Thailand anyone?

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

so i'm planning a trip to thailand from the last week in march through the first week in april. Basically, i was wondering if anyone on the forum has been to Thailand around this time of year and would like to share their experiences.

I'm curious as to what to expect, what i should bring (besides my kites), what beaches you thought were the best and anything to avoid? I believe we're going to start the trip off at hua hin, but the other spots i've read about are chumphon, and phuket.

I'm curious if anyone knows of places to stay in hua hin or chumphon and if jellyfish are a problem? Any other advice about travelling to Thailand is also appreciated. thx!

colby · Since 23 Apr 2005 613 Posts Celebrity Photographer

Toby just left for Thailand last week with his kite gear and was talking of jumping over to Vietnam if the conditions were poor in the South... hopefully he will check in on the boards and give you the update...not sure what his contact info is.

The kite companies move around depending on the time of year...these guys move between Hua Hin, Chumphon and Phuket, and are probably worth emailing:

http://www.kitethailand.com/phuket-kite-surfing.html

There is also a company up about 15 minutes from the Phuket airport in Hat Nai Yang bay, but will have to research that one on the internet. The guy that runs it reps Cabrinha gear and will sell it to you wholesale since it's made on the island...might be worth finding them!

You may also find kiting down the coastline South of Patong beach, especially on Karon Beach, but be especially careful of the riptides...we were told a person a week is carried out to sea here and watched a guy almost drown while we were sitting at beach restaurant one afternoon. Here's a pic taken from last year at beautiful Karon Beach:

http://colbyotero.com/wp-content/plugins/falbum/wp/album.php?album=72157594477731290&page=1&photo=358241271

Hope that helps a little!

gabe · Since 16 May 2005 475 Posts Obsessed

my opinon is that if you are travelling a long ways to a cool exotic country for more than 1 week, there are way more interesting and rewarding ways to spend your time than hanging on a beach and kiting, which you can do in the NW or broader US whenever you want. thailand and neighboring countries are amazing travel destinations, but i would never go all the way there just to kite in some average conditions.

some people try to accomplish both good travel and kiting by just taking their gear along, but i am very skeptical this really works. it would be impossible to do any meaningful travel in thailand with all that gear, and your selection of destinations will be totally different.

the time when it makes sense to me to do serious travel in order to kite is if you go somewhere with unique, world class kiting conditions that you couldn't get locally. indonesia, mauritius etc, but there aren't many of these given the quality and diversity of NW kite spots. or if you are just looking for a kite vacation with warm water and beaches, i'm sure there are much better and more reliable kite places than thailand.

just my perspective, and how i prioritize my vacation time.

tonski · Since 11 Jun 2005 332 Posts NW Portland Obsessed

Excellent points Gabe - we learned a tough lesson when trying to lug all of our kiteboarding (and diving) gear to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific....exotic, small islands - Think TINY plane with no space for gear and 35lb weight restrictions. We ended up paying for storage at the airport and leaving the kite gear in order to explore the smaller/ less traveled islands. Smile

stringy · Since 23 Jun 2006 1726 Posts vancouver XTreme Poster

bamboo · Since 24 Jun 2005 165 Posts da 'chung; taiwan Stoked

cipro...definitely bring cipro! and all the other things stringy mentioned. first aid kits are key and will always come in handy. mosquito repellent will be a godsend, especially if you’re staying on the cheap.

for thailand you'll want your big kites as the winds are super mellow and not very often. the smallest you'll want is probably a 16m. and for that time of year i think the seasons are changing and the winds may be fluky.

sometime in april is the songkran (water) festival and marks the hottest day of the year. typically it's around 40-42C and is brutally hot. you definitely want to join the festivities and splash water on people as well as be splashed. make sure you keep your mouth shut as the water used to throw around isn’t that bottled water type.

gabe has a point that if your traveling that far it's probably best to leave the kite kit at home as there's so much to see and explore in that country. unless of course your focusing on that and chasing the wind. in which case i would say you should head next door and hit mui nei, vietnam as well. kite safari's galore.

also, bring spare patches, dump valves, and kite repair gear as most places don't sell it or have a low inventory.

travel safe!

one last thing, get an international drivers license with a certificate for moto bikes. the cops are starting to bust foreigners now for no liscenses.

Slipin Lizard · Since 23 Sep 2005 88 Posts Hood River, Oregon

I've been to Thailand, but not to kite. Some advice: -if you need to take a cab, use the metered cabs, not the three wheeled "tuk-tuks" that are a complete rip-off. If you want to save money on transport, try to dial in to the local systems like trains. We took a train trip over 2 hours each way, cost us about 50 cents each. If you go to a "Tourist Infromation Center" they'll sell you the same ticket for 100 bucks or whatever.
When a well dressed local guy with a little binder walks up and starts a conversation, just ignore him. They are con artists and they are everywhere. The only legitimate tourist guys have badges in plain view, and don't charge for their info.
It's safe to eat from the vendors on the street, but stay away from "wet markets" where they are slaughtering animals. The street vendors sell delicious skewered pork, and will have sticky rice hidden away. To get rice, ask for "cow nee oww".
I have to agree with Gabe. You're going to a beautiful destination, and there's an awful lot to take in. I think Thailand has some of the best SCUBA diving around. Just traveling through the country side is a great experience. In the north, there is a park called "Erawan National Park" and I thought it was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. Waterfalls, turquiose water with big fish floating around, and you can swim in the river. If you miss this park, you missed out. If it were me, knowing what I know now, I'd never spend more than 1 or 2 nights in the same place, which is what we did accept for the last 3 days.
If you go kiting, take a break and go snorkeling. It's worth the extra money to take the speed boat instead of the "long tail" boats. Also, take a loaf of bread with you to feed the fish. It's awesome.

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

except for gabe, opinions are like assholes, everybodies got one, and we dont always care to hear them, j/k!

but seriously, thanks for the advice. Slingshot is going to let me borrow a 17m T2 (if they're in by the time i leave) and that will be the only kite I pack. I can stuff my misfit 127 and SRT 5'11" in my dakine board bag, and then i just have to bring some clothes, first aid stuff & digi cam in a backpack. The two friends I'm going with also agree to pack only one kite so we can travel around the country more easily. Now i just have to decide whether or not to bring my impact vest and helmet (for safety) or just bring my harness?

The vacation guide has hua hin in it for march and april. The research i've done says the thermal winds are very consistent that time of year (85% of the days it blows 12+ knots), the only problem is they are fairly light. that being said, I dont have much wave riding experience out in the ocean, so i'm hoping thailand will provide consistent wind and small waves which i think will be ideal for learning how to wave ride. I guess i'll find out if thailand belongs in the vacation guide and whether or not accomplishing both good travel and taking kite gear is do-able.

I did contact rutger and he said the best wind was in hua hin in march/april and that the jellyfish are pretty bad (booties, light sport pants & rashguard recommended). Rutger said he uses a 16m C kite, so i think i'll be able to manage on a 17m T2 Smile

bamboo, is cipro the UTI anitbiotic that you're talking about? I have to worry about getting a UTI over there? wtf? well thanks for the warning.

Unfortunately it looks like the songkran festival starts april 13th so we wont be there during that, but we are going to a full moon party on Koh phangan on April 2nd. Also thanks for the tip on Erawan National Park it lead me to a great site that has info on all Thailands national parks. I agree that Thailand will be an amazing place to visit and that we should do more than just kite, but i really want to do some kiting while i am there.

Nak · Sat Jan 27, 07 1:21 pm

Cipro is an antibiotic also used for digestive tract infections: i.e. travelers diarrhea. It can save you from a lot of misery overseas if you need it... Definitely bring some! You may not need it, but it might save your trip too!

Nak

Mark · Sat Jan 27, 07 5:25 pm

Yes Cipro is your buddy.