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Travel Notes
Ed Peters provides local news for the jet set
TRIP LIT
Back in the days when this planet really was lonely and foreigners landed up in places like Thailand for a couple of decades rather than two weeks, they wrote memoirs, not emails. Some of the classics are back in print and well worth a read.
Pick up a copy of Elephant Bill (Long Riders’ Guild Press), JH Williams’ recollections of working “up country” in the 1920s; or Teak Wallah (Hodder and Stoughton) by Reginald Campbell.
Bangkok-based Orchid Press (www.orchidbooks.com) publishes a host of similar titles, alongside more recent writing such as the incisive travelogue Beyond the Pancake Trench by Tom Vater.
Hot off the press and a beautiful coffee-table souvenir of a memorable trip to Thailand’s norThis Chiang Mai Style (Marshall Cavendish). Written by resident Joe Cummings and illustrated with photography by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni, the book represents a celebration of the city’s distinctive architecture, interiors and craft s.
PARK LIFE
Although there may be two Disneylands in Asia, local theme parks can be far more wacky and fun. Visit Minsk World (tel +86 (0)755 2535-5333), a converted Soviet aircraft carrier in Shenzhen, or the show-stopping cavalcade of elephants at Phuket Fantasea (www.phuket-fantasea.com). Or there’s always the world’s largest indoor water park, Ocean Dome (www.seagaia.co.jp), which is just a couple of hours’ train ride from Hiroshima.
INSIDE TRACK
You’ve read the guidebook and got the T-shirt, so what next? Consider getting in touch with one of Asia’s top guides.
They won’t quack facts and figures, but they’ll take you for a privileged peek inside some of the region’s most fascinating cities. For example, few people know as much about Hong Kong past and present as Jason Wordie (www.jasonswalks.com). For the skinny on Singapore, ring Geraldine Lowe or Diana Chua (tel +65 6737-5250), while KF Seetoh off ers 
excellent gourmet tours (www.makansutra.com). Nobody has even come close to topping Trevor Fisher’s Top Thai Tour in Phuket, Thailand (tel +66 (0)4 627-5728), while the VIP tour guide services of the Two Blondes in Bangkok (www.tbib.co.th), Leigh Anderson and Tina Kelly, have already attained legendary status.
LOCAL HERO
Colin Bryan is the chief butler at the Sila Evason Hideaway and Spa on Koh Samui (www..span style=”font-weight: bold”>
evasonhideaways. com) and a fount of knowledge on making the most of the island.
“People here say you haven’t been to Samui properly until you’ve seen the island from Khao Pom, a mountain about half an hour’s drive from Chaweng,” he says. “There’s a garden with a waterfall and a spirit house where the devout pray that good people will go to heaven, and evil-doers will be sent to ‘the other place’. The highly aromatic durian fruit also grows wild in the forest here, so you can sample them if you are brave enough!”
HOTEL WATCH: SMALL SENSATIONS
Roll over, five-star mega-resorts. Chains, take a hike.
The boutique hotel revolution is snazzing up Thailand’s accommodation stakes, where size is no longer important and the key is to be small but perfectly formed.
Situated in the heart of the capital, the chicly converted shophouse Triple Two (www.tripletwosilom.com) is a prime example. It’s a perfect blend of contemporary design and tradition without overdoing one or the other, and the staff are as cool as the surroundings.
Down south on Ko Lanta, the modernistic Costa Lanta (www.costalanta.com) continues to be the weekend getaway of choice for Thailand’s young hipsters.
Up north in Chiang Mai, the 40 rooms at Tamarind Village (www.tamarindvillage.com) make for a beautifully tranquil rustic haven, and are the antithesis of a Holiday Inn.
EASY RIDER
A 500cc Royal Enfield Bullet. The Golden Triangle. A tank full of petrol and the wind in your hair. What more could you ask for? The North Siam Roadrunners give you a good run for your money, as you can explore the more remote areas on Thailand’s northern borders, hopping into Laos and cruising past Myanmar. A high-revving journey through history and culture, all on the back of one of Asia’s edgiest hogs. Visit www.ridehigh.com and get your motor running.
IN THE KNOW
There are few people who haven’t heard of the Great Wall, but the Grand Canal of China is another matter. Two millennia old and 1,200 miles long – running from Hangzhou to Beijing – it’s the eighth (forgotten) wonder of the world. The Canal also represents one of the world’s great travel bargains, with tickets on ferries in Hangzhou costing just 15 RMB ($2). www.travelchinaguide. com/attraction/zhejiang/hangzhou/ canal.htm
JOIN THE CLUB
It appears to be the age of the superclub in Asia, as hot venues open by the month. The largest Ministry of Sound (www.ministryofsound.com) in the world is currently facing off against local contender Zouk (www.zoukclub.com) in Singapore. Hong Kong’s legendary JJs, long anchored by the waterfront beneath the Grand Hyatt (http:// hongkong.grand.hyatt.com/), has just reopened following a massive refit, to huge applause and sighs of relief from the city’s party glitterati. And in Bangkok, Glow (tel +66 (0)2 261-3007) continues to pull in fans of funk and deep house since it opened last year.
BIG IS BEST
Sometimes, of course, size can make a diff erence in the luxury stakes – a case in point is Siem Reap’s sparkling new Sokha Angkor Hotel and Spa in the centre of town (www.sokhahotels.com). Opened in December 2005, the hotel boasts an outdoor swimming pool, gymnasium, spa, four grand ballrooms and a range of restaurants.
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