KOH CHANG Series Begins! Flying Bangkok - Trat Airport ++ 

Nice one Mikey. We're both lucky Canucks eh;) I do still miss skiing up at Whistler and rollerblading round Stanley Park seawall etc but living in Thailand is pretty tough to beat!

Oh Mikey you are so Lucky. Had I known about Thailand & its Beauty 40 years ago I would be there also. I'm 67 & can't walk well but I'm Still Dreaming Of My "BEACH-HUT". Enjoy Yourself For Me As Well. (DRY-DRY=Texas ) lol.

Thanks kindly :)

Thx Karl. I look fwd to bringing it :)

Aye, tis indeed :)

Sorry bout that Raymond. Vid would've been around an hour and few would watch that long. Part 2 with loads of beach scenes etc coming soon. Thx for your patience :)

Agree and thank you!

Thanks for coming along Kate :)

Bless indeed. Go grandmums! Have a wonderful gathering, enjoy :) STL

Thx. Older than I look but feel younger

LOADS more coming Ant, thanks for watching.

The Dude always knows... btw, saw your place on Koh Tao, nice spot. The Dude Baan: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E0qMy5Hi6n0.html

Thanks for always watching and commenting Malin, much appreciated. STL

Thanks for watching and commenting Judy

Thanks LucaM. Will be returning to Bangkok by road, hopefully not 7.5 hrs as someone has said...

Thx Heather (& apologies to anyone who now has that tune is stuck in their head lol;)

@@SideTripLife hahaha yes I have 😂

Thx Dane. PKK, my 1st vid, still love it there but many more expats have moved in now: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z7FE2_vqOcY.html Khanom area may be my alternate retirement place one day: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sNvJGbYJWH8.html

Cheers SB :)

Cheers Krish! Btw, I checked out your Bangkok video (nicely done) and that Indian platter looked amazing! Restaurant name and where exactly is that place in Bangkok please? STL

It's in soi 30.... Sugam Restaurant, a South Indian restaurant.... Please go over there and make a food vlog ! Thank you so much for your support sir.. 🙏

yep up and away lickitysplit

Thanks Moses. You can do it and Thailand will be waiting :)

Cheers James. On it, part 2: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MK6X7cJyKYo.html

My 1st time to Elephant Isle. You're fortunate to have seen her 20 odd years ago and I'm guessing there's been more development. However, being further afield hopefully less than some other places. I've found some real gems on KC (to my eyes) and will be showing them upcoming. Btw Rocker's Beer Review, love your channel name and theme, brilliant! Cheers, STL

Top tip right there! Didn't realise Lawson sold brewskies airside. Will have a look next time. Cheers

Thank you Anthony. Btw, how many Benjamins is Benjamins charging now that things are picking up again? LOVED that place (but was always full each time I went back, wish I never vlogged it lol;) Also love Cabana, stayed there recently - for any who would like a look can see: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fZaLIvoh6LI.html

Would absolutely say do it, especially as you're just a 4hr bus ride from Patts.

Two thanks to Jeff :)

Hi Hristos. Some viewers complain about my 'boring' airport scenes but for me, like you, I love the excitement of being at an airport and heading off on a trip (& if it's an airport in Thailand, then all the better;)

Thanks Malin. Actually I do appear albeit briefly in several videos but my style is POV / what's in front of the camera. This won't be everyones cup o tea and that's ok but I greatly appreciate the few who seem ok with it like yourself. As for age, in Thailand more than anywhere, you're truly as young as you feel :)

@@SideTripLife I am only 36 years old. And you? Should you visit Koh Mak and Koh Xxxx , didnt remember the name of the other relaxing, cozy Island.

just turn up

Thx Shaggy. They were supposed to switch over to Bang Sue Grand in Dec but thankfully beloved ol' Hua Lamphong got a reprieve (for now). So can 'presently' go from either stn. However, keep an eye on dticket.railway.co.th and select FROM 'Bangkok' as this indicates Hua Lamphong (Bang Sue is a separate selection). If it suddenly shows no trains, then switch to Bang Sue as the big switch may have happened. Like many, Hua Lamphong is sacred to me and as much as I'm grateful they're keeping it as a museum (vs another mall or condo etc) I still hope they at least continue to have special runs from HL to Ayutthaya, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, Lopburi etc, thus also keep her 'alive'.

@@SideTripLife Thanks for the reply. Thats good to hear as I would like to sample the charm of Hua Lamphong before it closes.

Thx R B. 'Who the hell spends 500k on a plate number?!' That's why they're called vanity plates I guess... Have heard from a few who've travelled to places based on my vids but not many to be honest. Have also heard from a few hotels saying they rcvd a bump in bookings after a vid (+a couple that I couldn't stay at on my return as they were booked solid, doh! lol;)

Name + Full tour + other gems to stay at on Koh Chang coming in the next vid (this week)

Woah.... 7.5 hrs on a bus! Great tip though, thank you! (ps: congrats on your wedding and welcome back:)

@@SideTripLife thanks man. Hoping to get my daughter a Canadian passport !!! THAT will change her life :-). Gonna try your BKK airways back to 'Chang for sure !!! :-)

Thanks Joe. They're called 'vanity' plates for good reason I suppose

Tack mrackelito1. Will have a look but that place gets vlogged more than Mark Wiens restaurant lol. So will also have a good nose around other restaurants in Kai Bae.

@@SideTripLife lol yeah I know, you don't have to vlog it tho, its definitely worth checking out even without cameras, I ate there 4 days per week! Would love to hear your opinion, its not overhyped

Got a great deal, around 1500 baht/$45 and also wanted to see Trat Airport. But it's the roadway on the home leg back to Bangkok.

@@SideTripLife Awesome! I'll try a flight too

lol. If I ever move back to Canada I'll need a touque and an electric bumgun eh ;) And as much as I love classic cars plus the roar of a V8 engine, the future is indeed all aboot EV's (as they just make more sense + cents;)

I look at 3 sources: NASA fire map, then overlay that onto Windy (or Zentusky as it uses Canada's GEM model, Germany's ICON, USA's NOAA, EU's EURAD etc) then correlate the data onto the AQI map. But all this navel gazing won't solve the problem. As you say Roy, we collectively (us, govt, industry, farmers etc) must take action. There's been some steps in that direction. In Chiang Rai the Agriculture Ministry has started a tractor share program to enable poorer farmers ability to plow under crops vs burning (however, this is extremely limited, farmers still lack funds for petrol, etc etc but it's a good test program and a start). In India they've also started a limited test program of paying farmers not to burn. Ironically, both Bangkok and Mumbai are the biggest consumers of the burning crops and also the biggest complainers of pollution (of course cars/industry are also a problem but burning season spikes AQI through the roof). Not sure I agree with straight hand-outs to incentivise (usually a slippery slope) but it's clear especially poorer farmers need some form of assistance as burning is all they can afford to do.

@@SideTripLife Thanks for your detailed reply, yes something needs to be done, if other countries can solve this problem no reason why this can’t be solved, just needs more investment from everyone, we only have one planet 🌎

All the lonely sheeple where do they all come from.

Thx AK (& the 3 bears cheers:)

Cheers Jamu80!

lol just thought a better soundtrack would do them more justice as it was a great show and they put a ton of effort in. No worries, was much appreciated as is :)

I get that David. Love the roar of a V8 (esp 50's-70's big blocks) But my fear is China charges ahead (literally) and we're left behind with a decimated auto industry, along with loss of jobs & tech leadership. Not looking fwd to becoming the next societal Kodak or Nokia but It almost seems inevitable sadly. STL

Fair point Jess. But for me, takeoffs and landings are the most interesting part of flying and as hazards go, ranks fairly minimal comparatively. QUOTE: "Your odds of being in an accident during a flight is one in 1.2 million, and the chances of that accident being fatal are one in 11 million. Your chances of dying in a car crash, conversely, are one in 5,000"

Thanks. Btw, only mentioned EV's in Thailand (is Elon also 'guilty'?;) I also mentioned we'll need oil for some time to come and got an earful in an email for that.... (can't win;). Anyways, since you raise it, I'll give my position: Even if 98% of scientists are wrong and there is no climate change being caused by man made influence, I'd rather err on the side of caution while being both economically and environmentally pragmatic. Many say, 'Let's return to the 'good ol days' and that's fine but those days also included smog clogged L.A., toxic polluted rivers, contaminated drinking water, lead paint, smoking on airlines, etc etc... But back then, same as now, some tried to prevent those changes based on a sense of threat to personal freedoms, or their perceptions of cost (mainly to their own pocketbook, without factoring the potential benefits, or much higher costs of doing nothing) . I'm all for personal freedom, a great part of the reason why I love living in Thailand vs the West. However, I wouldn't say 'Aw screw it, I'm older, have less time left on this planet and it doesn't affect ME much, so I'LL take the risk of doing nothing on behalf of my kids and their kids future...' So again, my personal bottom line on the issue is, wherever pragmatic I would err on the side of caution vs doing nothing. Cheers

Thanks for adding the 'warning' David but in the vid I clearly showed the cost of flying to Trat and also the bus (with photo of 999 bus + cost). Also added a map to show location of Trat Airport in relation to the Ferry at Thammachat Pier (a 20 min ride) + cost of said ride. Also explained both Trat & Samui Airports are owned by Bkk Airways. The flight cost me a reasonable 1500 Baht approx $45 (IF booked in advance, if not 2500+) and took just 1 hour. This may be IDEAL for any in Bangkok who just have a weekend or a few days to visit and don't wish to be sat on a bus for 6-7+ hours (reality from Bangkok, another viewer just posted his bus from Ekamai took 7.5 hrs). Personally dislike buses and always opt for trains if available, as you say really enjoy seeing the countryside (and for me, nothing beats the train if time isn't an issue). Unfortunately no train in this case, so flew in, great price and within 2 hours of leaving was enjoying a cold Chang beer with toes in sand on lovely Koh Chang. Will also show travelling by road as well on the return leg since this was my plan from the outset - show diff between travelling Koh Chang by plane vs by road. Cheers! STL

@@SideTripLife well fair enough, explained well, but no for the recently arrived international traveller…still a bit of a con

Hello Rudy in Calgary. There are many expats living in Thailand, hard to know exactly how many but somewhere between 500,000 - 1 million. Majority are retired, some are biz owners, then there's digital nomads and others. Hope you may yet get to visit. Cheers, STL