The Real Story About Ao Ton Sai
Ao Ton Sai, Krabi, Thailand
Kasbah Bungalows, Watermelon Bungalow
The Real Story About Ao Ton Sai
I found out the real story about Ao Ton Sai. A large portion of this collection of small bungalow resorts and beach-side restaurant shacks and bars populated by rock climbers will probably be knocked down and a large exclusive resort will be built in its place in the next year or so.
Ao Ton Sai at high tide in January 2007.
After a few days here I talked with a guy I went climbing with. He said, "Enjoy it now, because this place will be different very soon." The land enclosed by the road in a horseshoe around the beach is owned by someone in Bangkok. It used to be a coconut plantation. As neighboring Railay Beach got more developed the backpackers and rock climbers moved over to Ao Ton Sai. In the last few years the place has been filled with small bungalow resorts and restaurant shacks have lined the beach. It is a very chill scene, as rock climbers like to climb during the day and then relax by the beach at night.
The land was leased through a second party to most of the establishments. Apparently the Bangkok owners finally took a look at it. On Railay Beach there is a private resort called Rayavadee with rooms for over US$100 a night. As elsewhere in Thailand, it is obvious that the real money-making opportunity is to build an expensive resort.
The establishments inside the horseshoe road are purportedly supposed to be knocked down by early March. Then of course it remains to be seen how long it will take for a resort to be built. People around here are speculating about what the resort will be like, but given the size of the plot it will probably be large and perhaps four-star quality. Of course, the small bungalow places that remain will probably be helped by the resort and ask higher prices as demand for less expensive accommodation increases.
Andy Graham has a theory about beaches in Thailand based on the book and movie "The Beach". An idyllic paradise exists untouched. Some travellers find it and camp out there, enjoying it and telling no one. Eventually other people find it. Small businesses spring up to cater to the travellers and boat service starts. Bigger places get built. Eventually the place is turned into a large resort. The final straw is that the cruise boats stop by there and drop off boatloads of tourists to sit by the beach and do tourist activities, as has happened here in Railay Beach, Ao Ton Sai, Ao Nang, and Krabi.
It is actually part of a larger phenomenon around the world as the classes with money and leisure time take over the beautiful places and create an exclusive high-property value economy whereby the places can only be seen if you are part of the leisure class.
I am acutely aware that I am part of this leisure class and can drop in and out of it by finding a high-income salaried job in the West.
The Real Story About Ao Ton Sai
