Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [3]
Mahachai Shortline train – this day’s diversion from Bangkok trundles through forests, marshland and wet markets (Click here)
Mae Sa–Samoeng loop – the mountain equivalent of a rollercoaster ride that climbs, dips and twists along the peaks outside Chiang Mai (Click here)
Bus ride from Kanchanaburi to Sangkhlaburi – the local tin-can bus slides in between the toothy green mountains (Click here)
BEST THAILAND MEMORIES
Smells and bells – rice cooking in the morning, perfume of joss sticks, maniacal honking of long-distance buses, deep bellows of temple bells, 7-Eleven doorbell chimes, barking jîng•jòk (house lizards)
Religious accoutrements – jasmine garlands, amulets dangling from rear-view mirrors and ceremonial cloths tied around sacred trees
Smoke and cough – belching diesel buses, chilli-laden smoke from a street-stall wok, burning carcasses of gài yâhng (grilled chicken)
Water, water everywhere – fish ponds and roadside water gardens in front of shops and homes, murky klorng (canals), sweat pouring out of every pore, 5B plastic water bottles, jewel-toned seas
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ATMs are widespread and are the easiest ways to get Thai baht. Have a ready supply of US dollars in cash, if you need to do a border run (crisp new notes are preferred). Credit cards are accepted in big cities and resort hotels but not in family-run guesthouses or restaurants.
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TRAVEL LITERATURE
Cosy up to the kingdom with tales penned by hapless travellers turned insightful scribes or by culture-straddling Thais. The bulk of the genre is B-grade thrillers revolving around bar-girls and gangsters, but the following titles are culturally acute page-turners.
Fieldwork (2008), by Mischa Berlinski, is set in a fictional hill-tribe village in northern Thailand, with a complicated cast of anthropologists, missionaries and an aimless journalist all pursuing their own version of the title.
Sightseeing (2005) is a debut collection of short stories by Rattawut Lapcharoensap that gives readers a ‘sightseeing’ tour into Thai households and coming-of-age moments.
Thailand Confidential (2005), by ex–Rolling Stone correspondent Jerry Hopkins, weaves an exposé of everything expats and visitors love about Thailand and much they don’t.
Bangkok 8 (2004), by John Burdett, is a hard-boiled whodunit on the surface, but the lead character, a Thai-Westerner cop, proves an excellent conduit for understanding Thai Buddhism.
Touch the Dragon (1992) is the diary of Karen Connelly, a Canadian who worked as a volunteer in a northern Thai village at the age of 17. Her book about culture and culture shock is well circulated amongst paperback-swapping expats posted in rural areas.
The Beach (1998), by Alex Garland, is the ultimate beach read about a backpacker who finds a secluded island utopia off the coast of Ko Samui.
Jasmine Nights (1995), by SP Somtow, is a coming-of-age novel set in 1960s Bangkok.
Mai Pen Rai Means Never Mind (1965), by Carol Hollinger, is the classic tale of befriending Thailand, written by a Bangkok-based housewife in the 1960s.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) Country-specific information as well as a user exchange on the Thorn Tree forum.
One Stop Thailand (www.onestopthailand.com) Comprehensive tourism guide to popular Thai destinations.
Thai Students Online (www.thaistudents.com) Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan maintains the largest and most informative website portal on Thai culture and society.
Thailand Daily (www.thailanddaily.com) Part of World News Network, offering a thorough digest of Thailand-related news from English news sources.
ThaiVisa.com (www.thaivisa.com) Extensive info on visas as well as user forums and news alerts.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (www.tourismthailand.org) Contains provincial tourism profiles, travel promotions and festival information from Thailand’s national tourism department.
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Events Calendar
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JANUARY–FEBRUARY
APRIL
MAY–JUNE