READERS' TRIP REPORTS HOME PAGE

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Great shot from napster's Ko Kradan Trip Report.

YOU TOO CAN WRITE A TRIP REPORT!!
I’m finding it increasingly difficult to keep up to date info of all the beaches and islands in front of you guys. You can present a fresh view between my visits - and visit places without reports because I haven’t visited them (eg Pulau Belitung Report here) or haven’t visited for a long time (Pattaya Report). Plus readers never tire of looking at new photos.

So fire in a few pix and some text to lajolla22@hotmail.com - label it TRIP REPORT to distinguish from spam.
This is a great way to preserve your trip memories if you haven’t a blog or similar - and to publicise your blog if you do. I will always link your blog - plus your photo-site if you wish.

Note you don’t have to write much - I reckon one of the best presentations is a few photos with captions. I do one of BOTTLE BEACH below to give you the idea. But some are even more concise than that. Eg Rachael’s Ko Muk Trip Report. Still very useful - with nice pix: I didn’t realise what sweet looking bungalows RUBBER TREE has.
Of course if you want to write more, that is fine.

Rubber Tree, Farang (Charlie) Beach Ko Muk from Rachael

If you don’t have pix, no worries - TOM didn’t take a camera to PALAU BELITUNG but good ol’ Google comes up with plenty.

Palau Belitung - image yuvinta

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DEMO - A FEW PIX WITH CAPTIONS FORMAT

Beach Blogger's Bottle Beach Trip Report - visited June 2010

I took a 20 minute longtail ride to Bottle Beach (Had Khuad) from Had Thian on the lower east coast - saved at least 3 hours on alternative access routes. Cost 1000 bargained down from 2500. This was a Had Rin based long tail which came to pick me up - so theoretically you shouldn’t pay more than say 100 extra from there.

I jumped off the boat heading for oft praised SMILE BUNGALOWS at the western end of the beach but a guy offered me one of these beachfront fan jobs at BOTTLE BEACH ONE for 450. I knew this place has a pool so I countered at 400 which was accepted. I would normally offer at least 100 down from quote, but this was one nice bungalow, spacious, got the towel/soap/shampoo inclusions, great view. BB1 has big, scenic beachfront restaurant with budget priced food for what is mainly a midrange resort. Service mostly good, sometimes chaotic.

The western third of Bottle Beach. That’s SMILE’s funky restaurant in background closest beach. Pretty nice outfit with good looking hillside bungalows out of shot to left. Walking track to Coral Beach and Chalok Lum leaves from behind the furthest building, goes over the higher saddle behind. Swimming off the beach has no problem with rock underfoot - is shallowish lowest tide but not excessively so. Place is not known for snorkelling but there would be fringing coral and fishies along the headland. This is a nice shot to click to expand.

After weeks of basic backpacking, sinking a Chang by the pool is pretty sweet. Not real crowded in June low season - a couple of bikini babes sunning it out but I figure you guys are not all that interested. Place has dive-school which uses a section of the pool at times.

When you get sick of swimming/sunning at the beach/pool you can try trekking up to the eastern viewpoint. Leave from back of clearing behind eastern most resort. Climb is quite steep in parts, takes about 30m one way mainly thru nice rainforest.

The climb up the opposite headland also takes about 30m. Just over the summit you get this view of the western end of Chalok Lum beach. Keep going down to reach the short access tracks to nice Coral Beach (very similar to Bottle Beach but rock exposed at low tide) after 30m - another 15 or so will get you to the eastern end of Chalok Lum township.

Back to the Phangan part one and part two pages.
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So okay gang, fire in those trip reports - let's keep this site up to date!!