Promoting skin cancer on Hua Hin beach; no umbrellas

[richard]

Most of us are here because we were fed up with strict law enforcement in our shit countries.

I think that is utter

Just about everyone I know applauds strict law enforcement

Most if not all of us are here for other reasons but maybe you are the exception

[europtimiste]

Well Steve G. if you were so happy with your country you wouldn't be here. No beaches in Luxembourg...you could settle at Cote d'Azur, Spain, Italy.....but you choose Thailand, because cheaper, cool life etc...etc.. My remark was aimed to Takiap, who seems to be a paranoid of law enforcement, that's typical british......

[dtaai-maai]

that's typical british......

Excellent point.

Well, it would be if Takiap weren't South African...

[J.J.B.]

Goodness, the old "you're only here because it's cheaper than Europe" line, something I don't think holds water and is usually the last refuge of someone who thought that only to be unpleasantly surprised.

As for the furore over umbrellas and how the authorities in Hua Hin are somehow "promoting skin cancer" - what utter garbage! You would think that for someone whose wife has been treated for cancer you might be a bit more aware of preventative measures. Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause melanoma in the same way that smoking cigarettes can cause lung adenocarcinoma. There is a known and well-documented correlation so why would anybody deliberately put themselves in harm's way? if you don't want to get sunburn or increase the fairly remote chances of getting skin cancer, don't spend too long in the sun and take some personal responsibility.

[Takiap]

Well Steve G. if you were so happy with your country you wouldn't be here. No beaches in Luxembourg...you could settle at Cote d'Azur, Spain, Italy.....but you choose Thailand, because cheaper, cool life etc...etc.. My remark was aimed to Takiap, who seems to be a paranoid of law enforcement, that's typical british......

Well, as has already been mentioned, I'm not from Britain, and if you knew me, or if you read some of my other posts on different boards, you would know beyond all doubt that I am the last person to rant on about law enforcement.

My comments actually had nothing to do with law enforcement as such. Instead, I was simply saying that the main beach in Hua-Hin needed a cleanup. When I lived in Takiap there were restaurants on the beach with umbrellas and etc, but the place still looked nice and welcoming. The same certainly never applied to one section of Hua-Hin beach.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I also know some Thai folk who feel the same way.

[HHTel]

Europtimiste: I love posters like yourself. It makes life much less boring!!

[Artilery]

I do not understand this comment:
<< I was simply saying that the main beach in Hua-Hin needed a cleanup. When I lived in Takiap there were restaurants on the beach with umbrellas and etc, but the place still looked nice and welcoming. The same certainly never applied to one section of Hua-Hin beach. >>

We have been on holiday in Hua Hin four times now. The beach to the left of Soi 61 had beach cafes, umbrellas and loungers. The beach to the right of Soi 61, which is much longer and deeper, did not have loungers or umbrellas. Everyone could choose which environment they preferred, so what was wrong with that?

Thais, who believe in reincarnation, will not have dogs neutered, so there are too many dogs in Thailand. As a result there was a bit of dog poo on the beach, but not much. There was some horse poo, but it seemed to get cleared away each night and there was not much litter. The cafes always cleaned and tidied their own patch, so what litter there was presumably came from people who took their own food and drink to the beach.

I, therefore, cannot see what is wrong with the Hua Hin beach.

P.S. Still hoping someone could send a current photo of the cafe area on the beach. Please.

Art

[StevePIraq]

Removing the eyesore of the previous umbrella crowd is not promoting skin cancer it is providing a better environment for everyone in my opinion.
Umbrellas and loungers can still be rented along the beach or you can pay a small amount for a day pass at the major beach hotels and utilize their excellent facilities.

[Artilery]

I am sorry Steve, but you have not understood what is proposed, nor can I see that it is a better environment for everyone when those who want beach cafes no longer have them. Half the people lose out because of the intolerance of others, who still have the majority of the beach unspoilt.
If the same rules are brought in as exist in Phuket, then loungers will be BANNED. You will not be able to rent them and currently the army in Phuket are insisting people do not even bring their own umbrellas. A Swedish family were told to remove the umbrella covering their 18 month old infant.
How can this be better for everyone?
And I do not want to stay in the European ghetto of an expensive beach side hotel. I want to mix with the normal people of Thailand enjoying the beach with them.
Art

[StevePIraq]

We are not talking about Phuket, this is Hua Hin.
At this time one can still rent on the beach, I have seen nothing official anywhere totally banning umbrellas or loungers/deck chairs. Maybe I am mistaken.
The authorities have stopped the mass occupying (often illegally) of sections of the beach with umbrellas wall to wall from the waterfront to the rear of the beach with no room for any one to even walk past.

[Artilery]

Sorry - that is incorrect. There was always a clear walkway between the storage/food preparation area and the seats. That is how you moved between the different beach cafes. Occassionally someone would ride a pony along the path, so it was not even that narrow. I agree with you that an easily walkable strip along the water edge should also be mandatory.
The law seems to be unclear. The army in some areas (Phuket) are rigorously banning all loungers and there is a heated argument going on at this very moment as to whether they will permit any umbrellas. So far they are rigorously banning them, even if brought to the beach by the holidaymaker.
At the moment it appears that Hua Hin and Pattaya are taking a more relaxed attitude. In Pattaya each owner is allocated 7m width for his 'cafe' and they have been told that they must use no more than 50% of the depth of the beach. (Icannot answer the question whether this is low tide depth, high tide depth, or variable throughout the day?) so perhaps Hua Hin is taking a similar line.
But the Army has said that if the local councils do not rigorously enforce the rules (which version of the rules?) then they will step in and remove ALL loungers and unbrellas as they have done in Phuket.
The situation seems very fluid and perhaps by the time we come on holiday it will have settled down to a sensible compromise, but equally the army could decide to take control, as they have done in Phuket.
That is why I am concerned and why we are still trying to decide whether to keep our booking, or to cancel our holiday in Thailand.
Art

[StevePIraq]

Each to their own choice, I for one am extremely happy that HH beaches have been cleaned up, leaving the choice up to the individual if they wish to rent to not.

Mr. A. you seem to have made you mind up already which is your choice.

[Artilery]

I agree that I know which part of the beach I prefer to stay on, but if you look back to my original posting it was to find out exactly what the current situation is in Hua Hin and how forum subscribers read the political climate as to future restrictions on the beach vendors.
Art

[Big Boy]

Sorry - that is incorrect. There was always a clear walkway between the storage/food preparation area and the seats. That is how you moved between the different beach cafes.

You are wrong.

When I did my photo trip along Hua Hin Beach a while back, I was sporting a serious leg wound that I could not get wet. There were a couple of occasions when my only option was to climb sea walls/walk through gardens because my way was blocked.

I now walk the beach at least 6 times a week, and have no such problems.

[HHTel]

In Phuket, it was a local decision by the governor and his cronies giving the job of enforcement to the police ( a job the police do reluctantly). I see no reason for the authorities in Hua Hin to do the same. They seem to have an extra brain cell over the Phuket gang.