Phang Nga - Khao Lak

The Khao Lak area was changed forever by the tsunami. Before then natural disaster struck, there were many small family-run resorts. However, these were literally swept away and most owners faced a situation where loans payments continued to be due while there was no insurance coverage. Big business in the form of large hotel chains swept in as locusts to secure good deals on prime locations.

One example is Pakarang Beach where people used to be able to go for picnic but the beachside road is now lined by five-star resorts. But it seems that one of them ran into rough times and has been taken over by new owners.

I'm glad that carpetbagging doesn't always pay off.

In fact, it was a bit offensive to see how outsiders swarmed like locusts to the Khao Lak area (and up the Andaman coast) in 2005 and 2006 trying to secure good real estate deals, i.e., buying from people unable to pay back banks as they had no insurance covering a tsunami.

Some ended up buying a pig in a poke or rather, buying a piece of paper. For example, some Scandinavians were duped by other Scandinavians (remnants of a Danish motor cycle gang affiliated with Hell's Angels now relocated to Koh Samui) as the title deeds they paid for were fakes. A few brave ones took their cases to the Swedish and Danish police who managed to get the Royal Thai Police to arrest the culprits. But then the case was dropped for unspecified reasons and the culprits returned to Koh Samui where they still today earn a living from racketeering, real estate, and bar beers.