Bangkok - Asiatique

For just over six months, Bangkok has had a new "trendy" shopping destination, Asiatique the Riverfront. The plan is to develop it into the largest riverfront shopping venue in Asia. It is located on Charoen Krung Road and has a 300-meter stretch along the bank of the Chao Phraya River. The development probably has had an eye on similar venues in Shanghai.

At present, there is a total of 80,000 square meters, but the developer TCC Land (owned by the Beer Chang mogul) has big plans for the area, including two hotels and a fun/theme park.

100+ years ago, the river banks of Charoen Krung were Bangkok's main international port and this particular plot of land belonged to a Danish company called The East Asiatic Company Ltd. 

TCC Land has tried to maintain the historic atmosphere of the site while turning it into a twenty-first century mall, a "festival market and living museum" concept. The idea behind the bazaar is to bring back the exotic mood of the old days by blending the old customs and history with modern-day recreation. 

It is of course mostly fake and the shops are aimed at tourists longing for useless trinkets at inflated prices. As the food options are not attractive to the local palate, young middle-class Bangkokians flock to Asiatique on weekends for the "cute" photo opportunities the place offers.  Due to that there is only one access road, the traffic jams are horrendous. 

For tourists, easiest way is probably taking a free shuttle boat from the Sheraton Pier near BTS Saphan Taksin. It starts running from about 5 p.m. There is also a Chao Phraya River Express that calls a pier at the temple next door. 

Surat Thani - Khao Sok

Khao Sok National Park covers an area of 738 sq. km and has spectacular limestone rocks and ridges studded with several large caves. There is pristine rain forest with wildlife sanctuaries and a large network for trekking. Many streams and rivers originate from this watershed and rafting, canoeing, as well as tube tours are arranged daily. These days there are even elephant rides. 

It should be obvious, but the reason it is called a rain forest is that it often rains. So, three out of my four visits to Khao Sok have been wet, but it is just a question of not being discouraged by the weather. 

My first visit ten years ago was the wettest -- and sleeping in a "house" built in a treetop on the bank of a stream did not make things less humid -- but included a great visit to a cave reached by boat (and a trek) from the Rachaprapah Dam. It was a U-shaped cave where the bottom end of the U was very narrow and one had to wade in cold chest-high water. 

Apparently, the treetop house concept caught on, so today there are plenty of fake treetop houses built in concrete. Khao Sok has developed into a popular stop-over for back-packers (if there are any those left) going from Khao Lak to Koh Samui and a weekend destination for nature lovers visiting Phuket or Khao Lak.

For Thais, Khao Sok is mostly famous for Rafflesia, which are the largest flowers in the world, and can grow up to 90cm in diameter. The flower is like a giant red bowl lined with yellow spotted petals. The flowers exude a strong smell – similar to the smell you would expect to find near a rotten carcass or a dustbin - but does fortunately not flower for long. 

Prachuab Khiri Khan - Hua Hin Floating Markets

Two retrostyle attractions of the "floating market" type opened last year near Hua Hin as if this country needs more fake history and more shopping venues. In Hua Hin, the new markets are miles from the nearest river, but that does not seem to detract from their attraction of being places to take "cute" snapshots and buy tacky souvenirs. 

That these markets were opened only a few kilometers from each other is a bit of a mystery from a competition perspective, but the explanation must be that they are located where land was available. The floating markets are located in a rural area on what used to be pineapple fields. The pineapple fields surrounding the markets are still dry reminders of how fake the floating markets are.

Nakhon Ratchasima - Dan Kwian Pottery Village

One of my first trips outside Bangkok was to Suranaree Technical University's campus (back then, the university was still under construction). On the way back, I was shown around Dan Kwian to see how Thai pottery was done. Back then, the products were mostly for practical purposes, such as collecting rain water.

How things have changed. Dan Kwian has embraced the mass market and now the pottery made is mostly for decorative use. Sure, these farang kids pictured below are cute, and the clay figures probably sell well, but they don't have much to do with Thai culture or with traditional handicraft skills.

Satun - Koh Lipe

Koh Lipe is located in Satun province; roughly 65 km off the coast at the edge of Tarutao National Marine Park. It is near a group of around 50 uninhabited island with deserted beaches, waterfalls, and breathtaking viewpoints to visit.

Koh Lipe is home to some six hundred Chao Lei people who are descended from 'sea gypsies' that have lived on the Andaman coast for centuries. Masters of the sea, the Chao Lei settled on Koh Lipe when the King of Thailand offered them citizenship and land in return for settling the island, and thus at the time helping to fix Thailand's southern sea border with Malaysia. 

Not so reliant on the sea as they once were, the local community is adapting to the changes tourism are bringing.This development includes dive schools, an increasing number of resorts, and a tacky "walking street" (named after an infamous stretch in South Pattaya).

However, if you can ignore the unfortunate aspects of development, Koh Lipe is a great beach holiday destination albeit not in the rainy season. The island is surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and ocean marine life perfect for snorkeling and scuba diving. 

Thailand - Off the Deep End

In the Andaman Sea and in the Gulf of Thailand, there are plenty of dive sites and SCUBA diving is a popular activity among tourists. However, I was surprised when I heard that dive schools on Koh Tao combined annually issue so many PADI licenses that it makes Koh Tao rank third in the world. I have not been able to independently verify this claim.  

Almost all diving in Thailand is done from boats - big or small - and mostly on daytrips. Live-on-board dive trips is a great option if you have the time and money. Such trips can last from 3-4 days to two weeks and accommodation can be basic or luxurious.

Seeing coral reefs and colorful fish up close is interesting, but more exciting is wreck diving.

Buriram - OTOP

Buriram has a little known „One Tambon, One Product“ (OTOP) enterprise: a Cowboy Hat Factory.

Who came up with the idea that a tambon should specialize in making cowboy hats, I don’t know, but it is clear that the owner of a restaurant next to the cowboy hat outlet is a huge fan of Carabao. The rustic restaurant is full of pictures from the band’s early years (i.e., late 1970s). There also pictures of the student demonstrations that the Thai military crushed with indiscriminate violence resulting in a swelling in the ranks for the Thai Communist Party.

Carabao was actually formed in the Philippines (hence the name, carabao, which means buffalo in tagalog), but the band - and its frequently changing members - has aged since then. And as the band went more main-stream, the corporate sponsorship deals (primarily beer and energy drink) have greatly enriched the most famous band members.

12 years ago, I often met Aed and other band members as they were (and still are) members of a Harley Davidson club. They often participated in the club’s social activities on weekends.

Since I’m already digressing, let me point out that Thailand’s vastly popular OTOP scheme was copied and implemented in Cambodia a few years back. It’s been copied so diligently that the main products offered for sale are basically the same as in Thailand. However, I guess as long as the sales efforts aren’t focused on export markets (but sales only take place from village shops) then there is no direct competition.