30 May

30 May - Just thought I'd add a photo showing the view over the southern end of Klong Prao beach taken a few days ago when the clouds broke and the sun came out.

There's a nice little cafe for lease in Kai Bae. If you don't want the hassle of setting up your own business then it's worth a look as this is a turn key business. Located opposite two large resorts, it's fully furnished & equipped, all stock included too. You get everything you see in the photos - with the exception of the owner's wife. 650,000 Baht includes rent paid until January 2007.

The new PNN Spa at Sea View Resort, Kai Bae is a good place to visit if you need to kill a rainy afternoon. Not particularly cheap but well run and with a wide range of treatments / massages available. For a cheaper alternative - i.e. without the jacuzzis, steam baths and trappings of luxury; try Sima Massage, Klong Prao on the roadside near Chang Chutiman Elephant Camp.

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And last, but definitely not least is news that affects every foreigner, across Thailand, not only Koh Chang, who has bought property through a Thai registered company that was set up for this purpose.

As of May 26th the Interior Ministry decided to crackdown on this practice and it's now no longer possible for any company with a foreign shareholder to buy or sell property through a company if it appears that the company was set up specifically for this purpose. I.e. you'd have to prove that all the nominee shareholders actually knew what was going on and invested their own capital in the company etc.

This method of owning land is very common, but the laws haven't changed it's just that officials at the Land Registry departments nationwide have now been told to actively enforce them. The setting up of companies in order to buy land was so common that virtually all law firms in Thailand did this - despite it being technically illegal. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out especially with regards to the large housing developments, such as Siam Royal View on Koh Chang where foreign ownership of all plots is via the Thai registered company route.

There are still ways for foreigners to 'own' land - such as buying it in a Thai's name and then entering into a 30 year renewable lease with them. Of course doing this requires a watertight contract and the services of a good lawyer . . . not to mention a Thai in whose name to place the land.

Expect this topic to dominate the expat discussion boards in the coming weeks.

27 May

27 May - It appears that some of my fellow countrymen are made of sterner stuff than myself, as the results from the KC Triathlon bear out. Englishman Peter Gibney (not pictured right) proved to be the toughest competitor at the Koh Chang International Triathlon on Sunday, leading all legs of the event before winning the title and 150,000 Baht in prize money. (I have a feeling that this wasn't his first triathlon.)

In second place was another Brit, Simon Thomas. All in all, around 150 people took part in the event which cot around 3 million baht to organise. Unfortunately, none of this amount was spent on informing locals that the road outside Chang Park Resort in Kai Bae would be sealed off for an hour or two whilst the cyclists U-turned there - resulting in a tailback.

Yesterday, I went to see the GM of a resort to get some info for an article I have to write about them for a tourist mag. She wasn't there but an underling was dispatched to speak to me and let me know that "we" didn't know what she wanted to say about the resort as "We haven't had a meeting about we what to say yet." I went away fearing the worst . . ."we" will want to use the word 'paradise' way too often; will make repeated references to a 'pristine, palm fringed, white sand beach' that exists only in the eye of your graphic artist; and will probably expect me to include some slogan that your marketing department came up with that has zero meaning to anyone with English as a first, second or third language. Fortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case when I went back this morning I had a cup of tea, a nice tour with her and permission to write whatever I wanted, with the proviso it was all positive. :-)

'The Nation' newspaper will be running a Koh Chang special shortly. Their salesgirls are currently phoning businesses on KC to try to sell advertising spots and mentions in the upcoming feature. Another option for anyone wanting to see their resort or business's name in the national media is the offer from TATV - (Tourist Authority TV, on UBC Channel 9) to make 25 minute long TV show about your place, and just how great it is, for only 35,000 baht - discounted from 45,000 baht. On the face of it it sounds like a good deal but I've yet to meet someone who's actually sat through a program on this station.

22 May

22 May - Seems like quite a few people had questions about the rabbit. No, it's not mine. Yes, it looks like a 'Dutch' - but I cant be sure. No, they're not crumpets, they're pancakes. If you have an opinion on this, or any other topic that's totally unrelated to this site, feel free to email me.

21 May

21 May - It's now been raining solidly for 4 days. Definitely the worst weather so far this year.

Today is also the day of the Koh Chang International Triathlon, so I hope participants have adequate insurance as the sea is pretty choppy at the moment. No doubt the last minute offer of a free Koh Chang to Trat ferry ticket (one way only, value 50 baht) for all participants, Thai and foreign, will have swelled the number of entrants significantly. When it comes to slick marketing, you know who to call.

However, organising the event on the same day at the well-established Chantaburi half marathon, taking place an hour's drive away perhaps wasn't wise, neither was giving athletics clubs around Thailand only one months' advance notice of the event. What you need time to train? Surely, it's only swimming, jogging and riding a bike?

I had toyed with the idea of heading down to see the start at 8am but as it was raining so much I decided that the better option was to scour the internet for a photo of a rabbit with a pancake on its head. Infinitely less off putting, to anyone thinking of visiting Koh Chang, than a photo of incessant rain over a stormy sea.

15 May

15 May - Count the monkeys and win a prize . . . or maybe not. We saw these monkeys on cliffs in the south west of Koh Chang when we were out on our boatlast week.

For anyone interested in 6-star luxury getaways, Six Senses Resorts now have a webpage for their new Soneva Kiri resort on Koh Kood, which is opening next year. Lots of blurb on the eco-friendliness of the resort which guests will be able to travel around by electric golfcart or bicycle. This is in an effort to compensate for the guilt they must feel about the amount of fossil fuels burned in transporting them by private plane to a newly built airstrip, on the nearby island of Koh Mai See Lek, and then being whisked by private speedboat for the last 2 kilometres of the journey to their 'green' hideaway. One final thought . . . would Six Senses sue if you named your resort 'Soneva Bitch'?

Interesting info for anyone worried about malaria . . . . the Thai Red Cross recommends against taking anti-malarial drugs for several reasons including:

1) Ineffective prevention of an infection allowing for a sub-symptomatic infection that delays diagnosis and treatment. Treatment during the early first stages of malaria is very effective, but it gets more difficult as the infection and life cycle of the parasite progresses.

2) Contribution to the development of resistance pools to anti-malarials that are also used for treatment

3) Side effects from the anti-malarials. Rather, they recommend that you use bite prevention and if you have the slightest doubt that you might be infected, report to the nearest clinic or mosquito control office (there's one in every small town in Thailand) for a diagnostic test, followed by immediate treatment on the one in a million chance that you have actually contracted malaria.

8 May

8 May - Photo on the right taken at Klong Son, there's no need to head to Bangbao to see fishing boats and locals doing local things.

The Koh Chang International Triathlon organisers have surprised everyone by getting a website (www.kochangtriathlon.com) up & running before the event actually takes place on May 21st. It includes all the information any potential competitor needs . . . in Thai. But worth checking back as the event draws closer as content seems to be added every few days.

The three killers of Jimmy '"The best pianist I've ever played with" says Elton John' Hall, who was murdered on Whitesands in late 2005, were sentenced to 30 years in jail last week. His mate Stevie Strong bought out a tribute CD 'Rainbows Cafe' containing the last recording Jimmy ever made. Try as I might I cant find it in iTunes, maybe not as popular as Elton's 'Candle in the Wind' which, no doubt, would have benefited greatly from having Jimmy tinkling the ivories.

Had an email from the boss of Siam Beach Resort on Lonely Beach, assuring me that they are going well and truly upmarket with a 4-star resort being the aim. No doubt complete with guards to shoo away unwanted backpacking types. 24 new rooms have already been built with another 60 on the way next year. Take a look at the new website: www.SiamBeachResort.in.th. A site that is actually well written and interesting to read, which makes a change for a resort webpage.

Get your handkerchiefs ready, the Associated Press ran the tear jerking story of Bangkok woman Ariya Manee who was planning to drive down to Koh Chang for her honeymoon. Due to a rise in the price of gasoline she was now seriously considering abandoning her dream honeymoon. (Apparently, this was the best case of an oil price rise induced hardship the journalist could find in a city of 12 million.) My first thought was, gasoline cost to drive Bkk-KC-Bkk 6 months ago = around 800 baht. Cost now = around 1200 baht. So, this woman will consider cancelling her honeymoon for the sake of 400 baht, but she can afford to own a car which I'll bet she still drives to work everyday, rather than taking the bus.

3 May

3 May - <> What's a flicking shrimp? . . . I hear you ask. Bob, pictured right, is one such crustacean, he was dug out the the muddy mangrove roots near our house in the name of science (and a curiosity about what BBQ flicking shrimp tasted like). Flicking shrimps make an audible 'clicking' noise - a bit like someone snapping their fingers - with their one large claw. You often hear them in mangroves but rarely see them - except, as in this case, when displayed on a plate. <>

There was a big travel fair in Bangkok last weekend, quite a few Koh Chang resorts were represented one whom who's brochure included such gems as: 'We invite you to spend your vacation with us and let the stress of daily life drift away on the sea breeze.' . . . .what a load of bollocks, who wrote that? Oh, yeah . . . I did, think yourself lucky no-one is paying me to write this site.

I need a holiday, it'd be great to get away from the beach and just spend a couple of weeks sitting in a homely cubicle in a sterile office, whiling away the hours surfing the web.

An English translation of Koh Chang's land usage regulations is now on the site. Plus scans of the original documents. (Thanks to Ron at Morrissey Fashions, near the Amari, for letting me have them.) The translation isn't word for word but you should get the gist, which is basically that you can't just go and build the meat processing factory of your dreams without first considering the zoning laws.

More 'recently opened but failed after 6 months type' of businesses are for sale - a restaurant/bar in VJ Plaza, Klong Prao and Koh Chang's first paintball arena - which must hold the record for having the shortest time between opening and being put up for sale. I expect to see a lot more 'For Sale' signs on shuttered shop units in the coming months. If you're interested in starting a business there's very little reason to pay over the odds for a few tables and chairs in a shop unit when there are plenty of vacant units around. (Unless of course you're getting something that really is well designed / decorated and has potential.) And as anyone in VJ Plaza will tell you, it's all about location. Unfortunately, the arse end of a half-rented out plaza isn't the location for a restaurant or a bar. The only place that's ever busy in the evening is the 20 baht a bowl noodle stall near the entrance.

A very nice, 29 bungalow beach resort on 9 Rai of land (6 Rai owned & 3 Rai leased) Koh mak is for sale for 30 million baht. Much better designed that the majority of KC beachfront resorts and very well priced for the location and land size. Serious enquiries only to me and I'll put you in touch with the seller who wants confidentiality.