Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What's New
Fly Everywhere
Air routes now link every provincial capital to Bangkok, so you can skip those frigid
overnight bus journeys. You can also fly from Phuket and Chiang Mai to major Chinese
cities. And Ko Pha-Ngan's drunken Full Moon raves just got easier to get to; a privately
owned airport served by Kan Air's turboprop planes is scheduled to open in 2014.
Asia Discovers Itself
Chinese, Indians, Koreans, Singaporeans and more - Asia's emerging middle class is back-
packing, package touring and weekending in Thailand. Russians are on board too, espe-
cially for the Gulf of Thailand beaches.
Overlanding to/from Myanmar
The cloistered country of Myanmar is now 'open' and foreigners can enter and exit from
one of four land borders with Thailand. Well, sort of. The most open crossing is Mae Sot to
Myawaddy.
Take Me to Angkor
There is a new government bus from Bangkok direct to Siem Reap that cuts out some of
the hassles of the infamous Aranya Prathet-Poipet border. Though the scams are tenacious
and there's still the line at Cambodian immigration.
Hip Hostels
Bangkok and Chiang Mai have sprouted hip hostels, where sleeping with the pack means
saving baht and scoring style points. Now solo travellers have an alternative to single occu-
pancy.
Coral Bleach Job
In recent years, rising sea temperatures have caused coral bleaching and even coral death.
Snorkelling sites in shallow waters have been hit the worst. Thanks a lot, global warming.
