Beach Walks - Now & Then

Hua Hin general discussion, observations and chat. Hua Hin topics that don't really fit anywhere else.
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Big Boy
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by Big Boy »

All hyped up this morning, I was really looking forward to today's walk from the Hilton to Khao Takiab. I haven't walk Hua Hin Beach during the day for ages. I dug out my most comfortable Crocs, and I was on my way. It was a lovely day, and the tide was low - apart from thousands of dead jellyfish, the beach was perfect for a walk.

I had got as far as the front of the Centara (yes, a huge distance) when every time my right foot took a step, there was a flop. First thought was, I must have a Powertrain problem :D I looked down, and it was my Croc. The sole was dropping off. My car was in Market Village so I continued carefully, flopping along the beach.

I made it as far as Soi 75, and I decided it was getting serious. I took my last photo, and headed up Soi 75. I was halfway up Soi 75 when it dawned on me that I'd stopped flopping. A look down, and the sole had gone. I retraced my steps in search of my lost sole - I hate to think what papaya would say if I'd left my sole on the beach. I got to the site of my last photo, and there it was. It is now with Mrs BB to see if a drop of glue will repair it - still in good condition apart from being in 2 parts instead of 1. Too comfortable not to try.

So, an aborted first leg today, but enough photos to replicate the first leg of the 2013 walk (Hilton to Market Village), which I will publish in Now & Then format later.
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by NOKYAI »

Great name for a song/ film.......” I left my sole on the beach” :-)
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by NOKYAI »

Or even a fishing video.....
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by MDMK »

A sole with soul :thumb:
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by Big Boy »

Actually, the Croc is amazingly comfortable with or without it's sole. I had no problem whatsoever walking along Soi 75, then along Petchkasem to Market Village, used the posh lift to the bridge (didn't realise until now that the lift is for wheelchairs :oops: - I'm sure a broken shoe counts as disabled), through Market Village and to my car.

Apart from being lopsided, I barely noticed the difference.
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

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When Croc's first came out the first time I saw them was on an inflight magazine on Malaysia Airlines. In my hotel in KL a SAS pilot was wearing them and singing their virtues. I laughed out loud at him. No matter how comfy they are I wouldn't ever be seen dead in them I proudly told him. Oh how I have lived to rue those words. A few days later I bought a pair. I still think they are ugly. In fact they are beyond ugly. But they are so damn comfortable and versatile and hard wearing. They just don't die. The croc flip flop style do die, the toe posts breaks off from the sole, but the Caymen-type styles just don't die. They are the only sandals I know that can go in a 60 degree wash in the dishwasher and come out looking better than they went in. :thumb:
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

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MDMK wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 2:50 pm They just don't die.
Oh yes they do :cry: . Do you think I can quote you and demand my money back? I've only had this particular pair for 4 years. I guess I'll have to revert to my 6 year old pair when I resume the walk :D .
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by Nereus »

I looked at a pair yesterday, but at 1,240 Baht they are still in the shop! Are you sure that they are legit, Big Boy?
Maybe Ford make the bloody things. :rasta:
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by Big Boy »

Mine are made in the Ford shipyards, and cost a bit more than that. As a UK size 14, I get ripped off for footwear as well. I pay about double what you were quoted.

However, the hospital states they are very bad for your feet, and gives you hooked toes. I'm not supposed to wear them, but for beach walking, comfort has to be a major consideration.......... until they break down :?
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by MDMK »

BB yours probably died (well need some TLC and a bit of superglue) because of not being put in the dishwasher. I swear by it for longevity of the croc :thumb:


interesting though what you said about the doc's not recommending them. I have been in too many hospitals these last few months and was amazed at the number of doctors and nurses who wear them. Even the 3 surgeons I have seen wear scrub versions of crocs .... I am saying that wrong, what I mean is when they're in their blue scrub suits, they have matching blue crocs.
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

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You're right - I've seen them wearing them at my dentist also. My doctor has definitely banned me from wearing crocs :oops:

The good news is, Mrs BB has resuscitated them, and they are a pair again :D
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

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Big Boy wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:19 pm You're right - I've seen them wearing them at my dentist also. My doctor has definitely banned me from wearing crocs :oops:
it could be worse BB, in the past few months my doctors have banned me from just about everything except spinach and carrots (and they'd be shite for walking in). :laugh:
The good news is, Mrs BB has resuscitated them, and they are a pair again :D
:bow: for Mrs BB and her superglue.
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by STEVE G »

...Market Village, used the posh lift to the bridge (didn't realise until now that the lift is for wheelchairs...
I've been using that bridge to get back to where I park and the sign on the lift says it for maternity, elderly and disabled, and so far the only people that I've seen use it are groups of Thai school kids!
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

Post by Big Boy »

I was determined to try the lift, just because I could - I'll probably use the stairs in future, although it will be great for Mrs BB crossing Petchkasem there. Very slow, so no real advantage in using it if you are able to use the stairs.

Don't worry guys, the first batch of photos are now ready for publishing, so I'll get this back on subject later today.
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Re: Coming Soon - Beach Walks - Now & Then

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So, the adventure begins. My intention being to replicate my 2014 beach walks, trying to replicate photos taken 4.5 years ago, and identifying any differences. My initial walk should have been the longest. I would park my car at Market Village, then walk to Soi 61 Beach road and enter the beach between the Hilton and Centara Grand. I would then walk to Khao Takiab, where I would complete my journey by catching the Baht Bus back to Market Village. Of course, we now know the inaugural journey had to be aborted at Soi 75.

I had all of the 2014 photos copied to a file on my phone, and I would simply use my phone to guide me along the beach, taking similar photos. I thought replicating the 2014 photos would be a doddle, but achieving it was nigh on impossible. Just trying to see the 2014 photos on the phone screen in the midday sunlight was in itself a major challenge (I have since discovered my phone can be changed to daylight mode, so aborting yesterday’s mission, could have it’s advantages). Anybody watching me walk the beach, guided by my phone must have wondered what on Earth the crazy Farang was doing, but I was enjoying every minute of it.

It was only when I got home that I realised how hard replicating photos could be, especially when you could barely see a silhouette of the original. I’ve done my best to match them up with ‘similar’ photos.

1. Hilton to Market Village

Very little has changed here – actually a lot less than I had expected. The previous walk was pre-sunbed ban. This would be the first time I’d walked this stretch in daylight since the sunbed ban had come into force.

Photo 1

Walking up to the beach. Very noticeable here that the little beach stalls are no longer on the left after the recent fire. Also a lot of the left hand side of the road has been dug up.
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Photo 2

The Tourist Police Station. The building is almost identical, but you can see the end of the roadworks on the left hand side. What was an official car park for police vehicles etc is now a public car par, although I don’t know if this is a temporary measure while the road is dug up. The familiar Hua Hin sign post has moved from the edge of the Police Station.
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Photo 3

The road back down to the beach. The only real change here is the Hua Hin sign post that used to be beside the Police Station has re-appeared at the top of this road.
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Photo 4

The access to the beach. I remember soon after the ban on sunbeds, making Thailand’s beaches beautiful again. This area was almost devoid of beds and umbrellas. Guess what? They’re back!!!

One noticeable difference here is the state of the tide. The 2014 photo shows the rocks underwater. Many of these rocks have razor sharp shell fragments all over them – this just highlights the dangers of the hidden hazards.
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Photo 5

Not much to say about this one apart from maybe a comment about TAT’s claims about Thailand bursting at the seams with foreign visitors – still room for a few more yet.
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Photo 6

The sea wall of the Centara Grand. About the only noticeable change is that is was the Sofitel when the first photo was taken.
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Photo 7

Looking back towards the Hilton. This shows what a wonderful job the Army did ridding our beaches of umbrella cities, and restoring them to their natural state. I often wonder how much that operation cost.

Still a void in the numbers of visitors.
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Photo 8

Looking towards the Centara Grand again. Not much has changed, but the trees do look to have grown a little. Oh, and whilst on the tourist theme, where are they? :D
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Photo 9

Final look towards the Centara Grand. Either a lot more vegetation, or the gardener is overdue in trimming the plants back.
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Photo 10

Looking South from the Centara Grand. Despite my earlier comments, there aren’t as many umbrellas, but it isn’t the wilderness intended. Basically, no change to the skyline.
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Photo 11

The Tsunami warning tower. No change here. Just wondering – does it work? Do they ever test it? I’m in my 7th year in Hua Hin and can’t recall hearing it yet.
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Photo 12 & 13

Looking towards the Laksasubha Hotel. It’s hard to work out what has changed, but the left roof looks a different shape, and the building on the right has changed.
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Photo 14

Not a good capture of the same photo, but the area is similar. Back in 2014 the sun beds were of a much higher standard than they are now. Basically, it looks as though the clean-up exercise has replaced quality with tat.
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Photo 15

The white fence. A huge expanse of prime beachfront land. Does anybody know what lies behind this fence? Somebody is sat on a fortune. Think they’d get the gardener to cut the vegetation back a bit before it takes control.
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Photo 16 & 17

Beachfront of the Capenidhta Hotel. Nothing much has changed here. Just a lack of visitors (have I mentioned that before?).
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Photo 18

Beachfront of Baan Sanploen. Absolutely no change here.
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Photo 19, 20 and 21

Beachfront of the Marriott Resort. Back in 2014 this was a derelict shell of a hotel complex. Since then, it has been completely re-built. I often pass the impressive front of the hotel, and I don’t know what I was expecting beachside, but I was underwhelmed. Obviously, apart from the preservation of a few palm trees, this is 100% change.
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Photo 22

This was the start of a tented city back in 2014, and it has basically risen from the ashes, and it is a tented city again. Not much else I can say.
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Photo 23

A few gazebos have appeared above the beach, but virtually the same photo.
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Photo 24

A funny story with this one. There was a young lady getting changed directly in line with the photo I wanted to take. Dilemma time do I stand and wait/watch her get changed, and risk being accused of being a Peeping Tom? Do I walk on, and come back after she had changed? Not an option, not much life left in my right shoe :D . In the end, I made a point of aiming my shot well above her head, hence the beach is missing in the 2018 photo.
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I will try to make this a weekly feature until I reach Cha-Am.
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