Vacationing in Thailand? Try Krabi!

Krabi is an amazing Thailand destination and probably the best place overall to visit if you only have a few short days in Thailand and want to make the most of your vacation.

Krabi has something for everyone including new additions in the shopping realm. Big C, Tesco Lotus, Makro, and an International Outlet store with Nike, Reebox, Adidas and other brand names are now open in Krabi Town.
 

 

If it’s familiar food you crave there is a McDonald’s and Burger King in Ao Nang Beach and KFC, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, Black Canyon Coffee and others in the Krabi area.

If you want to try something adventurous you can climb Wat Tum Sua’s 1,237 steps to the top of a small limestone mountain at sunset and get awesome photos. You could go to Huay Toh Waterfall just 19km up a country road from I-4 highway where it runs through Krabi Town. There are two hikes that are highly recommended, one being at “Khao Phanom Bencha National Park” on the other side of the mountain as where Huay Toh waterfall is. The other being in Tub Kaak, and is called, “Phi Phi Islands National Park” but it’s part of the mainland. That one is a steady climb to 500+ meters and 360 degree views for tens of kilometers. Amazing!

If you want to drink at the bars then there are plenty at Ao Nang Beach and some in Town on Chao Fa Road, Uttarakit near the pier, and some naughty nightlife places scattered all over town.

If you want to relax - there is Noppharat Thara Beach, Railay Beach, Phi Phi Islands, and many other islands that are easily reachable by longtail boat.

Krabi has an outstanding selection of things to do and if you know where to look for it - you’ll find exactly what you crave.

Krabi, Thailand Sunsets, 4 Photos

Now that the rain has slowed down in Krabi… no, it hasn’t stopped. I think Krabi must be the wettest place in Thailand. I am looking forward to moving again here shortly. Somewhere more dry. Someplace with mountains to climb maybe? Someplace with really nice people like the NorthEast would be great - but where are the mountains to climb? Korat?

There are so many things to do in Krabi that you’ll never get bored. Well, if you’re looking for the crazy nightlife you might get bored as there is little of that. What is to be found is in Ao Nang and there isn’t much.

Top 10 Things to Do in Krabi

Top 10 Things to do in Krabi, Thailand on Vacation

1. Visit Wat Tum Sua Buddhist Temple (Tiger Cave Temple).

2. Visit Huay To Waterfall in the Khao Phanom Benja National Park.

3. Go see the Crystal Lagoon or Crystal Pond (Freshwater swimming hole).

4. Take a ferry or longtail boat to Ko Phi Phi islands.

5. Ao Nang beach…

6. I found a cool little wat (Buddhist temple) that is built on one side of a huge limestone hill. Wat Tum Sang Phet (Diamond Cave Temple).

7. Nopparat Thara Beach.

8. Koh Lanta?

9. Chicken head island.

10. Railay beach.

I have a write up on a page I created at ThaiPulse.com here…

Top 10 Things to do in Krabi on Vacation >

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Sisaket, Thailand… Isaan Through and Through

I’ve not spent a lot of time in Sisaket, Thailand, maybe a month or so total. Sisaket is a province and a town. The town is located west of Ubon Ratchathani in the Isaan area of Thailand. “Isaan” is what the northeast area of the Thailand is known as.

In the summers the temperature is blistering hot. The Songkran Water Throwing festival is seriously appreciated during this time. They should throw water for all of April, May and June because it is like a desert during these months. Even on into July and August you don’t want to leave your flip-flop sandals at the outside of a temple you’re visiting because if you need to walk across the ground that has been brightly lit by the sun for a couple hours you’re going to be dancing your way towards some shade in a hurry! In the winters it can be COLD. Riding the motorbike in Isaan after 10pm on a winter’s night can get below the freezing point with the windchill. Frequently during the winters at night it’s possible to breath out fog.

Sisaket town is smaller than Ubon Ratchathani and doesn’t have near as many shopping outlets available. There is one small mall in town called, “Soon Heng” with a supermarket, theaters, bookstore, KFC chicken, and MD’s Sukiyaki (like MK’s), a coffee shop and a donut shop, plenty of karaoke booths, a place for kids to play and a small food court.

All around Sisaket seems to be a market. The entire town is like one big market. You can find tents and small shops selling fruit and every kind of food and clothes. But, uhm, no farang food like pizza and spaghetti. One would need to go an hour east to Ubon’s “Risotto” restaurant to find the closest quality pizza and spaghetti.

Sisaket has a train station and a bus station. The train will get you anywhere in Thailand as it goes through Nakhon Ratchisma (Korat) as well as Bangkok. There are air conditioned and fan-cooled coaches. Overnight trains to Bangkok are comfortable as you can sleep for 10 hours and when you wake up, you’re there! Cost of an air-conditioned sleeper seat would be around 600 baht (in 2007).

Everyone seems to know each other in Sisaket. I remember a couple years ago I was at an outdoor market with my friend who is from Sisaket (born there) and she had her back turned to traffic, but someone KNEW it was her as they drove by in a truck and stopped to chat with her. How they knew it was her we haven’t the slightest idea except that everyone knows everyone.

As a foreigner in Sisaket I was treated really well. There are many Thai people that want to practice their English with me and laugh when they see me. Some stare. Some point. Some say, “Mommy, farang!”. There’s no ill-intention, just curious people. A long time ago during the Vietnam war they saw quite a few soldiers from America around, but we’re scarce now. As I said in the review of Ubon Ratchathani, there are about 1% of Thailand’s visitors having a look at Isaan. Isaan is a big place covering many provinces. Ubon is the largest province. If 1/20th out of the 1% of visitors to Thailand are going to Ubon, then about 1/500th of 1% are visiting Sisaket.

Last time I was in Sisaket I don’t remember seeing any farang (western) tourists or residents. I was there for almost a week - and it was just me and the lovely Isaan people.

Sisaket towns people really enjoy having foreigners around. Some think we bring them good luck. Others, that we bring money. Others still, that we will marry their daughter or other relations! There’s no shortage of beautiful girls here, but most that are of working age have moved on to Bangkok or somewhere else to earn money. Girls in high school can be frequently seen, but those of college age are pretty rare. There is a Rajabhat University in Sisaket, though I think it must be much smaller than the one in Ubon Ratchathani. Ubon is kind of a college town considering they have Rajabhat, Ubon Ratchathani University, Polytechnic, and a lot of technical schools.

There are many elephants walking around at night. Here is a short video of a very small baby elephant that is paraded through the street. The owners take the food with them and get people to pay to feed the elephant. Kind of sad I guess, but elephants like to walk I think. This one I saw a month ago is really cute, but when the guy realized I wasn’t paying to feed it, he quickly moved on.

On the road going towards Surin is a golf driving range, though I’m not sure there is a place to play golf since I’m not a player.

There are 4 public parks that can be seen. One very large park is very special and was built in honor of the present King’s mother. The name of this park is, “Soowan Som Det”. It is a BEAUTIFUL park with many lakes filled with large catfish and Tilapia (Nile Perch) that can be fed for 10 baht for a bag of fish-food pellets.

During March and April the yellow trees called in Thai, “Dok Koon”, are blooming along with some purple flowered trees. There is another tree with flowers called, “Lum Duan” that suffuses great areas of the park with the most incredible smell - like a woman’s perfume. The first few times I smelled it as I ran around I thought that a woman must have just ridden through on her motorbike or something. I never imagined that the smell could be a flower because it is exactly like a perfume someone might purchase in a beauty store. The people of Sisaket have a big festival during the time these flowers are blooming in March. The park at that time is filled with hundreds (thousands?) of people dancing, eating, playing sports, selling their products and showing their artwork.

There is a small zoo in this park where you will find deer, hippos, alliagators, birds of every sort, peacocks, turtles, a vulture, snakes, lizards and water monitors. There is one group of animals with genetical anomalies here which is sad to see. One was a cow with another cow growing out of it’s right shoulder area. Three or 4 legs can be plainly seen coming out of the shoulder region and there are other bones under the skin that give the cow a distorted appearance. Next to the cow is a buffalo with a malformed jaw and another buffalo missing a leg. It’s quite sad to see. Especially sad was that the cow with the deformity was a male and seemed to be horny for the female cow that was in the same pen. I kept telling him not to mate, it’s going to be nothing but bad news, but I think eventually he’s going to be able to pull it off successfully. There will be another addition to the zoo’s genetic wonders section if that happens.

The other parks are very small and don’t have many trees for shade. The weather during summer is very hot in Sisaket, I can’t stress that enough! Bring a hat and water with you wherever you go, you’ll need it.

There are a couple hotels in the city that tourists should have a look at. The best one, is probably “The NorthEast Hotel” which is located on Sisumung Road near Wat Luang. The rate is about 340 baht per night and there is no discount for multiple days or weeks staying. It’s a new hotel with a coffee shop and free internet broadband place close to it. The rooms are all air-conditioned and clean. I didn’t stay there, but went and had a look at the room. I stayed at a hotel that is near the train station called, “Prompeeman Hotel” for 270 baht per night for a fan room. The sheets were incredibly disgusting and so I took some from the maids cart which were brand new and I re-did my bed with those. Maybe better to stay at the “NorthEast Hotel” for the cleanliness factor. There are numerous nightclub type establishments off the lobby area of the Prompeeman hotel and it seems like the one happening spot for night time activities if you are into that.

There is a bus station that can get you anywhere with air-conditioned or fan buses. Across the street is a night club - the largest in Sisaket, and called, “Nona”. I’ve not been there, but a friend said it resembles “The Rock” nightclub in the base of the “Nevada Hotel” in Ubon Ratchathani.

Sisaket has many temples in the area of the city and surrounding. There is a temple right outside the city about 5 kilometers called, “Wat Prathat Ruang”. If you visit there you can ring many of the bells and gongs in the temple for good luck. Great fun! Other temples are on the way to Surin and some have ancient ruins that are part of the Khmer dynasty. I have some photos here of an old brown-stoned temple on the way to Surin that was really nice.

This will sound funny, but when I was at that temple I went in to look at the Buddhist amulets for necklaces and other things they were selling. There was an odd man behind the counter whose eyes were wide and hazy, almost like he was blind, but he got around the office OK. He was missing his front two teeth. When he saw me said, “Florida” about 8 times until I understood what he was saying. I’m from Florida. I told him. He just shook his head and said, “child”. Then he said, “boy”. It was so strange. I’d never met him and he’d never have met anyone that I knew. I have a son in Florida that I think about everyday and that I miss a lot. He’s always on my mind. This guy picked it up immediately. Very odd.

Anyway… so, Sisaket is a very quiet town that is safe and a great place to relax if you want to unwind from Pattaya, Bangkok, or some other high-energy area of Thailand.

Don’t forget to try the ant-eggs. Women carry them around the city in clear plastic bags - they appear to be queen ants by the hundred that they chilled to stop the development. They are big, juicy, and a unique taste that you’ve likely not found elsewhere.

Sisaket, Thailand… is Isaan personified.

Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand: Travel Review

Ubon Ratchathani, A Review of a city in Isaan

I stayed in Ubon Ratchathani for over a year. It was my first stop after having stayed in Patong Beach for a couple months. I arrived in Ubon and was there for a few days before the Tsunami of 2004 hit Patong Beach in Phuket. I called my friend to see if he survived and he had slept through it. The house he stayed in was up the hill a little ways on the north side of the beach and the water didn't come up as high as he was, though it was close.

I came to Ubon Ratchathani because it was a link on the way to Warin Chamrap which was my real destination. I wanted to see "Wat Pa Nanachat", the Buddhist temple for English speaking foreigners that a monk had told me about in the states.

I took a tuk-tuk from Ubon all the way to Wat Pa Nanachat and I'm sure I lost 3 octaves of sensitivity in my hearing that day. You probably should take a bus or motorbike taxi like everyone else and not follow my example. I think I paid 170 baht (less than $5 usd) to take the tuk-tuk, which is a good price considering it's about 15 kilometers away from the Ubon bus terminal. Maybe more.

I found what I was looking for at the temple. The Australian monk told me what I'd waiting about 9 years to hear… I had reached states of Jhana during meditation that, apparently is quite on the way to Nirvana or whatever you believe happens after that. The abbot invited me to stay, but I wasn't really too excited about staying there and becoming enlightened. I still don't really see the point of it right now but it's probably something I'd want to do before I die. I think.

Ubon has anywhere from 100,000 to a million people if you believe the census or what people will give you for estimates - myself included. I don't really have the slightest idea how to estimate the population for a city. I grew up in a town of about 3500. I don't really have a good reference point for anything between that, and Honolulu, New York City, or Tampa where I spent the majority of time "living life".

There is a bus terminal that can get you anywhere in the country, both VIP air-conditioned buses and local red/pink fan-equipped buses can be found here. Buses leave at night to reach Bangkok by early morning. The train station is in Warin Chamrap and is about 5 kilometers away from the bus terminal. One needs to cross a bridge over the Moon (Mun) river to reach Warin Chamrap. The airport found following a main road off Chayangkun Road near Robinsons. The airport can get you to Bangkok and there are 2 flights arriving from there and departing for the capital daily.

Ubon has Big C and Tesco shopping centers as well as a Robinsons and a mall called "SK Mall". There is a Major Cineplex movie theater in SK Mall as well as MK Sukiyaki, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mr. Donuts, Dairy Queen (the dummed down version of course), and a coffee shop on the ground level and the 3rd level where the Cineplex is. There is a very fast, comfortable and expensive (35 baht per hour) internet service operated by TOT on the 2nd level and hidden behind some small clothing shops and a bakery/eatery that is actually quite good named "Fern Hut". They have a good pork hamburger with ketchup, mustard and french fries on the side.

Both Tesco and Big C have decent bakery sections, though if it's Italian / French bread and sandwich meat you crave you'll want to head to Tesco and pick up a 22 baht loaf. It's rather good as they put salt in their bread and it seems nearly none of the other Tesco's in the country do so. There is a good assortment of sliced meats too: Salami, pepperoni, Bologna, ham, and some other things I don't eat so I didn't pay much attention to. There is a salad bar section where one can get cut onions, tomatoes and other vegetables that is all put into the same bag and weighed at the deli counter for a price to stick on the bag for when you check out. They can't weigh it at the main checkout. Tesco also has Haagen Dazs ice-cream in small and larger sizes and it's quite expensive but they have "coffee" flavor which I sometimes can't resist.

There are some really good tasting restaurants in Ubon, though the ambiance is not classy and clean. It's more "Thai and traditional". That being said, there is one place with a nice atmosphere that I ate at more than once… Indochine Vietnamese / Thai restaurant on Sapphasit Road which is the road the main public hospital, Sapphasit Hospital, is on.

If you get a chance there are three restaurants you should try. One is Italian and is named, "Risottos". It is on the road that parallels Sapphasit Road and is one block south of the hospital. You can find it just by walking one block south. It is on the corner and is an orange-walled restaurant with lots of large glass windows and white curtains inside. The pizza, spaghetti and pork chop with mashed potatos and spinach are all very good. The lasagna is frozen and isn't ordered much so it's perhaps wise to stay away from that one. They do have an assortment of wines and it's air-conditioned. The staff is just lovely.

Another restaurant is where all the Thais' go for their seafood, it's called, "Gok Kham". It's a large assortment of tents all put together to form this large place to eat. Their food is great and very reasonably priced. Gok Kham is located on the road which surrounds Ubon Ratchathani, called appropriately, "Ring Road".

The final restaurant to tell you about, though you should spend some time visiting as many as you can, is further down Ring road going toward Warin from Ubon. You will come to a bridge and on the right side down the river is a sign for "Had Ku Dua". You'll need to turn down that dirt road and go about a kilometer before you come to a group of restaurants on the water. One in particular that is especially good is called, "Jo-Jo" - but everything is written in Thai language. If you ask someone you might get it. Bringing along a Thai speaker that can find it for you, is a much better suggestion.
This place has a nice ambiance because you eat sitting down on a bamboo and thatch hut that is floating on the river. They give you pillows and some mats to sit on. As your food is ready they will bring it out to you - sometimes balancing on the half-sinking bamboo walkway to reach you! There is a light at each floating hut for nighttime and the mosquitos are harsh, but bearable. Sometimes the ants are NOT bearable though, best to bring some bug lotion.

Not a restaurant, but a great coffee place is "Laos Coffee" which is in a hidden place. To find it you will need to start at Tung C. Muang Park. From there go North on Chayangkun road and make a left before the Montana Hotel which is on the left side of Chayangkun Road. Travel west until you see a 7-11 on the right hand corner. Make a left turn at that intersection and the Laos coffee shop will be on your left side after 100 meters or so. It has fresh-ground Laos coffee to die for… yen (cold) or lon (hot).

If you are into golf there is a driving range near the airport, and another near Benjamahara School. You can rent some clubs and hit balls for some ridiculously cheap rate. There is a golf course in Ubon too!

Ubon is not close to very much. It's isolated pretty well. Sisaket is 60 km to the west. Chong Mek border crossing with Laos is to the east 100 km. Mukdahan is about 80 km north. Yasothon is about 100 km northwest. Pha-Taem National park is 100+ km away and towards Chong Mek. It's a very nice park, though like a desert in the Summer (March - September). There are a few scattered waterfalls out in that same area though they are dry if it's not the rainy season.

Ubon has two major city parks. One is located at the town center and named, "Tung C. Muang". It has basketball, takgraw, volleyball, football (soccer) areas, aerobics at night starting from about 5:30pm and a large walking path that encircles the entire park and which is about .8 kilometers for one lap. There are hundreds of people in the park every evening, regardless of temperatures. The park is safe until about 8pm when there are few people. Late at night it is rumored to be a haunt for ladyboys and others looking to find company for the night.

Nong Bua park is in the north part of the city up around Big C and very close to Nong Bua temple that you can probably find on your map of Ubon. This park is nicely landscaped around a lake in the middle. It too is maybe .8 kilometers around the walking path. There are two groups of aerobics going on every evening. One group is moving around quite quickly, the other group seems to me more stretching and calisthenics based. There is basketball, volleyball, football, and takgraw played by the high school students until after dark. If you have a radio-controlled boat with you this is a great place to do it.

Ubon is a quiet place. There is not a lot to do for tourists except tour the Buddhist temples and do a little shopping. A trip to a village on the outskirts of the city is eye-opening. They live meagerly and yet seem to be very happy. You'll hear "farang" (usually pronounced "falang") from people that see you (assuming you're a westerner like myself). "Farang" is the word they use for visitor or foreigner and should not be taken as derogatory… unless of course they are chasing you with a weapon.

The best reason to visit Ubon Ratchathani or anywhere in the northeast of Thailand is that the people are very friendly and helpful. They love to see foreigners and it's not uncommon to have complete strangers smiling at you, and trying to touch the hair on your arm or just touch you for good luck. They are very superstitious and they love to sell something to a "farang" from their store as they take it as good luck. Many things are seen as good luck and bad luck, and luckily for us we're seen as good luck.

Ubon Ratchathani is not for everyone, but if you're looking to see a bit of how Thailand REALLY is, or how the rest of Thailand really should be… you should stay there for a few days. If you go by train there is a man named, "Pichet" that has a white truck and is there at the train station as the trains arrive from Bangkok every morning. He'll try to persuade you to accompany him back to his home. You should GO! He has a very nice, new home surrounded by dormitories for students at Rajabhat University and he is a very friendly and helpful guy. He speaks English well enough that you can eventually communicate everything you need to with him.

Ubon Ratchathani is one of my favorite cities in Thailand, go visit!

Travelling in Isaan Thailand (Northeast)

Isaan is the coolest place in Thailand.  It's got the best atmosphere of anywhere I've been.

First off foreigners are gawked at. I don't mind… at least SOMEONE is looking at me, you know?  Girls in their teens are flirting with me -and for what reason? I haven't the slightest idea. Someone must have told them that all farangs are good looking. It's far from true, but as long as the Thai girls are believing it - I'm all for it.

I know if I'M getting flirted with then anyone is getting flirted with. It defies explanation really. What is going on here? Would some analysis shed some light?

I doubt it - some things in Thailand DON'T make western sense and won't. Nor will westerners really understand what is going on. Somettimes one must just accept it and forget about any further questioning, it's not even worth it.

I drove over 215 kilometers today through the highways of Isaan. Saw 3 big cities and all of them were cool enough to live in - or to live in the shadow of - in the outskirts so to speak.  It was cooler since a low-pressure system moved in from China and we were supposed to have these horrible storms starting today (Sunday), complete with HAIL.  I was looking forward to that since I haven't seen hail in quite a long time. I think I was 12 or so.

No hail, but awefully cold at 100km per hour on the motorbike. I had a long sleeve shirt and two short-sleeved shirts under that. I had undies, shorts and then pants (jeans) on top. I had cotton athletic socks and nike running shoes. By all improbability there is no way I could be cold in the summer in Isaan. But, I was shivering and my teeth chattering for a good 30 minutes before my mind started to get fuzzy and I recognized it as hypothermia - from lifeguard training… and man, who would have thought THAT was possible in Thailand?  It may have had something to do with my physical state of health… example given:  I had a horrible "business" that morning that was likely a result of eating out every meal since I left Surat Thani 4 days before.  

I call a dookie - "business".

It's more professional.

So I stop and eat some VERY hot soup - I swallow it hot - hoping it will warm me up a bit. I slide into the restroom and exchange baggy shorts for bicycling shorts with the pad in the crotch for bicycle riding to keep everything from chaffing down there as I ride. These shorts are tighter and maybe warmer. I notice that they sag in the stomach area - which is very odd - considering lycra shorts are supposed to be tight EVERYWHERE.  

I have lost quite a bit of fat since last year when I had these shorts on last. I lost 10 kilograms without hardly trying.  That's another post.

So - after an hour of sitting - I start to feel almost normal. I can think straight again. I'm still dizzy though.  Not like I was, but dizzy enough to know things aren't "right".

I decide to go for it.  It's 11:30 and I've got to make it another 100 kilometers to get where I'm going.  

I get going - and it's all smooth from there - the sun came out and warmed me up. I was able to do 80-100 per hour on average and I didn't feel all that cold.

Arriving at Ubon Ratchathani was nice. I remember everything, having spent about a year and a half here when I first arrived in Thailand.  I know the roads, the bumps in the road, the traffic signals, the shortcuts, and how people drive. It was nice to feel good about a place again. Surat didn't really do it for me. Kids drove like racers on the motorbikes, endangering everyone and often dying.  In Ubon it's more civilized.  

The best reason for making a stop here - I know all the great places to eat - and there are MANY.  I've already planned out the next 6 meals.  Isaan food is very different than the rest of the country… there are more spices that they use - and they use more of them. Salt, chili peppers, garlic, fermented fish, limes, I love it all - and in the same dish is great too.

I've already hit 7-11 where they stock a local bakery's banana bread roll which was what I subsisted on for over a year for breakfast.  It is awesome stuff. You must try it if you come to Ubon Ratchathani.  

School is out and the kids are away. There is very little traffic and it's almost deserted here. The town limits of Ubon Ratchathani usually holds in excess of 100,000 people I'm guessing.  The census figures are wrong for all of Thailand as there has been some serious migration toward the cities.  

Jobs are everywhere in Isaan for teaching - there's nobody that couldn't get one if they wanted. With diploma or without. Being native speaker or not. Being able to teach or not.  There are Germans teaching here that nobody can understand, but they are getting paid to teach English. In Isaan the schools will take whatever they can get.

There are some things to do here. "THE ROCK" is a large nightclub in the bottom of the NEVADA hotel - pronounced by Thais' as "Neh wah dah".  There are nightly ladyboy danceshows and real ladies too - they alternate.  The shows start about 9 pm and keep going until 11 or so when it's just dance music over the speakers, and usually the same tunes - but everyone feels comfortable dancing to them - and things get rocking after 12:30 or so.  The club also FILLS UP after about midnight as other smaller clubs start to close.  No ID is needed, nor will they frisk you for weapons, but the Thais' need ID and a frisk.

If you take care of the bouncer type guys there with 20-40 baht everytime you see them you'll get royal treatment and they'll probably stop a fight that breaks out if you're involved - unless you really deserve it.  I've not seen any fights inside The Rock, but I've heard of a couple. Be careful.  There are Thai guys there that are used to being Numero UNO, if you come in with your western posse and suddenly you are the one being looked at and talked about - you are now number 1 and they guy or guys may not appreciate it and start something.

One time I was mildly buzzed and pointed to some guy's plate of food and was incredulous that he could get Gai Pad King in the club - I didn't even know they served it as nobody else is ever eating in there.  The guy got extremely pissed - probably thinking I'm calling his food shite or something - and my Thai friend had to intervene and Kartold krup about 9 times as the guy cooled off a little with each one.

So - when you're drunk you might do something similar that might seem innocuous, but that leads to you getting beat to death by 15 guys.

It's quarter to five on Saturday and I'll likely not get this out today. I'll try to send it tomorrow before I head off to a nearby town.

You should visit Isaan - Ubon, Amnat Charoen, Mahasarakham, whatever - just to get a different feel for Thailand. It's what I think Thailand is really about… many people giving food to the monks in the early morning… dancers in the street following pickup trucks with speakers playing music from a wired-in guitar like instrument that goes really fast like Indian music… Forest wats… great food - spicy maak maa…  reasonable traffic… beautiful people…  good parties and Songkran…  and hotter than hell in the summer - don't come until Winter - you'll appreciate it more!

10 Top Places to Visit in Thailand!

Next stop, Chumpon

the plan is to stay with some friends in Chumpon and then head towards BKK Saturday maybe.

We ordered a pizza for our journey out of Surat, but as usual at Milanos Pizza on the river they dicked it up AGAIN by not making it for us to pickup. we told them we have a train to catch, AND they know us… But still dicked it up. So I'm pissed I've gotta eat train food. Farking Milanos!

Chumpon have pizza?

Suratthani Train Station

Moving on!

Krabi, Thailand: Islands TOO MUCH!

Krabi, Thailand has some beautiful spots. This was taken from a beach in Railay. Railay “West”.  If you go to Krabi, do NOT miss Railay beach, I think it might be the best destination in Thailand.

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