Thailand: Islands and Beaches

Sail the Andaman Sea

Posted April 23, 2026 by Jan
Thailand: Islands and Beaches

Hat Chao Mai National Park

Sikao and Kantang Districts

Trang Province

Thailand

April 23, 2026

Hello,

Last month my Facebook Feed highlighted an ad for a cruise on the Andaman Sea.  I answered the ad, and booked a three-day two-night sail on the Mohana yacht. Gary, my good friend here, decided to join me. (For many years Gary actually lived on a boat in Seattle!)

Chan, the Cruise Manager picks us up at the Trang Airport in southern Thailand.  We drive to Hat Yao Beach where we spend the night.  In the morning, with a crew of three. we set sail for Kradan Island.  The next day we visit Muk Island. (Chan, Captain Boonchok and Sailor Ta.)

Sights and Surprises:

Hat Yau Beach is surrounded by limestone karst hills.  In the evening, facing west towards the sea, the hills darken and the clouds turn red-pink.  At dinner, I decide that before we set sail in the morning, I will take a sunrise stroll.  Will I be able to see the sun strike the hills from the east? I do! And more! **

The sea is calm and the winds gentle. When the winds freshen, Captain Boonchok turns off the motor.  Chan and Ta hoist the sheets. We sail!

Moored off Kradan Island. Gary paddles about in a rubber dinghy.  Wrapped with life jacket, Jan jumps in and “swims” around the boat. Then Chan paddles me to shore.  I shoot the sights along the beach.

The next day we visit Muk Island.

The sail is invigorating. The scenery inspiring.  The fresh food delicious.

The sail is invigorating! The scenery inspiring!  The fresh food delicious!

You in the neighborhood?  We’ll book another!

Cheers,

Jan

 

** Set back from the road, a Thai woman is busy with her morning chores. I take a shot.  I decide to show her the image.  She invites me to her home and offers tea.  Gai introduces me to Manfred, her partner in this sunlit morning paradise.

On the wall of their home, Manfred has hung a map of his original home:  The German Island of Juist in the North Sea. We commence an enthusiastic conversation in Thai-German-English!

Chan knows Manfred. (Here everyone knows everyone.)  When sailing out of the marina, Chan points out Manfed’s sailboat.  Manfred sailed here from the North Sea!  That raises two questions: How long did it take him to sail to southern Thailand?  What was his route?  Down the Danube to the Black Sea and Suez?  Or down the coast of western Europe through Gibraltar.

I make a mental note: When next in Europe and in honor of my encounter with Gia and Manfred, I’ll take the ferry to what appears to be yet another serene paradise: Juist!  No cars! Sand dunes and the Sea.   

I tire towards the end of my walk. A young man on a motorbike offers to take me back to my hotel room.  Out on the sail, Chan mentions that he knew that I had taken that ride.   Down here, folks are so kind.  And everyone knows everyone!

 

Cheers and Memories

Posted July 20, 2025 by Jan
Thailand: Islands and Beaches

 

Prelude

At thirty-eight, I ran the first of my six completed Marathons in September, 1978 in New York City. The race traverses all five boroughs of the City.  The race begins at Fort Wadsworth Park in Staten Island and immediately crosses the Verrazano Narrows Bridge across New York Bay to Brooklyn.  Through Bay Ridge and downtown Brooklyn and across the Pulaski Bridge to Queens.  Then across the 59th Street-Queensborough Bridge to Manhattan, north to the Willis Avenue Bridge to the South Bronx, and then the Madison Avenue Bridge back to Manhattan, through Harlem and Central Park and finally to Tavern on the Green Restaurant near Columbus Circle.  (A friend of mine quipped, “I wouldn’t even want to drive that route!”)  The race covers the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers!

Here's a cute story I like to tell about that race: “I ran the race with the famous marathoner Bill Rogers!  He is the eventual winner at 2’ 10”….  But when he crossed the finish line in Manhattan, I was still slogging along in Brooklyn!”

.............................................................................

Jomtien Beach

Thailand

Early Sunday Morning

July 20, 2025

Windy and Overcast

Hello,

And speaking about runners slogging (or just walking) along:

 By the time I realize what is happening in my neighborhood this morning, the Pattaya Marathon had been in progress for three hours. The elite runners and well-trained long-distance runners have already crossed the finish line.  Since my location on the route is at 32 kilometers. or about 20 miles, I am watching “the back of the pack.”

Loi Krathong and Wat Phra Yai

Posted November 19, 2020 by Jan
Thailand: Islands and Beaches

Jomtien Beach

Chonburi Province

Thailand

October 31, 2020

Jenjira and I celebrate Loi Krathong festival with our friends Dan and Anna. 

We float our kratongs in the sea, enjoy the festivities and continue our colorful evening at an all-you-can-eat cook-it-yourself fish and seafood buffet.

A few days later, Jenjira and I climb the steep dragon-protected steps to visit and pay our respects at the Wat Phra Yai complex, also known in Pattaya as The Big Buddha.  The seated Buddha rises over us at eighteen meters or fifty-nine feet.

Please click on the links for more information.

Phi Phi, Krabi: "Happy"

Posted January 20, 2002 by Jan
Thailand: Islands and Beaches

Bangkok, Thailand

January 20, 2002

Dear Family and Friends,

Thailand was a wonderful winter adventure. After Bangkok and Pattaya, I spent few days in the North. I visited the Hill Tribes and drove through the mountains near Mae Hong Song.

The highlights were a beautiful botanical garden in a valley surrounded by coffee plants, a lovely waterfall park, and finally, a mudpack facial at a hot spring!

I was alone with two drivers. As we strolled through the villages and stopped for tea and meals, I felt like Sahib leading a safari. Much fun.

From Chiang Mai I flew south to Phuket -- a so-called “world-class” resort. So naturally I avoided it (big mistake). I immediately took a boat across the sea to Phi Phi Island (another big mistake). Phi Phi is quite beautiful but the town is overrun with young Scandinavians defrosting and partying on the beach. I was the only adult on the Island.

I decided to make the best of it, since I was suffering from a mild case of the Thai equivalent of Montezuma’s revenge. The beaches were sunny and inviting and the scenic view of the Swedish babes helped to cure my stomach cramps. After Phi Phi I took another boat ride to Krabi.  Excellent choice.

Hua Hin: "Sweet and Spicy with a Spoon"

Posted June 30, 2003 by Jan
Thailand: Islands and Beaches

June 30, 2003

Hua Hin

Thailand

Dear Family and Friends,

Hua Hin, my favorite beach-resort, lies on the east coast of the western peninsula of Thailand, just south of Bangkok. "Just south" is what it looks like on the map; it takes three hours by express bus. 

Before boarding the bus for my long ride south, I bought some sweet and sour crunchy fish, boiled rice and watermelon. A large portion of sweet watermelon, cantaloupe, or pineapple costs 10 Baht.

Breakfast on the street includes fresh squeezed orange juice, chicken and rice in a lovely broth, aromatic coffee with sweetened condensed milk.  

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