Welcome back to the Island Wrap. I took a hiatus last week to focus on freelance work and give myself a reboot. Now I’m excited to get back to Thai Island Times with renewed focus — and I thank you for being a part of it. To new subscribers, welcome aboard the only publication devoted exclusively to ALL of Thailand’s islands and coastal areas. When you’re here, you’re on island time.
Starting today I’ll be running the Island Wrap on a bi-weekly basis, publishing it every other Thursday rather than weekly. Other types of posts — like my reflections on Ko Mook and a research-based look at the native people of Ko Lipe — will now run (almost) every Monday and every other Thursday. (And I’ll take one of those slots off every four weeks or so.)
You’ll also see that I slightly altered the Island Wrap format, making it easier to scan quickly for stories that interest you. I also added an “Island oddity” section.
This Monday I have a story about hiking to a rarely seen slice of Ko Chang (Trat).
In Travelfish Weekly, Stuart points out that many Thai islands remain quiet and barely developed while “overtourism (is) specific to a few very high-profile locations.” Some of his recent Couchfish posts include “a bridge to nowhere,” “a long ride to nothing” and a “dead snake on the floor” of a bungalow — all highlights from Southern Vietnam. On a more serious note, he recounts a close call while diving Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, and reflects on “single serving friends.”
Pick of the Wrap: BUSINESS
Founded in 1989, Phuket-based John Gray’s Sea Canoe introduces its patrons to the natural history and ecosystems during kayaking adventures to the karst isles of Phang Nga Bay. Their flagship “Hong by Starlight” leads you through sea caves and lagoons on high-quality kayaks, finishing with a krathong launching ceremony accompanied by bioluminescent plankton and the stars. The tour company’s well-known founder, John “Caveman” Gray, spent years as an environmental activist in Hawaii before launching one of Thailand’s very first kayaking tour companies.
Wildlife and environment
Before we get into the wildlife news, take a look at two articles on important environmental issues affecting coastal Thailand:
Reporting for CNA, Jack Board went to a pair of Upper Gulf provinces to document how a rising sea and changes in the climate are eroding coastlines and damaging durian and other crops as far inland as Nonthaburi. The video report below offers the broad strokes, but do give the full article a read if you have time.
Click the video to see bamboo walls and other erosion-control measures being employed in the coastal provinces near Bangkok. (Source: CNA)
In a story for The Phuket News, Tanyaluk Sakoot points out potential impacts of a recent change in land use laws that could allow more than 5,000 acres of state-owned land on Phuket, including large tracts of inland hills, to be developed “as apartment buildings, gas stations and food-processing plants, among other developments.” Initially allocated strictly for agricultural use, the “Sor Por Kor” land includes some of the last undeveloped terrain near Patong Beach.
Moving on to marine life, a boat tour group ran into a two-foot-long, red-hued diamond squid off the coast of Ko Poda over the weekend. It was the first reported sighting of this rare invertebrate in Thailand for three decades.
Further north in Krabi province near Ko Hong, a particpant on a separate boat tour captured footage of a whale shark encounter. The huge shark appeared to be wounded on its back, and a search by officials looking to aid the jumbo has been unsuccessful so far. Over in the Gulf, another whale shark was spotted at the Hin Phloeng dive site off the coast of Laem Mae Phim Beach in Rayong province.
The biggest marine life story over the past two weeks comes from Ban Ko Tiab, a village overlooking the Ko Wiang group of islands in northern Chumphon province. On Saturday, an exhausted false killer whale calf beached there and locals immediately jumped into action to help, carrying it into the water and setting up a makeshift marine hospital for its care. Scientists are now treating the calf, which is eating but still having trouble swimming. Here’s a video of it being fed.
Further north off Phetchaburi province, marine biologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat posted a video of a Bryde’s whale breaching beside his boat. And archaeologists have unearthed the massive skull of the 5,000-year-old whale skeleton discovered a few weeks ago some 15 km inland from the seacoast in Samut Sakhon.
More leatherback sea turtle eggs appeared on Bang Kwan Beach north of Phuket, making it four leatherback nests at that site for the young season so far. A hawksbill sea turtle also nested again on a beach in Ao Siam National Park near Bang Saphan Yai on the Gulf coast.
Two green sea turtles that were both more than a meter long sadly washed up dead recently, one on Ko Yao Noi east of Phuket and the other down in Trang’s Palian district. Scientists are autopsying both carcasses to determine causes of death. Meanwhile, tourists on Ko Wua Talap in the Ang Thong islands initially thought a beached hawksbill turtle had died, but it was only tired.
An illegal hunter is in trouble after shooting a hornbill through the head near Khiri Phet Waterfall on Ko Chang (Trat) last Thursday, presumably to extract its valuable beak for profit. Clinging to life, the hornbill was rushed to an animal hospital in Si Racha, Chonburi province, and is currently being treated. Though it has started eating, veterinarians warn that the bird is unlikely to survive.
Staying with Chonburi province, a wild elephant trampled a 54-year-old rubber farmer to death in remote Tat Thong. She was the third human to be killed by a wild elephant in the area over the span of three weeks, prompting the district chief to warn that locals should stay indoors from 4:00 to 8:00 in the morning.
Tourists staying on Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach got a scare when they returned from a swim to find an “angry” three-meter king cobra in their rented villa. I reckon they won’t be leaving their sliding glass door slightly open again.
On Ao Nang Beach in Krabi province, an eight-year-old South African boy ended up in hospital after being attacked by a stray dog. Last month a stray bit a Thai boy of around the same age on neighboring Noppharat Thara Beach. The speculation is that local dogs are getting desperate now that so many tourism workers, who used to give meals to the mutts, have left the area due to the pandemic.
Over in the simian realm, the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project based in Phuket’s Khao Phra Thaew protected area is seeking volunteers to help transport supplies into the jungle, where five gibbon families will soon be released. And if anyone knows who owns the collar-wearing macaque that’s been living on Mr. Apichet’s roof in Surat Thani, please tell them to come get their monkey.
Social media corner
Ko Mai Si, a small island located off Ko Kood’s northwest coast, does not make many appearances on social media, or any kind of media for that matter. It’s entirely uninhabited apart from a runway that exclusively serves guests flying in on small planes to stay at Soneva Kiri Resort, one of the most expensive in Thailand. Commenting on a viral post by @BoomTharis which simply says that the resort charges guests up to 500,000 baht ($16,500 USD) nightly for accommodation and uses a private runway, @BlackMercy came up with his own viral tweet:
Translation: “Why did a resort that says it’s eco-friendly and coexists with nature, using unpainted furniture to reduce chemicals and no plastic, clear out forest on the island (of Ko Mai Si) for a private runway?” It’s a fair point, I reckon.
Tourism and economy
Government to introduce “Thailand Plus” application for foreign tourists — Thai PBS World
In my opinion, a smartphone app that tracks the movements of tourists in case of Covid-19 outbreaks is not a bad idea. I only hope that it’s used instead of the tracking bracelet announced last month, and not in addition to it.
Thai embassies scrap 500k financial requirement for single entry tourist visa — ThaiVisa
Two-week quarantine is still required for all incoming travelers, but it appears that Thai embassies have done away with a short-lived rule that tourist visa applicants must show the equivalent of $16,500 USD in their bank accounts.
11.4 families risk poverty — Chatrudee Theparat for Bangkok Post
“Of the 637,000 households, 467,000 reported lower income. These households work in sectors that are more prone to job losses such as tourism or self-employment.”
Govt told to speed up aid to struggling tourism sector — Penchan Charoensuthipan for Bangkok Post
“A survey of workers in the tourism sector found that more than half of them were very concerned and stressed over their debt problems.”
Pattaya police and good Samaritans provide aid to man unemployed due to Covid-19 struggling to take care of his bedridden mother — Goong Nang for The Pattaya News
The man “had run out of money to support his mother and himself after losing his previously profitable job in Pattaya in the now dried up tourism industry.”
How Thailand’s domestic tourism market fell in love with Khao Lak during a pandemic — Bill Barnett for The Thaiger
A bit of good news for a beach destination that has long focused on European and Scandinavian travelers.
Child spirit casts magic spell on southern tourism — Nujaree Raekrun for Bangkok Post
Another bright spot has been the emergence of Nakhon Si Thammarat province as a domestic tourism juggernaut, thanks in large part to the hugely popular Ai Khai or “Egg Boy” shrine at Wat Chedi in Sichon on the seaside.
Check out Jonni Hey’s treehouse abode on Ko Phangan, an island that features in two of the travel article picks below. “I was probably a chimp in a past life,” he tells Phanganist. (Source: Jonni Tribal Fusion)
Travel
Thai hotel that put American in jail gets new label on Tripadvisor — Richard C. Paddock for The New York Times
The one-of-a-kind warning label is still up on the resort’s Tripadvisor page.
How a secretive hippie hideaway in Thailand transformed into a world-renowned beach retreat — Joe Cummings for CNN Travel
Find out what it was like to build a spirituality and wellness focused retreat on a hidden Ko Phangan beach in the early 1990s. Last I checked, The Sanctuary was still accessible only by boat or a multi-hour jungle hike.
The wellness tourism guide to Ko Phangan — Phanganist
“The island offers luxurious suites with ocean views and infinity-edge pools with cozy sunbeds to soak up the sun's soothing rays, while therapeutic courses are also available, including yoga and meditation.”
Orange skies and verdant dreams — Karnjana Karnjanatawe for Bangkok Post
A terrific story about the east side (i.e. the other side) of Ko Lanta Yai and the communities that dwell there amid mangroves and heritage houses.
Place of peace and tranquility — Pongpet Mekloy for Bangkok Post
Take a spin through the royal history of Ko Si Chang.
Unseen Chanthaburi: Visiting the Buddha image on a Ko Phroet adventure in Laem Singh — Thairath (Thai language)
Join a monk on a visit to Ko Phroet, the “pirate island” that’s actually attached to the mainland, and its genuine island neighbor, Ko Kwang.
In other news
Officials defend screening measures — Apinya Wipatayotin for Bangkok Post
“It means the virus still exists in the country and people must not ignore self-preventive measures.”
Thailand says giant drug bust wasn’t — Reuters
“Thailand’s claim to have seized almost $1 billion in contraband ketamine (in Chachoengsao) this month was wrong and tests have so far not shown up any drugs, the justice minister said on Tuesday.” Foiled again!
Worst floods in two years affect many areas in Sadao district — Phumin Mahanatamankha for 77Kaoded (Thai language)
It’s now the middle of rainy season in the mid to deep Southern Gulf, and overflowing forest streams caused waste-high flooding in Sadao over the weekend. Also in Songkhla province as well as on Ko Samui and other spots, red flags have been raised to warn against swimming in an angry Gulf of Thailand.
Pattaya local residents concerned over smog and air pollution — Goong Nang for The Pattaya News
Harmful PM2.5 ultra-fine dust is back due to farmers burning fields and other pollution sources, prompting some tourists to cancel trips to Pattaya and other Central Thai destinations. A new online service, Mekong Air Quality Explorer, forecasts mainland Southeast Asia’s air quality in real time.
No casualties as Ko Phi Phi bungalow hotel goes up in flames — The Nation
A fire damaged 17 of the 20 huts at Phi Phi Hill Bamboo Bungalow, which was closed and empty at the time.
Boat catches fire at Pattaya Bay — Goong Nang for The Pattaya News
“No one was reported injured in the incident.”
Progress on bridge to connect Ko Lanta with mainland — The Nation
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is likely to clear the way for a bridge that would connect the mainland to Ko Lanta Noi, cutting out the need for a car ferry ride. If completed, it would join the Sri Lanta Bridge which opened between Ko Lanta Noi and Ko Lanta Yai in 2016, finally making Ko Lanta the only major Thai island other than Phuket with a road link to the mainland.
Nearing the dream of a bridge over Songkhla Lake — Hat Yai Focus (Thai language)
An EIA is also being carried out to assess the impacts of a seven-km bridge that would connect Phatthalung and Songkhla provinces. Currently, residents need to drive roughly two hours around Thailand’s largest lake to reach the other side.
Thailand’s two tsunami warning buoys re-deployed from Phuket — The Phuket News
Good to get those back in the water.
Pattaya authorities set their eyes on 58 structures and resorts allegedly encroaching on the ocean on Ko Larn — Goong Nang for The Pattaya News
It’s all part of the futuristic “Neo Ko Larn” plan.
Dr. Suphat warns that 233 fishers have the itchy shellfish disease — Sanook (Thai language)
The worst outbreak of a nasty water-born skin disease in two decades has hit Songkhla province’s Chana district. Known as roke hoi khan in Thai, the “swimmer’s itch” leaves itchy, painful red bumps that resemble chicken pox.
Island oddity
An elderly man who takes care of more than 40 felines at his house by the Tapi River in Surat Thani has become a sensation thanks to his “fishing cats.” According to a Thairath report, the “uncle” takes cats out on his rowboat every day to hunt for fish in the muddy delta. While some of them lazily lounge on the boat and wait for fresh fish, a few have become adept at aiding the fisherman by spotting fish and even helping to move the nets around. Purr-fect teamwork. 🌴