Hacker Beach Episode 14: Difference between revisions

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== Location: Koh Lanta, Thailand ==

We'll be gathering on the island paradise of Koh Lanta in the south of Thailand.

We'll be gathering on the island paradise of [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ko_Lanta Koh Lanta] in the south of Thailand.

== Date: January 2026 ==

As always, we'll be hanging out somewhere on the island the ~~whole~~ month of January. You can drop by anytime in January and someone else should be there already (at least from a few days after NYE onwards). Some people join only for a week, others for two or even the whole month. Whatever floats your boat.

As always, we'll be hanging out somewhere on the island during the month of January.

You can drop by anytime in January and someone else should be there already (at least from a few days after NYE onwards). Some people join only for a week, others for two or even the whole month. Whatever floats your boat.

== What to Expect ==

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* https://wikitravel.org/en/Ko_Lanta

== Visa ==

=== Visa & Arrival Card ===

Citizens of 93 countries are exempt from having to get a visa, and visa on arrival is available for many more countries at the arrival port with no fee. For other countries there is a 3000THB fee associated with an e-visa. Typical periods to stay are 30 to 60 days.

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Payable by US dollars, Euros, or Thai baht (THB) at the immigration counter

=== Digital arrival card ===

All tourists are now required to submit a digital arrival card (replacing paper arrival cards) before they can enter Thailand. It's recommended to do this online before landing, because otherwise you may have to wait in a long queue to fill it in at a kiosk before immigration:

https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/

=== Vaccination requirements ===

If you are traveling from a country with high risk of Yellow Fever infection, you may be required to show a proof of vaccination against it (i.e. an entry in your little yellow booklet). There was absolutely no validation or check of anything for the people that already arrived.

== Getting Around ==

Most places on Koh Lanta Yai can be reached via the main road stretching about 20 km from Sala Dan (where the pier is) in the north to Koh Lanta “Old town” in the south.

The different neighborhoods are named after the beaches, e.g. Klong Dao, Phra Ae, Klong Khong, Klong Nin, Nui, Klong Hin, Kantiang, etc.

Many people rent a scooter (Honda Click type) with prices ranging around 250-350 THB per day these days. There are discounts for longer rentals that can be negotiated. The rental places will ask for a passport or other id as a deposit during the rental which should be avoided. A cash deposit is usually possible as an alternative.

Wearing a helmet is mandatory and highly recommended even though it’s not always enforced by police. Many locals usually don’t wear one. But please be safe and do. There are many road accidents every year, some fatal. Due to the remote location, an ambulance may take a while to get to you.

You can also rent e-bikes or normal bicycles. The latter can be a challenge though, esp. towards the south of the island where it gets a bit hilly.

Taking a tuktuk is easy and safe. You can hail them on the main road. Be sure to negotiate a price before the trip. Should be in the 50-100 THB range for trips within a neighborhood, or 150-250 THB for trips to the next beach over.

Renting a car is very uncommon. Thailand is driving on the left.

== Accommodations ==

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As a mobile chat client, we can recommend [https://conversations.im Conversations for Android], and [https://monal-im.org Monal for iOS].

== Sessions ==

Unconference-style sessions, i.e. anything from short talks to longer workshops, are always a nice addition to Hacker Beach.

Please suggest and coordinate on XMPP. Once we have a couple of sessions confirmed, we can use the WordPress events plugin again.

== Participants ==

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* raucao

* hcs0

* sandiego

* ''(your name/alias here)''

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 == Location: Koh Lanta, Thailand ==
-We'll be gathering on the island paradise of Koh Lanta in the south of Thailand.
+We'll be gathering on the island paradise of [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Ko_Lanta Koh Lanta] in the south of Thailand.
 == Date: January 2026 ==
-As always, we'll be hanging out somewhere on the island the whole month of January. You can drop by anytime in January and someone else should be there already (at least from a few days after NYE onwards). Some people join only for a week, others for two or even the whole month. Whatever floats your boat.
+As always, we'll be hanging out somewhere on the island during the month of January.
+You can drop by anytime in January and someone else should be there already (at least from a few days after NYE onwards). Some people join only for a week, others for two or even the whole month. Whatever floats your boat.
 == What to Expect ==
@@ Line 33: / Line 35: @@
 * https://wikitravel.org/en/Ko_Lanta
-== Visa ==
+=== Visa & Arrival Card ===
 Citizens of 93 countries are exempt from having to get a visa, and visa on arrival is available for many more countries at the arrival port with no fee. For other countries there is a 3000THB fee associated with an e-visa. Typical periods to stay are 30 to 60 days.
@@ Line 40: / Line 42: @@
 Payable by US dollars, Euros, or Thai baht (THB) at the immigration counter
+=== Digital arrival card ===
+All tourists are now required to submit a digital arrival card (replacing paper arrival cards) before they can enter Thailand. It's recommended to do this online before landing, because otherwise you may have to wait in a long queue to fill it in at a kiosk before immigration:
+https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/
 === Vaccination requirements ===
 If you are traveling from a country with high risk of Yellow Fever infection, you may be required to show a proof of vaccination against it (i.e. an entry in your little yellow booklet). There was absolutely no validation or check of anything for the people that already arrived.
+== Getting Around ==
+Most places on Koh Lanta Yai can be reached via the main road stretching about 20 km from Sala Dan (where the pier is) in the north to Koh Lanta “Old town” in the south.
+The different neighborhoods are named after the beaches, e.g. Klong Dao, Phra Ae, Klong Khong, Klong Nin, Nui, Klong Hin, Kantiang, etc.
+Many people rent a scooter (Honda Click type) with prices ranging around 250-350 THB per day these days. There are discounts for longer rentals that can be negotiated. The rental places will ask for a passport or other id as a deposit during the rental which should be avoided. A cash deposit is usually possible as an alternative.
+Wearing a helmet is mandatory and highly recommended even though it’s not always enforced by police. Many locals usually don’t wear one. But please be safe and do. There are many road accidents every year, some fatal. Due to the remote location, an ambulance may take a while to get to you.
+You can also rent e-bikes or normal bicycles. The latter can be a challenge though, esp. towards the south of the island where it gets a bit hilly.
+Taking a tuktuk is easy and safe. You can hail them on the main road. Be sure to negotiate a price before the trip. Should be in the 50-100 THB range for trips within a neighborhood, or 150-250 THB for trips to the next beach over.
+Renting a car is very uncommon. Thailand is driving on the left.
 == Accommodations ==
@@ Line 80: / Line 104: @@
 As a mobile chat client, we can recommend [https://conversations.im Conversations for Android], and [https://monal-im.org Monal for iOS].
+== Sessions ==
+Unconference-style sessions, i.e. anything from short talks to longer workshops, are always a nice addition to Hacker Beach.
+Please suggest and coordinate on XMPP. Once we have a couple of sessions confirmed, we can use the WordPress events plugin again.
 == Participants ==
@@ Line 89: / Line 119: @@
 * raucao
 * hcs0
+* sandiego
 * ''(your name/alias here)''