Very tragic. The accident wasn’t the fault of the railway system anyway - a crane belonging to a construction company working on an overhead highway fell onto the moving train.
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I did not know that. I read that the crane operator heard something odd, cleared his crew and seconds later the crane collapsed. No way to get word to a train that fast, which makes even more sense if the crane operator was working for a highway construction team.
I love train travel but sometimes tragedy just happens. I want to take the 9/10 train between Bang Sue/Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but I never plan far enough ahead and most of those sleeper tickets are booked immediately. This incident reminds me of Jhumpa Lahiri’s book “The Namesake”. Not the same type of train, but still.
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I landed in Krabi - Khlong Muang the other day and I have run into peacocks, cats, a gang of chickens, dogs, horses… This is an animal friendly beach. I wish I could download the short video I have of the chickens spotting me and charging forward. I think it must have been dinner time and their owner comes by on a scooter because when they saw me it was chickens at a run.
Peacock saw the hen and put on a show. Then he saw his reflection in the side of my scooter and took at dislike to it, pecking away hard enough to leave a mark. I do not think peacock damage is covered in my insurance package.
The cats were much more friendly, the leftover milk from my coffee service was warmly welcomed by kit and dad.
Most of my time is by the pool or beach, shady side of the area, please!
There is a very chill cafe called the Bali Bar at the south end of the main beach. They mounted nylon nets out from the bar over the beach, kind of like the ones on catamarans. Being the heaviest guy around, I decided to leave the net to the kids. Me and my Chang are staying on solid ground.
So far I had their pad see euw, and the pad ka prao with egg, but their best dish is a side. They quarter an ear of corn and grill it to perfection. Love this dish!
I also hang out at the Best Restaurant, which is pretty ok so I guess they get to keep their name. Their milk tea is more milk than tea but it is cold and sweet. Their seafood curry was rather good though thr Thai Iced Tea was cringingly sweet. I firgot the magic phrase, “Halfsweet, please!” Otherwise it is way too sweet. Thai people add more of everything. Their sukiyaki was a bit mild, but after I hit it with the chili sauce they put on the side it tasted much better. I definitely have the “Mild Man” appearance, cooks usually give me the least spicy version of their dish the first time I eat anywhere.
Krabi has been nice, but i think I need an island retreat.
I have never been to Phi Phi before so I booked a trip to the island on a boat that drops passengers at the beach since they do not have a pier. Good thing I brought my Tevas.
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Such a pretty sunset scene
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Fun stop!
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My ex and I spent a few days on Koh Phi Phi in '98, just a few months after the film crew for The Beach had left (and ruined a lot of the nature while there, infuriating several environmental organizations).
It was one of the “fancier” places we stayed at, even though a night still didn’t cost more than 50 bucks. I remember dinners on the beach proper, watching the squid boats go out at night. I also had the best rendition of guay tiew I’ve had in 3 weeks traveling all over Thailand.
What gorgeous places you are visiting! Thanks for taking us along!
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I left the Thai mainland for the islands a week ago and just returned to the mainland, so I now have time to post food pics. And boats. Lots of boats.
Leaving Ao Nang/Klong Moung was a bit problematic. The cattle lady had a rebellion in the drive way when my Uber driver was trying to pick me up. The bull was heading south, the Alpha cow was heading north, the other cow was trying to mediate and the cattle lady was letting them work it out on their own.
I had to go down the hill to my driver, he texted me that he could not get up to the resort.
Anyway, I finally got to a boat that took me to another boat that took me to the north end of Phi Phi which is supposed to be the quiet part.
And it was chockablock full of punters like me. So I got a big coconut drink and eggrolls to fit in.
And a rather nice green curry at the Erawan Palms Resort beachfront restaurant, Sawasdee. I do not know what they do to that coconut sauce in the green curry, is it a reduction technique, or do they thicken it was palm sugar? It is delicious and only mildly sweet.
The beach is pretty much everything 24/7 here.
And the coffee used to be great on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand, but oddly enough I have been having trouble getting the regular old fashioned Thai Iced Coffee, the one with condensed sweetened milk at the bottom and a touch of cardamom in it.
Bad iced coffee:
And that sacharine sweet orange version of Thai iced tea. Not a happy camper when it came to my coffee choices, so it was Birdy cans morning and afternoon.
Then I went to another resort, Holiday, and they put me in a bungalow way up on top of the hill by the infinity pool.
And I started drinking Singha/Chang beer shandy’s sans the lemonade, but with tons of ice. Watered down beer at freezing temperature makes a decent hot weather beverage.
But I also hit the Malee Seafood beach cafe for their Red Curry Talay/Seafood which was nicely spiced, just a little bit of forehead sweat and a ton of flavor.
Then I took a boat to Phi Phi harbor (sketchy at best) to catch another boat to Ko Kradan.
Where I got to visit with my favorite bar tender (manager?) at Reef Resort, Genta. She speaks about 7 languages and keeps everyone in line.
Plus I had a really nice golden curry with seafood. Love this dish!
I also had a very nice Yum Woon Sen Talay (I think I got that right) at Seven Seas Resort.
And met a very chill dog that owns the place, apparently. Everyone there serves her and rushes to give her treats.
After a week of doing nothing but snorkeling (cautious optimism, the coral appears to be recovering a bit, even the clams are coming back) and eating and drinking beer on ice…
Then it was back to the mainland on a seriously overloaded longtail boat. Every seat was full and the luggage got stacked higher than the gunwales, which is not good. When they get overloaded, longtail boats do not sit really low in the water, they simply get more top heavy as the center of gravity goes up, so the boat rocks further to each side and recovers slower. Everyone is all chatty Kathy and I am sitting their thinking the next moment was going to be a reprise of the Poseidon Adventure, (for you youngsters, it was the first disaster film and in it a cruise ship capsizes and does not sink so they are stuck in there…) Anyway, we did not capsize, obviously, but I am sure it was a very near thing… Maybe.
Eventually I made it to Trang where I visited my favorite dim sum/congee place, Laytrang 2, where I ordered a delicious golden curry with seafood and it came with those three little birds nest of vermicelli and four different kinds of vegetables, long green beans, soft lettuce, sliced cucumber and shredded carrot. And I failed to take a picture but Laytrang 2 has great golden curry! And really good dim sum which I did get a picture of!
And seafood/talay congee the next morning.
Then I was off to Lion Tale where I had an outstanding Suntory Highball, it was probably one of the best cocktails I have ever had, which is odd because all it is is Suntory whiskey and some slightly sweet beverage, not the club soda version. And I had a Thai Omelet over rice which is good after it gets a liberal dose of that vinegar in chilis side condiment concoction.
Then it was back to my slightly seedy but comfortable hotel Thumrin Thana where I had a nice sunset view from the 15th floor.
My last two meals in Trang were at Kim’s on Kantang and At Most. Kim’s place was jamming with locals and I got a brown curry pork with a thin but flavorful side pork rib soup. Trang is a dangerous place to be a pig, apparently.
Kim’s neighborhood art.
Finally, I returned to an old favorite, the At Most Cafe, where the old lady cook that fired me up last time with a simply outstanding crab fried rice was NOT there. And I got a mild version of what was such a great dish last year.
Anyway, all good things come to an end, and I was off to Chumphon in two stage trip that failed to turn out right, so I got stuck here in Surat Thani. And I noticed a Michelin Bib Pork BBQ place between the bus station and my hotel, Heng Khao Moo Daeng. Old guy behind the counter yelled at me as I walked by and saw all the Michelin awards behind him. I guess he can spot a hungry person pretty well. I put a little chili sauce on it, then some vinegar chilis and it was outstanding! I really like this place! Just 65฿/$2USD. And the old guy was talking smack to everyone in the cafe and anyone within yelling range on the sidewalk outside the cafe. It was worth 65฿ just to watch the show. Plus the old guy saw me tucking into the BBQ pork and pointed his spoon at me, shook it around a bit and yelled at me for a while. I think he was noting how much I was enjoying the meal, but since it was all in Thai I have no idea what he was saying. I gave him a thumbs up and went back to eating.
My first thought when my minibus was an hour late and then took an extra hour to get to Surat Thani was, “I am going to arrive into Chumphon relatively late!” My second thought was, there are a lot of Michelin Bib restaurants within walking distance of the Orchid Hotel…
So I think Chumphon just got back-burnered.
I am in a nice AC room at the Orchid, and I have 4 different cafes I want to go to before I leave tomorrow morning, not sure how this will work out.
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I’ll trade you whatever the fekk is happening here for some bad coffee and sketchy hotels and boat rides
Outstanding report as usual, you’re livin the dream life mate! 
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Wow, things have changed in the last… 27 years (whoda tunk hahaha)! Back in '98 it was still pretty underdeveloped, with simple shacks and mostly a backpacking crowd — but sketchy it was not.
Your pics of the beach takes me back, and the food just makes me want to eat my laptop RN.
Wonderfully delicious report, @ZivBnd! Thanks for taking us along — especially those of us who are stuck in the freezer compartment for the time being 
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@ZivBnd did you ever make it to Chumphon? How many of those cafes near the Orchid did you end up eating at?
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I only stayed in Surat Thani for one night. I hit a Michelin Bib street cafe, Heng Khao Moo Daeng, which was a lot of fun, the owner yelled at me as I walked by with a Thai version of “You mean to come here, this is the place you are looking for!” And he was right, the BBQ pork was outstanding.
Then I checked into my favorite Surat Thani hotel, Orchid. Nice staff and very comfortable new rooms with side views of the river. So I relaxed in the AC a bit and then walked down a couple hundred meters to Riverside Restaurant for a couple seafood dishes and a small bottle of Sang Som. Nice view of the bridge. The stir fried crab and the spicy seafood salad. Both were very good.
Then I staggered home with less than half of the Sang Som bottle in my messenger bag.
The next day I was off to Chumphon. Where I spent most of my time over two days in a single family cafe, Pimploy.
My trip has slowed down, I am not going anywhere now. Just kind of relaxing, drinking iced coffee and watching people. And reading juvenile literature on Amazon’s free Kindle service. This trip is a comfortable one. I have been here before, both my phone and my notebook have the WiFi passwords saved.
Sometimes comfortable is good and adventure is not needed.
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So true! Looks like a lovely place to relax in! Thanks for the update.
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Curious what you’re reading. Sounds like a lovely time.
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I started this trip with a purchased Aaronovitch novel from his Rivers of London series about a London constable who finds out that magic is a real thing, and that he can work to become an officer of the law and magic. Very fun series of books. I also had a paperback Bangkok 8 by Burdett, about an honest Thai cop in Bangkok confronted by a particularly vicious murder.
Once I finished those I worked my way to the end of a Mecha type series of novels (War Horses by Scott Warren) set in an alternate universe where 100 ton upright main battle tanks are the tools of the trade for a mercenary regiment.
Then The King’s Watch series by Mark Hayden popped into my feed since I had read Rivers of London. King’s Watch is another magical series of novels set in the UK and Ireland in which the two worlds, magical and mundane, live side by side with the most of the mundane not knowing of the magical aspect of their world. Not as good as Aaronovitch, but it is free.
Then I saw a free Mercedes Lackey book available so I grabbed it and its sequel about the founding of Valdemar. Not her best work but fun.
I have probably read 10 or 12 of Andrew Wareham’s historical novels, most set in the UK or with British main characters. All 4 of my grandparents were originally from the UK so I am kind of an anglophile.
I also finished the Second Son series by Nieto, but it was not as memorable as the other series. Fun but not as intriguing.
I just realized I had read Quicksilver by Stephenson last month and did not get The Confusion. Usually when I read Stephenson if I start one I have to do the whole series again.
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If you have not read Stepehnson’s Anathem, I highly recommended it.
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Is that the one where they download conciousness into a computer program and build a virtual world? If so, i really enjoyed it and it would be worth a second read to pick up what i missed the first time.
Stephenson is a dense read, and a wordy one. But very enjoyable.
I just realized that there are two things that i miss about the way i travel now vs the way i used to travel.
I used to travel with a hammock that i lay in during the hottest hours of the day. (very little AC back then)
And i always had at least two books. You could recognize fellow “travelers” by the hammock on their backpack and something about them by the books they were reading. It is hard to see what your neighbor is reading if they use a Kindle. We used to talk books and travel as we waited out the heat of the day.
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I did stop at the Coffee Bar 99 on my way out of Chumphon for some of the owners excellent Robusta blend coffees, she is a very good sort and she enjoys talking coffee, even to a coffee newby like me. Very good time, and a comfortable place to relax. She served me a nearly 100% robusta roast, with a side of milk and a very nice little blueberry tartlet thing. Simply a great little snack and coffee!
Then I was off to Hua Hin where two friends from Montana live in the winter. So we started at Market Village where I got a seriously decadent breakfast waffle at Marzipan.
Downstairs at Market Village they have a mall version of “Street Food” which was half decent. Actually, it was pretty good. I sometimes look down on mall court food but this was good. The blood tofu added a good bit of flavor.
I sometimes wonder what Thai people think of Westerners that visit here.
Other times I see what many of them think and I remind myself not to ponder this too often.
I also watched the local high school Takrow teams competing out front. Imagine volley ball with a wicker ball, but you CAN NOT use your hands or head. Only your feet and knees. Seriously. This is one of the most insanely athletic sports in the world. These are just a regular intramural HS Takrow team. And they are great athletes. I love this sport!
My friends and I also visited PaoPao for Hong Kong Noodles and Dimsum, both good but not great. Again, we were asked, “How spicy do you want the food?” And for lack of a scientific response, I went with Medium. Which is scorchingly, ridiculously, painfully hot at DAR just down the street. And unambiguously bland at Paopao. I really wish I could say, " I would like my dishes to be somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000 Scoville Units, please! " If there was a way for restaurants to measure Scoville Units…
The Hong Kong noodles did not need to be spicey hot, so i guess i am venting on the wrong cafe.
Then the next day I had a way overcooked sea bass at Je Phueng. Not a great meal. Adding insult to injury, the local termite population swarmed halfway through our meal. Now THAT is a sight to see! We got it bad outside at the tables, but the cooks were under the lights in their outdoor cooking area. They got just buried in flying termites!
This may sound like a joke, but you know you are dining with travelers when they respond to termites descending into their meal with a casual flick of the offending insect out of their food and under their chair. Well, for the first two or three. Then we all gave up and left the remains of our meals behind. LOL! Never had that happen before in quite those numbers.
The next night we went to Cicada Market. The irony of THAT escaped me until now. Great little pop/jazz duo.
Anyway, it was great to see friends from home, but I was off to Bangkok after a couple days there. My warm weather journey has just a week or so to go before I am off to Rome.
But I see that tomorrow is the warmest day forecast for the next 2 weeks in my hometown in Montana. I guess I have to wait at least 3 weeks to go home so that the snow will melt before I get there.
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OMG, termite swarm and overcooked fish at the same meal?!?!? That’s one for the books 
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Yeah, that was not a great food experience. But it was with friends I had not seen for months and we were laughing about it as it happened. So it was a fun evening.
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Dinner with friends can turn even the most bizarre events into a great evening.
What did you think of Hua Hin?
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