You may be wondering why things have been so quiet on the blog lately. It’s not that I’ve given up blogging, rather I’m now writing for about.com and blogging for them. Take a look at my Go Thailand website and see for yourself. The website and the books are meant to be complementary, so there’s a mix of familiar and new information.

Speaking of books, the new Moon Bangkok is now out! The book has some gorgeous photos and plenty of information about traveling in Bangkok.

Ko Hae, photo courtesy of Linda True

Before I moved to Thailand I was never a snorkeler. I didn’t really see the point of looking around under water while you floated on the surface breathing through a tube. Why not just dive? Well, in doing the research for Moon Thailand, I found myself on many a boating trip scouting out islands.  On one trip, the guide plopped a mask on my face and a snorkel in my mouth and dragged me out into the water.

Wow! Who knew you could see so much from just below the surface? On my very first snorkeling expedition I saw not only amazing coral gardens and plenty of tropical fish, but reef sharks!  And I realized that I’d been so misguided before. Snorkeling is cheap, easy and doesn’t require much gear or any training. If you wear a life vest you don’t even need to know how to swim to do it.

Now whenever I’m near the water I look for chances to bust out my snorkel and ask everyone where the best places are.

Last weekend we were on another sailing trip off Phuket (you can read about the last sailing trip here) and spent some time on Ko Hae. This little island is just a few miles from Chalong Bay on the southern end of Phuket and the snorkeling is amazing. It’s sometimes called Coral Island, and for good reason. There’s so much coral and so many fish that at low tide you can just walk out into a few feet of water and look down (watch what you step on though!).  A little farther out there’s a drop off to about 12 feet and that’s where it gets really good.  Lots of healthy, colorful coral and plenty of fish, star fish, anemones and other creatures. It might not be the absolute best spot in Thailand, but it’s easily in the top 10.

So, if you’re in Phuket, head over to Chalong Bay and get a boat to Ko Hae. You can rent a snorkel on the island (it’s only a day island, no accommodations) or even a glass bottom canoe if you don’t want to get wet.

File this under silver linings on the dark cloud that is the global economy — Thai Airways is offering a great travel deal for passengers coming from North America, Europe, Australia or New Zealand.

Buy your international ticket on Thai Airways for travel between March 1 and October 31, 2009 and get a free domestic flight plus one night hotel. So, if you’re flying into Bangkok but want to go to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, or anywhere else Thai flies, the flight’s free, and so is the first night at one of their selected hotels. Click the link on the photo to see the conditions, and make sure to either book with a travel agent or call Thai Airways directly to make sure you’re following all the rules to get the deal.

As always, do the math before booking. Domestic flights are generally inexpensive, especially if you’re flying on Air Asia, Nok Air or one of the other budget airlines. If you get a cheap international flight on another carrier, it may be a better deal to book that and just buy the ticket and hotel separately.

And you do, sort of. For the most part, the Thai food you get at Thai restaurants outside of the country is at least reasonably close to the real stuff. But the good news for travelers heading here is that there are scores of other dishes that rarely make it out of the country.

The fantastic foodie blog Chez Pim has a new post about Pad Grapow, worth checking out if only for the photos!

Pad Grapow is a very common dish here in Thailand (a lunch time staple, really), but one of those things you rarely find abroad. Head to Chez Pim for the eye candy and recipe and then head here to sample the real stuff!

If you’ve got Moon Thailand and you’re heading here for vacation, do yourself a favor and read through the chapter openings before you plunk down any non-refundable deposits. Keep an open mind about where you’re going. Not too many pages, and we get lots of props for the writing, so it shouldn’t be too painful.

Why? Let’s say you want a beach vacation. Your cousin/neighbor/boss/secretary just got back from Ko Samui and raved about it at the last family gathering. You’ve got it stuck in your head that Sumui is the place to go, so you book the flights and buy the guidebook. Maybe you spend a couple of hours on the plane reading about Ko Samui before you get there, or consult it for places to eat and excursions, but you ignore the other chapters.

But what if you’re not just like your cousin/neighbor/boss/secretary? She’s 15 years younger than you are, or has two kids while you have none, or hates partying while you love it, or has a lot more cash to dispose of on vacation. Hmmm… maybe Samui isn’t the best choice for you after all. Thailand has lots of different beaches and islands to choose from. Maybe your perfect beach getaway is somewhere else in Thailand, somewhere you’d never even heard of. I want you to have a wonderful time in Thailand (really, it makes me sad when people spend tons of time and money and are dissapointed) so read up a bit and then decide.

PS – I’m not picking on Samui, it is the perfect beach for some! But for others its Ko Lanta, or Krabi, or Ko Chang.

The Village Farm and Winery, one of three wineries on the tour

Bet you didn’t know Thailand produces wine.  Well it’s true, and there are a handful of lovely, charming wineries near Khao Yai National Park, just a few hours by car from Bangkok.

Three of them, GranMonte Estate, the Village Farm Winery, and the PB Valley Khao Yai Winery, have joined together to offer a wino wine tour weekend on July 25-26.

For 4,900B per person, you get transport from Bangkok, tours of the wineries, guided tastings, one night lodging, food, and unlimited wine.

Back up a minute.

Does that say unlimited wine?

Sure does.

I don’t know about you, but I could easily drink $145 worth of wine in a weekend. Kidding! But I know some people who could. Even if you can’t, you’ll definitely get your money’s worth on the food, accommodations and transport alone, and it’s an excellent way to spend a weekend seeing another side of Thailand. Contact any of the wineries at the links above to book.

If you can’t make it in July, no worries, as all of these wineries offer tours at all times of the year.  And if you’re not in Thailand, you can still try Thai wine. Monsoon Valley wines (produced by Siam Winery, which is unfortunately not part of this tour) are specifically blended to pair with spicy, full-flavored Thai foods and are available in some parts of the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. If you happen to be in New York, you can even get them delivered from this company.

There’s a new iPhone application for tourists visiting Thailand. You can download it here. I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet since I don’t have an iPhone ☹ but it’s supposed to search for sights, entertainment, hotels, transport, restaurants, ATMs, etc. near your location and map travel routes.

It’s $9.99 and no word yet on how comprehensive it is. As all you guidebook buyers know, content matters more than presentation, though someday soon we will have our great content available electronically, too. Until then, I’ll try to give this app a test spin. If you get a chance to try it out, please share your experiences and thoughts.

Poo-ket

There is no “f” sound.

Phi Phi is pronounced:

Pee Pee

Again, no “f” sound.

It’s not your fault. The Thai-English transliteration system is really confusing. I cringe when people mispronounce Phuket since most people end up calling it Foo ket, or Fu ket. You can imagine how funny and awkward that sounds, tho Phi Phi sounds a bit awkward when pronounced correctly until you get used to it.

Don't let this be you! Get out of the airport.

There are 15 different tours to choose from, including a tour of the Grand Palace, a shopping tour, a visit to one of the floating markets and even a golfing outing. Prices range from 1,850B to 5,000B and there is a kiosk in the transfer hall where you can arrange a tour.

If you’re with a group you can definitely do some of these tours on your own, cheaper. But if you’re on a tight schedule you don’t want to risk missing your plane, and there is something to be said for ease and comfort. After a 12 hour flight, you may not be up for navigating a new city on your own.

Still, if you have six hours or more, aren’t totally exhausted and want to see the city on the cheap, I would suggest hopping into a local taxi and negotiating with the driver to take you roundtrip where ever you want to go. You won’t have a tour guide, but then again, you don’t really need one if you just want to go shopping.

If you do go out on your own, you’ll pay an additional 500B airport tax when you check in again, so factor that in when calculating the cost.

Once the new airport rail link opens in a few months, I’ll write more on how to do a quick layover tour on your own.