Cha-Am blog by onlychaam

It’s now official, starting from Monday (March 23, 2009), the Immigration Office will be soi 23, near Index. Today they were moving in all the furniture, and it should be ready to open on Monday. You can see the exact location in our brand new city map of Cha-Am. Unlike the previous location soi 102, it is now very easy to find (just turn left in soi 23 before Index).

So all the foreigners who were worried that the Immigration Office would be moved back to its old location in Prachuap Kirikan after the closing of the Office soi 102 can now be reassured. Soi 23 is a much more convenient location, of course, and it was made possible thanks to the sponsoring of several companies established in Hua Hin, like the Hot Line Newspaper, Hot Properties Magazine and Avalon development.

The closing of the Immigration Office in Hua Hin got many of the expats and tourists worried. But there is a rumour slowly spreading: the Immigration Office could stay in Hua Hin, it would just change location. It would move to soi 23, close to Index (the furniture shop), which would of course be much more convenient than soi 102. It is still a rumour, so please don’t take this information for granted.

There is another rumour going round and it concerns “big plans for Cha-am”, as put by the Bangkok Post. According to the article, a “mega tourism project” will be launched in Cha-Am, for a cost of 60 billion baht. They want to build resorts, spas, convention and exhibition facilities, and even a botanical garden and film studios. A new Disneyworld in Cha-Am? Personally I wouldn’t mind a waterpark (provided it is clean and safe, not like the ones in Bangkok) or a zoological garden for the kids, but please, no more “convention center”! And let’s hope Cha-Am won’t change too much, because what Thai and Farangs alike love about this place is the laidback atmosphere and the affordable prices!