Airbnb says more tourists in Thailand are opting for ‘off-the-beaten-track’ destinations, benefiting the environment and local economies.
Thailand’s usual top tourist destinations are places with international airports – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and Phuket. But, according to Airbnb, more tourists are venturing out of these hubs and into “lesser-known” destinations such as Koh Lanta, Trat, Pai, and Cha-Am.
Koh Lanta is surprisingly easy and quick to get to. First, catch a short flight from wherever you are to Krabi Airport. Then, take a minivan to the pier and catch a 15-minute speedboat to the island. The transfer takes less than 90 minutes.
If you have more time and a smaller budget, a more scenic option is to catch a ferry. Depending on the wait in Krabi town, the total transfer time is about three to six hours.
Trat in eastern Thailand is home to over 50 islands, the three most popular being Koh Chang, Koh Kood, and Koh Mak. Trat has everything: beaches, diving, rich history, wildlife, and waterfalls.
You can fly to Trat Airport from Bangkok, but flights are expensive and only run from Bangkok a few times a day. The most popular and cheapest option is to catch a bus. The bus journey from Mochit to Bangkok takes five hours 27 minutes and costs less than 300 baht.
Pai is a well-known “hippie paradise” located in the mountains of Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand. The area is rich with culture, scenery, rice paddies, and waterfalls and is perfect for a laid-back getaway.
To get there, fly to Chiang Mai Airport. Then, take a cheap minivan from Chiang Mai to Pai. It takes around three hours, and tickets cost 150 baht. The journey is not for the faint-hearted, though, as there are 762 curves in the road, and the drivers go fast. In addition, it is notorious for making people car sick, so be sure to buy some car sickness tablets (Ya Mao Rot) from 7-Eleven or any pharmacy before the journey.
Cha-am is a beach destination in Phetchaburi province, western Thailand, perfect for a getaway from Bangkok. Only two hours and 20 minutes away from the capital, the journey is quickly made by car, motorbike, bus, train, or taxi. Cha-am is located 20 kilometers north of Hua Hin.
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A new bill is set to be proposed to the House of Representatives today for urgent consideration to bring some regulation to decriminalizing cannabis in Thailand.
Under the rules proposed by this new bill, hospitals will be allowed to grow cannabis for medication as outlined in the Herbal Product Act. In addition, family farms can use 24,000 square meters of land to grow cannabis.
And for personal use, the new proposed law would allow individual households to cultivate up to 15 cannabis plants.
The spokesperson for the House committee currently considering the proposal says the future of cannabis regulation now sits in the hands of senators and members of parliament to review and hopefully pass.
Since decriminalising in June, several sensational stories have been about people consuming cannabis to disastrous effect. However, the spokesperson says the current data shows a downward trend for hospital cannabis-related patients. He suggests this is due to awareness campaigns that have educated people and kept the substance under control.
He acknowledged that the cannabis rollout has been flawed but that there are more safety measures than when kratom was legalized last year.
Cannabis has been brought into the mainstream since its legalization, with hundreds of small businesses popping up and thousands of established businesses incorporating cannabis and hemp-based products.
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A new poll revealed that people are not impressed with caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan as acting PM and want a recent election to find his replacement.
The poll was conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) and interviewed 1,312 people between September 5 and 7 to ask them about Prawit, his performance, and what he should and should not do. The survey was done by phone and included people of all occupations and incomes as well as levels of education and ages, all over 18.
The poll asked the following questions, with answers grouped into yes or no and a more nuanced range of solid or mild agreement or disagreement.
Would it be appropriate for caretaker Prime Minister Prawit to reshuffle the cabinet? 59% said no.
Would it be appropriate for Prawit to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a new election? 80% said yes.
Are you satisfied in the past two weeks with the job Prawit has done as caretaker prime minister? 64% said no.
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Two women have emerged as top candidates for Prime Minister, with Thai Sang Thai Party’s Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan polling above Pheu Thai Party candidate and former PM’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
On Friday, Sudarat announced she’s ready to advocate for a “people’s constitution” as prime minister.
She is running on a platform of revising laws restricting people’s livelihoods, battling corruption, and increasing income in Thailand. She says Thailand should emphasize its strengths as tourism, food, wellness, logistics, and regional transport hub.
Meanwhile, Paetongtarn, daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, gave a speech yesterday in Chiang Mai saying that whenever elections are held, Pheu Thai will win. While she stopped short of announcing herself as the official candidate for prime minister, the inclusion and innovation advisory committee leader roused the crowd urging everyone to vote the party line and elect as many Pheu Thai MPs as possible.
Move Forward Party has also announced its nominee, with พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์ saying he is ready to create a new future and serve all Thai people as prime minister.
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Commuters and pedestrians had a lucky escape yesterday morning when torrential rain and floods caused part of the Chaeng Wattana Road in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok to collapse. The finger of blame was pointed toward the unfinished MRT Pink Line for the second time in a week.
A part of the Chaeng Wattana Road, near Central Chang Wattana mall, dropped about two meters and destroyed about ten square meters of the road at about 9.30 am, resulting in two of the four lanes closing while builders made repairs to the spot.
The Director of the Nonthaburi Highway District, Suwit Rodphai, informed the media that the road collapsed due to the effect of construction work on the new MRT Pink Line.
Suwit said the construction company, Sino-Thai Engineering, and Construction, was halfway through burying electric cables near the spot when heavy rain fell. Unfortunately, the hole wasn’t covered, and flood water mixed with the sand, cement, and dirt caused the road to collapse.
The media reported that the collapsed spot was temporarily filled with sand, rocks, and mortar and reopened at 7 pm yesterday. Fortunately, there was no damage to vehicles or pedestrians at the time of the collapse.
Another incident caused by the Construction of the new MRT Pink Line was reported last week. A school director and residents in Nonthaburi province filed a complaint to the police, saying that construction work on the new MRT made them suffer from floods like never before.
The MRT Pink Line is the responsibility of the Mass Transit Authority of Thailand. The line includes 30 stations from Nonthaburi Civic Centre in Nonthaburi province to the Min Buri district of Bangkok.
The project is under Construction and trial. Some stations are expected to be in service in February next year, and the whole line will be fully operational by July next year.
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