23 Feb

23 Feb - Another unreported death on Koh Chang. I had a call a few days ago from the friends of a Taiwanese girl who drowned off Kai Bae beach on Feb 9th. The family suspected it was more than an accident as she was a good swimmer. We checked and the hospital where she was taken confirmed that it was accidental, although the doctor who saw her did admit that it was very strange that she drowned in mid-afternoon, in calm seas, not far offshore and no-one noticed. Take care if you're swimming at the southern end of Kai Bae beach.

I had quite a few emails as a result of the advertising from Harlequin Properties in a couple of British Sunday newspapers last weekend. Apparently, they're selling the Siam Royal View development in Klong Son where 10 million baht will get you a house on 330sqm of land in a compound with 400 fellow homeowners.

My general dislike for large housing developments aside, it was interesting to see on www.harlequin-property.com the statement: 'Thai shareholders all sign undated share transfer contracts at the time the company is being registered.' Whilst this may be common practice - when a foreigner is setting up a Thai registered company to buy the land - and most lawyers will say "Don't worry about it.", it's still odd to see a developer actually coming out and stating it on their website for the simple reason that it also happens to be, technically, illegal.

If you've got a resort or any type of business you want to sell, let me know. I get quite a few emails from people with cash in their hands and who are looking for businesses to buy outright or to invest in, on Koh Chang.

And finally . . . If you're in Trat town you might fancy a visit to 'Trat Food Safety Street'. Look left, look right, look left once again and if there are no motorbikes racing through the food stalls, dig into your bowl of noodles.

15 Jan

15 Jan - More crime on Koh Chang. A well known bungalow resort had their restaurant trashed by 16 Russian guests who were visiting from Pattaya. The restaurant closed at 10pm which was too early for the group, who came back and reopened the bar . . . with large pieces of wood. The owner wasn't too happy when he found out in the early hours of the morning and let off a couple of rifle shots to end the revelry before calling the police. They came and the end result was the group apparently paid 30,000 baht for the damage and were repatriated to Pattaya.

Meanwhile at a nearby luxury resort the accountant forgot to put 150,000 baht into the safe and the result was that a wad of 40,000 baht, that had been left on a desk, (unsurprisingly) disappeared. The owner reckons a guest is responsible, rather than a member of staff.

Fear not, KC is still a safe island, but I suggest sleeping with a gun under you bed just in case.

The boys in brown have been making the rounds of all motorbike hire shops. It's time for the annual meeting where the local authorities meet up with the rental shop owners. The owners sit, nod their heads and agree to whatever hair brained schemes are put forward and then go away and continue as normal until the next meeting - at least that's been the pattern for the past 5 or 6 years since these annual get-togethers began.

Siam Royal View have now released prices for small plots of beachfront land in Klong Son development. You're looking at 4 million baht plus for a 300sqm beachfront plot. See http://www.siam-royal-view.com for info and .pdf pricelist.

Yeah, Koh Chang is quiet isn't it? Occupancy at virtually all hotels & resorts is well down on this time last year. Will KC ever be a popular tourist spot or will it forever be known as the island you head to when a natural disaster wipes out your first choice destination? Only time will tell. One plus is that you'll find yourself in a good position to haggle at most resorts - especially those which aren't in prime beachfront locations.