New: Images from Afghanistan

[boomer2]

Well my English friend from Koh Samui, owner with his wife of the Tree Top Lodge in Ban Nathon, just sent me four new images of the progress some of the newly built Afghan schools and their children and adult students.

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My friend is an engineer hired by the Britsh to work in Kabul. He and his wife Tuk-Tuk, own the Tree Top Lodge. A five bedroom villa which they rent for $300 a day and up.

When they rent their home, they go stay in a bungalow at either Lamai or Chewang Beach on the isle for $10.00 a night.

Usually vacationing families from England and Australia stay there , but they have had Egyptian, Hindi and other nationalitites stay in their home.

the home can be seen at

http://www.mushroomjohn.com/treetoplodge1.htm


boomer2

[Bongo]

The prices are a ripp off for Thailand. For sure.

[TroutMask]

Wow, that looks awesome. But frankly, I'm afraid of that part of the world. Do you run into any trouble over there? Is it safe enough for the American tourist?

-TM

[boomer2]

Whether you believe this or not, it ios safer to walk the streets of bangkok than it is in the majority of Major American cities.

AS for the Tree Top lodge, I should post you a price list of the Chewang and Lamai beach resorts who many now charge $25.00 dollars a day up to $200.00 dollars a day and up.

The cheap rentals are now in Koh Tao, koh Phanghan, etc.

Phuket is even getting the roayal prioce treatment.

The tree top lodge is a private home and is a villa.  Therefore it is expensive to rent.

But they have no problems and are booked about 200 days of the year.

Ed is in aghanistan working for the British milatary building homes, schools and bridges for the Afghan people.

He is under scrutiny and threats every day over there and he says that the afiied hate the foreigners in their country.

mj

But as for thailand. IUt is real safe.  Tens of thousands of European backpackers, many female travel loosely int his countrty and indonesia to bali every year.

[Jupe]

Just avoid illagal  drug use in Thailand.... bad bad bad idea!!!...From what I saw and heard about, they are not  tolerant of the opiates and stimulants, as they are having troubles with them, and they are so close to some NASTY regimes which produce those.......... My first and only trip last year....I wandered the streets of Bankok shopping and getting totally lost.....peering into dimly lit allleyways with people cooking food all day long.....I felt SO MUCH safer doing this than I would in any US cities...even here in my home town of Santa Barbara I don't feel safe, at some places 'cause of the gangs here....(kids with guns)

I'm sure if you REALLY tried, you could get yourself into some trouble, but ......thats true ANYWHERE.

What WAS kinda weird, was the feeling of being ignored.....like in some way, I didn't exist...just a lost farang wandering the streets.  Read "Bankok 8" a well written novel about a Buddhist detective....helps one understand the often confusing oriental way of thinking and doing things.

they have a monorail system that makes things very simple....especially for a big city, when one doesn't speak the language.....let alone read it..which is pretty difffcult.

[boomer2]

Over half the Thai population inn Bangkok speak somewhat half-assed English. The train is a sky train, not a monorail. It was build as a joint effort betweent he thai and italian people.

I use it often to and form the University to the condo I stay and to Siam center, the MBK mall and other areas like Silom, mo chit, and bang sue.

The people are also friendly but once out side the city, people are even more friendlier.

I have lived their for a few years and travel twic a year usually there to take people on mushrom motorcycle adventures.

I work with a university there adn I have a letter of permission through the school and the government for  my mushroom research.

I also ride buses and I ride motorcycles int he city and get a condo when i stay there through my colleague at the university.

I sometimes stay at my friends villa but usually at the Samui Beach Resort adn a few others in Chewang when by myself there.

I have never had a problem or a bad thing happen to me or to anyone who ever traveled with me, except getting robbed twice int he same day in cambodia. But that was really my fault.

I speak very little thai and I get along with them all. I have Thai friends I have known for twenty-five years over there and some of them speak no english whatsoever and we communicate just fine.

So0metimes I spend a day in banl;umphu for shopping for hill tribe bags and hats and simple things I later make money off of.

I have been to 11 full moon festivals in 25-years. I have seen all kinds of drugs and many times int he open.

Anyway it is very safe for foreigners.

boomer2