Thailand: Islands - February 2009
Dear English-speaking readers, this page is an automatic translation made from a post originally written in French. My apologies for any strange sentences and funny mistakes that may have been generated during the process. If you are reading French, click on the French flag below to access the original and correct text:
Français Are you the type of person who plans everything before a trip, or do you improvise as you go along? I tend to fall into the second category. In one week, I will be in Thailand. I haven't planned or booked much, except for the essentials: plane tickets, a room in Bangkok so I don't have to worry about arriving in the evening, and a diving cruise in the Similan.
The rest... we'll see! 😎
Search for information on the internet
My only preparations these days consisted in browsing the web, in search of fresh info and travelers' impressions, on various places that interest me: Koh Yao Noi in the bay of Phang Nga, the beaches a little away from the tourist flow in the south of Phuket (Ao Sane, Nai Harn, Ya Nui, but hush!) and a whole string of islands along the Andaman coast, up to the Malaysian border (Koh Jum, Koh Muk, Koh Libong, Koh Bulon, Koh Lipe).
I will not stay in Krabi nor in Koh Phi Phi nor in Koh Lanta, where I already dragged my flip-flops several times. I don't know yet if I will go very far south. My initial plan was to go to Koh Lipe... But I might change my mind along the way.
For the island to island connections in the Andaman Sea (ferries and speed boats), I found several interesting sites. It allows to have an idea of the existing routes and prices:
"Andaman Island Hopping
"Tiger Line Travel
"Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club
"Koh Lipe Thailand
"Koh Yao Travel
Diving gear
My most serious preparations consisted in investing, finally, in a thicker wetsuit (there were promotions on 5mm at RenSports!). It will replace my 3mm one (on the left on the picture), even if the water is hot at the moment in Thailand (it must easily be between 27-30°C).
So I should not go out blue and chattering like this summer in Bali, on the side of Nusa Lembongan.
I also put some money in a new diving computer: the Pucks from Mares. A simple computer, one of the cheapest on the market, but which does its job very well, according to the reviews found on the web. In any case, this model is more than enough for the "leisure" diver that I am.
The Puck is more complete than my old Aladin Pro (Uwatec), since it can handle air AND nitrox (yes... I needed that, since there is free nitrox on the boat I chose for the Similan cruise). It gives the temperature and you can change the battery yourself, which is not the case with the Aladin.
UPDATE → In 2015, I changed my wetsuit again and in October 2016, I unfortunately "left" at the bottom of the Red Sea, my trusty little Puck, which was still working fine... So I changed my computer again! To see all the items of my diving equipment, visit the page Equipment.
Travel Guides
I took advantage of these "preparations" to gather all the travel guides on Thailand that I have kept over the years. I found seven of them, and I don't count the two chapters of the last one Lonely Planet, downloaded from Pick & Mix Chapters.
I see that in 2004, I was still boarding the hitchhiker…
And that's when I realized that I didn't even have a map of Thailand... That's the last straw. Zou! Direction Ariane, the travel bookstore...to find one. The map's on the wall and it's already taking me on a trip!
Finally, the last and very serious preparations: I stocked up on bathing suits. In-dis-pen-sa-ble!!! I confess: I bought three in one go. As I'm always in the water, I like to change.
Now I think I'm all set! 😀
In short, the pleasure of projecting oneself in the journey to come is, in my eyes, more important than planning a roadmap... If you read English, go have a look at How to plan a trip without making any plans, on Vagabondish. I find myself well in this article.
😎
