February 6th, 2012

This is #1 will i be able to do #2??

February 4th, 2012

January 18th, 2012

Even people like me who spend a lot of their time trying to uncover evidence of conspiracies sometimes go on holiday. All work and no play after all makes jack a dull boy. I recently decided to go to Thailand for a holiday. The allure of hot weather, white sand beaches, delicious food and cheap prices was too much to resist. I’m always a little nervous about going through passport control as it is a moment when you place yourself under the scrutiny and at the mercy of the authorities. You never know what information will be flagged up when they run your passport number through their computers. On a couple of previous occasions I’ve been taken to one side by plain clothes agents who never identified themselves. They always ask you the same questions about where you are going and your purpose of traveling. Anyway, I digress. I got to Thailand without any problem except for getting a stiff neck on the plane.

I transferred to another plane heading to Koh Samui Airport. An hour and a half later I was on the tropical island. It was the smallest and most relaxed airport I have ever been to. It set the tone for a very relaxing holiday.

I hadn’t booked any accommodation in advance so I asked a taxi driver to take me to a quiet beach away from the crowds that was still not too far away from the main tourist centers. The driver thought for a moment and then suggested Ban Tai in Koh Samui. He then named a price for the journey. It seemed reasonable so off we went.

People say it is a mistake to trust taxi drivers but in this case mine did me proud. The journey took about 20 minutes. We arrived at a smart resort called Koh Samui Resort. It was a small boutique style place that had only 20 bungalows for rent. It was perfect. My bungalow had TV, air-con, hot water and best of all free wi fi. It cost about $100 a night. A bit on the expensive side, but worth it for the privacy, the nice communal swimming pool and the other facilities the resort had to offer.

The beach at Ban Tai was just how imagined a Thai beach. It had soft white sand and the ocean was divided into 2 different colors. The sea was warm and great for swimming. Near by there were areas with corals. I spent several happy hours snorkeling around the corals watching the colorful fish.

While relaxing I spent a bit of time on the internet researching Thailand. It made fascinating reading. I never knew that the history of Thailand is littered with coups by the army. There is plenty of possible conspiracy theories that can be found by looking at Thai history. For example the father of the present king was assassinated. The culprits were never found. Many believe it to have been the army. In the most recent coup in 2006 the army held power for over a year and re-wrote the constitution to indemnify itself against prosecution. They have done a lot to try and smother freedom movements resisting the last coup. The links on the Wikipedia article about the 2006 coup have been made into viruses. This is a crude attempt to re-write history.

Talking to a few Thais I met about this topic I quickly got the impression that they have a very cynical opinion about government in Thailand. They see it rife with corruption and prefer to lead lives as independent as possible from the central control of Bangkok. Southerners in general resent the intereference from the capital that does things like pass laws forcing bars to shut down at 1am. Thailand is the land of the free, and I have to agree that having a drink at 1.30am does not seem to warrant any state penalties, especially if it is a quiet drink on a quiet beach!

Tags: army, Ban Tai in Koh Samui, corruption, coups, Thailand