So today's post is dedicated to Jankle and Kim and all you other worry warts. The message to you is "Don't be a girly man"(said in Arnie's accent).
Firstly, let's look at the piracy issue (LOL). There is no real piracy issue in Thailand in recent years as far as I can tell from the statistics. There has been one attack each year over the past few years in Thai waters. The piracy fear/myth probably comes from when Thai pirates were attacking Vietnamese boat refugees some years ago. But don't take my word for it...check out Weekly Piracy Report for updates and piracy maps going back to 2000. You can also check out the live piracy map! The live piracy map shows one attack off Phuket in January 2006.There are other freaky things to be more worried about like:
* Poisonous jellyfish off Hat Rin beach which killed two tourists in 2002.
* Drowning in a rip tide off Phuket. There are a number of tourists drownings each year. Here is some information and safety tips for swimming off Phuket.
* Road accidents are the biggest cause of death to foreign tourists in Thailand. Phuket has the highest road accident rate in Thailand.
*Drugging at full moon parties with scopolamine , then being robbed (or maybe even having your kidneys removed and sold on the black market-me embellishing!)
* Being accidentally shot in a drive by shooting. Google "drive by shootings thailand" to see how common it is.
* Terrorist bombings
I could go on and as the song goes...
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me
