Hua Hin online community update
As usual the Songkran festivities last month went off with a blast, downtown Hua Hin was a throng of activity over the main wet day on the 13th. Fortunately for many though the water throwing only lasted one day in Hua Hin and life returned to normal on the Monday. A couple of the braver members took a stroll around town and caught some of the action on camera; the results are on the forum. The town has been busy last month but mainly with Thais from the big city enjoying a number of public holidays.
Although Hua Hin is definitely slowing down in terms of tourism the forums remain busy as ever with a lot of often heated debate on issues revolving around life in Thailand. Many of the topics discussed affect most expats living here, which is why they can frequently go on for several pages online. Both pros and cons of life in Hua Hin are examined by those that live here, those that want to and those that simply enjoy the destination as a holiday. Many quickly realize that the holiday romance with the place can rapidly give way to a more frustrating experience when living here full time. That said though it is still one of the best places in the region to be based, which is why foreigners continue to flock to Hua Hin.
Crime seems to be an emerging problem also with more reports of break-ins, bag snatches, and attacks than ever before. It’s no surprise that more housing developments and seemingly affluent inhabitants will attract the less desirable elements of society preying on them. One hope that all Hua Hin residents have is that the local police force will actually do something about it and there will be more after dark patrols in areas where burglaries and attacks have been reported. Presently this does remain a high hope though.
The number of restaurant reviews online is certainly increasing though not all are favourable to the establishment. Reports of rude and inept staff are common with some of the western managed restaurants though to counter it there are also glowing reviews of the cuisine in many of them so get out and about and make up your own mind! As the number of foreigners in Hua Hin increases so does the demand for quality western food, many are still falling short of the mark however things are slowly changing. Fortunately there is no shortage of good Thai food outlets with Hua Hin being one of the best places in the Kingdom for fresh seafood.
The musical season is in full swing with Honda Summer Music Fest on Saturday May 17th in Khao Takiab. A 12 hour solid music venue will be showcasing a number of popular Thai bands and artists so get yourself down there to take in the ambiance. HHAD is usually the first place to get information on local events, the major one of the year being the Jazz Festival, which will be held on June 13th to 14th. It looks like they are going back to two beach stages and a “Jazz Alley” again this year following the overcrowding problems at last year’s single stage event. As always book early if you need accommodation this weekend.
Property discussion has been picking up with more questions on condos and some interesting information on taxable earnings from property sales profit. As we know getting funds out of Thailand has never been easy and requires a mountain of paperwork but it can be done providing you stick to procedure. There are some very knowledgeable contributors to the property section who can put you in the right direction.
A number of questions arose regarding employment opportunities and starting a business for foreigners in Hua Hin. Sadly the red tape and bureaucracy involved with this is getting worse by the month and the impression we get is that the government really do not want foreigners working here; they’re more interested in retirees and incoming finances from overseas.
As usual we had a wide array of requests in the Expats section ranging from halogen lights to embroidery to snake removals – whatever your question you’ll find the answer on the Hua Hin Forum