On Feb 26, we flew from Chiang Mai (northern Thailand) to Krabi (southwest Thailand) on the Andaman Sea. The Andaman coast, ravaged by the tsunami of Dec 26, 2004, is one of Thailand’s major tourist destinations, and highly promoted. It includes Krabi as well as many islands: two of the better known are Ko Lanta and Phuket. Unlike northeastern Thailand, many people speak English, there are lots of tourist services, and you see more tourists than Thais. Naturally, costs are also higher.
It is a beautiful area. You can choose from a wide range of 5 star resorts (where we didn’t stay), diving excursions, island hopping tours, and beautiful beaches. In addition to Thai food, you can select fast food such as McDonalds and Burger King or any number of restaurants including Indian, Italian, Japanese, and Scandinavian. We enjoyed our stay in the area, but we felt a longing for the more relaxed, authentic Thailand of the northeast.
Here are few pictures from the Andaman coast.
Tsunami Recovery
Mid January 2005, we arrived in Karon Beach, Phuket, 3 weeks after the tsunami of Dec 26, 2004. The physical impact on Karon was minimal; however, the economic impact was obvious. Note the picture below. There were virtually no tourists on the beach.
March 2009, four years after the tsunami, tourists have returned!
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