Arrive in Hat Rin Ko Pang Nan - After being off the beaten track this is weird so many foreigners. This like being in a themepark : there's no evidence of real Thailand at all. There are no houses, just convenience stores, taxi boat touts, cash machines, travel agencies, internet cafes and mini resorts. This is Junior Torre Molinoes. Found a place for 150B a rundown cabin right on the beach. Of course there was no one else staying there. Seems today's youth prefers upmarket most places were twice as much as mine others even swankier with pools etc at 6 times the price etc

Me at the Cabin

Me at the Cabin

Cabin yards from the sea

walked thro town, what a pity there's not enough convenience stores, cash machines, Israelis and fat girls who should be wearing more.

Went right thro town and upto the lighthouse. Obvious few people come up here, yet the beach is crowded below. view from lighthouse

Walked the trail north same thing, obviously few people try it, it is very steep.

Back into town at night, Cafes with double/triple normal Thai prices screening American movies or crap US TV. The main beach has a bit of a buzz bars have hired fire dancers and stalls sell buckets of Thai whiskey. No good music or anyone dancing though. haad rin night beach

Song thaew rip off In normal Thailand there are always cheap pickupbuses passing so you don't have to walk, but on the islands STs are dollar fifty. Seems 98% of Thais are kind other 2% are rip off merchants. In tourists places it's more like 50/50. Why don't they charge 25B + 25B for a big bag instead of a greedy 50B one person, even for small journies. I think that would be fair

Again nothing spectacular.

I had a quick look at the party beach, a few people, but not great ..people say there is a rave every Friday.. Maybe I was too early.

Haad Rin product of drug money ? How can all this investment in resorts be justified in terms of payback ? 1. Even the fancy ones are pretty cheap 900B is £13, They are only full at fullmoon time 13 times a year. say they are occupied 100 days/year that's £ 1,300, say running cost & maintained is 50%, that leaves £650 to pay for infrastructure My guess is that rave businessmen like the idea of visiting Haad Rin so are investing their drug profits, without being too bothered about payback. I don't see million dollar profits been made. Though I also heard The Thai government has loaned money at only 1% so that would account for construction without income prospects

Breakfasted with a monk. An hours walk arrived at Thong Sadet beautiful, but boring beach.

I asked "How far is it to walk to Tai pai Noi ?" "walk ! It's so far", OK it was hot, but within 20 minutes I could see it. Certainly less than an hours walk.

Very nice beaches of fine white sand. Hitched back no problem compared to the expensive minibuses.

Then I walked 2.5Km up the coast, all fairly anonymous resorts. One Cookies did seem to be nice cos the staff were friendly and people were watching a UK film when I arrived. Though it was 250B and it's too far from town.

Strangely all restaurants were closed cos it's Sunday. Big rainstorm Ate durian twice with the locals .. they seem to eat the durian too early before it's ready.

At my resort the wind was strong. Someone has spacelifted a 1980's pub from a suburb somewhere in England. Like it's 100% the same. .. Not my taste though. Some English gangster with a a toydoll Thai wife ? No apparently the money is from his local wife's family who have money through selling land.