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Tripping With Brad 1995-2006
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Southern Thailand
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| Koh Pha Ngan, January 1998 |
I get to Thailand a few times every year and always try to get in some
island time. Every year there seems to be a few new spots that aspire to be less crowded and more idylic. The reality is that
it is hard to travel anywhere in Thailand now without feeling like a sheep being busily herded from one point to another by
tour operators and islanders alike, who are trying to make as much money as possible from you before the next 'farang' in
line comes along. Indeed, Southern Thailand is packed with Westerners and tourists from other Asian countries shuffling around
from destination to destination, looking for an affordable place to stay and a patch of sand to enjoy.
This is not how I remember the South. The first time I ever visited
Thailand, it took me six weeks just to get to Bangkok from the Malaysian border! Island hopping and staring at the ocean from
a hammock was a really easy way to spend time, I discovered. Although there were a lot of people travelling around in January
1998, it was always possible to chill out with laid back Thai resort owners and bartenders, and let time pass by unnoticed.
At that time, I boated from Krabi town to Koh Lanta, then to Koh
Phi Phi and finally to Phuket before crossing the mainland and doing the same sort of thing in the Gulf. Since then, I've
checked out Koh Chang, Koh Samed, Koh Payam and returned to Lanta for a visit on the five-year anniversary of my first time
there (it was unrecognizable).
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| Had Rin, Koh Pha Ngan, January 1998 |
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| Exteriour of Phra Mondhob, Bangkok |
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| Waterfall on Koh Lanta, December 2002 |
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| Me and Jai Moon, Last Beach, Koh Lanta 2002 |
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| Koh Lanta, 1998: Before the Seven Eleven! |
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| My friends Ake and Jimmy, Koh Pha Ngan, 1998 |
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| Jai Moon, Au Nang, Krabi, 2002 |
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| Rum for Breakfast, Krabi 2002 |
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