Martensville Messenger September 15, 2016 | Page 10
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Where in the World? Choosing Your Perfect Thai Island!
Submitted by Dean Johnston
Travellers are famously fickle, an enthusiastically opinionated group who can
spend hours discussing the relative merits and faults of each and every place they’ve ever
visited.
Which is why it is so remarkable when you find somewhere that nearly everyone
raves about. The islands of Thailand are one of those rare places that attracts almost
unanimous praise, and not just because they look good as a screensaver. Besides their
idyllic beauty and pleasantly tropical climate, the sheer number and variety of different
islands catering to all sorts of travellers make them a can’t-miss destination. For every age,
budget, trip length, choice of activity and tolerance for thumping dance music there is an
island that offers visitors the perfect mix. Other than snowboarders, maybe.
In addition to an unsurpassed variety, the Thai islands might have more reasonable
“world’s best” claims than anywhere else on the planet. Best beaches? There are definitely
some contenders: Railey Beach, Koh Phi Phi Don, Koh Samui, Phuket. Best food: pad
thai, lad na, fried snake. Best value: beachfront cabanas starting at around $10. Friendliest
people: Pimchanok in Thong Sala. Best place to buy a purple sarong with turtles on it: Koh
Chang.
Over the years Thailand has become our Southeast Asian hub, the place to which
we continually return to relax, regroup and recharge. Over the course of about six different
visits we have journeyed to seven different islands, plus three separate mainland beach
towns which could easily be mistaken for islands if you happen to never venture further
than three blocks from the ocean, an accomplishment we found surprisingly easy. The
following are just a few of them:
Koh Lipe: Small enough to walk around the entire thing in half an hour, just
one little village, no real roads, but enough civilization to provide internet and a choice
of restaurants without being over-run by mega-resorts or 7-11s. Throw in some pretty
impressive snorkelling right off the beach and we had ourselves a little chunk of heaven.
Of course, that was several years ago now and things may be different these days.
Koh Pha-Ngan: The original home of Had Rin’s infamous Full Moon Parties,
where (mostly) young backpackers spend the entire night raving on the beach under the
influence of various forms of mind-altering substances. Frolicking nude in the surf is
optional, but strongly encouraged. However, it is still easy to find peace and tranquility on
one of the many more remote beaches.
Koh Siboya: Extremely quiet, Siboya’s lack of classically beautiful white sand
beaches may be its long-term saving grace. This is the place to go for great sunsets, intense
relaxation, long beach walks and some really, really large monitor lizards.
Phuket: I haven’t actually been there but they have a Hyatt Regency hotel, which
should give you some idea what to expect.
Koh Lanta: A very nice mix for the mid-range traveller. Affordable but
comfortable, not overcrowded but still offering plenty of things to see and do and no
shortage of restaurant and bar options.
Koh Tao: This is where you go to scuba dive, learn to scuba dive, talk about scuba
diving and, most importantly, purchase t-shirts that show the world just how into scuba
diving you are.
Descriptions of the other 700 or so islands will have to wait for another day, and
maybe a few hundred more visits. The point, however, is just how incredibly diverse and
enjoyable the Thai islands are, as well as how simple it is to find one that checks all the
boxes on any holiday wish list. Whether you are looking fo r beachfront luxury, rustic and
secluded huts, all-night dance parties, world-class scuba diving, or maybe just a warm
place to nurse your daily hangover, Thailand has got you covered. And probably drunk.
Five Things
1. Just a tip: don’t be afraid to back out of a professional shave if the woman has
to canvas the street to find a used razor.
2. The humidity in Thailand will do wonderful things for the volume of your perm
and chest hair alike.
3. Thailand is riddled with places that will do your laundry for less than the cost
of some decent bed bug cream.
4. Thai food is possibly the best in the world. Definitely the best in the world for
thrifty people who loathe onions and consider fried noodles the height of exotic cuisine.
5. Cheap t-shirts with beer logos or offensive slogans are the number two export
of Thailand, just behind unexpected pregnancies.
Dean Johnston is the author of Random Acts of Travel: Featuring Trepidation,
Hammocks and Spitting and Behind the Albergue Door: Inspiration Agony Adventure on
the Camino de Santiago. He has nothing against sweating if done for the right reasons,
such as reading about his current travels in Romania at http://routinelynomadic.com.
ABOVE: The beautiful beaches of Koh Lipe.
ABOVE: Sunset beer, perhaps.
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