Give the money and I'll free the young libertarians from the prison of intellectual isolation.
At the Texas Students for Liberty conference I heard a lot of speakers. One of the issues several of them touched on was the intellectual origins of the libertarianism, pointing out quite correctly that it is an intellectual movement on the political right which balances out the intellectual left which generally has a much higher profile. Nigel Ashford from the Institute for Humane Studies was particularly effective in conveying the relationship between intellectualism and libertarianism in the context of the work of F. A. Hayek and Milton Friedman.…
Article comments
26 - STM
Clav, I don't think Savusavu would be much like Manaus, which from what I've heard is a) quite a big town and b) very beautiful in itself, with quite stunning colonial architecture (like the aforementioned opera house).
And here's a couple of dive spots for your friend.
Two place in the Philippines: El Nido on Palawan and Sumilon Island just off the tip of Cebu, about three hours drive south of Cebu City and reachable only by boat.
From the surface, you can see the grains of sand on the bottom and tiny fish at depths of 10-15 feet.
27 - STM
Doc: My favourite pastime on Castaway: nothing.
And I mean that literally. I went there to chill out and do nothing and that's exactly what I did. I even stopped myself joining in the tip footy match with the staff up on the grassy headland where the helicopter flies in, which was near our Bure. For about 10 minutes anyway. That was the most energetic thing I did on that whole holiday I reckon.
Like the Cape Panwa Hotel in Phuket, Castaway does "nothing" well.
And man, is it good, or what.
I'd be worried about going to Fiji now with Bananarama in charge, just on principle.
The islands must be restrored to democracy, and now, not in 2014, and once and for all bring a genuine end to the "coup culture".
28 - Clavos
I was in Phuket on R&R from 'Nam.
Don't remember much, but it was memorable, if you know what I mean...:-)
29 - Dr Dreadful
Cape Panwa Hotel, eh?
We're going to Phuket next month and haven't booked somewhere to stay yet. Have to check that one out...!
30 - STM
It's a great place to stay Doc, right on the southern tip of the island. Go the next step up from the standard room - ask for a suite. They are slightly bigger and with the way the dollar is against the baht, you'll get a decent price. Check out the website. Easy to google.
It's a great place to chill out, a good way from Patong, and to vary it up you can walk down the hill to the village and there's a fantastic, really, really cheap waterfront restaurant. If you don't want to walk, they run a shuttle. You and your wife could eat for five bucks.
At the hotel, there's a great colonial-era building on the beach that doubles as a restaurant at night.
Breakfast is on a covered deck overlooking the water.
If you want to shop, they'll organise to drive you to Patong. We got a tuk-tuk home, which was fun even if it was life threatening.
And Clav, I think if you go to Patong Beach and surrounds, it's still memorable but most people can't remember much.
Which is why, with a 13-year-old in tow, I opted to go the quiet spot instead.
My wife managed to drink her way through enough local beer to kill a brown dog, though. So sophisticated.
31 - STM
Forgot to mention the pavilion down on the beach, where you buy some nice thai dishes for a cheap lunch at the hotel without leaving the beach.
32 - pablo
I just want to offer you my two cents worth on Phuket Dread, as I have lived in Thailand for over 5 years before, and lived in Phuket as well. Please don't take this post the wrong way.
If I had a wife/partner that was middle aged as I am, I would not dream of taking her to Phuket. Aside from Pattaya, Phuket is the second largest outdoor brothel in the world. It is a nice place and scenic too, however there are many other places in Thailand that you might prefer to see that do not have that sort of environment for you and your partner.
Ko Chang, or Ko Lanta come to my mind first, both are lovely, nice beaches, cheap hotels, and do not have the sort of debauchery that Phuket has. For a single guy looking to get laid, Phuket is great, but I would not dream of taking my partner there. Have a great trip in Thailand Dred.
33 - STM
The southern tip of the island is free of that insanity Pablo.
It's confined mostly to the area around Patong, which is why I only go there to shop (and even then under sufferance). Even then, I reckon Phuket Town is better for markets than Patong as the Thais tend not to run after you hassling you, which is what happens in Patong where a lot of the stallholders aren't Thais.
About 30 minutes' drive south, away from the madness, it's very serene and peaceful and a great place for a break.
Your right about Koh Lanta. It's one of the best places in Thailand, but if you're looking for a decent hotel, it ain't cheap either. Plus, you've got the added cost of getting there and once there, you're stuck on a real island.
And without a boat at your beck and call, if you want to head back to Krabi, for instance, let's say for a day out and maybe a night away from the island, it's a drama lining up for that ferry.
34 - pablo
Thanks for the geography lesson STM, I only lived on Phuket for a year.
35 - STM
[Edited]
It's not about you - this is about how Doc, who is travelling to Phuket, can avoid the crowds at Patong and Karon and why he probably shouldn't go to Koh Lanta, since he actually isn't.
You came in through the grouter on the conversation.
And you're not the only one on here who knows their way around the place.
36 - Christopher Rose
When I was in Thailand with my wife, we spent a couple of days in Bangkok, about 10 days, including over Christmas, in a beautiful hotel resort spot called Rim Pae in Rayong and celebrated New Year in Pattaya.
Bangkok and Pattaya were both exotic and wild, with just enough of a flavour of danger to be exciting but not so much as to be terrifying.
Rayong was stunningly beautiful; the hotel was in large beautiful gardens that ran out on to the beach and we went on a variety of day trips including scuba diving, out to the island of Ko Samet and down towards the Cambodian border to a gemstone mining town called Chanthaburri. Happy days!
37 - Glenn Contrarian
Clavos -
I know what you mean - never been to Phuket, but when it comes to R&R, Pattaya can't have been much different. The most memorable moments I had in Pattaya are wading ashore (there was no pier at the time, so local speedboats got us up close), and selling a small case of Zippo lighters off the ship to a local vendor at a profit (and using the profit to buy a black star amethyst ring for the then-soon-to-be ex-wife). And then there was the new housing development a half mile from the beach - all the advertisement signs were in German(!).
Funny how a man can enjoy a place so much, yet hopes his sons never go there....
38 - STM
Lol. So true Glenn.
I could tell you a great story about Pattaya from back in the '80s.
I just can't tell it here :)
It was seriously one of the most bizarre episodes of my life, and I've had a few.
39 - Dave Nalle
Did it involve tranny boys with drugs on their nipples, Stan?
Note: Most of my knowledge of Thailand comes from tales told by friends in the USN.
Dave
40 - Dr Dreadful
Thanks for the info and advice, Pablo and Stan.
We'll be going on a two-week group tour of Cambodia and (mostly northern) Thailand first, then delaying our flight home by a few days because my wife (she's in her early 30s, BTW - quite a way yet from being middle-aged!) wanted to relax and lie on a beach.
We've read and heard about Patong and aren't looking to stay in or near there, although we'll probably swing by for an hour or two just to see what's what.
Stan, you're definitely selling me on the Cape Panwa. I looked it up on Expedia last night and it works for me - reasonable prices, great setting, good location. I'll show your comments to Mrs Dreadful tonight and try to convince her!
Thanks again, guys.
41 - STM
Dave: "Did it involve tranny boys with drugs on their nipples, Stan?"
No, but when you weigh everything up, even that doesn't sound very bizarre in Thailand. That's just another night in Bangkok. Anything goes. And conspiracy abounds. No wonder Pablo moved there.
Sorry Dave, can't even give you a clue ...
42 - STM
When you get to Cape Panwa, Doc, tell 'em I sent you. Then you'll be run out of town. Seriously, if you are going, let me know and I'll ask someone here to make sure they look after you.
43 - pablo
STM 33 and 35
"The southern tip of the island is free of that insanity Pablo."
You could have fooled me STM, it sure seemed like you were addressing moi with that statement.
44 - STM
Yeah, but most people wouldn't have arced up thinking they were getting a geography lesson ... they just would have joined in the conversation, which was about pointing Doc in the right direction when he goes to Phuket, not about you or me.
45 - Dr Dreadful
At this point, if I'm to take both of your advice to heart, we'll be relaxing on the beach wearing chastity belts instead of bathers...
:-)
46 - STM
Not at Panwa you won't :)