Thailand: Notes on Untouched Places

I often read the Diaries about Thailand; I've been going there for more than 12 years, and now that I'm a young pensioner, I live there for 6 months a year (October-April) in the seaside town of Hua Hin, the King's old Summer Residence.

I keep reading that many Italian tourists come to Thailand and always visit the same spots: Ko Samui-Phuket-Krabi-Phi Phi — and remain enthusiastic. All these places are beautiful, yes (but as they used to be); I can assure you that by now they're at sunset, they're destinations crammed with tourists, everything has been concreted over, Thailand is going down the same road as Italy, they build everywhere in a wild way, without sewers, and the beautiful places are slowly disappearing, unfortunately.

This isn't meant to be a travel diary, just to inform the tourist, so as not to let him believe what they read and see in the many brochures, reprinted a thousand times and always the same; the reality is another matter..... I couldn't write 12 years and more of Thailand, it would take a lot of time, but I'd simply like to write, without a trace of presumption, about a few places that haven't yet been hit by the tourist masses — but who knows how much longer they'll hold out?????

One lovely one is the island of Ko Chang with its Park and the islands around it; to get there from Bangkok you have to head towards Pattaya, until you reach the town of Trat, then continue towards the coast at Laem Ngop, where the various ferries to the islands depart. Another spot is in the deep south, almost near the Malaysian border in the province of Satun; you have to reach the town of Hat Yai, then continue to the coast, at Ban Pak Bara, or Satun, where the Tarutao Park is, with its largest island, but the most beautiful islands are Ko Bulon, Ko Rawi, Ko Adang.

Another spot not yet invaded by tourism is in the province of Trang; from there you have to continue to the coast, at Pak Meng, from where ferries always depart for the many islands around; the most beautiful is the enchanting Ko Kradan, then also Ko Muk, inside which is the beautiful Emerald Cave.

And then, having so much time to visit, there are still the beautiful Similan Islands, reached by boat departing from the island of Phuket, or from the nearby coast; then also the splendid and wild Surin Islands, reached by ferry from the place north of Phuket called Khura Buri. On these islands many tribes of sea gypsies still live; they're very curious about the few tourists who arrive, a lovely experience; then in this place a single dive and you're in the wonderful waters of nearby Burma.

This is the list of a few places that for the moment haven't yet been invaded by mass tourism; let's hope they'll hold out like this for a while longer. (In short, to finish: taking an 11-hour flight from Italy to go and visit, I don't know, say Patong Beach in Phuket, it's better to go for an evening stroll in Rimini.)

Sawadee to everyone, Guglielmo