoy seeing cars built when carmakers built them to last. Whether or not Washington does give them the cash handout they are demanding, I very much doubt if any of the vehicles produced by the "Big Three" Detroit automakers will be able to drive from Bangkok to Hua Hin 50 years or more from now.
Visitors and residents in this fair town seeking to catch up with the news via Britain's 'The Economist' may be disappointed this week। According to 'The Straits Times' of Singapore (a nation that isn't averse to censorship), this week's edition of the Economist magazine has been banned in Thailand for articles critical of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. What's more, the Economist's Southeast Asia correspondent recently left Thailand – possibly trying to avoid a less dignified departure. However, there has been no official criticism of the magazine or the article, and no-one knows who actually ordered the ban. Usually, press censorship here is handled by the Culture Ministry (is censorship part of Thai culture, one wonders?) but this body, together with the police, have denied any knowledge of a ban. One bookshop assistant explained the magazine's absence by saying 'It's been banned but we don't know who by'. It is possible that the ban was a case of self-censorship by the magazine's local distributor, who could see that an article that questioned the political impartiality of the palace would sure as hell upset many powerful people here. One allegedly informed source blamed it on disruptions at Bangkok airport, a strange excuse when the protests there have ended and which did not affect the magazine last week. However, don't despair for it seems that the censors enthusiasm is somewhat diluted by their inefficiency or lack of imagination. The article in question is still freely available on the Internet and seems likely to remain so – not that I would read such a piece, of course. I know full well the folly of toying with the local lèse majesté laws, and so I shall avoid that story as one would shun a rabid leper. Cross my heart!
Not long ago, a local periodical passed on some questions from local residents to Khun Suvit, a deputy mayor of Hua Hin। I thought it might be interesting for you good people to take a look at some of his answers. The first question regarded the environmental situation here, especially litter on the beaches and local sanitation. Khun Suvit responded that with the help of beachfront hotels, local beaches were becoming cleaner (I haven't been on the beach for a long time so I can't say) and that the council was checking on how the euphemistically termed 'random restaurants' affected the cleanliness of the beach. As for sanitation, his response seemed to suggest that this was a case in progress – not a rare answer from any politician! Another question concerned traffic congestion in Hua Hin, a problem made worse by illegal parking and illegal car park squatting by tuk-tuk providers, etc. Khun Suvit didn't offer any hopes of solving this problem but he did seem interested in the suggestion that Naresdamri Road (the one outside the Hilton) be made a traffic-free zone for a certain time each day. I for one like this idea, as walking along this road can be difficult and dangerous at times. However, dare I say that I'll believe it when I see it? Or that putting up 'no traffic' signs won't mean a damn thing unless the local gendarmes become noticeably more active? In a similar vein, he was asked why the police didn't enforce the traffic rules better. His answer was truly pitiful. He blamed it all on the fact that "the profession of policeman is not a highly paid job". Excuse me, but whose fault is that? Anyway, one wouldn't expect any local politician to give concrete answers to questions like the ones asked of Khun Suvit and he didn't break with the traditions of his profession. Sadly, it seems more than likely that the local council will continue to spend more money on ornamental arches and plaques honouring HM the King than on much needed public works. Then again, Thailand isn't the only place where local politicians go 'gong hunting', is it?
I decided to get out of the house last Sunday and took my 4-year-old down to Suan Luang Rashinee (Queen Sirikit Park), located at the end of Soi 19। This small but nicely laid out park is not only the location of weekly al fresco beer and music parties (every Friday) but also has a children's playground that is in a less dangerous state of repair than others around the town, and so not only did he have a great time exhausting himself on the various slides, I was able to enjoy some sea air and catch a glimpse of the Gulf of Thailand. As is so often true at this time of year, the sea was pretty rough with plenty of white tips – not very inviting for a paddle! By the way, if you can't see the sea from where you live/stay in Hua Hin, you can check on the tide (in or out, high or low), I recommend checking a site run by the British government. Just aim your mouse at http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/, where you can get information about Hua Hin tides. I used to use this page regularly when I used to go for an early morning walk on the beach each Saturday – as the tide comes in all the way near where I live and so I preferred not to walk over to the coast only to find nowhere to stroll!
Anyway, that's it for another week. It's partly cloudy and 28c here at present, with little chance of rain, so they say. I shall now place this offering online and then it'll be time for lunch. Wherever you are, I hope that life is dealing you some half-decent cards and that you are not keeping your doctor busy. If you should find yourself with spare time and an internet connection this time next week, please feel free to pop over and see if the standard of writing has improved at all. Until then, take care and may the wind be always at your back.Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-47914821688709325532008-12-02T11:13:00.006+07:002008-12-02T11:59:31.907+07:00Let's Talk "Dying to Spite the Graveyard", HH's Airport Springs Back to Life, Enjoying Boerewors, & Preparing for an Unwhite Xmas!<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:100%;" ><i> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(This is a text-only version of the main blog you can find at <a href="http://huahinblog.tk/">Huahinblog.tk</a>,)</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 10px;"><b><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;"></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;font-size:100%;" >Well there's another fine mess they've gotten us into! Talk about getting into the news for all the wrong reasons! As if it wasn't bad enough the world seeing images of riots and tear gas on the streets of Bangkok, those unpatriotic idiots of the PAD (the so-called "People’s Alliance for Democracy") have now thrown the 'Land of Smiles' cliché into the rubbish bin and made Thailand look as attractive as Iraq on a bad day! I really can't believe those scumbags. I understand the leadership, who follow the philosophy of "sod my country, just give me more power", but I don't understand the teeming throngs of supporters who follow their demagogical orders and ruin the country. The leadership are OK, with their several passports and Swiss bank accounts, but it’s the idiots now wrecking the airports who will lose their jobs and face increased taxes and inflation when their actions finally ruin the economy. It's a bit like the prison riots where the convicts wreck their own cells and facilities. There's an old Thai proverb that refers to someone "Dying to spite the graveyard", which is equivalent to the western one about cutting off your nose to spite your face. That could be the motto of those PAD fatheads! Of course, if you can somehow manage to get into Thailand (and driving up from Malaysia seems to be the least troublesome route at present, so long as you get through the unpeaceful border provinces before sunset), a fine array of bargains await you. Multiple cancellations mean that hotels and resorts are desperate for business – Five-star hotels in Bangkok are reportedly seeing occupancy rates of 60% (down from 75% a year ago), with the figure for Phuket being 57% and 30-35% for Hua Hin/Cha-am. This means it is very much a buyers market and so you should expect some huge discounts – up to 75%, I've heard. You could stay at a truly luxurious hotel for the price of a guesthouse in some cases – I kid you not! 'Fortune favours the brave' and so if you are willing to ignore the sensationalist news coverage, you could enjoy a peak season holiday at off-season rates. Worth thinking about, n'est pas? </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"> <i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;font-size:100%;" >But how is this crisis affecting us here in Hua Hin? Well, there are no visible effects, with daily life continuing pretty much the same as usual here. However, you might say it's affecting this town in two ways. Firstly, this is a tourist town and so tourist cancellations mean hard times for the local hotels and businesses. I have heard that some Hua Hin hotels are already 'laying off' some of their staff, and most are offering hefty discounts – something unheard of at this time of year. The second effect only began yesterday. As you may know, we do have a small <a href="http://www.huahinairport.com/">airport</a> here, located about 6km north of town. This is normally a pretty sleepy place, with just 4 scheduled departures each day, all to Bangkok. However, Bangkok Airways (which used to fly to Hua Hin from Bangkok and Koh Samui) announced on Monday that to help clear the impatient mob of stranded travellers (whom the PAD numbskulls have sought to appease by explaining their political demands!), they would operate 2 flights daily from Hua Hin to Samui airport for passengers to connect to Hong Kong. This is largely because the other airports they've been using since that motley of fools (now there's an interesting collective noun) took over Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, mainly the Vietnam war-era naval airbase at U-tapao, have descended into hellish chaos. Another airline, PBair, has temporarily moved its fleet, maintenance crew as well pilots and cabin crew to Hua Hin. However, don't get too excited, as PBair's fleet consists of just 2 Embraer regional jets with an all economy seat capacity of 50 passengers. However, this aircraft does have a range of 1,550 nautical miles (2,870km), making flights to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore possible. Hua Hin as an international airport? Hmm. Ironic, isn't it? After Hua Hin's air links with the south were cut by Bangkok Airways (who said that it was too close to Bangkok, something anyone doing the drive down Highway 4 or route 35 might disagree with) and after efforts to get international flights were defeated (mainly due to concerns that large jets would disturb the king), it takes a state of ochlocracy to get Bangkok Airways back in. Will this link with the south continue after the crisis is over (meaning when the authorities (military or otherwise) finally get their heads out of the sand and do something)? Who knows? One thing the present situation here clearly illustrates is that in Thailand, the future is a closed book!
Footnote to the above. There are two categories of stranded tourists here in Thailand at present – those whose government cares and those whose government doesn't. The first category includes citizens of such countries as Spain, The Philippines and Russia, who are working hard to get their people home. The latter category most notably includes the UK, whose foreign office said it would not charter flights to evacuate those unable to get home. Basically, once a Brit leaves UK territory, 'Her Majesty's Government' ceases to give a damn what happens to them. As I mentioned in an earlier <a href="http://www.geocities.com/rhodiephil/blog08_11_04.htm">episode</a> of this blog, London makes it ridiculously difficult for Brits to vote from overseas and now seems in no hurry to let them come home. If the chairman of a FTSE 100 company or Labour Party contributor, I'm sure there would be an RAF plane already on the tarmac but for a 'mere' taxpayer – you're on your own! </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;font-size:100%;" > Let's get away from the kamikaze antics of the PAD in distant Bangkok for a while. Change subject: it has long been said that there are only 2 major drawbacks to living in this lovely town -- decent medical facilities and schools. However, even these areas are subject to change. The school my son now goes to, Yamsaard, seems very nice. OK, it isn't a truly international school like Harrow in Bangkok, but it does have foreign teachers and the morning lessons are in English, and my son seems to be progressing nicely. As for medical facilities, the present situation seems likely to remain less than ideal for some time – until 2010, to be precise. That's when Bangkok Hospital, one of the 3 best hospitals in Thailand (together with Bumrungrad and Samitivej), is due to open a branch here in Hua Hin. I don't know how this will affect the repellent San Paulo Hospital, which is strangely the foreigners' current favourite here, but I'm hoping it puts them out of business – or is my bias showing? As I would probably now be grilling toast on the fires of Hades had San Paulo been the only medical facility here (they diagnosed my cancer as wind (gas)), I freely admit I be extremely pleased to see their lobby less crowded. However, the fact remains that while the myopic mob in Bangkok makes life there increasingly irksome, life for foreigners here in Hua Hin is getting better. I know one Brit who's been in Hua Hin for close to 20 years and remembers when Naresdamri Road (the one outside the Hilton) was a muddy track, and the changes he's seen would fill a book. Riots and airport invasions and whatever, I have no plans to move, as Malaysia is getting too pro-Islamic (all Malays are legally considered Muslim plus other faiths face difficulties in obtaining building permission for places of worship, restrictions on non-Islamic missionary work and unequal access to media outlets, plus strict punishments for any Muslim who converts) and Cambodia is still too close to being bandit country. Africa (my former home)? Mostly on a downward slope towards bankruptcy. Japan (ditto)? Too cold and expensive. Europe? Ditto! So whatever the less enlightened Thais may do to wreck<img src="file:///F:/USER/My%20Webs/Huahinjapan.com/MrsBalls.jpg" align="right" border="0" /> their country, I think I might as well stay in the sun and make the most of being where winter means slipping on a cardigan some mornings!</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;font-size:100%;" >We recently held another of those social get-togethers for which this stately mansion (?) is becoming so renowned. As usual, there was a truly cosmopolitan gathering, with 2 Japanese ladies, a retired German businessman, an Italian oilrig worker, a British merchant navy officer and 2 Thais. To make it even more oecumenical (look it up <a href="http://www.wordreference.com/definition/oecumenical+">here</a>!), we dined on boerewors, commonly referred to as the best sausage in the world. Now this is like manna from heaven for any homesick Southern African like me. I haven't tasted boerewors since the last time I attended a party at the SA embassy in Tokyo, many years ago. In case you've never tried it, boerewors is Afrikaans for farmer's sausage, being made from a variety of ingredients including beef, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, and vinegar. Forget ambrosia – this stuff is truly the food of the gods, especially when served on a sunny braai (bbq) with some 'Mrs Balls' chutney! As the South Africans just happened to win the Dubai Sevens that weekend as well (NZ didn't even make the semi-finals!), and so all in all, it was a good weekend. (By the way, if you live in or near Hua Hin and would like to get some of this boerewors, I can put you in touch with the maker, a friend of mine. Just drop me a line using the <a href="http://www.freebok.net/books/HuahinBlog/sign.html">guestbook </a>or FAQ (to be found at <a href="file:///F:/USER/My%20Webs/Huahinjapan.com/Blog.htm"> huahin.tk</a>) and I'll pass it on.) </span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 1cm;"><i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-weight: 700;font-size:100%;" >Anyway, there's quite a strong wind blowing outside, making the wind chimes ring out very prettily. Currently, it's sunny and around 26c, which is just below today's expected high of 28c. Up in Bangkok, the military continue to sit on the fence and watch as two opposing groups, both equally determined to wreck their homeland, fight for aims which they presumably understand, but no-one else does. They say there are now over 200,000 stranded tourists trying to get out of Thailand, but Hua Hin seems a lot emptier. I won't be venturing downtown again till Thursday, when I'll be going for one of my semi-weekly visits to the gym, and so that's when I'll see if the town has its usual December invasion of pale, sun-hungry tourists. I must also think about erecting the family Christmas tree (fake, of course, in this climate) and decorating the mansion, as Advent Sunday has just passed. If you're not stuck at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang or U-tapao, I hope you have a good week – and if you are part of the farang exodus from Thailand, I hope your government gets you out soon. If you're British, then maybe you should consider a change of government – or citizenship! Catch you next week . . .</span></i></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-74504676441790657632008-11-25T16:20:00.001+07:002008-11-25T16:26:17.647+07:00Let's Talk Problems Reading This Blog, Planned Improvements for HH, The Local Property Market, News From The HH Golf Scene and Hua Hin Gets Festive.<p class="MsoNormal"><center>(This is a text-only version of the main blog which can be found at <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/">http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/</a>.)</center></p> <p class="MsoNormal">First off, I'd like to apologise for those of you who may have had trouble reading last week's blog – although you might be having trouble reading this week's as well! At the root of these problems is the total lack of speed in updating pages by either the host of this page, a less than helpful bunch who go under the misleading title of 'Host Excellence', or the habitually un-user friendly Dot.tk people. Even though I have erased the file in question, they continue to display a page that doesn't actually exist! So instead of showing last week's page, they displayed a 2-week old page – and they still haven't responded to my complaints/requests. I am now in the process of changing things but in the meantime, I apologise for their lack of efficiency and total disregard for customer service. You can, of course, still read last week's issue using the link on the left – but that's always supposing that you are able to read this. If you have remained faithful despite all these problems, you have my undying gratitude, truly. The best way to avoid the unreliability of Dot.tk is to avoid using their shortened URL. Please bookmark <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/">http://huahinjapan.com/blog.htm/</a> instead. I hope this helps. Anyway, let's get on with this week's blog, in the naïve hope that someone will be able to read it!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The ongoing worldwide crisis is affecting tourism and related businesses worldwide, and Hua Hin is far from being immune to all this. However, it seems that the new town hall regime is planning to do things to improve life for residents and visitors – or at least, they're planning to talk about doing so. The deputy mayor, khun Suvit Reanroongruang, recently reported that the municipality is planning to improve flood protection, waste water treatment, waste transformation and water supply delivery systems, which may not sound very glamorous but are rather important for those of us who live here – though improving flood protection when the rainy season is all but over may seem a bit redundant. He also said that the town plans to bury all electricity and telephone lines underground, in order to improve the view and making walking more enjoyable. This project is expected to cost around 100 million baht so don't expect to see those cables disappear within the next few days. On the cultural side, he announced that they are planning to build an arts and cultural centre and pedestrian area on <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Damnoen+Kasem+Road+,+hua+hin&ie=UTF8&ll=12.569936,99.958398&spn=0.00844,0.019312&t=h&z=16&g=Damnoen+Kasem+Road+,+hua+hin&iwloc=addr">Damnoen Kasem Road</a> (that's the one running from the station to the beach). Part of this scheme will be to convert the former fire station (a rundown place on the left as you head towards the sea) into a museum. What's more, the authorities have recognised that some unpleasant individuals who masquerade as property brokers and developers are cheating many foreign investors. Of course there are good, honest property folk here but just there are good, honest Wall Street bankers, they can seem equally hard to find! To help foreigners who want to buy property here to avoid being conned, the municipality is adding more English-language content to its official website (<a href="http://www.huahin.go.th/">http://www.huahin.go.th</a>, which includes a very good map), which will offer advice on what to know when buying property here. The deputy mayor observed that whereas most Thai buyers have enough information, foreigners don't. He then added, rather disappointedly I thought, that many foreigners were cheated by middlemen and even foreigners from the same nations who were property developers. However, don't think the town council is entirely altruistic. They know that cowboy brokers and developers have hurt many people's image of Hua Hin, and this hasn't helped the slowdown in the Hua Hin property market caused by the global economic situation. Revenue from property transaction fees are an important part of the council's income and those fees are expected to decrease by as much as 30% this year. Hua Hin isn't the only place to react like this to the present situation. The governor of our northern neighbour, Phetchaburi province, has said that the province is planning to improve walking areas near Cha-am Beach and will also establish bicycle lanes -- though as I recently noted, precious few Thai ever use a bicycle! The council in Cha Am, a town often seen as the Cinderella of the area, has already started work on putting electricity and telephone lines underground. There has even been talk of resurrecting the long discussed idea of linking this area with Bangkok by ferry – an idea I will believe when I see it in action! They are now talking about establishing a ferry port at Saphan Hin, at the north end of Cha-am Beach. The plan is to link Samut Prakan (29km south of Bangkok and near the new airport) with Cha Am by sea, a journey they claim will take less than an hour. Now we all know that impressive sounding plans announced by politicians often remain "on the drawing board" and rarely result in anything concrete, so don't start checking Google for the Hua Hin museum or the Cha Am ferry service. However, if even some of these plans reach fruition, it could make a lot of difference to life here for both visitors and residents. I shall keep a close, if somewhat sceptical eye on the progress of these schemes so watch this space.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the property scene, Hua Hin has always been a bit different to other Thai resorts. The main difference is that this is a royal town, which means that it has a special attraction for Thai investors but also has much stricter building regulations. As a result, the property market here has become increasingly limited and expensive – though only by Thai standards! This has led to many developers exploring areas previously left untouched. A fine example of this is the development on the hills near the road south from Hua Hin to Pranburi, whose launch party was where the recently published photographed of yours truly was taken (see the <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog081118.htm">November 18th blog</a>). Nonetheless, despite high costs and limited land, property developers still like Hua Hin, which remains much cheaper and more relaxed than places like Pattaya. From 2003 through the first quarter of 2008, my hometown area saw 4,326 condominium units added to the local supply. Of these, 57% were in Hua Hin, 23% in Cha-am, 9% in Khao Takiab, 8% in Khao Tao (about 14km south of Hua Hin) and 3% in Pranburi (about 25km south), according to the research by property agency Knight Frank Thailand. Surprisingly, the recent farcical political instability, the September '06 military coup and recent Bangkok bomb blasts have not yet hurt new condominium projects in Hua Hin and surrounding areas, with investors seemingly confident that Hua Hin's tourist potential will remain strong. What's more, their faith in this town's potential has led to a steady rise in prices. Hua Hin condominium prices jumped 14.6% from an average 62,991 baht per square metre in 2006 to 72,063 baht last year. At the top end of the market, top-priced beach condominiums here recently sold at 125,000 to 150,000 baht per square metre. Luckily, I bought my place a few years ago, when prices were much lower. (I am also a 15-minute walk from the beach but that's another story!) This all explains why developers are visiting places they may not have heard of a few years ago, places like Pak Nam Pran and Khao Sam Roi Yod. Another problem for developers here is the incredibly short-sighted increased restrictions on foreigners buying houses, with the old system of buying a place using a company whose required 51% Thai owners were chosen from the phonebook or friends coming to an end. Local land offices now check on the Thais listed, making sure they really are shareholders. This has left leasehold about the only viable way to own land here, and so condominiums have become MUCH more popular, as foreigners can legally buy a condo unit freehold in their own name – though the law still requires that 51% of your neighbours must be Thais. You might wonder why a country that clearly needs foreign investment makes it so hard for foreigners to invest, especially as neighbouring countries are making life easier for foreign buyers. Then again, you might wonder why a group that claims to be nationalistic and patriotic, meaning the PAD demonstrators in Bangkok, are hurting their nation's reputation and economy so publicly. The answer is simple. As anyone who's been here a whole knows, it's best to leave logic behind when you come here!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">You regular readers (don't worry, I won't reveal your guilty secret) may recall that I recently reported (in the <a href="http://huahinjapan.com/blog081104.htm">November 4th blog</a>) on the upmarket Black Mountain golf course. Well, the developers behind this impressive project, a Thai-Swedish firm called Thai Nordic Property Co, were planning to finance the golf course by also developing a residential project which, when combined with the golf course, was worth 10 billion baht. Sadly, however, the world's financial markets have even reached Hua Hin and so the planned new phases of the project, including another 18-hole golf course and more housing units, have been put on hold while the owners try to gauge the full impact of the global economic crisis. They have already sold 9 of the 15 villas adjacent to the golf course for 48 million baht each, but now might not be the right time to add to one's financial commitments. This is not due to affect the 4 five-storey condominium buildings in the first phase of its residential project near the golf course, which are due to be completed by February 2009, of which 30 have already been sold. So who is buying these properties? Well, unsurprisingly (to anyone who lives here), 70% of the buyers have been Swedish, 20% from other European countries and 10% were Thai. Funnily enough, the Swedish gentleman behind Black Mountain, Stig Notlov (a former major shareholder of the large Swedish construction materials firm Byggmax) had initially considered placing his dream golf course in Phuket, but then came the tsunami. Being on what is widely considered to be a tsunami-free coastline, he then turned to Hua Hin. Oh, and speaking of golf, the Royal Hua Hin golf course (Thailand's oldest, conveniently located next to the railway station) will next month be hosting the Singha Thailand Junior World Golf Championship. This event, which will take place from December 11-14, will be open to boys and girls aged 9-17, and amongst the would-be Tiger Woods will be young players from not only Thailand but Bangladesh, China, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Laos, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Ukraine and Zimbabwe (probably very glad to get away from that betrayed nation). So we can expect to see some more foreign faces around the town next month – which is just as well if the rather grim predictions about the peak tourist season turn out to be correct!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I'm sure you know (especially if you have kids), it is now exactly a month until Christmas day. The preparations for Christmas seem to move closer to Easter every year, and so why should Hua Hin be any different. My son's school recently organised a tour of the town for his class, visiting places like the quaint and historic railway station, the park named after a locally born Thai boxing champion and the Market Village shopping centre. After this trip, what was the only thing my 4-year-old son remembered about the day's events? What he referred to as the "happy Christmas tree" at Market Village! Yes indeed, there are Christmas trees, pictures of Santa and fake holly all over Hua Hin – though some lethargic shops simply didn't bother taking down last years decorations! I'm more of a traditionalist and so I wouldn't dream of erecting our tree and decorating the family seat until after Advent Sunday, which is this coming Sunday, in case you've forgotten. Back in Tokyo, we only decorated our tiny home very minimally, unable to inspire ourselves to go to all that trouble. However, seeing my boy's face when he first sees the Christmas tree with all its lights flashing makes any effort worthwhile and so starting next week, we shall be decorating our peaceful little mansion. However, before that, I have the 'pleasure' of going on a day-trip to Bangkok, but I won't be pleasure bent. You see, I'm going to have to leave Hua Hin at around 7 on Thursday morning, forgoing any breakfast, all so that I can have my oesophagus stretched -- and you'd have to be pretty damn kinky to consider that a pleasure! If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get back home around sunset or maybe just after. Life in the tropics is just one round of fun! Anyway, I hope you've got more to look forward to this week, and on that cheery note, I'll close here. Take care and may the wind be always at your back.</p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-33215930407433990462008-04-15T16:11:00.005+07:002008-04-15T16:19:56.781+07:00Let's Talk Thai New Year, Misjudged Drunk Drivers, Getting Away From It All on Koh Talu, and Rediscovering the Joys of Cold Beer.<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-style: italic;">(This is likely to be the last issue of this Blog on this site, as the limitations of this host are getting more than tiresome. If you like to continue reading my entries, then check out the Blog's new home at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://huahinblog.tk/">http://huahinblog.tk</a><span style="font-style: italic;">. I like Google but this site keeps messing things up, and enough is enough!)</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p>
</o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">Today is the last of the three-day holiday called Songkran, the traditional Thai (and Cambodian) New Year. The true peak of the festival was Sunday — that's the day when there's all the water throwing and face pasting that Songkran is famous for. (Anyway, here are some pictures of Songkran celebrations in Hua Hin — but only if you're viewing this at Huahinblog.tk!) Monday (yesterday) is otherwise known as 'Family Day', when Thai families get together, including the younger folk who spend most of the year working away from home. But what is Songkran, and why is it celebrated with water fights and dousings? Let me explain:</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">The word "Songkran" comes from the ancient Sanskrit language, meaning to pass or to move, and this was the Thai New Year until they adopted the Western New Year in 1941. The peak day of the festival is "Maha Songkran Day" , New Year's Day, when daytime equals nighttime and the sun is at its highest — which is also when Thailand experiences some of the hottest days of the year! According to the legend, the seven daughters of Tao Maha Songkran, King Kabillabrama, are the Songkran goddesses. They were given responsibility for looking after their beheaded father's head. Before his death, the king asked his daughters to put his head on a pedestal, which is the origin of the heat. If his head were allowed to be placed on the earth, there would be no rain and no water in the oceans or rivers, and so the seven daughters took turns holding their father's head up. As this task involved being close to the source of all heat, young people would help the sisters by pouring cool water over their hands, asking for blessings in return. This has somehow evolved into wild water splashing. Despite regular criticism by many older and more pious Buddhists, most activities now seem focused on parties, drinking and splashing water. I'll bet you're glad you learned that!</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">Sadly, Songkran is not only the main fun festival of the year but also the time when Thailand's usually dangerous roads become virtual death-traps, with a yearly peak in traffic accidents and casualties. According to this morning's newspaper, this year's holiday death toll on the highways and city streets rose to 180 killed during the first three of the "seven dangerous days" of Songkran. According to the authorities, there were 1,018 road accidents on Sunday alone, with 76 deaths, and 1,103 injuries. As well as the 180 killed, the three big days saw 2,514 people injured in a total of 2,238 accidents. The government, as usual, blamed it all on drunk drivers, as if the lack of driving licences, a farcically easy driving test and infamously dormant traffic police had nothing to do with it. Better to blame public vice than government inefficiency and venality, I suppose!</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">As a result of this misplaced blame, Thailand's Interior Minister has announced plans to ban all alcohol during the Songkran holidays. A fine and noble idea, maybe, but how it will prevent road carnage is unclear. For example, while Tesco's and other foreign supermarkets will have to comply, most local shops will continue to sell booze, and what's to stop folk stocking up on booze the week before? What's more, another supremely naïve individual, the secretary-general of the No Drinking and Driving Foundation, wants to extend this ban to all other festive occasions. The ban on booze sales during election weekends has proved to be as effective as a tissue paper raincoat and any other such ban would be equally unproductive. But what the hell! You could paper the walls of the Pentagon with the useless laws passed and unenforced in Thailand, what harm would one more do.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">Enough about Songkran. The bungalow next to my house is owned by a Swedish couple, presently working for Ericsson in Jo'burg, South Africa. They only visit here for a couple of weeks a year but they are currently renting their bungalow to some friends of theirs, two families from Sweden. One of the families was here last year but for the other, it's their first time in Hua Hin. The more experienced family are today en route to Koh Talu, a tiny island off the coast of southern Prachuap Kirikhan, about 200km south of Hua Hin. It takes just over 2½ hours by car to reach the ferry port, which is actually a beach near Bang Sapan, and then you have to wade out to a small boat – so don't come wearing designer clothes! There are 2 resorts on the island, the smaller and cheaper Mook Bay (very popular with day trippers) and the larger, more expensive but much more attractive Big Bay resort. My wife and I stayed at the latter back in June 2006 and we had a great time. However, when we went out snorkelling near the truly spectacular cliffs (the island's name means hollowed-out cliffs), I slipped under the boat and the barnacles rather changed the appearance of my legs! I didn't notice a thing until we returned to the resort, when the lady at the beachside bar almost screamed and pointed to my rather bloody legs. However, she and the 'guest relations' guy (nice chap named Lek, look him up if you go there) treated my leg and cleaned it up, so a sort of happy ending. However, if ever you do visit that lovely spot, be sure to take a mosquito coil with you, as the rooms don't have mosquito nets and the electricity isn't 24-hour on such a remote island. However, it's worth a trip, though a day trip might not be so worthwhile -- you only get to spend about 4 hours on the island! The other Swedish family are staying here in Hua Hin, exploring the town now that the water shooters have retreated for another year. (If you'd like to visit there, I recommend the agent we used. If you'd like to know more, let me know.)</span><o:p style="font-style: italic;"></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-style: italic;">Yesterday was the 4th birthday of my son and so we had a small party to celebrate. Being Hua Hin, the guests were pretty varied — British, Japanese, German, Swedish, Laotian and, of course, Thai. The weather began rather cloudy, which led me to fear we might get the 2nd rainstorm of the year. However, no such rain came and the day was typically hot and sunny. It must be said that this climate does make celebrating outside a lot easier and more enjoyable. My boy was able to make maximum use of the slide I gave him as a present, and the adults were able to consume a whole lot of food and booze — they haven't banned it yet! A lot of the food was provided by two of the Thai ladies present, namely our maid and my wife's office assistant. Fried chicken, sandwiches, pâté, Thai noodles (too spicy for me!), and two large birthday cakes. As I finished my chemotherapy last Monday, I was able to enjoy my first beer since last August. OK, I tempered the alcohol by adding lots of ice (beer 'on the rocks' is common here, as it keeps it cool and allows one to drink for longer) but it was still nice. The beer was 'Leo', a milder brew very suitable for hot afternoons — and for those who haven't had alcohol for a long, long time! Sorry to all the prohibitionists and temperance folk, but when it's hovering around 40c (that's 104f for those still living in the past) on the lawn, a cold beer certainly seems to be fitting.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p><span style="font-style: italic;">Anyway, it's another hot and sunny day here in Hua Hin, currently around 43c (109f) with today's low having been a very tolerable 24c (75f). The wife's at her office, the boy is with a babysitter and I am just about ready for my pre-prandial siesta. So have a good week, dear reader, and I'll catch you next Tuesday.</span></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-25379083354944279902008-03-04T16:52:00.001+07:002008-03-04T16:54:54.310+07:00Let's talk Yorkshire Pudding, Thai Marriages & Why Brits Choose to Live Abroad.<p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">(If you have trouble reading this, which I sometimes do due to the site's limitations, then try visiting <a href="http://huahinblog.tk">http://huahinblog.tk</a>, where you can read a more user-friendly, illustrated version!)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: italic;" lang="EN-GB">Now I don't want to provide free advertising and so I won't actually name the shop, but one store I occasionally use in this fair town is well known for selling British products, like <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Cumberland</st1:City></st1:place> sausages and Bisto gravy. However, I lately discovered that they have started to sell individual Yorkshire Puddings for just Bt20 (roughly 32p) each. As someone who loves soaking up gravy with a nice bit of <st1:place st="on">Yorkshire</st1:place>, I have been giving this shop a fair bit of custom. Now back in <st1:country-region st="on">Japan</st1:country-region>, where I lived for the 14 years before coming to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, such a thing would have been unthinkable. Despite 2 atom bombs and numerous rapes and misdeeds by the US military, Japan remains firmly within the American 'sphere of influence', and so it's much easier to get cranberry sauce or peanut butter 'with jelly' than Yorkshire Pudding or mint sauce. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, however, is different. It may have cooperated with the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> in the Indochina War (wrongly known as the Vietnam War, as it also involved/wrecked <st1:country-region st="on">Laos</st1:country-region> and <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Cambodia</st1:country-region></st1:place>) but remains far more European than American. Yes, Hua Hin does now have a McDonald's as well as a KFC and Burgerking, but these are more signs of internationalism than Americanism. We regularly get postings from homesick Yanks on the various Hua Hin forums asking where they can get a Thanksgiving dinner or watch the Superbowl, but these pleas are often unanswered. Doubtless hellholes like Pattaya, which were infected by US Army R&R visits during the aforementioned war, are more obliging to our North American cousins. However, here in strictly royalist Hua Hin, and even though King Mongkut offered US President Lincoln elephants to use during the US Civil War, this town has immensely more European residents than American. There are at least a handful of Americans living in Hua Hin, and if any more wish to join them, great. However, be prepared for a town where the locals do NOT assume you're American whenever you speak English! </span><span style="" lang="TH"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span lang="EN-GB">Thailand</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span lang="EN-GB"> didn't enter the modern era overnight and so many aspects of the old Siamese way of doing things still remain. One example is the contempt most men have for women and marriage, meaning that many Thai husbands cling to the old custom of polygamy. Now to give it the appearance of a modern nation, one of the last acts of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s last absolute monarch, King Rama VII, was to outlaw polygamy in 1934, but the custom lingers on in the form of mistresses, which too many Thai husbands maintain. However, Thai women have become more assertive over their rights and so legislation entitling wives to compensation from husbands' mistresses was introduced last year. This allows wives to claim from Bt10,000 to Bt1 million in compensation from their hubby's mistress. Sounds fair, right? But don't forget, this is <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>. On examination, this legislation proves to be very complicated and if the lovers are civil servants, it becomes so embrangled and drawn out that it often fails completely. It isn't easy being a Thai wife, which doubtless explains why so many choose to marry foreigners. Oh, and don't go thinking that extramarital affairs is the only reason Thai wives are disgruntled. According to the head of the Women Lawyers' Association of Thailand, another common reason for seeking a divorce is the discovery that their husbands are homosexual. I don't which must be the most humiliating, finding out that your hubby has a girlfriend – or a boyfriend!</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I've been reading about how <st1:country-region st="on">Britain</st1:country-region> is now second only to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region> when it comes to how many citizens leave home and move abroad permanently. That's a very proud boast and I'm sure the government will mention it in its manifesto come the next election. Now I have lived outside the <st1:country-region st="on">UK</st1:country-region> for over 16 years now, all of them spent here in <st1:place st="on">Asia</st1:place>. In that time, I have returned to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">London</st1:place></st1:City> just three times, and I have no plans to make it four within the foreseeable future. Why not? Well don't get me wrong. For culture, art and history, <st1:city st="on">London</st1:City> is great, just as <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region> has some truly glorious scenery, but all of this is best viewed on a holiday. After all, who emigrates to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> just to see the Taj Mahal? I regularly watch 'Sky News' on satellite TV here, which is very much a British domestic news service, and every time I do, I am reminded of why I don't go back. Yes, <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> has crime and it also has a ridiculous, Byzantine bureaucracy, corrupt police and politicians, awful infrastructure, and medics who got their MDs from a copier. However, a Thai jail is a bad place to be, making criminals less nonchalant than then their British counterparts about returning there. It also has houses that suit the climate, restaurants that don't need a mortgage to dine in and no laws telling us how to discipline our kids. <st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region> may not be paradise and the slogan '<st1:placetype st="on">Land</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:placename st="on">Smiles</st1:PlaceName>' might be just a mantra, but it does give places like the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> a run for their money in the 'quality of life' stakes!</span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Well as the Thai senatorial elections stretched into a second weekend, the booze shops and departments were closed yet again last weekend. I sincerely doubt that crime rates went down or the election was any fairer, but what the hell. The calendar on my wall (from Singha beer) shows a nice picture of <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Hua</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placename st="on">Hin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Beach</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, reminding me of why I moved here and why I stay here. Europe suffers a nasty cyclone, <st1:country-region st="on">Australia</st1:country-region> has floods, the <st1:country-region st="on">US</st1:country-region> is digging itself out from heavy snow and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region> is still shivering around the 10c level, but here, it hasn't dropped below 20c for many days now. Hey, Shangri-la was up in the snow-covered <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Kunlun</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Mountains</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, so I'll stick closer to the beach if you don't mind!</span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-9070833404869469732007-09-25T09:16:00.000+07:002007-09-25T09:19:46.864+07:00A funny thing happened on my way to the blog . . .<p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;">I am sorry that this blog has seemed neglected for the last few weeks but I did have a very good excuse for being absent — alas!</span></p><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" >You see, just over a month ago, I was diagnosed as having a cancerous growth at the bottom of my oesophagus, where it meets the stomach. As a result, I spent almost a month in hospital, first in Petchaburi (about 75km north of Hua Hin) & then in the justifiably famous <st1:placename st="on">Bumrungrad</st1:PlaceName><st1:placetype st="on"> Hospital</st1:PlaceType> in central <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:City>. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p></o:p>This cancer didn’t come out of the blue, of course. For a few months now, I have had trouble swallowing, feeling as if I had a blockage in my gullet. However, when I mentioned this to a ‘doctor’ (who seems to have bought his degree) at Hua Hin’s San Paulo Hospital (not recommended for anything more than a cut finger), & he said it was wind (‘gas’ as the Americans say), recommending I get more exercise. This potentially life-threatening misdiagnosis led me to get more exercise but as cancer doesn’t respond to that, my problem didn’t get any better. However, a few weeks later, I sought out a second opinion from the ‘Hua Hin Polyclinic’, where the doctor actually took the trouble to examine me (something San Paulo seems reluctant to do) & then said he wanted to admit me to hospital for observation. I was duly driven by ambulance to Petchaburi & admitted. A day or so & a biopsy later, the doctor told me I had cancer in my oesophagus & that it would require surgery plus possibly radiation & chemo to get rid of it.
<o:p></o:p>
Believing that a small, provincial hospital isn’t the best place for a complicated & risky operation, I arranged to get moved to <st1:city st="on">Bangkok</st1:City>, to the <st1:placename st="on">Bumrungrad</st1:PlaceName> <st1:placetype st="on">Hospital</st1:PlaceType>, which has the oldest cancer centre in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I was admitted on the 27th (the day after my less than joyful birthday) & I had a CT scan. I finally had the operation on the 31st & then spent several days in intensive care. Now this meant that I was in my own private room with hot & cold running nurses — life can really be a bitch! I almost cried when the doc said I could return to the regular rooms! However, my stay in IC ended with a nice flourish — a bed bath administered by five lovely Thai nurses. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it! </span></p><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" >Anyway, I was wheeled out of IC to my new bedroom up on the 8th floor on the 5th & that’s where I stayed until the 14th. Since then, I have been at home recovering. It is a struggle, trying to get my strength & weight back. I presently weigh almost 20kg less than I did a few months ago but I am making progress. However, I am still ridiculously weak & just typing this is tiring me out. Therefore, please forgive me if this blog isn’t updated as often as it should be. I shall try to get back into the swing as soon as my recovery allows, but as I begin chemotherapy & radiation in a few days time, I have no idea of when that will be. Here’s hoping it won’t be too long! Anyway, thanks for your patience & understanding. </span>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-15714580212558749112007-08-16T14:23:00.000+07:002007-08-16T15:04:05.372+07:00A girlie bar as a marriage bureau?<span style="font-style: italic;" lang="EN-ZA">It is amazing the way so many western males seem to think that what would be unacceptable in their homeland is OK here. I refer to the foolish habit so many western men have of marrying Thai bargirls. Now don’t get me wrong — there are many good & marriageable bargirls, in both <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> and elsewhere. However, the men who marry these ladies of</span><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:8JkGJc_trw-VXM:http://www.th4u.com/graphics/thaibar2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 96px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:8JkGJc_trw-VXM:http://www.th4u.com/graphics/thaibar2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;" lang="EN-ZA"> pleasure would probably go crazy if their son wanted to marry a European hooker. Now I know several western guys, including at least a couple of former policeman, who happily married former prostitutes and never regretted it. However, I also know several guys who married Thai ‘working girls’ and truly regretted it. Take, as a fine example, a German friend of mine who shall remain anonymous. About eight years ago, he married a girl who ‘worked’ in a notorious <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">B</st1:place></st1:city></span><span style="font-style: italic;" lang="EN-ZA"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">angkok</st1:place></st1:city> backstreet known as Soi Cowboy. He gave her a good life and eventually gave her a house here in Hua Hin — by gave, I mean the house was bought in her name, due to the xenophobic Thai laws which encourage this sort of thing! However, despite poor health, he wasn’t dying quickly enough for her. She tried putting rat poison into his soup (I’m not joking, truly), she tried pulling a knife during one of their many arguments, and she even had one of her family try to shoot him. With what some cruel cynics might call typical inefficiency, the shot missed, but that is hardly the point. Now, however, this chap has finally seen her for what she is — a true whore in the non-sexual meaning of the word. He thinks he can fight her using the law (a foreigner versus a Thai in a Thai court — maybe not) and so instead of licking his wounds and returning to <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place>, he is sticking it out. Whether he will survive long enough</span><span style="font-style: italic;" lang="EN-ZA"> to taste even a sliver of vengeance is debatable but the point remains that marrying a Thai bargirl is as risky as marrying one in New York, London or anywhere else — maybe more so. If you want to </span><span style="font-style: italic;" lang="EN-ZA">read a few examples of what I mean, check out <a href="http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/reader/reader90.html">http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/reader/reader90.html</a>. If you or someone you know has had a happy marriage with a Thai or any other lady of pleasure, great — I’m happy for you. However, as an American friend of mine used to say, if you eat fried chicken, expect to get greasy!<o:p></o:p></span> <p style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">In the fair town of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Hua Hin</st1:place></st1:city>, where I live and strive to survive, there are two stores that can be called supermarkets rather than convenience stores or corner shops. One is a giant branch of Tesco Lotus, the other an older, smaller Chinese-run place called Gee. Now many</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:1iZgsTZGMVKygM:http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/Tescos%2520Exertion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 177px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:1iZgsTZGMVKygM:http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/newmandala/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/Tescos%2520Exertion.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> westerners visiting or moving to Hua Hin make the understandable mistake of thinking that Tesco is a western supermarket and Gee must be much more oriental. However, they forget that this is not a Tesco like you’ll find in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> or even — remember the latter part of the name, Tesco LOTUS. It’s a joint venture, Tesco being forced like everyone else </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">to find a Thai partner. Now Gee is run by Thai citizens (possibly of Chinese descent) and they can do what they like. Therefore, Tesco is like a giant Thai supermarket, whereas Gee is like a supermarket in a town with many foreign residents. Does Tesco sell, for</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> example, meat pies? No, but Gee does. The first time I visited a Tesco Lotus (in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city>), I was immensely disappointed to find so few of the products one might expect to find at a real Tesco. Business is business, of course, and so whenever I do my weekend shopping, I visit both supermarkets. Tesco does have a bigger choice of everyday items, thanks to its large size, but I usually end up having to pop into Gee on my way home, to buy the things I couldn’t get at Tesco Lotus. Also, as Tesco is part of a large and very fashionable shopping mall, parking can be a problem if one doesn’t get there around opening time, whereas Gee — which isn’t fashionable by any </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">criteria — usually has plenty of room. So if you’re planning to live in northern Hua Hin and feel that ‘market Village’ (the mall in which Tesco is located) is not worth the drive and traffic, fret not. Many foreigners survived for years before Tesco came along, relying on Gee for the necessities of life. You can, too!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">I was recently very chuffed to get some email from some of my former students, both in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Japan</st1:country-region></st1:place> and here in Hua Hin. The one in Japan was from a rather eccentric (in a very nice way) gentleman who is now contemplating taking time off from his typically hectic, Japanese-style </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">work schedule to go and study photography in either Vilnius or Sofia! This chap is also studying the Chinese language, just in case he has a few minutes unfilled. Just reading about his schedule makes me tired! The Thai student was a young lady I remember very well. Not only was she extremely attractive in a highly effervescent way, but she was also an exemplary student. I don’t mean she never made a mistake or missed class, as that would imply cheating rather than diligence, but she always sat in the front row, asked a lot of challenging and relevant questions, and as an added bonus, actually greeted me and chatted </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:iHKaeED9yY6YeM:http://www.wasinc.net/system/files/images/JALways%2520New%2520Logo%2520large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 105px; height: 34px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:iHKaeED9yY6YeM:http://www.wasinc.net/system/files/images/JALways%2520New%2520Logo%2520large.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">sociably on my entering the classroom. I was very pleased to read that she had managed to gain a job as a trainee junior cabin crew with the Japanese </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">airline 'Jalways'. She has to undergo a few weeks of Japanese language training, though she’s a bright girl and should get through this OK. However, later she will be serving the passengers aboard Jalways aircraft. If you should happen to fly with the airline any time after December this year, and if you should happen to come across a nicely vivacious flight attendant who answers to the nickname of ‘Pik’, say hi for me. If there is any justice (which may be expecting too much of life), then I’m sure she will do well — better than her former classmates who often seemed to be treading water, academically speaking!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-32528708401442916582007-08-09T15:30:00.000+07:002007-08-09T15:44:11.994+07:00Things to do: Find new maid and 'approve' new constitution!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">One thing that many foreigners living in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> have that they didn’t have before is a servant. To be precise, they usually find that they can afford a maid to do the housework and other such tasks. Now I grew up on a colonial farm and so this isn’t the first time I’ve had servants. However, finding a good maid is, to quote the Thai proverb, a bit like diving for a needle in the ocean</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">(</span><span style="" lang="TH">งมเข็มในมหาสมุทร</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">) </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">— in other words, a needle in a haystack! Even my Thai friends tell me that good maids are like snow in the summer — not totally</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> impossible but damn’d close! When we moved here, our builder (an excellent and helpful chap of whom I shall speak more later) helped us to find a maid. At first, she seemed ideal. Hard working, cheerful, well connected with the people who matter round here — she even spoke some English. However, when we began to trust her more and give her added responsibility, it went straight to her head. She became lazy, she lied about what she’d done and she even began to badmouth us to other people. So we parted company. When our absentee landlord neighbours had a similarly bad experience with her, when she failed to clean their place just before their friends </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">were due to arrive, it took a call to the aforementioned builder, who also happens to be our village headman, to get her back to work. We, meanwhile, used this helpful builder to find a new maid. This one has no English and so communication is a challenge — but at least she couldn’t get too ambitious about her role here. However, like many Thais, she has this Buddhist-based idea that if she does you a special favour today, she can automatically let you down tomorrow — that a favour is an automatic pardon for future misdeeds. This is not the way we did things back on the farm and it still isn’t, and so we have had disagreements with the latest maid. However, she’s still working for us — for the time being. But I sincerely doubt if any foreigner here has the same servant for many years, let alone the three or four generations that my family’s servants worked for the family back in <st1:place st="on">Africa</st1:place>!<o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">If you've ever read 'A Year in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Provence</st1:place></st1:state>' (which I recommend to anyone planning to live in a</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> foreign place), you may remember a character named Menucucci (changed to Colombani in the much funnier TV version). Well, we have our own version, a Thai of Chinese descent named </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Chanwut. He is the chap I mentioned above, our builder and the local village boss. He is also the man we call whenever anything goes wrong. A leaking window, a dodgy window grille, a suspicious stain on the ceiling — call in Chanwut, and he will respond. Rarely as promptly as one might wish but still a lot more promptly than many others here. If he can’t fix it (and when it comes to construction and maintenance, he is a truly a renaissance man), he is sure (to quote an old AA advert from British TV) to know a man who can. From small things like hanging pictures on the wall to big things like extending the rear patio awning or helping to set up a friend’s new office downtown, he usually gets things done. One amusing aspect of any visit by khun Chanwut, however, is that he will at some time during the conversation complain about how useless Thai workers are. He reminds me of the venerable gent who was 'Head Boy' on my family's Rhodesian farm who always complained about 'them damn blacks', despite his own lack of pallidity! Hua Hin is a small town and many of its better artisans speak no English and therefore do not mix with the foreign community. Knowing someone like khun Chanwut can therefore make a big difference to one’s life here. OK, I am sure that he takes a rack-off from any tradesman he puts us in touch with, and that any help he acts as arranger for is beneficial to him in the long run. However, that’s the way of the world. If a broker arranges a good insurance policy for you, or if an estate agent finds you a nice home, don’t they get some recompense? Of course, and so why shouldn’t khun Chanwut? We have a simple choice: use his recommendation</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> (which is usually very satisfactory) and pay the slight surcharge to cover his ‘commission’ or try to do it alone, which might prove far more costly in the long run!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Usually in August, <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place> can expect to occasionally have a long </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thaisilkclothes.com/i/queen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thaisilkclothes.com/i/queen.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">weekend due to Mother’s Day, which is celebrated on the 12<sup>th</sup>. The reason for this date is simple — it’s the birthday of Sirikit Kitiyakara, a lady who is now H.M. the Queen of Thailand, and therefore the ‘mother of the nation. Oh, and before you ask, her revered husband’s birthday (in December) is Father’s Day. Anyway, the point I am making is that this year, August is going to have not one but two long weekends. You see, the government, eager to make the new constitution (Thailand’s 18th since the</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> abolition of absolute monarchy 75 years ago) respectable, is considering making the 20th, the day of the constitutional referendum, a holiday — no excuses for not voting! Knowing the locals as I do, having two long weekends is likely to mean that Thailand is basically closed for business this month, and as for colleges — they might as well save power and stay shut till October! Like every other household in this kingdom, we had a copy of the new constitution delivered to our door. The fact it was</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> completely in Thai made it difficult for linguistically challenged slobs like me to evaluate it, but what the hell. However, it has been posted on the Internet and covered in the newspapers, so I have been able to get a look at it. It is immediately clear that this document will be very different to the previous 1997 constitution. For example,</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a6.vox.com/6a00ccff843eb0985d00d4142cf9be685e-500pi"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://a6.vox.com/6a00ccff843eb0985d00d4142cf9be685e-500pi" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> although <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place> will continue to have a bicameral parliament, consisting of a House of Representatives and Senate, the latter chamber would be appointed by an unelected committee of judges and civil servants. The lower chamber would continue to be directly elected but would be reduced from 500 members to 400. This is clearly designed to make it harder for a demagogue like the deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was increasingly reviled by the Thai elite until he was eventually ousted in the September coup. However, one must be grateful for small mercies. During the drafting of this latest constitution, Thailand’s already powerful Buddhist clergy staged several protests and demonstrations outside the Parliament building, demanding that Buddhism be declared the country's official religion. Now such a move, apart from offending the roughly 1% of the population who are Christian, Sikh, Hindu, etc., such a move would undoubtedly have greatly upset Thailand’s Muslim community (4.6%) — not a very good idea with the near civil war situation now prevailing in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces. No, the military-appointed drafters wisely chose to keep the wording of the 1997 constitution, which says that the government "shall patronize and protect Buddhism and other religions." Anyway, even though I obviously cannot vote in this referendum, it will still be interesting for me. I was once a political scientist and so witnessing <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s first ever referendum will be of some interest to me. I sincerely doubt if this document will dramatically improve life for either Thai or farang, just as I fully expect there to be a constitution number 19 in due course. However, making allowances for the usual degree of vote buying (the poor need something to sell, after all), the result is not completely predictable. Then again …<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Anyway, that’s it for now. The cloudy skies of rainy season Hua Hin are presently being somewhat battered by a very strong wind that has just slammed my back door so loudly that it even woke up my ever drowsy dog, but at least it rearranges the dust on the roads. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-83535461694472396782007-07-23T11:56:00.000+07:002007-07-23T12:05:59.746+07:00Doing Business in HH -- and Monkey Business in Bangkok!<span style="" lang="EN-ZA">A lady friend of mine recently decided to upgrade her business by opening an office downtown. Now it was difficult enough for her to set up her business in the first place and so she asked me to come along and help her deal with her future landlord. This lady is not a Thai and so, under <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s strangely xenophobic business laws, she needed to have several Thai partners before she could establish a company. What’s more, the government expects her to be able to run the company without working — as owning (or co-owning) a company here isn’t enough to get you a visa. She officially needs to have four Thai staff before she can get herself a work permit. How she can pay those Thais when she cannot legally work herself is a mystery that only the idiots in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> can answer but that’s how it is. Anyway, she eventually signed an agreement to rent this shop-cum-office for a 3-year period.</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> The owner then told her that if she</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> wants to have a sign telling the world her company is there, there are two kinds of tax levied by the municipality. If you have a sign without any Thai, you pay a higher rate but if you have even a couple of Thai words, the tax is much lower. Don’t even try to spot the logic in that as logic is one of many subjects not taught in Thai schools — like geography and PE!</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">You may have read about some violent anti-government demonstrations in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> on <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/07/23/headlines/headlines_30041977.php">Sunday</a>. Well, as usual, what happens in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> has very little effect on what happens here in Hua Hin, and so life continues the same as usual down here. The demonstrators were, unusually enough,</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/mob220707/2s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 120px;" src="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/mob220707/2s.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> venting their anger at one of the King’s chief advisers, a retired general whom they blame for planning last</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> September’s coup. This adviser was, funnily enough, the leader of the military government that was running <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> when I first stayed here, back in 1988. However, his government did a much better job than the present one, mainly because it concentrated on running the country rather than wasting a huge amount of time, money and goodwill on hunting down its perceived opponents. The former PM, Mr. Thaksin, is still at liberty in</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/mob220707/7s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/specials/mob220707/7s.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, where is he is likely to remain as his business prospers, and the Thai government’s</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> popularity continues to plummet. If that</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> previously revered adviser was indeed behind the latest Thai coup (which wasn’t the first or the last), then he seems to have been unfortunate in his choice of leaders, as they are proving to be a lot less successful, popular or effective than he was. What do I think of the present government? I think I shall take the example of the wise old owl who, I was once taught, discovered that ‘the more he heard, the less he spoke — the less he spoke, the more he heard.” He also doubtless lived a lot longer than those who did the opposite<o:p></o:p>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">The Rainy Season is officially here but the weekend was noticeably not rainy. OK, Saturday was rather cloudy and threatening, but if there was any rain, it didn’t fall while I was awake. Yesterday, when I had a braai (BBQ) on my lawn, the sun shone down so strongly that my guests and I had to eat indoors until the lawn became shady. This morning is also boding well, with only a very few clouds in sight. This should make me feel a bit guilty, I suppose, seeing all these reports of serious floods in China and back in the UK — but it doesn’t! One reason I chose this town as a residence is because this province, Prachuap Kirikhan, is one of the driest in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Also, it’s worth remembering that whereas the Brits affected by the British floods are complaining about the government not doing anything, flood victims here would be amazed if the government even noticed! A phrase I learned the hard way during my army days (back in the time of spears and chariots) was “</span><span style="" lang="FR">demandez tu</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">”, which basically means “ask yourself”, or deal with it yourself. If my house were to be flooded, that would doubtless be the answer I could expect from any official I sought help. Of course, there is the fact that I pay much less to the local and national government, so you get what you pay for!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-37059001411325502242007-07-09T14:12:00.000+07:002007-07-09T14:16:15.800+07:00Langkawi: Lovely to visit, difficult to leave -- literally!<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Well we made it back in one piece. Yes indeed, we all got back from Malaysia safe and sound. So how was it down there? Very nice — and very different! It’s strange, and maybe one day the Bangkok government can explain how it is that even though Malaysia and Thailand have quite similar GDP (per capita, using purchasing power parity) — $9,700 for Malaysia and $8,100 for Thailand — the former’s infrastructure is visibly much better. On the island of Lang Kawi, I didn’t see a single road that was as bad as most non-major roads around Hua Hin. Whatever the Thai government spends its money on, it isn’t roads — or drainage or electricity or internet facilities. So why is it that Malaysia, which celebrates 50 years of nationhood this year, is so different to Thailand — which has always been something akin to a nation? I think I’ll change the subject before I get blacklisted …</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Anyway, we went to Langkawi precisely as I mentioned last time. First, we caught the train from Hua Hin’s quaint old station down to Hat Yai, where we had to disembark so that they could detach the single 1<sup>st</sup> class carriage from the rest of the train. Why do they do that, do you think? Could it be that the Thai Railways are embarrassed that their idea of 1<sup>st</sup> class isn’t exactly opulent? Anyway, having bought a 2<sup>nd</sup> class ticket to get across the border, we proceeded south through Thailand’s Muslim heart, where the few Buddhist temples look very out of place, like enemy camps in an occupied land. Eventually, we reached the border station of Padang Besar, where the Thai immigration official seemed amazed to have a non-tourist passing through his area. He certainly took a lot of notes and then told me (presuming I didn’t know) that I already had a re-entry permit. Good job he told me! Anyway, we then walked over to the Malaysian side, where a suitably Islamic-looking lady processed my arrival quietly and quickly. I then moved onto the Malaysian Customs, where a smiling (no really, he smiled!) official helped me fill in the required form and then waved me through without so much as a glance inside our bags. It seems that terrorist and drug traffickers only travel by air — can’t say I blame them!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Anyway, from here, we caught the same train south to a sleepy old station called Alor Setar. From here, we needed to catch a taxi to the ferry terminal. As usual, we were approached by a taxi guy whilst still on the platform, ticket barriers being an alien concept in SE Asia. He took us out to the oldest, most dilapidated taxi I have travelled in since leaving Africa 25+ years ago. My other half seemed a little wary of getting in but as there were no other taxis in sight, get in we </span><span><img src="http://www.langkawi-info.com/images/pic_ferry.jpg" alt="Langkawi Ferry" align="left" height="100" width="200" /></span><span>did. He drove us (with great and distinctly un-Thai care) to the ferry terminal in the nearby town of Kuala Kedah, from where we caught a fast but not too comfortable (not advisable for anyone over 183cm tall) ferry to the island of Langkawi. The trip took about 90 minutes or so, and deposited us at Kuah, the island’s main town and port. From here, we caught a minibus-type taxi to our hotel, the Tanjung Sanctuary Resort, located on a seafront hilltop to the northwest of the port. There is no public transport on Langkawi, not even the truck-like Song Taews one sees in Hua Hin, and so taxis or rental vehicles are the only way to get around. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The next day, we had breakfast overlooking the clean blue sea and later, we met a Dutch guy who’d lived on the island for several years. We had sought his advice on property in Langkawi</span><span><img src="http://www.sarahandroger.com/cows%20and%20rice,%20Langkawi%20%28320%20x%20240%29.jpg" alt="Langkawi Valley" align="right" height="240" width="320" /></span><span> and he proved to be both useful and hospitable (thanks, Marius!). He took us to see his home, a Malay-type house spread out over a large piece of land set amidst rice</span><span> paddies in the island’s central valley. He also showed us a very nice plot of land atop a nearby hill, with fine views clear over the paddy fields to the sea but only a few minutes drive from Kuah. This plot is presently for sale and I won’t lie — we were (and are) interested in buying it. Purchasing land is much simpler in Malaysia and so we could just buy the land and build a house later. Sea view land without seafront prices is quite rare and so we are certainly giving it some thought. Anyway, we had dinner on the beach at a nice place called the Oasis and then drove back to the hotel in the car (a Malaysian-made Proton, like a rather old Nissan) Marius had helped us to hire.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>The next day, after another sea view breakfast, we took our 3-year-old to the large and quite impressive aquarium, which he loved. We then travelled up to the far north of Langkawi, to Tanjung Rhu beach. This is very beautiful, located on a bay filled with rocky islets and on the edge of the mangrove swamp. Definitely worth a return trip. After this, we drove south and had dinner at a German place in Pantai Cenang called the Beach Garden Resort. Note that name well. Its location is nice and as a budget hotel, it seemed ok. However, if you decide to eat there, make very sure you don’t chose the ‘herb encrusted lamb’. I did and spent several hours in the hotel toilet that night, not getting to bed until around 4. Not recommended.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Our last day on Langkawi began with a trip to the cable car that takes one up Mount Mat <img style="width: 100px; height: 89px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:G31hi6F4_eIlbM:http://www.lada.gov.my/images/cc.jpg" alt="Langkawi Cable Car" align="left" />Chinchang, where one can see most of the island from various platforms located around 650~700 metres up. It was a cloudy day but the views were really impressive — as was the ‘sky-bridge’ built between two of the peaks. What’s more, all of the equipment was either Austrian or Swiss, which made me feel a lot safer entrusting my family’s safety to a flimsy looking gondola! Definitely worth a trip if you ever visit the island — but not if you have any form of vertigo! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Anyway, that was the end of the holiday as such and so we returned to the hotel, packed and paid, and then drove back to the car rental place in Pantai Cenang, where we met the first of several setbacks. Malaysian schools seem to take a siesta in the early afternoon and so the owner of the rental place had gone to collect her kid — meaning we couldn’t return the car. We had hoped to catch the 13.30 ferry but this setback made that impossible, as we didn’t reach Kuah until that time. However, we thought we had plenty of time and so this didn’t bother us too much. However, we then found out that the next ferry was NOT at 16.30, as the hotel had told us, but at 17.00 — which would give us very little time to make the connections we needed to catch the sleeper train back to Hua Hin. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>We had decided to return to Thailand via a different route. </span>Instead of ferrying back to Malaysia, we had decided to try catching the ferry to Satun, on the southeastern edge of Thailand. <span>This ferry left almost on time and deposited us at the small harbour of Tammalang, where we found the immigration/customs procedure much more user friendly than at the Padang Besar station. Outside, we caught a Song Taew to Satun town, where the bus driver arranged a taxi to take us the 100km to Hat Yai, where we were supposed to catch the train home. Now I have to give this guy due credit. He really put his foot down the whole way, driving his classic but dilapidated Mercedes to Hat Yai at breakneck speed — which was a bit worrying for me in the seatbelt-less front seat! However, maybe due to the couple of traffic lights he actually stopped at, we reached the station 2 minutes late. Now remembering that our train from Hua Hin had been over 20 minutes late leaving, we were totally astonied to find that the sleeper had left exactly on time. That was it — we were stuck! However, a passing taxi tout suggested we try the bus station but when we got there, we found that the last bus had left at 19.30. We then tried a nearby travel agent who eventually booked us on a flight to Bangkok, which left at 21.20. It was only a short flight, maybe 70 minutes or so, but I slept well — I hadn’t relished the idea of spending the night in Hat Yai, a city that is rather polluted and prone to anti-Buddhist bomb attacks! Anyway, we arrived at Bangkok’s newly reopened Don Muang airport at around 22.30 and a few minutes later, we caught a minibus taxi with a very nice driver back home, arriving at 01.20.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Quite a journey, as I’m sure you’ll agree. However, it is testament to Langkawi’s appeal that despite that nightmarish trip home, I am still glad that we went. My last trip to Malaysia had been whilst the xenophobic Dr Mahathir was still Prime Minister and the changes in both Langkawi and Malaysia in general since Prime Minister Badawi took over were obvious and impressive. I am sure that the premier is no fonder of we westerners than any other SE Asian but he at least has the saving grace of being practical, and realising that money is good for his people wherever it comes from. Will I return to Malaysia? Most certainly. Might I actually move there? Certainly not beyond the realms of possibility. Could Thailand learn a lot from their southern neighbour? Indubitably. Will Thailand bother to do so? Sadly, that is equally indubitable — that it will not!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Anyway, I’m back in Hua Hin, back to my old routine and so unless Thailand gets the better of me, the next instalment of this blog will be at your disposal around the same time as usual next week.</span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-12558306707459166972007-06-26T10:57:00.000+07:002007-06-26T12:55:28.056+07:00Let the train take the strain -- but this is Thailand, so . . .<span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" lang="EN-ZA">Sorry this post is a bit late but I have had a lot of paperwork pile up in my ‘in’ tray, and I have also managed to acquire something you might think is hard to get in Thailand — a nasty Cold! Anyway, apologies over, let’s get on with this latest look at life in Hua Hin.<o:p></o:p></span> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">The clan and I decided to take a break next week, and so on this coming Sunday, we shall be catching the sleeper train from Hua Hin across the Malaysian </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">border to Kuala Kedah, from where we’ll take a ferry to the</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpQmxDNaHQoZvkYCpRR5eHgiMtfhmKAWPwdYrnYTv9CFDA3SkhI8rR2Uu9kICuav2JW97rIhlo0ifSgxFrZycj3N-ga4dym5CSWxdl6vISeh7cCLfWMmTpJoysVA2kkf8Xm4x/s1600-h/HHStation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 413px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpQmxDNaHQoZvkYCpRR5eHgiMtfhmKAWPwdYrnYTv9CFDA3SkhI8rR2Uu9kICuav2JW97rIhlo0ifSgxFrZycj3N-ga4dym5CSWxdl6vISeh7cCLfWMmTpJoysVA2kkf8Xm4x/s400/HHStation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080221611427792834" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Lang Kawi</st1:placename></st1:place>. </span><em><span><span><span>Now I know that I said we’d cancelled that plan, but you know how it is — a change is as good as a rest, so they say and so we’re back to plan A! Anyhow, t</span></span></span></em><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">o prepare for this trip, we yesterday went to buy the train tickets to Kuala Kedah. A simple move, right? Just go there, pay up and walk away with the tickets, yes? But this is <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>. We went to the rather picturesque railway station in downtown Hua Hin and asked for the tickets. Now I must admit that the ticket office staff in Hua Hin speak pretty good English and so language wasn’t a problem. However, politics and bureaucracy are! First off, we prefer (not unnaturally) to travel in a first class sleeper cabin, where there are two beds, as compared with second class, where you sleep in what seems like a dormitory on wheels. However, the first class carriages only travel as far as the Thai city of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Hat Yai</st1:place></st1:city>, where they are detached from the train. From Hat Yai to the border and beyond, it’s second and third class only. Simple, buy a separate s</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">econd-class ticket from Hat Yai to Kuala Kedah, right? No way. The ticket office told us they couldn’t do that, that we would have to (a) try and get the second ticket from staff aboard the train, or (b) jump off the train at Hat Yai, run to the ticket office, buy the tickets and then rush back aboard the train before it departs fro the border. Tickets apart, crossing the Thai border isn’t like crossing into <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region> aboard the Eurostar. You reach the border at a place called Padang Besar, a station that is literally on the border — one end of the platform is in <st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region> and the other in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Malaysia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. You get off the train, rush to get the necessary forms (which are not available before </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">you reach the border) and then you queue to pass through Malaysian immigration. You then get back on the same train and continue south. The train eventually terminates at Butterworth, the port that serves the <st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Penang</st1:placename>, from where you can travel onto KL and even <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Singapore</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Anyway, that’s the joy we face next Monday morning — we should reach Hat Yai for the ticket office scramble at just after 6am and then reach the border at around 7.55. I shall tell you more if and when I get back to Hua Hin — don’t forget that we’ll be travelling through the troublesome southern provinces that the British Embassy here advises against going even near!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Remember that scenic beach I’ve mentioned a couple of times in previous Blogs, the one at </span><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Troopie/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />Khao Kaloke<span style="" lang="EN-ZA">? Well, when we went to that restaurant opening a little south of Hua Hin (which I mentioned last time), we met and became friendly with this Swedish family. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ArgfBxpm23QJ2-wVqg04wai6t918mgcUBMVBPIR4lo05casZF5g_ZaPrZj4Q6bi-z4djt25p9Hs4kDNhZxpuxqfdksm_2QuewIdt1u7IINiT0pexMnRFIPEevZ6LW5bw2dG7/s1600-h/Beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ArgfBxpm23QJ2-wVqg04wai6t918mgcUBMVBPIR4lo05casZF5g_ZaPrZj4Q6bi-z4djt25p9Hs4kDNhZxpuxqfdksm_2QuewIdt1u7IINiT0pexMnRFIPEevZ6LW5bw2dG7/s400/Beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080223986544707538" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">We decided to share this beach with them and so last Sunday, we took them there. They, too, were amazed at how empty it was and as they are relatively new to Hua Hin, they seemed to assume that as it was cloudy, it was safe to sit out of the shade. By the time we left the beach and shared a few beers on the lawn of my home, I could see that the husband had more than a trace of sunburn around his tank top. It is an easy mistake to make, truly. The UV factor is often at its highest when the skies are overcast and so I kept my shirt on all that day. However, I did get a tiny bit of sunburn where my tan-line meets the pale skin normally hidden by my shorts, but it was truly insignificant. However, the picnic was almost spoilt due to my own unforgivable mistake. You see, I left my backpack at home and inside the backpack was — you guessed it — the bottle opener! However, we did manage to get the bottles open and so the day was saved, though not my reputation!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p></o:p>Another aspect of our intended trip to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Malaysia</st1:place></st1:country-region> is that we must get ‘Re-entry permits’, so that our visas remain valid after we return. Now as I mentioned in a previous post, the Immigration office is now located in about as inconvenient a part of the town as could be found, and so we will have to give up a half day or so to go and get these stamps in our passports. What’s more, I’m sure that Thai Immigration has a deal with the British Passport Office. Why so? Because every time you get something done at Immigration, whether it be a visa renewal or a re-entry permit, the stamps cover at least half a page in one’s passport. This means I might not make to the end of my passport’s 10-year life without filling every page. Therefore, as the British authorities are too mean and money grabbing to issue you with extra pages, as I believe the Australians and Americans do, I would have to get a new passport. Any excuse to squeeze some more money out of us! What’s more, I hear that with the new ‘biometric’ passport being issued, I may have to go to the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> embassy in person. Life isn’t all Singapore Slings beneath the palm trees out here in the exotic orient, you know…</span></p><p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal">Anyway, as I might not be recovered from the trek south by this time next week, the next instalment of this blog might be a little late. If so, please do be patient. Anyway, catch you again whenever I return home!
<span style="" lang="EN-ZA"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-42100570531974728352007-06-17T15:41:00.000+07:002007-06-17T16:33:14.825+07:00Let's talk rainy season, beaches, wet Malaysia and keeping fit!<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">A few posts ago, I confidently predicted that rainy season had started — which clearly upset Mother Nature, for since then we haven’t had enough rain to fill a glass! However, the last few days have seen more and more clouds, less and less sunshine (in the later part of the day only), and we even had some rain. Once again, not enough, but some. So is this really it? Is this the onset of the rainy season? I’m not going out on a limb like that again! The rainy season will come</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> when it’s good and ready, and until it does, I for one shall do all I can to make the most of its absence!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Last Sunday (that would be June 10<sup>th</sup>), we all went out in the car to a beach we’d stumbled on </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">whilst looking at some new housing projects located on the fare side of Paknampran. Now I </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">should explain that the area where a river flows into the sea is called "Pak <st1:country-region st="on">Nam</st1:country-region>" in Thai (Pak = mouth, <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Nam</st1:country-region></st1:place> = water). The Pran part is an abbreviation of Pranburi, so this is where the <st1:placename st="on">Pranburi</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">River</st1:placetype> flows into the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Gulf</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Thailand</st1:placename></st1:place>. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSJ1Ut41Tr2xsYngITA3uljb7kcVJgfNLJ96h94ppQT0TkEjo6QcTrNiOg-HRTvugsvEiY_4-I3nqeikZzvRwk9_tNTe9xXdC6NUlV0AgXHWJkKLbI3boTo4MKQkUEAzJF8z0/s1600-h/DSCN0652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSJ1Ut41Tr2xsYngITA3uljb7kcVJgfNLJ96h94ppQT0TkEjo6QcTrNiOg-HRTvugsvEiY_4-I3nqeikZzvRwk9_tNTe9xXdC6NUlV0AgXHWJkKLbI3boTo4MKQkUEAzJF8z0/s320/DSCN0652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076962396970059682" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Anyway, while doing a little exploring in this area, a little beyond Paknampran, we stumbled upon this long stretch of white sandy beach, washed by some incredibly clean and blue sea. I later found out that this beach is called Khao Kaloke, and we returned there last Sunday. It was totally deserted, we had the whole <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">long beach</st1:city></st1:place> to ourselves. The sand was clean, the sea</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> was see-through, and the sun was hot. We had a very nice picnic there, and promised ourselves that we would return soon and often. We couldn’t go this weekend, as we had other appointments, but we will be back whenever the weather allows. OK, I’ll admit that as I haven’t been to the beach for a while (you get careless when it’s so close at hand), and so I did get some sunburn on my shoulders by not putting enough lotion on, but what the hell! Why come to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> and stay in the shade?</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Another thing that I haven’t done much since moving to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> is visit the gym. However, yesterday (Saturday the 16<sup>th</sup>), I did precisely that. I visited the cheapest gym in Hua Hin, located at a rather run-down hotel/condo place called ‘Sports Villa’, which also has a very cheap swimming pool. Anyway, after working out which of the machines in the gym actually worked, I did about an hour’s worth of exercise. It wasn’t easy. You see, whereas I used to go to the gym (a proper, everything working gym) in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Tokyo</st1:place></st1:city> two or three times a week, I haven’t been to one since May 2005. So I had a few aching muscles when I’d finished, that’s for sure. However, being the masochist I am, I do plan to repeat this procedure sooner or later. After all, just because I am unlikely to actually work again before October (maybe not even then) doesn’t mean I have to sit around and do nothing but drink beer. I’m not sure why not, but that’s what I’m supposed</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> to say, right?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">I have only been outside of this town and its environs once or twice in the last 12 months+, and so I was toying with the idea of popping down to <st1:country-region st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region> for a few days next week, down to the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Langkawi</st1:placename></st1:place>. I’ve been there</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cuti.com.my/Sub/Kedah/Langkawi/langkawi_island.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.cuti.com.my/Sub/Kedah/Langkawi/langkawi_island.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> before, about 4 or 5 years ago, but I visited the wrong part, staying within walking distance of the ferry terminal — which I later found out wasn’t the best part of the island! Anyway, the ideas grew more attractive the more I thought about it — catching the night train down to Malaysia, swigging Chang beer until I fell asleep in my rather comfortable sleeper compartment, and then exploring a few beaches where the signs, if not in English, are at least in the same alphabet. However, I’d forgotten how much wetter <st1:country-region st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region> is than this part of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and so it came as a shock when I checked the week’s weather forecast for the island. Thunderstorms all day, every day for the whole week! So it looks like that trip is off, for the time being at least. After all, with the rainy season possibly well on its way to Hua Hin, I might as well watch the rain from my own home than from some hotel room!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">A veteran pal of mine, an Aussie who's son is due to be posted to either Iraq or Afghanistan at the end of this year, is planning to celebrate an upcoming wedding anniversary by holidaying in Thailand next year. He was so impressed by the advice I was able to give him that he (a) asked me to help him arrange a pre-embarkation holiday for his son around Christmas time, & (b) has spread the word about Hua Hin to the other members of his regimental association. Word-of-mouth advertising, the best there is. I must admit I do like Aussies, as they are so in your face & easy to get on with. Of course, such sentiments went out of the window yesterday, when the Tri-Nations rugby tournament began with <st1:country-region st="on">South Africa</st1:country-region> only just managing to beat Oz in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Cape Town</st1:place></st1:city>. However, if SA gets kicked out of the World Cup early (in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region> later this year), then Oz is the one I will support.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-family:arial;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">A large new housing project just a little south of Hua Hin, put together by a Swiss friend of mine, is opening its on-site restaurant this weekend and I've been invited to the opening. As this project is pleasantly out of town, it should be a nice break from the usual routine. It's in the evening, so it shouldn't be too hot. What's more, being on a Sunday (today), it didn't interfere with the rugby! Anyway, I have to get ready for that now so I shall love you and leave you till next time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-81909884070017176732007-06-07T09:13:00.000+07:002007-06-07T09:44:32.332+07:00Don't you just love doctors -- & Immigration!<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" lang="EN-ZA">I'm a bit late with this week's blog, but that isn't in any way linked with the medical I mentioned last week. That went surprisingly easily. I did have a few appointments to carry out and these seemed to balloon until the time just flew past. Anyway, enough of the excuses, on with the motley…<o:p></o:p></span> <p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">The medical. Well, it was as unorganised as one would expect from a small town Thai hospital. One thing it had in common with all other medical exams was the totally impractical</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/3/34/170px-Weewee.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 47px; height: 133px;" src="http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/3/34/170px-Weewee.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> attitude of the doctors/administrators. I mean, they tell you not to eat or drink for many </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">hours before the</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> examination but then they expect you to provide a urine sample on demand. Excuse me, but unless you fill the bucket, you can't get any water, OK? Sure enough, this exam asked for a urine</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> sample — they even asked for a sample of the other stuff — but I admit I'd cheated. I had a glass of water when I woke up that morning. The way the doctor's face changed when I told her this, you'd have thought I'd confessed to raping her daughter! But be fair — it gets over 30c pretty early here, so not drinking water for a long time is downright unhealthy! But little things like that don't matter to a doc who learned his theory from a book written somewhere that never gets that hot! <o:p>
</o:p>
Anyway, I was eventually told that my cholesterol is a little high and that I should give up smoking. The former was very surprising, as the Tokyo doctors used to claim my cholesterol was as high as President Bush's disapproval rating, and </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">the latter was amazing, as I haven't had a smoke this year! I gave up cigarettes a long time ago but I do occasionally smoke a pipe — though not for several months. Of course, this was San Paulo, a hospital more famed for its plastic surgery than its medical skills, and so anything it tells me must be taken with a ladle of </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">salt. Strangely enough, my wife's results were identical to my own — which is strange bearing in mind the difference in our ages (11 years), diets (she eats as I should do), lifestyle (she does aerobics twice a week, and I don't), etc. Next year, I might try Bumrungrad in Bangkok. It's much more expensive but it does have a reputation!<o:p> </o:p>
</span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:trebuchet ms;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Apart from that, the only news is the moved immigration office. When I first moved to Hua Hin, the nearest Immigration office was located in a temporary </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">building at the end of a long dirt road on the Burmese border about 80km south of here. Then they opened an office in downtown Hua Hin, inside the town's police station. However, this convenience may have led some foreigners to think that Thailand welcomed them and wanted to make their lives easier — not the idea the government wanted at all! So to make sure we all know what the government truly thinks of us, the office has been moved. It is now about 8km south of downtown, located a long way up a </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.maidenfans.com/imc/pictures/pictures13_dod/paschendale.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 96px;" src="http://www.maidenfans.com/imc/pictures/pictures13_dod/paschendale.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">Paschendale-like (i.e., potholed) Soi. It has no neighbours, as it stands alone in the middle of a building site.</span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA"> Therefore, if you forget to bring enough photocopies or ID photos, you can't just pop across the road to the Kodak supermarket (as was the case before the latest move), you have to drive at least 7 or 8 km, hoping to find a shop with the right facilities. OK, the new office is more comfortable and less crowded but if you don't have your transport, you are in trouble. Yes, you can take a tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi, but first you need to explain to the driver where you're going! So does the new office provide a map you can show a driver? Of course not — that would defeat the whole purpose of the move! However, it could be worse — </span><span style="" lang="EN-ZA">they had considered locating the office at the top of Hin Lek Fai Mountain, the tallest mountain in this vicinity. Of course, you can hire an agent to do your Immigration paperwork for you, and those agents might well bless this move. And even the new locale is still preferable to the Work Permit office, located in the provincial capital about 90km south of here. But I suppose I should think more along Thai lines. A trip to the work permit office? A nice drive through the Thai pineapple fields! Going to the new Immigration office? A chance to get out of town and sit on a comfy sofa in an air-conditioned room! It all depends on your point of view, I suppose. However, as you can see from the banner shown below, the Thai Immigration website claims "We try to make it easy for you to stay". Yeah, right -- like the taxman tries to help you get richer!</span><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.thaianxiety.com/images/neimmi.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-29516412537742978252007-05-28T11:43:00.000+07:002007-05-28T12:01:26.594+07:00A court desicion & maybe a change of plan for your's truly!<span style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">My other half and I were planning to take a trip to Bangkok this week, to do some shopping and generally get a change of scenery. I know it's an old joke about where do people who live by the seaside go for their holidays but I haven't been outside of Hua Hin since mid-March, when I last visited Bangkok. However, now that trip seems a little inadvisable.</span> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal">You see, here in the 'Land of Smiles', those smiles are looking a little stressed in some quarters. A while back, the military-appointed government tried to ban and dissolve two major political parties, including (unsurprisingly) that of the deposed PM Thaksin. These parties, quite naturally, appealed against this move and later this week (on the 30th), Thailand's Constitution Tribunal is due to announce its decision. Now if they rule in favour of the government, there is almost certain to be some agitated disagreement by members of the public, especially as the government's poll ratings are pretty damn'd low. The Information and Communications Technology Ministry has already shut down as many as 17 websites for their support of the ousted prime minister, which shows how they might deal with any demonstrations. However, the parties concerned are preparing for such demonstrations, be they protests or celebrations, in some detail.</p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal">The main participant, Mr. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party, has asked supporters to gather at its new<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:IGhuieq874xI0M:http://www.parliament.go.th/files/about/image/domegray.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 124px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:IGhuieq874xI0M:http://www.parliament.go.th/files/about/image/domegray.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a> headquarters rather than the court building, and is organising refreshments for supporters. The other party, the Democrats, have announced that party executives will pay homage at the statue of King Rama VII at Parliament on Wednesday morning before going to the Constitution Court. Not exactly Tienanmen Square but then again, we don't want tanks on the streets of Bangkok again, do we? Those who don't know the Thai way of doing things might get the wrong idea & start cancelling their trips to Thailand. If that was to happen, then the economy might slip and we might end up with what the old South Africans called the 'Laager Mentality', meaning that instead of thoughtfully reacting to foreign pressure, the ruling folk would just circle the wagons and resist. Not a good idea at all.</p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal">To show just how serious Wednesday's verdict is, even the sincerely revered Thai King has commented on it, which is not a common occurrence — His Majesty is far too wise to get involved with politics! The King described the verdict as something that would cause a lot of trouble no matter how it turns out. The King even cleverly commented on his constitutionally non-political role, using the gown which the judges concerned had just given him as a gift. He said "I can't say if there should be or there shouldn't be political parties, or whether parties should be dissolved or not. That's why I said the gown you gave me gave me trouble. It came with no power. Whether one will wear the gown or not, there will be no power." It's easy to see why he has remained so incredibly popular here for so long. To remain King in some troubled countries is tricky, but to remain the world's most venerated leader is a real achievement.<o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal">Whatever happens on Wednesday, life outside of central Bangkok will doubtless go on in the usual<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:2Y83Z_oXha6SUM:http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/watthaipix/SartThai/413309.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 123px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:2Y83Z_oXha6SUM:http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a203/watthaipix/SartThai/413309.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a> way. I do not expect to see extra troops or police on the streets of Hua Hin or hear of any businesses being closed. This is partly because the next day, Thursday (31st) is a holiday anyway, Visakha Bucha Day, which marks three important incidents in the life of Lord Buddha on the same day. For me, Tuesday is the big day this week, as that's when I go for my yearly medical check. In Tokyo, it was provided free by the local council but here, It's going to cost me about 2,500 baht — that's about £36, €53 <font style=""> </font>or US$72, which isn't too bad, I suppose. What will the doctor tell me? Will I still be around to write the next Blog? Tune in to find out . . .</p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-26006466546284706952007-05-18T10:43:00.000+07:002007-05-18T10:57:03.790+07:00The Rainy Season's here -- but it's not all gloom & floods!Well, here we go with another rainy season. As I arrived in Thailand during the rainy season, this will be the third such season I've experienced, and although the name might sound a bit off-putting, it shouldn't. <p class="MsoNormal">If you've read my postings from last year, you'll know that the rainy season in Thailand and the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos.huahinafterdark.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=117&g2_serialNumber=2"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://photos.huahinafterdark.com/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=117&g2_serialNumber=2" alt="" border="0" /></a> Japanese 'Tsuyu' are very different. Yes, the Japanese rainy season is much shorter, lasting from June until the middle of July, whereas our version lasts from mid-May until late October or mid-November. However, whereas grey skies and downpours are almost constant during the Japanese rainy season, the Thai equivalent is much gentler. Yes, some places do get flooded (usually due to bad or no preparation) and there are occasional landslides (often due to human misbehaviour, like deforesting or bad irrigation), but generally speaking, a rainy season day here in Hua Hin consists of a warm sunny morning, a cloudy & possibly threatening midday, with some often torrential rain pelting down later in the day. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">It is also more comfortable at this time of year, as the temperatures fall from the hot season averages of the high 30s/low 40s to a more comfortable range of mid-20s to low 30s. Yes, it can and does get humid but believe me, Tokyo is worse. Humidity-wise, summer in Tokyo makes this place seem like the Sahara! OK, this town does have sea and mountain breezes to help keep things comfortable, and I'm sure that the humidity in Bangkok is a lot harder to bear. But that's true in most places. The hotter and more humid the weather, the less pleasant the cities become, that's international!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For non-residents, there are some big advantages for travelling during the rainy season. First off, the scenery is verdant green rather than dusty brown. This is <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/5/58/200px-Hua_Hin_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/5/58/200px-Hua_Hin_1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>especially true if you're heading south. My province, Prachuap Kirikhan, is one of the driest in the kingdom, and during the heat of March and April, the dust gets everywhere. My front lawn gets cracked soon after being watered and just taking the rubbish out is a tiring trek. However, come the rains and the waterfalls are fuller, the rice fields more as westerners expect, and the flowers a riot of colour. However, the main advantages must be fewer tourists, cheaper prices and less booked-out accommodation. Prices for hotels and resorts are much cheaper than in the early part of the year, and many places are less than 50% full, as uninformed tourists are scared away by the word 'rainy'. You can get some great discounts at this time, and enjoy a hotel that would be well outside your budget during the peak season.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">When the rainy season finally ends, we'll have the peak cooler season. Now I know that for visitors from northern Europe, the cooler season is still warm. However, for us folks who've gone through the heat of a Thai spring, it can often feel a little too cool. OK, I won't be wearing gloves, scarf and jacket like many young Thais do at that time, but I might wear a long sleeved shirt now and again. I might even wear long trousers on my days off! However, don't let that fool you. What is usually called the 'cool season' is more accurately the cooler season. However, the prices charged by hotels, etc., at that time are certainly not 'cool', but that's another story. Right now, at 10.30 in the morning, I am basking in warm (28c/82f) sunshine, with clear blue skies over the sea. However, the clouds are moving in from Burma over the peak of Khao Don Tabaek (the 265-metre tall mountain behind my home) and so I'm sure we'll get some rain later. The weather here may not be as obliging as Camelot, where "The rain may never fall till after sundown", but the rainy season is still a lot less depressing and uncomfortable as the name might suggest. So don't be fooled — try it for yourself, and whilst you can forget a raincoat (it's never that cool), don't forget your umbrella!</p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-91554493217301613692007-05-09T09:35:00.000+07:002007-05-09T10:19:56.273+07:00Thailand: Great for me but not for Tesco!There is a Thai proverb that talks about someone who "Dies to spite the graveyard" (<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Angsana New";" lang="TH">ตายประชดป่าช้า</span>). Clearly, this is the local equivalent of 'cutting off your nose to spite your face', but sadly, it seems that the apparently well-educated apparatchiks in Bangkok never learned either phrase, as they are working hard to make sure that Thailand should no longer be considered one of the Asian Tiger economies. </p> <span style="font-family:arial;"></span><o:p style="font-family: arial;"> </o:p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">The latest example of this masochistic trend is a new retail law which is designed to limit or even stop the number and size of so-called 'foreign' retail giants. (Remember that even the mighty Tesco MUST have a Thai partner.) Now it would be easy to blame this nonsensical law on the military-installed government, but it was being discussed in government circles long before the tanks moved onto the streets of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Bangkok</st1:city></st1:place> last year. What's more, this law isn't an isolated example -- it is just another symptom of a growing xenophobic trend, highlighted by the government's move to limit foreigners to holding no more than 49% of the shares or voting rights in Thai companies. Rather than sacrifice control of their company like that, many foreign businessmen have abandoned plans to invest in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>, or prefer to work illegally -- thereby costing the government millions in lost tax income!<o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">In case you haven't heard, the new retail law allows for local governments to deny permission<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSe_A5RVPExlzftEoHPXb-JaYgp0FiC8QLKYdTFBAFlPm6d5ClLCEyKpPhg-Aas7ZFM4LUCeuNJIdiSeYM4xDHv4ngZWt1FNjHN7KHrdp0p5AMLpokW6iqj_MNQfG0Rszfki7/s1600-h/Tesco.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSe_A5RVPExlzftEoHPXb-JaYgp0FiC8QLKYdTFBAFlPm6d5ClLCEyKpPhg-Aas7ZFM4LUCeuNJIdiSeYM4xDHv4ngZWt1FNjHN7KHrdp0p5AMLpokW6iqj_MNQfG0Rszfki7/s200/Tesco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062392889382523874" border="0" /></a> for 'foreign' companies like Tesco and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s Carrefour to open new supermarkets, thereby denying thousands of Thais a job and yet again sacrificing huge tax revenue. Why are they acting so masochistically? Well, the official line is that the government is responding to complaints from small store owners, who complain that the big retailers are driving them out of business. Does this mean that they will close railway lines if bus companies complain? Or close down power stations if candle-makers present a grievance? I doubt it. You see, the railways and candle makers aren't foreign.<o:p> </o:p></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">Now make no mistake. I still think <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a great place to live, especially if you are a retiree. It is also great for holidays, even long-term holidays. However, as a place to do business, it leaves a lot to be desired. Entrepreneurs should leave <st1:country-region st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region> off their itinerary, as the neighbouring countries offer much more promising opportunities -- especially as some (like <st1:country-region st="on">Malaysia</st1:country-region>) are making the most of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city>'s lack of practicality and encouraging foreign businesses. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s loss -- or should I say, losses -- are other countries gain!</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="MsoNormal">There is a good side to all this, of course. The growing lack of business sense in government circles here is bound to hurt the economy, either limiting economic growth or even encouraging a decline. This will make <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> much poorer, thereby making it cheaper for overseas folk. Holidays here will become even more attractive and so will property. Long-term visits and retirement will become much more affordable to many more foreigners. 'Every cloud has a silver lining', ah? Maybe that's what the government wants, is working toward. If that's what you think, then you don't know <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> …<o:p></o:p></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-6462313284494372872007-04-24T17:24:00.000+07:002007-04-24T18:15:10.600+07:00Time for a haircut -- Hua Hin style!<a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OgdcragaSlhfHAfny9nRs2g8s5VJ1NEaDIL9JgpvPhaJBDwq57vGU2EpcdL49f9V5d681DJZtngwX6zanEaxpxW9vH90vxRpSw0xSQQ4qB3mJC-vzt8EovMUK910oD06G6ny/s1600-h/sun_with_beach_ball.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OgdcragaSlhfHAfny9nRs2g8s5VJ1NEaDIL9JgpvPhaJBDwq57vGU2EpcdL49f9V5d681DJZtngwX6zanEaxpxW9vH90vxRpSw0xSQQ4qB3mJC-vzt8EovMUK910oD06G6ny/s200/sun_with_beach_ball.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056940165220938178" border="0" /></a>
<span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >As the hot season (a name that is well chosen) is now well and truly upon us, I thought it was about time for a haircut. Now when I lived in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Tokyo</st1:city></st1:place>, this was a time and money-consuming event, but now I'm in Hua Hin, things are different. It's not as basic as the pavement barber I used in Vietnam but it's not exactly Vidal, if you know what I mean!</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;">My good lady wife (a title that is also well chosen) gave me a lift to the hotel where she was going to do aerobics. From here, I walked through the already hot and busy streets, up </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMVdq2WFJFXc3IXufzGxUXCZZv_vBzP54dMr93F0ZKiwDRJDP898GTXQrKfXZSTWI9VcRInI6rRCi8tGepfmkjaNNNROPTJ5XvlQ510mVh6FP2R9sEk5hfaMH1LbsTU5NlmhQ/s1600-h/night_market1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBMVdq2WFJFXc3IXufzGxUXCZZv_vBzP54dMr93F0ZKiwDRJDP898GTXQrKfXZSTWI9VcRInI6rRCi8tGepfmkjaNNNROPTJ5XvlQ510mVh6FP2R9sEk5hfaMH1LbsTU5NlmhQ/s200/night_market1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056939795853750706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">through what would later be the tourist thronged night market, and into my barbers. I'm willing to bet many foreigners walk by without even knowing there's a barbers there -- it has no 'bleeding arm' sign outside. However, it is plain, friendly and cuts my hair</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> the way I like it -- tropically short! Our former maid introduced me to it, this being where her husband used to get his cut. After a few visits, both the main artisans learned what I liked and so I now just sit down and let them do it. A nice haircut, a shave, a scalp massage and some cold towels (you wouldn't want hot towels here!), all for ฿60 -- that's about 93 British pence, A$2.23 or €1.37. That plus a ฿20 tip (which is appreciated, as the Thai customers never tip!) and I walk out feeling pretty good.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The trim was finished early this morning so I passed the time by taking a walk along one of</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:OCxwbmtbgZmhoM:http://www.thaihouse.dk/Billeder/LEO3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 93px; height: 140px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:OCxwbmtbgZmhoM:http://www.thaihouse.dk/Billeder/LEO3.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> the roads that run parallel with the sea. Eventually, I came to a street restaurant (some might</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> call it a food vendor) that has some excellent grilled chicken for about ฿20, all served within 20 or 30 metres of the sea. The food stand doesn't sell beer so customers pop across to a</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> nearby booze shop and buy their own. Feeling that it was a mite too hot for grilled anything, I just went straight to the booze shop, bought a bottle of Leo (a lighter beer than my normal Chang but it was just after 10) for ฿23 (35p/A¢85/€0.52). Not a bad way to round off a nice haircut. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Back in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Tokyo</st1:city></st1:place>, I'd have paid around ฿690 for the haircut, ฿140 for the chicken (that I didn't have), and maybe ฿70 for the beer. I wonder why I moved!</span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-85438472391475404722007-04-10T12:16:00.000+07:002007-04-10T12:43:45.336+07:00April -- a time of drought and cricket!<span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >I got a bit of a shock whilst watching the BBC News this morning. Just as I was tucking into my tea and toast, there was a </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3681938.stm">report</a></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > from </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><st1:country-region style="font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >. With the military-appointed Prime Minister hospitalised and expected to resign, this wasn't surprising. However, the next thing I know, the reporter says 'Hua Hin'. Yes indeed, for the first time since I came to know this town, a non-Thai news report mentioned my new hometown. Sadly, it wasn't talking</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:XNUeR0hjD9wGLM:http://diary.00ff00.com/wp-content/photos/fruit-for-sale.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 170px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:XNUeR0hjD9wGLM:http://diary.00ff00.com/wp-content/photos/fruit-for-sale.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > about this town's attractions but the drought that is afflicting a large part of </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><st1:country-region style="font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >.</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > According to the Thai Meteorological Department,</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" > Hua Hin should get 16 mm of rain in March and 26.5 mm of rain in April, as we slowly head </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >towards the wet season. However, we haven't had more than a cupful of rain for around 6-8 weeks and so the neighbourhood pineapple plantations are parched. The much-loved Thai monarch invented a chemical method for inducing rain, which involves sprinkling a substance in the sky that encourages clouds, and it is this that drew the BBC here. You see, Hua Hin's small airport is the base of this rainmaking operation. Will it work? Well, it did last year, but I have to say that according to the aforementioned Thai Meteorological Department, there's only a 10% chance of rain for the next week. So I'll keep saving water -- by drinking beer!</span> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Talking of water, we're getting very close to the Thai New Year, Songkran, and in Hua Hin, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">that means it's time for cricket. Yesterday saw the start of the 12th <a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/Sports/10Apr2007_sport26.php">Hua Hin </a></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://huahinjapan.com/english/cricket1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 63px; height: 97px;" src="http://huahinjapan.com/english/cricket1.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.bangkokpost.com/Sports/10Apr2007_sport26.php">Invitational Cricket Sixes</a>, with a record 19 teams. This all happens just north of here at the spacious Dusit Resort, which is actually across the line in Petchaburi province. If you are feeling fit enough, the proceedings begin at 8am and keep going until 5.30pm -- if the beer holds out! I went to the Cricket Sixes last year -- and got well and truly soaked en route by the water splashing Songkran celebrants along the road. I might go later this week, especially as I may have a couple of Aussie friends staying with us, but we'll have to see. I am not that crazy about cricket, having been a poor batsman and an even worse bowler, and my oriental wife would be totally baffled, so maybe staying near the beach or the fridge seems to make a lot more sense. After all, what's the point of having an extended holiday in the hot season if you don't support the local breweries?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-17179938165726110522007-04-02T09:44:00.000+07:002007-04-02T10:03:14.026+07:00The first half of April has been cancelled!<span style="font-style: italic;">Did you miss me? I know I said I'd tell you about my Bangkok jaunt when I got back but after I did get back, things got a little hectic and so I couldn't get round to it. Suffice to say that it all went well and as you can see, I survived the Thai driving and returned home to Hua Hin safe & well. Doesn't that make you feel better?</span> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Now this weekend just finished (31st/1st) saw the highlight of the Asian rugby calendar, the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.discoverhongkong.com/kor/showtime/highlight/images/sevens.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.discoverhongkong.com/kor/showtime/highlight/images/sevens.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> Hong Kong Sevens. Luckily, I was able to watch every game on TV here and don’t worry -- I maintained the tradition of only watching the first game sober! There was some great rugby (though Japan and France need, as my teacher used to say, to 'try harder') but it also made me wonder why, when poor countries like Madagascar and Sri Lanka were represented, there is never a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bangkoksevens.com/_images/bkk7s_mast-logo.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 62px; height: 84px;" src="http://www.bangkoksevens.com/_images/bkk7s_mast-logo.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>team from Thailand? Not just the HK Sevens but almost any large sporting event (except the Olympics). Well, after having lived here for almost 2 years now, I can easily explain that -- as can anyone who's ever worked with a typical Thai male. (I do have to mention that there is a '<a href="http://www.bangkoksevens.com/">Bangkok Sevens'</a> tournament, but the vast majority of the players are farangs, with only a few non-typical Thais discovering how much fun life can be when you get your act together!)
</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt; font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">1.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->If there were a Thai team, the kick-off would be 2 hours late. One reason there are so few clocks in Thai institutions and streets is that no one cares what the time is!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt; font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">2.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->No one would ever pass the ball! For the average Thai, long term means after lunch and so preparing a strategy for any game would be impossible. Judging by my students and the people we do business with, the average response to getting the ball would be "very nice -- but where's the fun in this?" If it isn't fun, they just don't want to know!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt; font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">3.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Half time would last till the next day. There are exceptions, of course (mostly the ethnic Chinese Thais) but usually, if you give young Thais a 10-minute break, they'll come back after 30 or 40 minutes -- or never!</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 39pt; text-indent: -18pt; font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">4.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The Government would make it illegal for anyone to lose! No Thai high school student is allowed to fail, even if they never show up for class. A zero score is not permitted, so the referee would have to give the local team a point even if they never arrived!</p> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">There are some fairly successful Thai golfers, tennis players & boxers, but team sports require coordination -- and trying that here would test the patience of a saint!</p> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Anyway, this is a short week for most Thais, as Friday is Chakri Day, a holiday that honours<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.thailand-huahin.com/photos/pg/pg63/P4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.thailand-huahin.com/photos/pg/pg63/P4.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a> the ruling dynasty. What's more, the week after sees the onset of Songkran, the Thai New Year. This is celebrated by the locals throwing/firing/ladling water onto anyone they happen to meet, be they friend or stranger, passer-by or cop. That may not sound like too much fun but remember -- this is the HOT season, with 40c+ being a daily event, and so a nice cold shower can be very welcome!
</p><p style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">However, this will, of course, mean a few more days' siesta for most of the Kingdom, so if you're hoping to get anything done in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the first half of April -- don't!</p> <p style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-89054142647917692602007-03-12T11:37:00.000+07:002007-03-12T12:08:58.385+07:00Summer -- time for tourists, pink flab & heat!<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >It may sound strange when I say that I am now on the final week of my summer holidays, but TiT -- this is </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >! Here, they don't judge their seasons by the calendar but by the weather, & as we are now entering the hottest time of year, they call this summer. Strangely logical, don't you think?</span><o:p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;"> </o:p>
<p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">We are also nearing the end of the peak tourist season, which matters when you live in a tourist town. Downtown Hua Hin is still filled with pasty looking foreigners, scantily clad to make sure they get sunburnt nice & quickly. A lot of them have obviously not read up on <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> before coming here & so they think it's neat to walk around the downtown streets as if they were on the beach. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> can be a very conservative place & so although they may not say so, they do not like people walking around topless. For women, even going topless on the beach could get one into trouble but for the men, strolling around the shops topless may give you a holiday feeling but it won't please the locals. What's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40573000/jpg/_40573027_chubber203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40573000/jpg/_40573027_chubber203.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> more, like those in shorts, the ones who choose to go topless are usually the ones who definitely shouldn't! Seeing all that pink skin is bad enough but pink beer guts & rolls of raw flab are enough to put me off my breakfast! A friend of mine once observed that women can never be equal with men until they can walk down the street, balding, badly shaven & with a more than ample beer belly hanging over their trousers, & still think they're sexy! Judging by some of the males who 'parade' up & down Hua Hin's avenues, he has a very good point!
<o:p></o:p></p> <p style="font-family: trebuchet ms; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow, I'm off to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> for a few days. I haven't been in the 'Big Mango' since last <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-I2qGA5EuCTJ-I6btLvTxcjB7DniLRbiuY699iKyJ9tMScCOZpQ4N6FbJYFSn7skgW3E1YSyKG2ejyJHfh8Tc2DgNOoeu1eAFVRoxatsqd_xI_i_BjwBcwKUEfQ45Skpizev/s1600-h/ErawanCorner12_28.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-I2qGA5EuCTJ-I6btLvTxcjB7DniLRbiuY699iKyJ9tMScCOZpQ4N6FbJYFSn7skgW3E1YSyKG2ejyJHfh8Tc2DgNOoeu1eAFVRoxatsqd_xI_i_BjwBcwKUEfQ45Skpizev/s200/ErawanCorner12_28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040900232561855154" border="0" /></a>October, when I went there on a day trip. This time, we're staying a few days & so I may well suffer a bit of culture shock. After all, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> has many things that Hua Hin doesn't, like lifts, traffic jams, crowds, department stores, taxis, pollution & pubs that aren't girlie bars! We'll be going by 'VIP bus', which means one of the almost-double-deckers with a/c & toilets. Leaving here at around 6.30am, we should hit the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> traffic sometime between 9 & 10. However, with one of the easiest driving tests in the world (which a lot of Thais prefer not to take), a 225km drive can be a little bit like the Twilight Zone, so if I make it back in one piece, I shall tell you about my adventures (?) later on! </p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-9217297748890048382007-02-25T15:23:00.000+07:002007-02-25T15:28:30.050+07:00"Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQgVgLfUcdtJq_bpx7UrH4c9BT_uSkWJN7CgUV6uVIyNaU6UXYf7QSQgvJq2IRVJXMzyxyQWRxouxUIdWsBrbEVuoxDFrEdCYcrrNTtZGaXDI1QgeFvZbrJSwfHVKloJZ-BYx/s1600-h/sun_with_beach_ball.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQgVgLfUcdtJq_bpx7UrH4c9BT_uSkWJN7CgUV6uVIyNaU6UXYf7QSQgvJq2IRVJXMzyxyQWRxouxUIdWsBrbEVuoxDFrEdCYcrrNTtZGaXDI1QgeFvZbrJSwfHVKloJZ-BYx/s400/sun_with_beach_ball.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035385083581789250" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;">This week, it has become increasingly obvious that winter is long gone & the build up to the hot season (which locals aptly call 'summer' even though it's during the Northern Hemisphere winter/spring) has begun. We haven't yet broken the 40c barrier yet but we will. The Chiang Mai weather office is predicting an extra hot, extra dry summer for northern </span><st1:country-region style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;" st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-family: arial;"> & I doubt if things will be much different here in the Centre/South. I can't recall when we last had rain worth mentioning & although some clouds do occasionally venture into the sky overhead, they have yet to drop anything!</span><o:p> </o:p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal">Personally speaking, I have heard that two friends, both living in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, are planning to pop over & visit me here in Hua Hin. When we first moved here, I was expecting a veritable convoy of people to pop over & visit us, rather like the much-missed John Thaw's character in 'A Year in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Provence</st1:place></st1:state>'. I realise that Hua Hin isn't as accessible as southern <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region> but I thought the chance of a hotel-free holiday on the Thai coast would attract a few friends. However, our 'absent friends' in Tokyo, London & elsewhere seem to lack a taste for new horizons & so apart from a few of my wife's former colleagues (a charming bunch of Japanese ladies who visited Hua Hin for just a few days), our spare room remains remarkably under-utilised. </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal">The first of our expected visitors who are planning to boldly go where so few others have ventured before has, like me, a Japanese wife, & as they are planning to visit during the aforementioned hot season, we might spend more time chatting in the shade than visiting the beach or temples. The other guy spent over 20 years in the Aussie Army, including a spell in <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Somalia</st1:country-region></st1:place>, so whenever he comes, I doubt if the weather will bother him much! </p> <p style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Anyway, unless a visitor is a rugby nut like me, they might find life here a little dull, as I am glued to my TV each weekend, thanks to the ongoing Super 14 & the 6 Nations. The time difference does mean that I'm getting a few late nights -- I went to bed at 3am after watching the Irish thrash <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">England</st1:place></st1:country-region>! However, the lack of sleep & resulting hangover were well worth it. To paraphrase the poet, "Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive, But to see the Irish triumph in the warmth of a Thai summer was very heaven." </p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-90470157214811904032007-02-15T13:54:00.000+07:002007-02-15T14:00:32.910+07:00Looking back on a great weekend . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5hJTo7NhaXf2VTlYU-eHf_uR5odOU0dFaukq90OlJtgFni7qpy632_EcYx_mW4xjTCDi1fwUJJxPse9Pbk2qldi2xp-8Zu5w2H5Q0nXI5vtmX7YxEjeimT9IU8aoNxR_vcaM/s1600-h/ThaiBurmaBorder.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5hJTo7NhaXf2VTlYU-eHf_uR5odOU0dFaukq90OlJtgFni7qpy632_EcYx_mW4xjTCDi1fwUJJxPse9Pbk2qldi2xp-8Zu5w2H5Q0nXI5vtmX7YxEjeimT9IU8aoNxR_vcaM/s320/ThaiBurmaBorder.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031651927265976802" border="0" /></a>As we approach the next weekend, I can't help recalling last weekend -- & I doubt if it'll be matched! A quick glimpse of Burma, lunch by the beach & then some great live rugby. That's a hard act to follow, right?<p class="MsoNormal">Last Saturday (the 10th), I travelled a little closer to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Burma</st1:place></st1:country-region> that I usually care to. Officially, foreigners can't cross over into '<st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Myanmar</st1:place></st1:country-region>' but the border is less than 60km from my home & if you don't mind using some rather rough mountain paths, is also pretty porous. I have been told that it's easy to cross without knowing, according to some trekkers & motorcyclists. I'd rather not find out.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, why did I go anywhere near that thoroughly unpleasant, unhappy land? Well, I had been invited to take a look at a new development located on the western side of the mountains that form a backdrop to Hua Hin. Part of the AKA Resort development, this part was very scenic indeed. There are some lovely verdant plains beyond those dusty mountains, stretching off towards the Burmese frontier. Although we could see for a long way, there was barely any sign of life -- no sounds of traffic & very few dwellings. The lack of activity was partly due to the rather intense sunshine, which gave me a little sunburn before the day was over. However, it was worth it, as I enjoyed seeing the other side of the hills, & look forward to returning to that area soon & often.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We had lunch that day at Let's Sea hotel, on the edge of a patio right on the beach. It's a very nice restaurant, with attentive, English-speaking staff -- in fact, I'm taking 'her indoors' there for a Valentine's Day dinner tonight! Anyway, the Japanese visitors who were with us seemed amazed at how empty this long, sandy beach was -- & then I reminded them that this is still the peak season here! This part of the beach is about 4km from downtown & doubtless it was much more crowded around the Sofitel. However, Hua Hin never gets as crowded as some of those European or <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:state> beaches one sees on TV. Even after the tsunami, I'm willing to bet Phuket gets much more congested. That's one more reason I've only ever been there once -- for a short day trip -- & I have no plans to return.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My weekend ended in a very nice way when, at around 22:00, I watched the Ireland-France game, live from the hallowed turf of <st1:placename st="on">Croke</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dublin</st1:place></st1:city>. Hitherto, there was no rugby at <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Croke</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The <a href="http://www.gaa.ie/page/history__culture.html">Gaelic Athletic Association's </a>rule 42 ensured that, as it was an English game, it could not be played there. This was partly because of the incident in 1920 when British forces fired into the crowd & killed 14 people, including spectators and players (an exaggerated version of this was shown in the film 'Michael Collins'). It was indeed a fine game, worth staying up for. <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> got a try from the talented Ronan O'Gara, who also scored with 4 kicks. Indeed, <st1:country-region st="on">Ireland</st1:country-region> seemed set for victory when O'Gara's fourth penalty in the 77th minute stretched <st1:country-region st="on">Ireland</st1:country-region>'s lead to four points (17-13), but <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region> regathered the restart and sent Vincent Clerc through for the winning try. Final score was 17 - 20. As I like both teams, the result was fine for me, though it must have broken a few Irish hearts. I'm sure Guinness did well that night, though
</p>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-18555566691580506552007-02-14T22:04:00.000+07:002007-02-14T22:12:04.081+07:00Out of Africa -- or is it Thailand?<span style="font-family:verdana;">Now as it says in my profile, I grew up in Southern Africa, in the country now known as Zimbabwe, & although I miss Africa like a baby might miss its mother, the current situation in Zim (& also in SA, to a lesser extent) makes moving there as advisable as opening a pig farm in Jeddah! But life here in south-central Thailand is often surprisingly similar to life back home.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">
It's not just the weather, as Thailand gets much warmer than Zim,</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> but other things. For example, life is slow, & the locals don't seem to include 'urgent' or 'hurry' in their vocabulary. Prices are generally much lower than in Europe or (of course) Japan, & because it is more often sunny than not, we tend to spend plenty of time outdoors. The veranda of my house gets plenty of use, as does my BBQ. OK, we can't get the</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcZOqN6B5FnxquPS2G0k8_bRBtUbvqdZKRmQssp7YEUDzP-fuN7NZAK7FH2qzvDh7kkvGmx-FygfwS4lrOHH1tHkDesA6q6WTzMpHLhK5ta52hLQhrfyBmaG9ex-aGA1QOIcQ/s1600-h/051009+Housewarming+Guests5.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcZOqN6B5FnxquPS2G0k8_bRBtUbvqdZKRmQssp7YEUDzP-fuN7NZAK7FH2qzvDh7kkvGmx-FygfwS4lrOHH1tHkDesA6q6WTzMpHLhK5ta52hLQhrfyBmaG9ex-aGA1QOIcQ/s320/051009+Housewarming+Guests5.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031407260158992850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> same food here (though I have heard it can be found in Bangkok), but we can get biltong (sometimes mistakenly called jerky) -- or Nua Sawan as its known here (Moo Dat Diew if you prefer pork). The Thai love of spicy food means there are many dishes similar to the Portuguese Peri-Peri. I even had some very fine fresh</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> water prawns at a lakeside restaurant inside the huge Kaeng Krachan National Park that tasted very similar to the ones I once enjoyed in Beira -- 'Camarao Grelhado Piripiri' I think the Moz dish was called.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">
Sadly, the rugby missionaries haven't been very active in Thailand, least of all outside of Bangkok, & the national love of football means the oval ball gets very little coverage on Thai TV. However, it is possible to get South African satellite TV here & so I shall be missing very little of the upcoming Super 14 or 6 Nations. Imagine: Sitting on the patio, a bowl of Moo Dat Diew on one side, an icy bottle of Chang (which is a very drinkable beer, & remarkably cheap, too!) on the other, & live rugby on the TV. Ah yes. I accept that this might not be as nice as life back on the ranch on which I grew up -- but it could certainly be worse…</span>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23154623.post-44786789886538476942006-12-09T12:02:00.000+07:002006-12-09T12:13:18.760+07:00Escape to the islands . . . Sort of!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.circleofasia.com/mapimages/Koh-Phangan-map.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.circleofasia.com/mapimages/Koh-Phangan-map.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Last week, the college where I try (not with great success) to teach supposedly education-seeking Thais decided to give everyone a week off – without real warning, of course. Anyway, having managed to persuade my wife to tear herself away from the computer for a few days, we set off one Sunday morning for the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Koh Phangan</st1:placename></st1:place>, located just north of Koh Samui. The 8.30 bus from Hua Hin departed at 9 & took us to a small ferry pier just outside <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Chumporn</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The ferry, supposedly an ultra modern, ultra fast catamaran, departed OK but soon after we reached the small <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Koh Tao</st1:placename></st1:place>, we were forced to get off the boat. No reason given & although I thought it might be engine problems, the boat then picked up a bunch of passengers heading the other way & took them off! I later learned that a large tour party had arrived at the Chumporn terminal & with typical Thai disregard for business, the company had decided to dump us & aim for them! Anyway, we later boarded the next ferry, which was of course already crowded, & so I spent the trip mostly sitting on a plastic stool at the back of the ship. After finally reaching our destination, we caught a crowded Song Thew to our hotel, located on a slope about 20 minutes outside the main port, Thongsala. We were supposed to stay here for 3 nights but mother nature had other plans. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB">We spent most of the daylight hours in or around the hotel, as the island’s attraction were not enough to make us drag our 2 ½ year old son along the winding & dangerous roads. We did manage to visit the lovely home of some French/Japanese friends we knew from Hua Hin, but this involved travelling across the island via some rather dicey roads. They live in a truly beautiful old cottage right beside the sea – except that it isn’t old, it’s just built to look old. Truly like something out of a guide book! However, come Tuesday night, we discovered how true the old adage of ‘Man proposes, God disposes’ is. You see, my wife noticed that the booking agent in Hua Hin had made a mistake on our return ferry ticket & so she called them. That was when we found out that due to the storm (the remains of Typhoon Durian that was sweeping across the Gulf), our ferry had been cancelled & there was no way we could get back to the mainland that day! To make matters worse, we couldn’t even use the hotel pool, due to the continual heavy rain, or even get on the beach – which meant keeping our little one amused for a long & windswept day! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB">However, come the next morning, the weather returned to normal , clear skies & smooth seas, & so after waking up the staff to get us some breakfast (this hotel, ‘Sunset Cove’, might consider itself a luxury resort but I most certainly do not), we headed back to Thongsala, where we eventually boarded the catamaran ferry & set off for the mainland. Having paid an extra 50 baht, we were allowed to sit in the so-called ‘VIP room’, which was virtually empty until we reached Koh Tao, where a large bunch of very noisy Thais came onboard. The movies shown during the voyage were both very unsuitable for our young son but luckily he was more interested in the sea & other boats. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB">We reached the mainland at some time after 12 & then resumed the chaotic experience of trying to make sense of arrangements made by a Thai company. It is hardly surprising that the Thai economy is falling behind all of its neighbours & may soon be overtaken even by <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Laos</st1:place></st1:country-region>! You see, we were told to board the bus but we were not told there were 3 buses leaving. In line with the rules of nature, the one for Hua Hin was the last one we checked! Anyway, we got back to Hua Hin some time around 17.15, the journey north having taken much longer than the journey south, & then headed home.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span lang="EN-GB">Summary: Koh Phangan is a beautiful island, with some lovely scenery, especially in the mountainous interior. However, it’s charms are NOT worth the hassle & discomfort that the transport arrangements that link it with the rest of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> entail. If you do decide to go, try to avoid using the catamaran service (run by a company called Lomprayah). The best way is probably to fly to Koh Samui & then take the local ferry north to Koh Phangan. They say that the island will have its own airport within 5 years but that seems overly optimistic to me, & so I might not be returning there for a while. </span></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span>Old Huahin Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11227401902386945328noreply@blogger.com