For many years getting a decent map for the Hua Hin area was an arduous task. Hannes at Pasta Factory has done about the best drawn maps and these can be found around town or online at HHAD - the rest of the mapping efforts have been very amateur and far from accurate. Keeping a map updated is a lot of work as the town is ever changing. Google Earth maps have never been usable as it was always low resolution for Hua Hin so no detail can be made out … until now! They recently upgraded the satellite imagery for the Hua Hin area with covers from the airport to just beyond Khao Takiab and about 15km west to the bypass. You can get to an elevation of 300 meters with a clear view of the town showing vehicles, buildings and all natural features. What would be grand though if there was an online version of this with all of Hua Hin’s accommodation, shops, services, property, attractions and golf courses accurately marked. Well its just arrived and can be found online at www.maphuahin.com

High season is in full swing both in downtown Hua Hin and on the forums. Many new members logged in to meet and greet the old hands and to find out about visiting and living in Hua Hin. Hot topics of the month included the ever present danger of traffic and driving on the roads in Hua Hin. The town has expanded at a phenomenal rate however the roads sadly haven’t. Nearly everyone who has driven in Hua Hin has at least one horror story about reckless driving and road accidents, we cannot stress it any further; stay safe, have eyes in the back of your head and drive sensible. The phrase “when in Rome” definitely does not apply to driving standards in Hua Hin if you want to stay alive!

Also on the subject of dangerous motorized menaces was a discussion on jetskis at the beach in Khao Takiab. These have really got out of control lately and are simply an accident waiting to happen, plenty of complaints were voiced on the board and we hope something will be done about them soon. There seems to be very little regard for swimmers by the people renting them and the people riding them.

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Firstly the staff and moderators at HHAD would like to wish all of our readers and sponsors a Happy New Year. We have many things planned for 2008 with the introduction of a number of new websites and online services. Our sales and marketing group at HuaHinMedia.com have reported that our readership for 2007 exceeded 500,000 making HHAD the best read website for the area.

Plenty of topics on the forum last month with the most popular discussions being about the current high season and events and activities over the holiday period. A number of bars and restaurants put on Christmas and New Years dinners, the most popular being Crawfords, Jungle Juice, Johnny Walkers and Coco 51. As usual local fine food purveyors Hua Hin Ham & Bacon Company were flat out supplying the expat population of Hua Hin and beyond with Turkeys and Hams for the festive day.

There was also a lot of discussion on the alcohol ban and the unfortunate situation in downtown Hua Hin where the farang bars were ordered to close and Thai venues seemed to remain exempt. A disappointing turn of events for tourists who have spent a year saving for a holiday to Hua Hin only to be told that bars will be shut over the Xmas weekend for an election that they cant vote in. Many places were sympathetic and continued to offer alcoholic beverages to tourists albeit disguised in a coffee cup though the majority in Hua Hin’s busy centre simply remained closed in fear of large fines from the local constabulary.

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