Psirri reminds me of the Marais in Paris when it was a zone of transition – traditional workshops mixed with new bars, restaurants, yoga and dance studios.  The dissimilarities lie in Marais’ history as the Jewish Quarter of Paris, and its latter day association with the gay scene.

So bowled was I with Marais’ heady mix that it was my first choice for a fashion shoot.  Though, at that time, I spent most of my working life in Greece, I never remotely considered it.

I can barely believe my words when I now say Athens would be my undisputed choice. Psirri and nearby Gazi are so of the moment, so fascinatingly emergent, the first a major working class district of Athens, the latter the old gasworks.

Get to Psirri quickly before all the character goes. It will become ever more characterised by bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.  Also, some nice modern speciality shops.

It is still the talk of Athens that Psirri became designated as an entertainment zone, so pushing up property values and rents, making them unaffordable to the traditional trades.  The chatter is of corruption as a major property owner and landlord in Psirri was a government minister.

For the casual visitor, Psirri simply feels like the next step, a natural development from overdeveloping Monastiraki. In fact, ever onward and outward, development is moving into Thissio.

A great thing to do is an evening stroll in the park by Thissio station, under the watchful view of the Acropolis. There is a small handicrafts and collectables market to browse.

Gazi was much less contentious, acclaimed a wonderful use of the old gasworks. It is an exhibition and media centre, and, more particularly, an entertainment zone. Perhaps the most achingly trendy entertainment zone in the world? This is where you find Athens’ beautiful people or, to be more precise, Athens’ beautiful young people (the older ones focus on Kolonaki).

I am, of course, trendy beyond even Gazi, having so many allergies that eating out is near impossible. But, consistently recommended for all Athens are two Gazi restaurants, The Butcher’s Shop (for meats) and Sardelles (for fish). Hoxton is the usual bar recommendation.

In screaming the case for Athen’s new areas, I have to admit that on a spring evening, without the tourist crowds, Monastiraki was beguiling.

I stayed in the wonderfully affordable Hotel Aristoteles, chosen through our site.

Mark Azavedo

I love Berlin; and had a very happy commute a couple of weeks back, reading Alison Grinter’s article “Trend Setting” in TNT magazine.

The article focuses on the new East/West divide in Berlin, the East being capital of cool in a super-cool city.

Alison and TNT magazine have kindly given us permission to link to this not to be missed article. Please click here.

Thailand Beach Resorts
Pattaya and Hua Hin, one either side, just over 2 hours from Bangkok

Pattaya and Hua Hin are the two top resorts in Thailand, but their attractions differ. Hua Hin appeals to a more sophisticated clientele, Pattaya draws the fun-seeker.

Thai Royal Family and High Society in Hua Hin.

Just off Hua Hin lie two gunships. Are we at war? Has ex-prime minister Taksim Shinawatra finally mounted the counter coup? Should we pack our bags and decamp? No, the King and Queen of Thailand are in residence and the naval vessels are just the outward display of their presence in the beachside Royal Palace at Hua Hin.

The fact that the Thai royals plus the elite of Bangkok society, the so-called “hiso”, choose to holiday here has transformed this former fishing village into a smart beach resort.

Despite the loss of most of its traditional wooden housing, and the fact that the squid hung stands along the beach have been replaced by guesthouses, Hua Hin still manages to retain much of its Thai charm.

Hua Hin, Spa Capital of Thailand

Nowadays it is known as the Spa capital of Thailand, each Spa taking their cue from the world famous Chiva Som Spa which was the first to offer holistic treatments in the area and offering a wide range of holistic activities including massages, exercise regimens, facials and body polishing, as well as medical programmes and stress management. One of the best is the Deverana Spa in the Dusit Thani Hotel, Hua Hin.

Golf and Elephant Trekking in Hua Hin, Thailand

There are those who claim that playing golf on one of the six international style golf course around the town is stress management enough, and others who will recommend a day spent elephant trekking with the gentle giants who once worked in the jungles of northern Thailand.

Dining in Hua Hin, Thailand

Off Naresdamri Road are many narrow sois lined with cafés, restaurants, bars, tailor shops and guesthouses. The multilingual menus displayed testify to the international clientele now attracted to the town. The “catch of the day” is available at all restaurants and at the night market on Dechanuchit Road where tiger prawns, crab, crayfish and pancakes can be sampled. This can be followed by home made ice-cream served from an old-fashioned freezer on wheels, ice-cream which, it is said, is delivered to the Palace once a week as it is a favourite with the royal family.

Pattaya, Thailand, night-life and other diversions.

Across the Gulf of Thailand lies the brasher Pattaya whose risqué diversions attract quite a different clientele. The neon-lit nightlife for which it is famous has totally transformed what was once a fishing village as quiet as Hua Hin until it became an R. & R. resort for Americans during the Vietnam War. Nowadays, South Pattaya is full of bars, beer gardens, pubs, discos and transvetite cabarets, many of which have earned the town a reputation for sleaze.

Dining in Pattaya and other entertainment

But sleaze is only one side of Pattaya. The other side is a range of excellent restaurants offering some of the best food in Thailand and PADI licenced Dive operators offering the best water-sports facilities in the country. However, the main beach is noisy and crowded and the vendors who patrol the narrow stretch of sands can be persistent. The few who come here in search of a bit of peace and tranquillity usually head for nearby Jomtien Beach.

Hua Hin or Pattaya – Thailand offers a choice.

Hua Hin is short on malls and top class shopping in shopping plazas as befits a quiet, tranquil resort but numerous side trips can be made to scenic areas and historical palaces. Pattaya offers parasailing, windsurfing, diving, offshore islands, an orchid farm, several theme parks, golf, tennis and archery.

To sum up, Hua Hin attracts an older, polyglot group of people whose main thought is to relax while still having fun, whereas Pattaya attracts a group who want to play hard and who eschew relaxation in favour of fast living.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Mari Nicholson, its writer. Mari is a well-known travel writer, who specialises in Thailand.

We say that when in Hua Hin you must visit Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, especially on a jazz day.

It’s late evening. The storms had caused plane delays. I’ve one Saigon address – reputedly the one affordable Saigon address. They’re full.

But I’ve one ace card as well, and I play it. “Ah, Mr Derek’s friend”. Miss Joan rolls her eyes from side to side and sucks in her cheeks in a great display of thought.

My room is a vast apartment, but I don’t enjoy it for long. Knock, Knock. “Miss Joan say you need eat”. I follow obediently downstairs – not quite sure what to expect.

I’m ushered onto a moped parked in reception. And so it was that my first sights of this traffic-packed, moped-ruled city were from the back of a moped in the middle of the night.

Our problem was that we were running across the the flow in Saigon’s unlit, rutted streets. Mr Derek was not my best friend for those few minutes. Any physiotherapist – or maybe psychotherapist – would have been.

Old friendships renewed, though, when I crossed the same roads on foot – friendship with Mr Derek, friendship with God. Though round here there seemed little difference.

Meantime, I enjoyed my meal in the recommended restaurant – My Mouse. Yes, it is not an auspicious name. All the expected thoughts ran through my head. “Are they proud they only have one?”

Ultimately, I settled on a comforting thought. Throughout South-East Asia people love cartoon characters – particularly cuddly, furry, rodenty ones. For sure this was just a mis-translation of Mighty Mouse. An appropriate logo was in preparation, and its sister restaurant, Rollin Rat, was just around the corner.

Several days passed without intervention from Mr Derek. So I spent them doing the things you do in Saigon – not much. Take in the markets, take in China Town, chat with the old cyclo boys, gawp at the Floating Hotel brought from the Barrier Reef.

Then Madam Lai arrived. “A friend of Mr Derek. You will come with me to Vung Tau”

I had the feeling nobody had ever argued with this woman – particularly her ex-husband. He just left. I did too – but with her.

Which is how I met Miss Lai. You see, Miss Lai is Madam Lai’s younger, unmarried, sister. The one inside the vast party dress – from which I gather, we’re supposed to party.

But, then again, I didn’t want to party tonight – probably because I’m tired from travelling. We could spend a day on the beach together tomorrow. Or, we could go for a country walk. Or, take a ride around the sights. Or, take a walk around town. Or ……..

I dislike so many things. She said I was boring. I agreed I am boring, ever so boring. But there she was at 9am the next morning, moped ready to rev.

She was certainly taking hospitality to Mr Derek’s friend to extremes. Just as her sister had when she insisted on coming with me in the taxi to Vung Tau. Or when her other sister had finally found me that room upon my arrival.

I leave Vung Tau alone. I’m unable to confirm whether ear lobes really are such a big deal with Vietnamese. Or whether mine really are such a deal in the lexicon of ear lobes.

In Hanoi, Mrs Wen introduces me to Mr Jim, an Oz Cathay pilot. He’s in a happy mood today. It’s his first day with a room. He’s been sleeping rough in reception for a few days.

Jim and I hang out. In particular, we hang out in the piano bar, which is where he and Derek hang out. But, then again, everyone hangs out there. It’s the place for good conversation – and piano.

Mr Wen keeps up a constant barrage of politically incorrect jokes about boat people. The US Missing in Action Team tell us all about their work and travels – often difficult in Laos, never so in Vietnam. But ultimately, they get drunk.

In the meantime, girls from the university play amazing piano. And the young bar girls stare. Occasionally they touch – fascinated by westerners, particularly Mr Jim.

Those slightly reticent smiles, stolen touches and glances are a far cry from the South, where some country women pinched me all over, covering me in bruises.

But, alas, it was time to leave Hanoi. Mrs Wen offered me some business cards. I said Derek had already given me plenty.

“You know Mr Derek?” The room price sank. I was given a t-shirt.

by Mark Azavedo    Originally published in Traveller Magazine

A visit to Yaowarat, Bangkok’s famous Chinatown, is sometimes better made after the Chinese New Year, as during the celebrations for that festival, the streets are crowded and restaurants are full. Like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, or Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, the revelry in the streets continues, but quiet places for contemplation can still be found hidden away in side streets. And, of course, food from every province of mainland China is on offer in Yaowarat.

Chinese Temples in Yaowarat
There are Chinese Temples that pull in devotees, especially on the occasion of the Chinese New Year. The Year of the Pig doesn’t promise all sweetness and light and perhaps this is why the air is so thick with smoke from joss sticks. Wat Mangkorn Kamalawat, Wat Kalayanamit, Chao Poh Sua Shrine are all busy with people praying and making offerings to their ancestors and holy spirits.

On Trimit Road is the Trimit Temple which houses the famous shrine of the Lord Buddha cast in gold, a metal that has always held a special place in the hearts of the Chinese. Called simply the Golden Buddha, it supposedly weighs five and a half tons and is the heaviest Buddha statue in the world.

Surprisingly, the Golden Buddha was hidden inside a plaster cast for several centuries until 1954, when workers trying to remove the heavy sculpture found a code on the base of the statue relating to its contents. They broke the plaster cast and this unveiled the statue.

Gold Shops in Chinatown, Bangkok
In Yaowarat Road lie the Chinese gold shops for which the area is famous, and if you are of a mind to buy some gold, then this is as good a place as any. The gold is sold by weight which can be found in the daily paper, but there is the added value of the workmanship which is the extra charge. It is expected that you will barter and you should sttart by offering half the price asked and then settle for three quarters, or whatever you feel you want to pay. Buy what you like, pay what you can afford should be your motto.

Visit the museum on the upper floor of the first gold shop to open in Bangkok 130 years ago, Tang Toh Kang,but an appointment may be necessary (02-224-2422) In the downstairs shop, they still use many of the tools used in the early days of the shop, while embracing some of the more technically advance tools as well.

Yaowarat is an island of Chinese culture in the modern city that Bangkok has become, and should not be missed.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Mari Nicholson, its writer. Mari is a well-known travel writer, who specialises in Thailand.

I’ve always been aware just how easy it is to overspend on travel medication. Now is the time to be particularly careful.

A very simple example is why do people buy costly Immodium for diarrhoea? It is Loperamide; and available own-brand, for instance Tesco and Sainsburys, and unknown brand from Lidl. Lidl charge 87p per pack of 6 capsules. Immodium costs £2.63 (Boots).

Another example is why buy costly Nurofen for aches and pains, when generic 200mg Ibuprofen is the same? Sainsburys own brand Ibuprofen is 32p per 16 pack. Nurofen, again at Sainsburys, is £1.98 per 16 pack.

The picture is the same for private prescription medication, for instance, anti-malarials. Your GP will normally write the prescription for free, whereas travel clinics routinely charge £10 (though, often, refundable against purchases, that might, anyway, be inflated in price).

Currently at one travel clinic, Lariam are £30 per 8 tablets. The cheapest I could find on the net were £17.44 per 8, in one case plus £1.95 postage, in one case post-free. In either case you have to add the cost (and hassle) of sending the prescription. Alternatively, Tesco sell Lariam at £17.47 per 8. I checked that this is a national price. For comparison,  Boots charge £21.80. A random West London local chemist quoted £22.85.

For vaccinations, usually the best route is your GP surgery, though you will mostly see a nurse. Apart from costs, I like the idea that the GP surgery has my medical records, including my immunisation history. They can be accurate about what is needed when, and, perhaps, save you money in the process, let alone unnecessarily pumping stuff into you.

As to prices, typhoid and hepatitis are normally free. Many other vaccinations are offered either free or for the cost of an NHS prescription. Even obscurities, such as yellow fever, will normally be charged less than the travel clinics.

I think that generally “cheaper” is the view of GPs that should be remembered. Pricing is very much up to the individual surgery. I’ve never paid for anything at my GP!

By contrast, I’ll end with some prices from a cheaper travel clinic: Typhoid £24, Hepatitis (A) £47.50, Yellow Fever £47, Rabies £45, Diptheria/Tetanus/Polio £30.

more…

In a previous blog on this topic I concentrated on the Euro. Grim.
The US Dollar is an unhappy story too, the Pound having lost 20% of its value against the Dollar in the last six months.

But there is good news. For instance, over that same six month period, the Pound has risen 60% against the Indian Rupee. Perhaps time to investigate those wonderfully priced packages to Goa and Kerala. Remember the effect is true of the Seychelles too.

If beaches don’t float your boat, why not investigate India’s great cities or wonderful countryside. Rajhastan is a particular favourite of mine. Diwali Night in Jaipur was one of my greatest travel experiences.

If India doesn’t appeal, remember that , over the same six months, the Brazilian Real has lost nearly 1/6th of its value against the pound. Could be time to fly down to Rio, particularly with those amazing TAP air fares.

All this said, I am particularly drawn to those frontiersman cities of the Amazon, such as Manaus and Benjamin Constant.

I was recently asked about budgeting a world tour.  As I write, we are offering an Air New Zealand round the world fare of £699.  One element sorted!

But day-to-day living and accommodation costs are a whole different story.  In the current economic climate you are trying to balance currency depreciation, price inflation and price deflation.

To stand any chance of a realistic budget you’ve got  to take a continent by continent view, preferably country by country.  Also consider your own personal travel style.

The Pound has gone into virtual freefall against the Euro.  British economic data the past couple of weeks give evey reason to believe the relative strength assessments of Britain and the Eurozone economies is correct.  As I write, at the foreign exchanges, the ratio is 1:1.

Things are not looking good for your day-to-day expenditure in the Eurozone; and the conventional wisdom has become “think Turkey”.  At face value, and in the sense of day-to-day expenditure, that is perfectly sensible.  But it does rather depend how you purchase your Eurozone holiday.

If you buy your accommodation as you go, this will hurt, unless there is deflation in the hotels market in the particular Eurozone country; and that will depend on demand.  For instance, if demand for Greece continues low, there are likely to be last minute discounts from hotels and lower rates from old ladies at quaysides!

What you do know for the Eurozone is that the package holidays will be produced from contracts with hoteliers where much higher Pound to Euro rates  were locked in at the time of writing (at a guess, mostly around 1:1.35).  Also, massive bulking discounts will have been negotiated.  Additionally, in the face of the current economic situation,  tour operators will be slashing their margins (look at some of the early-bird bargains).

 So things can look  good for the Eurozone, by buying a package.  If you buy all inclusive, the food and beverage costs will have been locked in at high Pound to Euro rates too.  You’ll barely have to carry any cash anyway!

So there is a big message there for what to do for the Eurozone.  But, when will it all go wrong?  For another feature this year is that tour operators have slashed capacity.  Will there be a point (this summer) when there are relatively few holidays against demand, so prices will rise again?

Now, the Eurozone and close-by alternatives (Turkey, Egypt, etc) are relatively easy to analyse.  What of the world? Here you have to introduce that the Pound has softened against the US Dollar and that many economies have a Dollar link.  The Japanese Yen needs to be considered too.

Let’s start with the Yen, in fact consider Japan.  The Yen has hardened.  Bad news.  But there has been internal price deflation in Japan for many years now, the country not having recovered from its “last” economic downturn.

In 2007, I met a Japanese girl in London who was full of OMG moments about prices in London.  I asked her where she was from: Tokyo.  Hmm!  Strangely, a few weeks later Japan Tourism Authority started a campaign comparing Japan and UK prices, article by article.  Things looked good.  There as an overall strapline that prices on many items were cheaper in Japan than London.  I think they were being modest.

I went to Tokyo; and everything was significantly cheaper than London (admittedly, in itself a worst case).  My central Tokyo en-suite Western-style Ryokkan room was £28 per night.

Outside Tokyo, prices are much lower.  For instance, you’ll be amazed at Kyoto Ryokkan costs.

Your basic calculation now is what is happening faster, price deflation in Japan or appreciation of the Yen against other currencies in general or the Pound in particular?

You calculation for US$ economies can be similar.  Again, if looking to packages, you must remember that earlier rates will have been locked into operators’ contracts with hoteliers and transport providers.  To put it crudely, Virgin Holidays are offering great prices to Florida at the moment.

US$ related economies are more complex, not least because in some of them there are secular trends within tourism. I’d love to be able to give the example of Thailand, but I’m unsure of the majority position say on the denomination of contracts.  As best I know, given that the Thai Baht has hardened over the years to be, at least, a regional hard currency any US$ linkage has all but disappeared. Certainly, you can’t spend US$ on the street in Bangkok as you once could (in fact that’s not even  possible in Vietnam and Laos now).

Anyway, to the point, hotel rates in Thailand are in freefall (as are flight costs to Thailand).  This is all due to the political unrest in general and the specifics of the airport occupations, together with the Thai Government’s refusal to say that the same couldn’t happen again.  The disco fire hasn’t helped, though it wasn’t in a tourist area.

There are internationl quirks too.  For instance Mauritius contracts tend to be Euro denominated.  Not good for us.

Going back to linked economies, my own recent experiences are interesting.  Last autumn, I  looked at hotels in Jakarta. Various Ibis hotels in Jakara were £23 per night.  The current price is £17 per night.  In other words, deflation in the Indonesian (indeed, global) hotels market has clearly outpaced depreciation of the Pound.

If  it is sounding like you need to be an Economics major to  do the maths, there is a really simple answer. Go onto www.couchsurfing.com – or use our Free Accommodation link – and ask local people. You can then simply pop the local prices into our foreign exchange calculator.

I was in Lisbon just before Xmas for the first time in many years. But I still got that long-haul feeling for a short-haul price.

This is a city in turn elegant, characterful, positively rundown, brand-spanking new.

Baixa is a planned grid of streets established after the Great Earthquake of 1755. This is Lisbon’s epicentre, with fine shopping and dining. There is much important neo-classical architecture; and the area is being considered for World Heritage Site Listing.

Alfama is quite the opposite of Baix’s openness. This area survived the Earthquake; and is the original medieval Moorish city of winding alleys with whitewashed houses.

Of particular interest in Alfama is Feira da Ladra, The Thieves Market. This is an interesting walk up from Apolonia Station (or get there on the 28 tram). The market is open Tuesday and Saturday mornings. Nothing appears beyond sale!

Most tourists would now visit  Belem. This is the area of town for museums and monuments; and all by the Tagus estuary.

There are fantastic views out over the estuary that really give you the feel the discoverers had as they set sail. I particularly love the Monument to the Discoveries for that feel.

Also on the estuary is Belem Tower. In the vicinity are Jeronimos Monastery, Ajuda Palace and the Coaches Museum.

A favourite area of mine, definitely not touristic, is Martim Moniz. This is a seething multi-ethnic area. Take the metro to Martim Moniz (tram 28 is an alternative) and you actually come up within a shopping centre filled with mostly Indian and Chinese shops. The surrounding narrow alleys and streets are mostly Chinese.

It is a short walk from here to Intendente. Again a multi-national enclave, this time very rundown, but subject to a massive redevelopment plan.

A final area that tourists don’t reach is Parque das Nacoes, though this is a matter of distance. It is a little further out. Just remember, though, how brilliant public transport – metro, trams and buses – is in Lisbon. Despite being built on seven hills, I also find it a very walkable city.

Parque Nacoes was mostly built for Expo 98. Here you find the amazing Oriente Station, a shopping mall, casino, restaurants and a fantastic view out over Vasco da Gama Bridge.

The bridge is eleven miles long. It is redolent of the Floriday Keys drive. You feel you just have to drive that bridge!

For further information go to www.golisbon.com and www.lisbon-guide.info

Mark Azavedo