A lot of debate has taken place on natural health remedies as opposed to traditionally prescribed medication. There are two distinct opposing schools of thought on the subject and discussion can often get heated. Good natural suggestions have been offered however everybody has a different physiological composition and there is no exact science to it so what may work for some won’t for others. More people are willing to give alternative medicine a try though as the cost of pharmaceuticals continues to increase, some interesting experiences can be read on the board.

Internet woes are affecting Maxnet users in Hua Hin as the provider seems plagued with constant problems. Repetitive page refreshing, inconsistent connections, and email server problems are common and the blame is usually put on the user, not the supplier. Funny that, as it seems a whole bunch of users have the same problem – must be a faulty batch of routers! DNS server problems, whereby the internet provider has trouble resolving web addresses, are very common with Maxnet so a number of solutions have been posted as it looks like assistance from TT&T will be a long time coming.

(more…)

A mixed bag of reports came in on the weekend’s Jazz Festival though most that went enjoyed it. Improvements over last year included the two venues but getting onto the beach and finding a spot was still a crush as the night went on. Security was heightened this year with areas being cordoned off and bag checks taking place, maybe they were expecting something.

A lack of seating at the park stage meant bums on cold concrete and a general shortage of good food stalls at the Park and along Damnoen Kasem Road was quite bizarre considering the enthusiasm for food in Thailand. The music, as always, made up for these minor shortfalls with top performances from Shakatak and Koh Saxman. We did miss our favourites Prode and T-Bone though and hope they’ll return next year. Photos from the event can be found on the forum and at www.jazzfestivalhuahin.com.

(more…)

Visas have been the hot topic of the week as Thailand’s immigration department made another clampdown on border runners, adding to the already mind boggling levels of confusion on the subject. The latest restriction has been placed on those crossing the border for a 15 day stamp and it seems that Thailand is trying to weed out the undesirables, or those that don’t have proper visas. What is more mind numbing is that in the year when the economy is hitting record lows and tourism numbers continue to plummet Thailand carries on with its customary clampdowns.

Naturally the discussion evolved into one on long term options which are also becoming rather limited for those under 50 without an overseas income, it appears that if you are old and wealthy you’re welcome. Getting a work permit is no longer that easy in the current economic environment as many companies can’t afford the expense or deal with the ever increasing bureaucracy of hiring a foreigner.

(more…)

It maybe a sign of the times but two hot topics that are always generating a healthy response are the cost of living and the increasing crime levels. As currencies and exchange rates continue to squeeze expats that bizarre Thai concept of increasing the prices when the customers are scarce just adds to those financial woes. The fact that virtually no Thai businesses in Hua Hin can acknowledge that there is a difference between a two-week-tourist and a permanently residing expat is frustrating. Hua Hin is a tourist town hence you’ll largely be paying tourist prices, an expat ID card to get local rates would be a great idea but as with many others it’s unlikely to happen.

(more…)

The annual Hua Hin Jazz Festival is back and this year promises to be even better with three days of music at two separate venues. The dates of June 12 to 14 should be penciled into the diaries of anyone that enjoys good music and the ambiance of a beach festival. The lineup includes international artists Shakatak from the UK, Malene Mortensen from Denmark and Popsanova from Brazil. Also in attendance will be performers from Japan, the Philippines and Malaysia and fifteen local Thai bands and musicians.

Hua Hin is expected to be jam packed over the festival weekend so it pays to book your accommodation early to avoid disappointment. Previous years have seen overcrowding problems as an incoming tide reduces the beach venue size; this year will be much better as the organisers have reverted back to a two stage event. The main stage is likely to be on the beach at the Sofitel with the second ‘Jazz Royale’ stage at the red cross park just down from Hua Hin railway station. For more information, lineups, schedules and images check out www.jazzfestivalhuahin.com and for discussion on the event take a look at the Hua Hin forum: Hua Hin Jazz Festival 2009.

Serenity descended on Hua Hin once more following last weekend’s Bangkok teenage party at the Honda Summer Music Fest on the beach in Khao Takiab. As expected organisation was shocking and the roads in and out of Hua Hin were gridlocked, there were reports of journeys of a couple of kilometers taking as many hours, even on a bike!

Takiab beach the following day looked like the Lebanon and the sad fact is that a lot of the plastic discarded by revellers the night before will end up washed out to sea. Thai fishermen are bad enough with their polystyrene contributions to marine habitats, and teenagers with plastic bottles just compound a problem that nobody seems to care about.

(more…)

The annual Red Cross Fair has been going on down Naebkehardt road in central Hua Hin this week. The gathering of hundreds of local stalls and attractions selling all manner of commodities occurs every April however it doesn’t feel like it was there that long ago. This is because there was one in November last year also.

Live music, thumping speakers and raucous fairgrounds are a great attraction to anyone that doesn’t live within a 2 kilometer radius of the event but for those that live and operate businesses down Naebkehardt road it has been a week of misery.

(more…)

One of Hua Hin’s biggest stories in recent times reared its head again this week as the shooting of Donald Whiting sparked more discussion. A number of suspicious looking user accounts and doppelgangers materialised on the forum to have a poke at each other leaving the rest of us still with no clue how this case is proceeding. Getting information from the local plod is harder than finding a parking spot in Hua Hin at the weekend so we’ll just leave those with too much time on their hands to it for now.

Many public forums fall foul to trouble makers and time wasters who have little better to do than hide behind pseudonyms on the internet and have a go at other people. This is the nature of the beast and often explains why forums are so popular, in a virtual world someone can say what they like without any comeback. Just as well HHAD is well moderated and the spurious among its membership are easily spotted and exposed … Hua Hin is still a small town.

(more…)

Well the wet week is now over and as expected the death toll on the roads made the violence in Bangkok look like a Sunday picnic on the beach. Alcohol, water fights and motorbikes don’t mix and never will so we trust you all were sensible and never left the safe confines of your local bar!

Many expats have grown a little tarnished over the years and avoid Songkran at all costs; we still find it a great day out providing it doesn’t get out of control. Hua Hin only celebrates the 13th but as you read this people will still be flinging cold water at each other in different provinces around the country.

(more…)

The real estate discussion section was bought back to life this week with the same conundrums on buying and leasing property in Thailand. Apparently there are some not-so-honest property developers in Hua Hin (yes we were amazed too) that have been selling houses with a 90 year lease disguised as three renewable thirty year leases. Some local legal advisors and officials in the land office have also been supporting this spurious practice and allowing buyers to be bamboozled by bureaucracy.

A 90 year lease does not exist as one inopportune home buyer later discovered following consultations with a Bangkok lawyer. Only the first 30 years of a property lease in Thailand is covered by law so the rest is just a loose agreement which is probably not worth the paper it is drafted on. The company route to buy property as a foreigner is pretty much a dead end also since the last wave of government restrictions included the enforcement of checks on operational, tax paying, companies with Thai shareholders – who will all be investigated. Not the most welcoming option for a retired couple seeking a holiday home in the tropics.

(more…)

Finally, after seven years of last minute scrambling for information, we have been contacted by the organizers of the Hua Hin Jazz Festival with confirmed dates of June 12-14. The official signing ceremony of the 8th Hua Hin Jazz Festival took place on March 23 at Municipality office. No lineup details have been released yet but they did state that there will be two stage locations this year which will alleviate some of the overcrowding at previous festivals.

The jazz festival is always a spectacular event regardless of your tastes in music; you can’t beat the carnival atmosphere on the beach and a cold beer (providing it is on sale). For those that can’t wait until June there will be another music festival on the beach in Khao Takiab though it will attract the younger crowd from Bangkok. The Honda Summer Music Fest 2 kicks off at midday on Saturday May 2 and runs into the night, the lineup will feature a number of Thai ska and reggae bands including T-Bone. News updates and photos for both events can be found on the forum – don’t forget to get online and book your accommodation early if you need somewhere to stay for either weekend, it will be jammed.

(more…)

We have a golfing bonanza to look forward to over the weekend as the Black Mountain Masters kicks off and runs from the 26th to the 29th. There is no entrance fee to the tournament so we expect it to be popular despite the heat. A new beer company called Federbrau will be one of the sponsors there so we hope that some bright spark in the government doesn’t decide to ban alcohol sales for it – there will be some thirsty people there.

Watch out for Hua Hin local Prom Meesawat who has been blasting balls down the range at Royal Hua Hin all week in preparation, the home favourite is Tongchai Jaidee but we’ll be rooting for Prom, the Hua Hin talent. Photos and reports from the event will be available on HHAD following the final day of play on Sunday.

(more…)

Price comparisons have always been hot topics of contention especially when that comparison is between Hua Hin and Pattaya. The two resorts are constantly being compared but the one that comes up on top in terms of value for money has always been Pattaya. From the cost of a room to the price of a beer, to anything else that you may indulge in the ‘Big P’ beats ‘Double H’ pretty much hands down.

In Hua Hin’s favour, and for many something that is worth the additional expense of living here, is the relative safety, lower crime rate and lack of unadulterated sleaze and generally dodgy characters (although the latter are definitely on the increase in Hua Hin). Pattaya has always been the place for those seeking a little more vivacity in their lives, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea which is why we chose to live in Hua Hin!

(more…)

Talk of a new theme park for the Hua Hin/Cha-am area has been heating up again as a story in the Bangkok Post last week stated that the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) and TCC Property Development of Thai Beverage tycoon Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi have agreed to launch a mega tourism project in Phetchaburi province.

The ten year project covering 13,335 rai and costing over 60 billion baht is expected to get underway this month following the signing of an agreement between the two investors. Critics of the proposed amusement park voiced concerns over giant rats and six foot ducks wandering around the complex as the area turns into Cha-America. Supporters praised the plan claiming that it would boost the local economy and give parents somewhere to drop off their kids for the day (or week).

(more…)

Now that the ASEAN hullabaloo is over, the brown uniforms have slinked off to count their takings, the road mayhem is back to its regular chaos level, the internet has been turned back on, and Hua Hin returns to a state of normality once again. The only lasting benefit we can see is the shiny new widened railway crossing at the G-supermarket, it certainly is a pleasure to navigate!

The local immigration saga is getting more attention, especially as not one of Hua Hin’s estimated 3,000 resident foreigners is looking forward to wasting the best part of a day making a 200 kilometer round trip to Prachuab every 3 months only to be told the ink on their forms is the wrong shade of blue, go back to Hua Hin!

(more…)