I really used to like Kamala Beach, a popular resort area on Thailand’s Phuket Island. Despite the many cafes and shops along the boardwalk, as well as many lounge chair and massage concessions on the beach, it used to be a fairly mellow and quiet scene. Believe it or not, I liked Kamala Beach even better after the Tsunami of December 2004 cleansed the area of the boardwalk and its horde of concessions. The Post Tsunami Kamala Beach was devoid of lounge chairs and there was only a smattering of tourists. I was there to survey the scene in August 2005 – the beach was wonderful and oh so quiet!

The last time I visited Kamala Beach was in December 2007 – things had changed considerably, not only was the boardwalk and all its concessions were back (and then some), a very disturbing development impacted the Kamala Beach area – Jet Skis had invaded the scene.

Trying to relax in the late afternoon from my lounge chair near Kamala Dreams Hotel was almost impossible due to the incessant noise of these awful machines whizzing by. Not only were they noisy, but the jet skis also dumped an inordinate amount of gas and oil right into sea, contributing to the growing problem of water pollution in Kamala Beach. The environment impact of jet skis are well known.

I bet you most of the foreign tourists on Kamala Beach were also put off by the recent introduction of these motorized contraptions. To me, you go to the beach to relax, read a book and have a quiet conversation – with the constant noise pollution of these jet skis, that’s damn near impossible. I guess that is what they call progress!

To get away from the noise (and the polluted waters), you have go another 2 miles up the coast to the relatively unspoiled beach scene at Laem Singh

Believe it or not, my search for the the most eco-friendly beach destination in THAILAND has uncovered a place I haven’t been to yet, and that is Koh Libong! I am sure most travelers have never heard of this relatively obscure island as well.

Koh Libong is the largest island in southern Thailand’s Trang Province. The island is home to a rather substantial colony of Dugongs, a large marine mammal that is closely related to the manatees. These creatures feed on the sea-grass beds that flourish off Koh Libong’s southeast coast. A colony of green turtles are also residents of the island.

From what I have read, there is more of a commitment to an environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism industry in Trang Province than anywhere else in Thailand. The governor of Trang Province has gone on record stating that he wants to avoid the haphazard and reckless tourism development that has ruined other island destinations in Thailand i.e. Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi etc.

In order to protect the natural beauty of the region, the Swedish Government has funded a master plan for sustainable development in Trang Province. In particular, on Koh Libong, Swedish environmentalists and Thai academicians from Bangkok have joined forces in an effort to make the island an ecotourism model for the region.

Three small Muslim fishing villages are scattered around the island – the native people in these communities seem to be enlightened about the need for conservation and environmentally friendly practices. The interior is home to rubber plantations and is heavily forested. There are only a handful of small resorts, all located on the west coast of the island. While many small beaches surround the island, there is only one “classical tropical beach” – a 1 KM stretch of golden sand fronted by clear, aquamarine waters.

Since I have never been to Koh Libong, I will have to wait to till I visit this island (and Trang Province), before I can assess the staying power of this sustainable tourism movement. If history teaches us anything, tourism development is usually guided by greed (and the pursuit of the almighty dollar) and has destroyed many an idyllic paradise.

Only time will determine the fate of Koh Libong and other island destinations in Trang Province. I have plans to do some reconnaissance there in 2010!

For your information, over the Christmas Holidays, I plan to visit Ko Lipe, considered by many to be overall, the most beautiful island in Thailand. From what I have read, Koh Lipe is another Island Paradise that’s on the threshold of getting trashed!

In the last several days, I have done some extensive research in an effort to identify the most the eco-friendly beach destination in Thailand. To be honest with you, it is a lot easier for me to rattle off a list of beach destinations/island resorts which are not very eco-friendly. See below..

Pattaya - Truly an Abomination!

Located about 90 minutes east of Bangkok is Pattaya, Thailand’s internationally renowned sex tourist mecca–beach town. Located on the mainland, Pattaya leads the pack of those beach destinations where development, human greed and the excesses of tourism have had a severe negative ecological impact. No other beach destination in Thailand comes close to the ugliness and urban blight which is Pattaya. Believe it or not, before the Vietnam War, Pattaya was a sleepy fishy village with lush green vegetation and sparkling white sand beaches. Not anymore!

Phuket and Koh Samui - Paradise no more!

Below Pattaya on my list (quite a step down) are Thailand’s two most popular island resorts – Phuket and Koh Samui. Both places have international airports to receive tourists all over the world; while the airport in Koh Samui is like an island boutique, Phuket’s airport is a modern gleaming affair. Both islands are abundant in natural beauty with a mountainous interior and gleaming white sand beaches, however both Samui and Phuket have suffered from the excesses of development and tourism leaving behind a severely degraded environment.

Phi Phi Island - Paradise Ruined!

Located in Southern Thailand’s Krabi Province, Phi Phi Islands – an area known for its raw physical beauty - is just another example of Paradise getting trashed by excessive development and too many tourists. Admittedly, I have never been there.

Koh Chang - Going the way of Phuket and Samui

Of all the island resorts, Koh Chang is the place I know best, having been there four times. My last visit was in November 2006. An extremely lush and mountainous island, Koh Chang is rapidly changing (and not for the good) as there are still plans to make it the next Phuket. Climbing the slopes of the jungle clad mountain slopes are many new bungalow operations and along the west coast, the land is being cleared to accommodate a variety of upscale (and opulent) albeit expensive beach resorts. If an international airport ever happens here, it will be the coup-de-grace.

In Koh Chang, proper sewage treatment facilities are lacking, and in some places near the beach you can smell the raw sewage as it trickles into the sea. If you don’t believe me, go to Magic Resort – small budget bungalow operation on Klong Phrao Beach – and take a whiff of the raw sewage on the southern perimeter of the property. Sort of reminds of the smell on the far side of Aloha Beach Resort, a first class hotel located on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui. In Thailand, only a handful of hotels in the resort areas have their own sewage treatment plant.

Koh Lanta and Koh Jam/Koh Pu - Not ruined yet, best of the lot

Ko Lanta and the relatively obscure island of Ko Pu/Ko Jum, both located in Krabi Province seem to be holding up all right from an ecological perspective. Based on my visit there in 2005, the tourism growth had not completely swallowed Koh Lanta, and Koh Jum/Koh Pu - the Island with the split personality - seems to be comparatively pristine.

Coming up, my nomination for the most eco-friendly beach destination in Thailand. Stay tuned!

What is there to see in Costa Rica? Close encounters with nature and wildlife!

I have produced a short video on the exotic wildlife of Costa Rica. To make this video, I mixed together a variety of short video clips and digital pictures from my most recent trip. Most of the footage is from Turrialba Valley, Ostional Beach and San Jose’s Culture Plaza. In Turrialba Valley, you’ll observe wasps pollinating a Heliconia at Guayabo Lodge, a sloth foraging in the tree and leafcutter ants on the march at Guayabo National Monument as well as a variety of flycatchers and an unusual hopping black bird by the roadside. In Ostional/Nosara Beach (Nicoya Peninsula), you’ll see a Black Iguana, a Marine Toad and a Great White Heron. The final segment of the video features scenes from San Jose’s popular Culture Plaza which are reminiscent of The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock’s famous thriller. PURA VIDA!

Note: The young bird guide from Guayabo National Monument identified the black hopping bird along the roadside as a Variable Seedeater (see video between 1:40.20 - 2:07). I’m not too sure about this! In any case, the bird’s hopping behavior is either uncovering seeds or exposing small insects for him to eat. The Black Iguana (who I affectionately named Jesus) and the toad were residents of Luna Azul, my hotel in Ostional.

Tourism is a dual edged sword – there is a delicate balance between development and environmental integrity. Once the line is crossed, tourism will often kill the goose that laid the golden egg. I’ve seen (and have read about) too many “so-called eco-destinations” that went downhill very fast because the tourism development got out of hand. Call it human greed - it happens all the time. Take a destination with considerable natural beauty like Galapagos Islands, Kenya’s Serengeti, Negril, Jamaica as an example – the big developers and resort conglomerates rush to the scene to get a lion’s share of the action. Soon they are followed by many small entrepreneurs, tourism concessionaires and the like who also would like to make some monies. I liken this phenomenon to “a shark feeding frenzy”.

Before you know it, the place becomes overrun with too many camera toting, cigar smoking, trash talking tourists who don’t have any respect for the locals or the indigenous populations, neither do they have any self-respect. This leads to even more development to meet the demand and before you know it, this once idyllic place of considerable natural beauty is ruined for good - the delicate ecological balance of an area degrades severely leading to declines (and extinctions) of native animal, insect and plant species (replaced by invasive species) and coral reefs dying. Let’s not forgot how rampant tourism development can have a negative impact on the cultural traditions & lifestyles of indigenous peoples.

In time, the beauty and uniqueness that people paid monies to see is no more, replaced by an excess of commercialism. Such is the way of the world - what we need in the tourism business and in the world in general is a real effort towards sustainable development and lifestyles. Human greed as well as the Evils of Tourism will bring this planet down unless we have a global revolution. The time to start is now!