'Old Thailand' Found on Sleepy Islands

Bangkok and beyond, travel talk on all other places in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
SPONSORS: Bang Saphan Guide
Post Reply
User avatar
hhfarang
Hero
Hero
Posts: 11060
Joined: Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:27 am
Location: North Carolina

'Old Thailand' Found on Sleepy Islands

Post by hhfarang »

Under a blazing midday sun in late 2013, Allen Stewart surveyed the scene before him: The Gulf of Thailand, a spectrum of blues, stretched out as far as the eye could see. To the west, the jagged, emerald-hued peaks of Koh Chang emerged; the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia rose to the east. Thick swaths of palm trees hugged empty white sand beaches below.

“I looked around for years for something like this,” Mr. Stewart, 60, said of the heart-stopping view. “I grew up outside of Yellowstone — how do you match that? But when I saw this, it took about three seconds to say, ‘Yup, this is what we’ve been looking for.’ ”

Mr. Stewart began sharing that affection in 2011, when he and his wife opened Thaidaho Vista, a guesthouse on petite Koh Mak island. And it’s that sort of impassioned search for tranquillity, beauty and an off-the-grid feel — for the “old Thailand,” one that’s fast disappearing — that’s luring entrepreneurs like Mr. Stewart and travelers to Koh Mak and its sister island of Koh Kut, an hour’s boat ride away, in the northeastern Gulf of Thailand, not far from the Cambodian border.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/trave ... .html?_r=1
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Gérard
Professional
Professional
Posts: 312
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2013 4:36 pm
Location: Prachuap City

Re: 'Old Thailand’ Found on Sleepy Islands

Post by Gérard »

Old THailand found everywhere, if you avoid a few places like Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Huahin...

I am on a bicycle trip from Prachuap to Malaysia and can see everyday km of nice beaches, good restaurants, friendly people, etc.
Of course, on these backroads, 7/11 and the kind are not easy to find.
OLD THAILAND.jpg
OLDER FARANG.jpg
QUIET ROAD.jpg
10 KM RIDING ON THE BEACH.jpg
4 BUNGALOWS.jpg
4 BUNGALOWS ON THE BEACH.jpg
User avatar
redzonerocker
Rock Star
Rock Star
Posts: 4777
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2007 3:55 pm
Location: England

Re: 'Old Thailand’ Found on Sleepy Islands

Post by redzonerocker »

Nice!
Just the type of place I enjoy the most.
Will add it to my list of destinations. :D :cheers:


Nice pictures Gerard.
Maybe you can start another thread to keep us informed and entertained with your journey? :cheers:
Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
User avatar
buksida
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22525
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:25 pm
Location: south of sanity

Re: 'Old Thailand’ Found on Sleepy Islands

Post by buksida »

Gérard wrote:Old THailand found everywhere, if you avoid a few places like Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Huahin...
The attachment QUIET ROAD.jpg is no longer available
:agree: 100%

Have ridden that road a few times.

Another 'Old Thailand' example is Koh Sukorn in the south:
DSC_9259.jpg
DSC_9266.jpg
DSC_9293.jpg
DSC_9340.jpg
More photos and trip report: http://www.ontheroadasia.com/kohsukorn.php
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Post Reply