Mention Thailand and images of beaches, elephants and Bangkok come to mind. Less known is the fact Thailand rock climbing is some of the best in the world.
Rock Climbing
Located in Southeast Asia, Thailand is bordered by Cambodia, Burma and Laos in the north and Malaysia in the south. The shape of the country is somewhat similar to Italy, and you’ll find similar differences between northern and southern Thailand that you do in Italy. For rock climbing enthusiasts, the south of Thailand is where the action is.
The rock formations in Thailand are almost universally limestone. The level of climbing can be as simple as bouldering or as challenging as tackling over vertical cliffs. This makes Thailand a popular rock climbing destination since it has a little something for everyone.
Krabi
Located on the southern section of the “tail” of Thailand, Krabi has a wide variety of rock climbing challenges. Most of the climbs in this area are of the pre-bolted sport route variety. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of climbs with difficulty levels from beginner to multi-pitch knuckle crushers.
The beauty of climbing in Krabi is…well, the beauty. While you might have visions of jungles and mosquitoes when thinking of Thailand, Krabi is an area of a different sort. Most of the climbs have been set up on cliff faces on the beach. Being natural capitalists, the Thai’s have built hotels, bars and so on at these locations. As a result, you can literally climb a multi-pitch route for five hours, cool off with a swim and then have a beer. If there is such a thing as a rock climbing heaven, many feel Krabi is it.
Before you cash in your savings, keep in mind that Thailand is a seasonal vacation spot. If you go during the wet season, there is a good chance you’ll just end up sitting around drinking beer. While that isn’t too bad, you’ll go crazy looking at the climbs that are so close, but oh so far away.
Generally, you want to head to Thailand from late November through maybe April. The summer months tend to be both incredibly hot and wet. Make sure you pull up forecasts for the area before booking a trip.
Flying to Thailand is inexpensive, but flights are incredibly long with stopovers. Still, it is all worth it once you experience Thailand rock climbing.
If you live in North America, finding a cheap destination is a big priority this year. Thailand represents a killer deal and it is very friendly towards Americans. If you are going for the first time, however, there is something you need to know about the flight.
To be honest, there are a couple of things you need to know about flying to Thailand. The first thing to grasp is the flight is long. I’m talking watch the grass grow long. I’ve flown internationally much of my life and the flight to Thailand feels like it is one of the longest. Depending on where you are coming from, it will clock in at 22 to 28 hours.
The second thing to know is that you really need to pay attention to the difference in time between your location and Thailand. From the west coast of the United States, the difference is such that you often fly into Bangkok at about one o’clock. One as in the time the bars are closing! It is pretty much just you and your fellow travelers in the airport.
Before you mark Thailand off of your list of destinations, it is important to keep in mind that pretty much everything is open at this late hour. They Thais know the flights are coming in late and cater to them. You can get taxis, hotel rooms, change money and so on. It is not a situation where you walk out of the airport and a tumbleweed rolls down the road.
The third key thing to know has to do with your flight out of the country. You really need to call in and check for updates on the flight out a few days to a week ahead of time. Why? The flights change all the time. They usually leave on the same day, but may do so as many as six hours earlier than it reads on your ticket.
This leads to some fairly amusing situations. The Thais are mortally offended if you miss your flight. If there is any chance of getting on it or a flight to the same destination, they will drag you all over the airport to get there. I’ve often ended up on a different airline asking where the heck I am going. Despite the chaos, it always seems to work out.
I never dreamed I’d end up as a farang in Thailand. But here I am, and it’s a pretty good life too. If you’ve got a similar idea floating around your head (Ie. you’re thinking you might come and holiday, or reside in Thailand), then I’ve got news for you. You’re going to become a farang too. So what this article is going to do is show you how to be a farang and give you a basic idea on what Thailand culture is on about.
The first thing is that, no matter what and how you think, you’re going to hear Thai people use the word ‘farang’ to describe you. My advice for that is to not concern yourself too much about it, and look at it as a) Thai culture and b) a polite way of saying you look different!
From what I understand, the word ‘farang’ comes from ‘farangset’ which means France. Now you could always argue until you’re blue in the face that you don’t come from France, so therefore you’re NOT a farang. But… it doesn’t work like that in Thailand. In fact, it’s rather simple. If you’re a Westerner in Thailand, then you’re a farang. So, the quicker you can accept this, the easier it will be for you to live in Thailand!
The thing that you DON’T want to do is to take offense at being called a farang. Now I’ve known farangs (sorry, I mean Westerners, or foreigners!) that take offense at being called that. But, honestly, you can’t fight Thai culture, as it is what it is. It’s best to accept the situation as a Thai person might, with a simple ‘may pen rai,’ or ‘that’s cool.’ (It’s Okay).
In fact, if anything, the simple expression ‘may pen rai’ is perhaps the ultimate ‘advice’ to living as a farang in Thailand. You can really take that expression to heart too, not because it’s so commonly used, but because it’s really a great indicator of just how accepting and relaxed the Thais are about life. In many ways, it’s a true reflection of Thai culture.
Now, if none of this is making sense right now, don’t worry too much about it. When you eventually do come to Thailand, you’ll know exactly what I’m on about.
Koh Chang is the second largest island of Thailand (largest island in the Ko Chang Marine Park archipelago), located on the Thai east coast 310 km away from Bangkok near the border to Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. The name means Elephant Island. Ko Chang was named for the elephant shape of its headland, although elephants are not indigenous to the island. At present, there are 8 villages in total. It is a mountainous island and Khao Salak Phet is the highest peak of all at 744 metres. Visitors are also met with several waterfalls, splendid reefs and rainforests. The island has an area of approximately 217 square kilometers. Ko Chang was previously an unsettled island but it is now important as a harbour for ships to escape from the monsoon, and dietary or fresh water resources, especially at Ao Salak Phet or Ao Salat which is well known to pirates, Hai Lam Chinese and Vietnamese.
The island is part of the Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park. During World War II, when Thailand was occupied by the Japanese, Ko Chang was the scene of a naval battle between the reluctant Royal Thai Navy and a Vichy France squadron, in which the Thais were decisively beaten.
Until the mid-1980s the infrastructure on the island was undeveloped, but tourism has increased significantly since then. Around the year 2000, malaria was eradicated, the area became a national park (and began charging entry fees). The island now receives 655,000 visitors annually, about two thirds of them Thai. Ko Chang is one of the few places with virgin forest, but the mad rush to cash in on tourism has had a heavy toll on its virgin forests. Land prices have skyrocketed, there are also beautiful if not high end resorts now popping up all over the island.
Tourism
The recent success of Ko Chang as a serious tourist destination has been quite phenomenal. But it remains a lot more peaceful and less developed than islands like Samui and Phuket. It’s some 5 hours from Bangkok by bus and there’s no airport on the island yet so it should remain more tranquil than Samui or Phuket. Ko Chang too is one of Thailand most beautiful islands with some white sandy beaches, some half deserted. Some of the beaches are rocky in parts though so it doesn’t have ideal swimming beaches like Phuket. The island is also home to a wide range of wildlife, including a good selection of birds, snakes, deer and a number of elephants. The island and its vicinity are great places for snorkeling, diving and jungle hiking.
Some critics however, worry that the Ko Chang tourism boom won’t survive as they believe that ‘gross over-development will only, over time, frighten off tourists to one of the other more unspoilt islands nearby. Investors though, claim that what they are now doing in Ko Chang is nothing on the scale of the likes of Samui. With the development of Ko Kong in Cambodia as a casino resort, it makes Ko Chang even more of an ideal place for a stop-over between the two islands.
This so called tourism boom is relative to a small base. Tourist numbers are a lot less than Samui or Phuket and approx 2/3 of the visitors are Thai.
Sights
In 1982 the island together with 51 more surrounding small islands was protected as the Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park. About 85% of the island is part of the national park, mostly the rain forest in the interior of the island. Nearby coral reefs are also contained within the National Park. Notable animals in the park include the stump-tailed Macaque, the small Indian Civet, the Javan Mongoose, and 61 resident bird species. The Koh Chang Wart Frog (Limnonectes kohchangae) was originally thought to be an endemic species, but has now been found on the mainland as well.
Klong Plu the most popular, and the only one on the west side of the island. Namtok Khlong Phlu is a large and most breathtaking waterfall on Ko Chang with water cascading down 3 tiers of the cliff to a basin, with an entrance located 3 km. from Ao Khlong Phrao.
Klong Nonsi – on the east side of the island
Klong Nueng – said to be the most breathtaking
Khiri Petch – medium sized, about 3 kilometers from Salak Petch village
Kongoi – 5 waterfalls near Bangbao
The Thanmayom – near Thanmayom pier
Ban Salak Phet the largest and oldest community on Ko Chang located in the southern part. The villagers’ main occupation is coastal fishery in an advantageous area sheltered from winds and storms by islands and mountains. There is an old temple in front of the village known as Wat Salak Phet built in the reign of King Rama V on his royal visit to the island. Ao Salak Phet is the largest bay on the island.
Bang Bao Fishery Village at Bang Bao Beacha village of houses on stilts built into the sea with bridges connecting them together. The villagers still live a simple way of life earning their living from coastal fishery. In the vicinity there is an abundance of cuttlefish and corals.
Ao Bai Lan located next to Hat Kai Bae and accessible by a pathway across the mountain has a scenic view of mountains along the way.
Hat Kai Bae a sloping and long stretch of beach connecting with Hat Khlong Phrao, suitable for swimming.
Hat Khlong Phrao- Laem Chaiyachet a long stretch of sloping beach connecting with Hat Kai Bae where swimming is possible. The northernmost end of Ao Khlong Phrao connects with Laem Chaiyachet with a scenic rocky cape but swimming is not possible. Laem Chaichet nestling between White Sand and Klong Prao beaches is a popular place to see the sunset and admire Klong Prao’s natural surroundings. Activities to do here include: snorkeling, kayaking and fishing.
White Sand Beach is one of the island’s longest beaches that attracts a lot of visitors. At the back or the beach are orchards of coconut trees and forests.
Thai food is internationally famous. Whether chilli-hot or comparatively blands, harmony is the guiding principle behind each dish. Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. The characteristics of Thai food
depend on who cooks it, for whom it is cooked, for what occasion, and where it is cooked to suit all palates. Originally, Thai cooking reflected the characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle. Aquatic animals, plants and herbs were major ingredients. Large chunks of meat were eschewed. Subsequent influences introduced the use of sizeable chunks to Thai cooking.
With their Buddhist background, Thais shunned the use of large animals in big chunks. Big cuts of meat were shredded and laced with herbs and spices. Traditional Thai cooking methods were stewing and baking, or grilling. Chinese influences saw the introduction of frying, stir frying and deep-frying. Culinary influences from the 17th century onwards included Portuguese, Dutch, French and Japanese. Chillies were introduced to Thai cooking during the late 1600s by Portuguese missionaries who had acquired a taste for them while serving in South America.
Thais were very adapt at ‘Siamese-icing’ foreign cooking methods, and substituting ingredients. The ghee used in Indian cooking was replaced by coconut oil, and coconut milk substituted for other daily products. Overpowering pure spices were toned down and enhanced by fresh herbs such as lemon grass and galanga. Eventually, fewer and less spices were used in Thai curries, while the use of fresh herbs increased. It is generally acknowledged that Thai curries burn intensely, but briefly, whereas other curries, with strong spices, burn for longer periods. Instead of serving dishes in courses, a Thai meal is served all at once, permitting dinners to enjoy complementary combinations of different tastes.
A proper Thai meal should consist of a soup, a curry dish with condiments, a dip with accompanying fish and vegetables. A spiced salad may replace the curry dish. The soup can also be spicy, but the curry should be replaced by non spiced items. There must be a harmony of tastes and textures within individual dishes and the entire meal.
