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?
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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
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
. 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.