Cha-Am blog by onlychaam

Onlychaam.com first appeared on the web in February 2008, so it’s still a young website. After one year we are already proud to receive around 2,000 unique visitors per month, and we would like to wish you all a Happy New Year 2009! The forum is still very quiet and there aren’t many comments on this blog, but we receive kind emails regularly, which is very encouraging for us. In 2009 we will keep on updating the site, and we will also shoot and edit some videos. Stay tuned…

Cha-Am is not Bangkok, so here we don’t get to see Christmas trees in shopping centers! Errr… well of course there ain’t many shopping centers around either. But that’s what we all like about Cha-Am, don’t we?

Here are a few pictures of Cha-Am on a Christmas’ eve day. If you don’t know where to go tonight, just head to soi bus station and see what restaurants have a special menu for the occasion. Then after your meal you can have a few drinks in the bars nearby, where all the girls will probably wear funny Christmas red hats!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Cha-Am beach very quiet for Christmas

Getting sunburnt on Christmas eve!

Do you want a kite for Christmas?

A Christmas tree at Aroy restaurant

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva became Thailand’s 27th prime minister after winning a special vote in parliament.

When Somchai Wongsawat, the previous prime minister, was removed from office, the main political parties decided to back a Democrat led coalition thereby endorsing Abhisit as the next Prime Minister.

Born and educated in England, Abhisit began his political career in 1992 as a Democrat MP for Bangkok constituency. He has been the leader of the Democrat party since 2005. Sometimes referred to as the “Thai Obama”, Abhisit will have, just like his American counterpart, the difficult task to govern a nation deep in crisis, and to try not to disappoint all the people who put their trust in him.

Good luck Mr Abhisit!

Today is the King’s birthday, as well as Fathers’ day. His Majesty is unfortunately mildly sick and will not give his traditional birthday speech, which was much awaited in this time of political turmoil. Even if the King is not directly involved in political matters, he is loved and respected as the father of the nation, so his words of wisdom always have some impact. In his birthday speech the King always covers various matters, speaks without reading notes and shows a great sense of humour.

Today everybody is invited to lit candles to celebrate the King’s 81st birthday anniversary. I already saw a few houses illuminated in Cha-Am, and there will probably be many more tonight!

Thaivisa is informing us that the rules concerning the visa runs have just been changed. Some people used to cross the border to another country and enter Thailand again to benefit from a 30 days exemption of visa. You could do it several times and thus stay in Thailand without any proper visa. Now the rule has changed, and people who cross a land border will only be given an authorization of stay of 15 days. People who arrive at the airport and who are eligible for the 30 days exemption (mostly passport holders from Western Europe, North America and Australia/NZ) will still be given 30 days, like before (you can check our FAQ for more details).

The new rule comes into effect immediately. It may sound a bit surprising, as Thailand is now suffering from the worldwide economical crisis and from its interior political crisis, which has led to the closing of both airports and revenue losses estimated to several billion dollars (560 million dollars only for Thai Airways), but it is in fact completely in line with the policy of all previous governments regarding foreign tourists and expats. The message is clear: people who resent this policy are welcome to leave the country and spend their money elsewhere, whereas people who wish to stay must comply with the rules (and also be prepared for any change of the rules).

It is just a bit ironical that several hundred thousands tourists were recently stranded in Thailand and literally forced to stay here, while most of them just wanted to leave and go back home! By the way, now that the Prime Minister has been dismissed, all traffic should resume normally at the airport before the end of the week.

Suvarnabhumi airport has been closed after protestors from the PAD invaded it. The PAD is demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, who is still in Peru where the APEC summit took place. Many inbound flights have been diverted and many outbound flights have been cancelled. Thousands of foreign tourists were stuck in the airport, with very few information from the airlines and very difficult access to basic facilities (in spite of being a brand new airport, Suvarnabhumi has many flaws and problems, like not enough toilets and not enough seats). We have just learned that the tourists have now been evacuated to various hotels near the airport.

If you are a tourist planning to arrive or depart from Bangkok International airport, check and double check that your flight is still scheduled, and check the news frequently to be alerted of further developments. Reports also mentioned clash between PAD demonstrators and taxi drivers, as well as bombs exploding, but as usual information is very confusing. Foreign tourists are not a target, so there is no need to panic. Just make sure you avoid being caught in the protestors’ crowd or in any confrontation.

You can check your flight status by addressing your airline company or by checking Thaivisa’s website. To follow the news in English, we suggest the Bangkok Post or the Nation online. For some pictures, check out Thaiphotoblogs.

Cha-Am Traffic Police has been doing roadchecks quite actively these last days, mainly on Narathip road (the main road leading to the beach and coming from highway #4 - Phetkasem - junction). If you ride a motorbike, make sure you wear a helmet! And if you drive any vehicle, make sure you have your papers in order (international driving licence or Thai driving licence). If you don’t, you should expect to pay a fine (usually 300 baht).

When driving in Cha-Am, you should also mind the stray dogs. They are all over the place! Yesterday I ran into a dog while riding my motorbike. My wife is a bit worried, as she says it’s a sign of bad luck. I think it is mostly bad luck for the dog, and rather good luck for me that I didn’t fall over the bike! But my bike is heavy and the dog was not. I was not driving fast, but the dog crossed the road then changed its mind suddenly and I couldn’t avoid it. I checked in my rearview mirror and saw that it was lying flat dead. เรียบร้อย!

Last night was the first full moon day of November and the Loy Krathong festival took place. It is by far the most spectacular, touching and romantic festival in Thailand.

Here are a few pictures taken at Wat Neran (on North Cha-Am beach, where there is a six-armed Buddha statue).

For two days now there has been a clear change of weather. It is much cooler in the morning and in the evening, and dryer too. This probably marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the dry and cool season. At the moment (10 am) the sky is partly cloudy and the temperature is only 25°C, which is actually cool for Thailand.

If you are planning holidays in Cha-Am, it’s a great time for outdoors activities like cycling. You don’t need to bring along any winter clothes, except if you plan to ride a motorbike early in the morning or late at night. If you are on the budget, you can save money by renting a fan only room, as you probably won’t need to turn on A/C. But you may also want to check for hot water, as it is more comfortable for your morning and evening shower.

Today I went for a ride in the countryside, on the other side of the railway, between Cha-am “moo-ban” and Hup Ka Pong. It’s a very quiet and scenic area, as you can see on the pictures. I rode my motorbike, not my bicycle, as I am a lazy dude and the weather was hot.