Thailand – Down The Road

Ao Nang Beach

The south end of Ao Nang beach holds little interest for me. The massage huts are fronted by female massage touts who always ask ‘massage?’ in a tone that suggests you must be stupid because you don’t seem to have have noticed that this stretch of the beach is given over entirely to massage. The tone holds a ring of surprise too. Surprise, I guess, that a Farang has the audacity to march through this stretch of beach without the slightest interest in massage. That’s why I’m here love, but they’d never understand that.
I used to enjoy a diet coke and an hours read of the latest novel I had on board at ‘The Last Cafe’ but, during my visit in late June / early July this year , ‘The Last Cafe’ didn’t seem to be operational. Either seasonal or a global economy casualty.

The north end of the beach I really like.

Ao Nang

Adams Bungalows, one of my favorite garden setting accommodation locations in Ao Nang was shut. I wasn’t sure why. However a short walk down the road (in the beach direction ) brought me to the View la Villa.
After some negotiation and a room change because of a faulty safe and a shower that never heated water, I felt very comfortable in this room. I wouldn’t have got this price at any other time of the year. En suite bathroom, hot water shower, air con, tv, fridge and safe. 400 baht a night. No breakfast.

The Casablanca

A short walk from the Rattana Mansion hotel in the heart of Phuket Town, I came across a beautifully presented boutique hotel called The Casablanca.

Hi, Bye Had Yai

Rm75 return fare for the coach to Had Yai from Ipoh tethered my travel plans. I departed from the New Hoover coach office in Jalan Yang Kalsem at 1.45am on Thursday the 23rd July 09. I would meet my friend in Had Yai, mid morning at Had Yai Junction. Not a pub, a railway station! And so it unfolded. A pleasant two night, three day visit to Had Yai in southern Thailand. We ate, drank, sang, danced, walked, shopped, spat rice, perused hotels and generally had a great time. The weather was kind to us with fine days and temperatures a little lower than the Malaysian scorchers.

Had Yai hotels ranged from the perfectly acceptable Num Huat in Thanon Inpatuthit 3 at 300 baht per night for a room with twin or double bed, aircon, tv, and fridge and own bathroom; 350 baht per night for a similar room but with no fridge at the Tong Num in Trok Sukonthahong near to the Seven Eleven; unattractive options at the Metro Hotel and the Park Hotel for 360 and 400 baht a night respectively; then on up through a selection of mid range options with the Cholatern at 450 baht per night, the Indra at 500 baht per night, the Yong Dee at 580 baht per night, the Sakol at 680 baht per night and the Grand Tower with it’s own swimming pool at around 900 baht per night. Every hotel had rooms available on this Thursday morning.

Seemingly run by football team of brothers, we ate superb food at a ‘Thai name only’ restaurant behind the Grand Tower hotel. Hauling our full tummies to the livelier of the two central live music venues, Deep Wonder, situated (steeply but not particularly deeply) below the now defunct Odean Shopping Centre was a small matter well worth the effort. Deep Wonder’s happy atmosphere and moderately priced beer kept us smiling through a medley of numbers from it’s talented resident band that included, Dire Straights’ Money for Nothing, Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Woman, Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall, Boy George’s Carma Carmelion, U2’s With or Without You and many many more.

Full marks to Had Yai for a creating a scene that far exceeds anything that similar sized towns in Malaysia have to offer. Malaysia still has a lot to learn (from Thailand) if they wish to increase tourist revenue!!! The photo shows hawkers on the Had Yai Junction railway platform.