Went to Thailand in January and we stayed in Khao Lak. Khao Lak is situated on the west coast an hour north of Phuket, and was very badly damaged in the tsunami in dec 2004. The overall impression now three years later is that very much is rebuilt, but the signs were still there if you looked closer.

Tsunami destroyed resort

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Khao Lak beach

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Our resort was just opened after a total rebuilding. It was really nice but not totally finished. We were overall satisfied, even if some of the things did not work properly and all the routins had not come into place. As a compensation for this the hotel offered a buffe dinner for free to all guests, every night, which was quite good, the times we ate there. Food is so cheap in Thailand, so going out and eat, is a true pleasure. And almost everything taste really good also.

Emerald Beach resort

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A 3 USD Thai dish

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We spent the days just relaxing in the sun, reading good books and swimming. Found a nice place down the beach, where a local couple offered sunbeds for free, but had a small hut where they sold beer (USD 1.5), soft drinks (50c) and fruit (50c). This place offered peace and quite and you could listen to the sound of the waves instead of playing children over at the resort. This place became our little haven and the Thai couple were the cutest, nicest people.

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One day we went to on a boat trip to Similan Islands, which is about 1,5 hour with speed boat from the coast. It's a national park with 9 islands, and one of Jaque Cousteaus favorite diving places. We took a daytrip and snorkeled and dived there, and had some time on the beautiful beach. Here the sand is soft and white and the water fantastic.

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I did two dives which were quite different from the Caribbean dives I have done, especially when it comes to the life underwater. I did see some familiar fishes, but also so many new species in the most vibrant colors. Our camera can't take photos deeper than 10 ft, so all pictures are taken during snorkeling.

Redtailed Butterflyfish

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Nemos (Clownfish)

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Overall Thailand offers a really nice spot to vacation. It's always warm and the Thai people are very friendly. Almost everything is very cheap, so you don't have to look at the prices on a menu, you just order what you want. A typical Thai dish, like "Chicken Cashew" or "Shrimp Sweet and Sour" is between 3-5 USD. The beaches are nice, but the sand is not that St John white. They are darker and more yellow/brown sand and the water is greener. But it was good enough for a week of total relaxation and recharching the batteries.

Link to more photos below.

I'll be happy to answer any question you may have.


Maggy