Paradise Awaitsat Railay BeachOne of the worlds

best beaches in Krabi

Railay is a small peninsula located between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand and for those of your living in Bangkok or Pattaya is only a hop, skip and a jump away (short flight from Don Muang Airport, short taxi drive and then short boat journey).

When you mention Thailand to anyone across the world one of the first things they will think of are the beautiful sandy beaches and in Railay beach you have one of the best in the world.

Railay beach is accessible only by boat due to the high limestone cliffs cut-ting off mainland access. These cliffs attract rock climbers from all over the world, but the area is also popular due to its beautiful beaches and quiet relaxing atmosphere.

Accommodation ranges from bunga-lows and medium-priced resorts in East Railay to a collection of five-star resorts focussed on West Railay though one, Ra-javadee, spans both waterfronts and also has a beachfront restaurant at Pranang. The four main areas of Railay consist of Pranang, West Railay, East Railay and Tonsai. Tonsai caters to climbers and the backpacker set and is more rustic in char-acter than the glitz of West Railay and the shops and restaurants of the East Railay boardwalk.

Relax and Enjoy Tranquility

The two main beaches here invoke a feel-ing of relaxation and offer stunning scen-ery, the sunset is something to behold, and attracts many to the beach during this time, but be quick as its gone in a flash.

Nearby Ao Nang and James Bond Island

If you wanted to make more than a week-end of this break then you should also spend a couple of nights at Ao Nang, which is more than likely where you will get your short boat journey to Railay

beach from. You have a somewhat busi-er, but still beautiful, set up here with far more restaurants and things to do.

Do also take a tour to the very popular James Bond island from Ao Nang, it’s worth seeing if only for the fame it now has throughout the world; personally In-spire preferred some of the other boat trips that took you to out of this world beach locations with blue seas to snorkel and swim in.

Super Value Weekend Break

You will be genuinely surprised at how low the price of a short vacation from Bangkok to Krabi can be. Book early for more favourable flight prices, accom-modation can be as low as 800 Baht a night in both Ao Nang and Railay beach and that still includes hot shower and air conditioning; and the boat trips are very reasonable too. Of course, if you want something more lavish accommodation types at the more top end of the pricing infrastructure are available too.

Why not experience that beach break that Thailand is famous for world over some time soon?

Roger Moore & Christopher Lee filmed at Ao Nang for James Bond film ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ in 1974

Dan Cheeseman, Director & Co-Founder of Inspire eMagazine

For all us expats living in Pattaya have you ever stopped to think how much we have really changed our lives by becoming an expat in Pattaya?

My life seven years ago was based in the UK and I was very much part of the rat race on my daily commute into London, and I can only describe it

as predictable and comfortable; I liked my life but knew I wanted more.

What exactly happens in our minds that one day we decide not only to break the norm but up sticks and move to Pattaya, Thai-land? We all, as expats, share that one trait that we have taken the decision to come and live abroad; however different we all are – we share that one bond. But are we really that different from our fellow compatriots still living in our domestic countries?

When I made this move I remember the feeling of empowerment and control, I had well and truly broken the grasp of societies noose and escaped to a new country, with minimal concerns about the financial implications. It was as liberating as it was satisfying to realize we can all make decisions irre-spective of the pressures from society trying to stop you, such as mortgages, jobs and families.

But, was it really that bold? As I sit back in my leath-er chair at my desk in my office, with all the com-forts I would have had back in the UK, I have to beg the question – have I really become an expat and become different for the experience or am I mere-ly an English man residing in another country? And yes I think there is a difference, as I think the big step we all make from our home countries is not

Are ‘Pattaya Expats’ Really Expats?

really as big as we think.

Let’s put it another way. Do you watch Thai Television? (Of course you don’t), Do you still enjoy food from your home country, like the odd fried breakfast or burger on the BBQ? Who do you socialize with, I bet 9 times out of 10 its people from your own country rather than elsewhere? We relocate but we don’t change; so have we really broken the norms of our life before?

Speaking to a fellow English expat he admits he likes it when it rains in town and thinks it is be-cause, in some small way, it’s a creature ‘comfort’ from back home; and I have to admit somewhere in his wisdom I think he has a point.

Arguably being an expat in Pattaya – with all that Pattaya has to offer – is the easiest step anyone can make moving from their home country. The city is awash with fellow expats and tourists, and in many Sois I see a greater ratio of foreigners to Thais. That’s pretty startling.

Let’s not finish on what could be construed as a negative point, as it’s not meant to be. We have been able to become expats in Pattaya with minimal disruption to how we are used to living our lives. We can eat, drink and socialize the same; only in Pattaya it’s just that much better than how we remember it used when we lived in our home countries. But, our bold moves to re-locate to Pattaya probably aren’t as bold as some of us might think.

You may have met the girl of your dreams one night six months ago in Whatever A-GO-GO (It’s actually a made up name, but think-ing about it could be a great concept bar…) and fallen madly in love, however, let’s look at the facts before thinking seriously about tak-ing the plunge.

She is 22, slim, gorgeous, has legs that go on forever, has a beautiful pert derriere and goes like a steam train! But hang on… Are you comparing her to the fat ugly lasses back home? Of course you are! Why should you have an unattractive middle aged battle-axe as a missus when you can have a nubile gym-nast? Well, there are a few things to consider here. First off there’s a good chance you’re twice her age, at least! Secondly there’s the cultural differences, you may have been to the temple, met the extended family and bought them all dinner, but how many hours of the screaming channel 3 soap operas can you really abide before you start watching separate TVs?

Joking aside, there is one main common inter-est that you will share. You probably already know the answer to this, but due to your mid-life crisis and deluded mind it doesn’t matter to you!!! Stay focused! Many bar girls are gen-uinely looking for a nice farang to take care of them and their family of rice farmers up coun-try, but most are only interested in your mon-ey and your ability to provide. You get what you want and she gets what she wants, it’s a simple transaction. Some bar girls do fall genuinely in love with their sponsor, but if or when the money runs out, so will she! There are of course exceptions to the rule, we hope!

Here’s some tips to protect your assets;

1. Make a will, both in Thailand and where you from mister! Do try and find a straight lawyer that is not interested in splitting your assets with your ex after she pushes you off the balcony. (“He was very drunk and taking a selfie stood on a chair on the balcony officer, I so sad!” Sounds so stupid, it must be true!)

2. Buy property in your own name if you can! Obviously foreigners cannot buy land, so maybe a condo is a better option. They are often more secure too. Many foreigners find themselves homeless when they split up from their lady or are kicked out from the Thai family home…

3. Keep all expensive vehicles in your name, if you want to keep them after you split up!

4. Find a nice girl that doesn’t work in a bar or isn’t just a freelance lady of the night! These are few and far between in Pattaya, but there are some real gems to be found here too!

5. So, should you marry your bar girl girlfriend? It’s a real big up to you, it works out great for some and if you want some adventure after living 40 plus years in a very boring, dull, cold and wet paranoid UK, then why not? Just don’t expect to go home with any of your savings left!

6. One final and very wise piece of advice – The girls you pay for are cheaper than the ones you don’t pay for!

Should you marryyour bar girl girlfriend?

Have you ever felt you were in the right place at the right time? Sure Thailand has had its issues in the past from military coups, height-ening exchange rates to Tsuanamis, but it has, to coin a footballing phrase, ‘bounce-backability’. It appears nothing can prevent Thailand, and Bangkok in particular, from go-ing from strength to strength. For, according to MasterCards new Global Destination Cit-ies Index, Bangkok was named the number one destination for tourists in 2013.

The annual report was based on arrivals of foreign visitors, as well as how much they

are expected to spend in total. The numbers are based on data from tourism boards, num-ber of flights in and out of the country, and the amount of reservations at paid accom-modations in the city. So it can also be as-sumed that Pattaya and its growth have also impacted on this result.

It’s a performance made even more stagger-ing in light of another recent accolade Bang-k o k received from Agoda travel when it was

voted the number one nightspot in the world by its members (Pattaya came a very high fourth).

Step aside New York, Paris and LondonBangkok is the number one tourist location

Bangkok beat out major destinations like London, Paris, New York, and Dubai with an anticipated 15.98 million international arrivals and spend levels in the upwards of 14.3 billion dollars in 2013.

With Pattaya very much in the ascendancy and new at-tractions continuing to grace these Eastern Seaboard shores, such as two new water parks, combined with emerging tourist markets from China and India that continue to have a positive impact on tourist figures; it would appear Bangkoks new number position may remain for many years ahead.

It seems in every corner you look there is good news being reported to the global tourist market. Take golf for example. In 2012 Pattaya was voted the number one golfing destination in Asia and Australisia which was followed this year by the largest golf convention in the world coming to Pattaya at the Royal Cliff Resorts Peach Conference Centre.

Could it be Bangkok and Pattaya are at last unshack-ling the traditional view of bars girls and coyote danc-ing? It very much appears so. But with all these chang-es could there be some casualties? Will bar owners be forced to close as market dynamics change and how will the traditional tourist/expat of ten years ago respond to a different tourist emerging around them?

Bottom line is these changes are all for the best and you can knock the name multiple awards Bangkok and Pattaya continue to win and be recognized for globally. The winners in this town will be the ones that respond accordingly…

Some seven years ago Khun Mike Messomonta, the President of the Eastern Golf Association, set upon an exciting and ambitious plan in which caddies could compete in their own golf tournament to find out who were the best caddies within the Eastern Seaboard. Who would have thought this would have been the catalyst for so much golf development in the region that in 2012 Pattaya was awarded the Golfing Desti-nation of Asia and Australasia by the leading golf as-sociation in the world, IAGTO?

The Caddy Championship was a strategy designed to improve the caddies own golf game so they could better help golfers playing during a round of golf, and was so successful that other countries came to visit Thailand so they could copy the blueprint. Today the Caddy Championship is a strong as ever and caddies throughout Thailand can all compete in this annual event.

ThailandGolfing

MasterplanFinal part of National Strategy

Rounded Plan the Key

Two years after implementing this caddy tour-nament, Khun Mike set about installing phase two of his master plan, which was the Pattaya Amateur Golf Festival. A tournament for expats and Thai golfers played across certain courses that all led to one large final for the best golf-ers. Again, it won many plaudits and sponsor-ship from the Singha Corporation too.

In fact such was the success, golf courses from other regions such as Hua Hin and Chaing Mai started to inquire about how they could be-come part of this; and this is what initiated the last part of the national plan to unite golf cours-es in Thailand.

“It was important we addressed all areas of the golfing experience from caddy support to amateur and then national competition for the golfing industry to prosper” – Mike Messomon-ta, President Eastern Golf Association

Final Part of the Jigsaw

On April 21st 2014, Inspire was invited, in the capacity of the official media for the expat community of Thailand, to the EGA Press Con-ference at Leam Chabang Golf Resort to hear details of the plan for the future. Not surpris-ingly it attracted media from all over Thailand and VIP guests, such as Thai tennis superstar Khun Paradorn Srichaphan (pictured) and the Pattaya Mayor Khun Ittiphol (also pictured).

The announcement was made that Thailand would now host a national tournament for am-ateur golfers with regional rounds all leading to grand final which would see the very best amateur golfers all compete for the top award. This, Khun Mike explained, completes the local strategy for golfing development in Thailand. By all the golf resorts and locations proactively working together it means everyone can gain. The ultimate objective is for more international golfers to visit Thailand for their golfing vaca-tions and for the locals to enjoy the wonderful game of golf, wherever they play in the country.

Pictured from left to right - Pattaya Mayor

Khun Ittiphol, Khun Mike Messomonta &

Dan Cheeseman of Inspire eMagazine

Pictured from left to right - Dan Cheese-

man of Inspire eMagazine & Thai tennis

superstar Khun Paradorn Srichaphan