1.
KOH
LARN- THAILAND- 5/3/2012
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RANK
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5 out of
10- The top picture is a pic of the area surrounding the beach not the beach itself. Thailand is grimy and I since I was alone, I did not want to let anyone
know I had a camera by taking an actual picture of the shore where anyone could
see. Therefore I had to get a picture where there was no one else and so the
first picture is one I took and I got the second from the internet.
The bottom picture is a picture of the beach that I got from the internet. However it is an accurate representation of how the beach actually looked.
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Size of beach
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Length of shoreline- approximately 100 meters
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Distance from shore to sand- approximately 20
meters
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Sand type
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Whitish/ light- brown
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Water Appearance
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Water color- green
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Transparent to how many feet- past my height
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Cleanliness- 6
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Is there trash in the water-
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No
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Is there trash on the land-
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Not really but there was an entire region of the
beach that was just designated for trash
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Are trash cans available
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Yes
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Are trash cans emptied regularly
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Yes
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Sewage?
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Once you leave the place where the boat takes
you, the place smells of sewage and the entrance to the beach stinks as well.
However the actual beach does not stink. The surroundings however do stink.
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Water Temperature
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Nice. I didn’t actually measure the water
temperature but the water was warm
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Shade availability
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Seating
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available
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Resting
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available
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Coconut trees/ are they full of coconuts that
can fall on people’s heads
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None
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Safety
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Boats
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There are jet-skis and boats that are always
coming in to the shore and if you are swimming under water, then you should
beware that you might get hit by these things.
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Dangerous riptides
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None
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Tsunami possibility
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Thailand was severely affected by the huge
tsunami of 2004 so it is something to be aware of
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Lifeguards
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None but there are many people around and as
well as people in boats and jet-skis
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Poisonous jellyfish or snakes
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None
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Available Activities
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Swimming distances
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Not recommended with all the boats around-
possible but if you are daring you could.
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Free diving
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Possible if you are really adventurous. I would
not do it
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Surfing
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No
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Snorkeling
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Yes- at a different beach that is a 50 baht ride
away on the back of a shady motorcycle taxi
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Scuba
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Yes- same thing at a different beach that is
very far away
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Partying/ beautiful women congregating
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Hot women. Mostly Russians and Thai hookers with
foreign men
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Food and drink/ disposal
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Yes and food is readily available
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Sports
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Yes. Jet skiing at exorbitant rates as well as
beach volleyball
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Level of Calm
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Swimming great- no surfing possible light waves
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Animals
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Are there fishing birds
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I went during the day not at night
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Are fish visible
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Yes
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Jellyfish
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None
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Sea eggs
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None
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Crabs
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Yes
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Horseshoe crabs
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None
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Turtles
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None
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Sea ants- other biting animals
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None
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Barracuda
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None
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Sharks
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None
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Coral- sharp or otherwise
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Yes some coral
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Plant Life/ Other
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Seaweed/kelp
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None
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Sharp stones
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Yes
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Sharp shells
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None
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Coconut trees/ providing shade but also crabs
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None
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Access
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Is it public/private
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Public
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Is it free if public access is available
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Not free because you need to pay a boat to take
you there
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Can you drive there
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No
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Do you have to take a boat there
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Yes
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Price
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150 baht- $5USD
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Land Pests
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None
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Other
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Overall Beach Vibe
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Too touristy. To get there, I had to go to
Pattaya and then take a boat. It was difficult to get there as well. The first
difficulty was figuring out the damned price. The first time I tried to get to
the island I met some fast talking guy with a speedboat who wanted first 3000
baht to go and come back. 3000 baht is $105. I told him 1000 Baht, thinking I
was being slick and that we would come to some understanding at about 1500
baht. But luckily, I used my limited street smarts to simply wait a day and ask
other people.
o
After walking all over and asking different
people, I got a speedboat price of 300 baht and a big boat price of 150 baht.
So I ended up waiting with a bunch of Europeans for the boat. One Pakistani and
I were the only non-white people on the damned boat and I didn’t meet him till
I got to the beach. That said, some of those Russian girls were hot. I waited
about an hour on the big boat waiting for it to fill up. The downside of the
lower price. Luckily I brought some writing material and got some writing done.
o
They let us off at three different beaches with
mine being the last. The boat ride from Pattaya was about 25 minutes. The first
beach was wack. I was so disappointed since it looked just like Pattaya Bay.
Then I noticed people walking. I followed them and a guy on a motorcycle asked
me if I wanted a ride to a different beach for 30 baht. $1.
o
This was the prettiest beach. But upon arrival, I
smelled the all too familiar whiff of Pattaya’s sewage. Right at the entrance.
But the beach itself was actually clean. But there was very little space for
swimming and lazing around. There were too many jet-skis and what not.
Nevertheless, the water was light green approaching blue and the beach was
beautiful. Without the regular boats coming in and out and
roped off areas, it would have been a wonderful beach. The next place I go in
Thailand will be Phuket.
