A major clampdown on elephant/mahout activity in Bangkok has just been announced.  You could now be fined upto £200 for feeding an elephant.

That said, as sorry as you feel for the mahouts, it is commonsense not to support this activity anyway.

Elephants are emphatically not cuddly things out of Jungle Book.  Generally they are rather cantankerous and unpredictable. They become more moody, less predictable in inappropriate environments.

Traffic-filled, highly urbanised, Bangkok is certainly an inapproriate environment.  The elephants become unhealthy, particularly suffering respiratory diseases.  Sudden death is not unknown.

There has been a major incident in Bangkok, when an elephant ran amok.  Presumably smaller incidents are everyday occurrences.

If you want to help elephants and mahouts supporting elephant conservation and repatriation charities is the answer.  Also support elephant-focused tourism projects.

These projects are seen as the great hope in Government circles.  The elephants can’t stay in urban environments.  Their place, and that of their mahouts, in the logging industry is not going to come back.  The mahouts have to have an income.

All this said, I’ve been fairly uncomfortable with the touristic uses of elephants.  That, though, is not to say that elephant centres can’t be fun, with particularly good reports on the centre at Lampang.  People seem to love being a mahout for the day!

Mark Azavedo

Picture Copyright and by kind permission of Tourism Authority of Thailand.

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

Mari is in Bangkok at the moment; and e-mailed me about new tram services in the City:

Chinatown

There is a new free Chinatown Sightseeing Tram starting at Soi Porisapa by Hualamphong Railway Station, where you collect your ticket from the booth.

You can stay on for the tour or get on and off with stops at Thianfa Foundation (Thianfa Foundation, Siang Gong Shrine, Wat Yuan Taladnoi), Old Market (Old Market, Bumpenchinprot Temple), Mangkorn Kamalawat Temple ( Wat Leng Noei Yi, Kanmatuyaram Temple, Leng Buai Yia Market), Kwong Siew Hospital (Guang Dong Shrine, Kanikaphol Temple, Da Feng Zu Shrine, Piangnarm Road), Traimit Temple-Ocean Circle (Wat Samchin, Yaowarat Road).

The Tram operates 11am-11pm weekends, with typically Thai confusion as to whether it also operates 5pm-11pm weekdays.

Rattanakosin Island

Information around the Rattanakosin tour tram is even less clear. It operates 10am-8pm, with tickets available from Democracy Monument and Sanam Luang (30 Baht). Tours, with multi-lingual commentary leave every 30 minutes from near the Grand Palace front gates.

The Tram loops around all the major attractions of the Island which is the Old Bangkok of the Bangkok Period. You cover such sights as the Grand Palace, San Luk Meung, The National Museum, National Gallery, Jurapong Mosque. and Pak Talong Flower Market.

To Hua Hin and Cha-Am

The new Southern Bus terminal is very far out of central Bangkok. This has led to new informal minibus services from Democracy Monument. There is huge confusion over this, but I’ve found the services fast and cheap.

The downside is very little information.  I’ve been told by a travel agent friend that they leave every half hour, or sooner when a bus is full.  There are no published timetables, so we don’t know when precisely the first and last buses depart.

Fare is 180Baht. They reserve the right to also charge for luggage, but I’ve never actually been asked to pay.

Departure is from an alleyway at the side of Century Mall/Plaza. All companies proved reliable. I remember one called 333.

Return from Hua Hin is from opposite the Esso petrol station.

Mark Azavedo

Wine lore has it that wines can only be produced either 30-50 Degrees North or South of the equator. Thailand, along with Brazil, India and Indonesia, is disproving that.

In the Thai case, as so much development, the starting point was a Royal Project, under the patronage of H.M.King Bhumibol, this in conjunction with Kasetsart University.

The first commercial planting of vines was at Chateau de Loei, in the Phurua Highlands, in 1991. The wines are produced under the guidance of Australian and French oenologists, with a Shiraz varietal the estate’s flagship wine.

Khao Yai, only two hours out of Bangkok, has the greatest intensity of vineyards, Chateau des Brumes Village Farm and Winery, PB Valley Winery and Granmonte Estate. You can visit on a day trip, but the National Park is worth a couple of days stopover.

Chateau des Brumes is an 80 acre property, specialising in French-style wines. They are made under the tutelage of Jacques Bacou, a French winemaker.

PB Valley, Khao Yai’s oldest winery, is an 800 acre estate planted to Shiraz, Tempranillo and Colombard. Since 2002, PB Valley Wines, made with the assistance of German Wolfgang W Schaefer, have been served by Thai Airways.

This estate is a particular favourite of mine for its extensive leisure facilities, as well as the wine. There is a large restaurant, with fabulous views, under the management of the lovely Nana, as well as produce and souvenir shop, together with simple, but attractive, on-estate accommodation.

Granmonte is PB’s neighbour. The property is set in 40 acres planted to Shiraz and Chenin Blanc, but also table grapes. Unusually, given the predominance of reds in the Thai offering, a favourite from Granmonte is the Sakuna Rose.

Winemaking at Granmonte is under the direction of Nikki Lohitnavy, Thailand’s first Thai female winemaker. Nikki (Visootha) is a graduate of University of Adelaide.

Granmonte is another winery with good leisure facilities by way of the Montino shop and VinCotto restaurant. The restaurant runs under the watchful eye of Sakuna Lohitnavy, Nikki’s mother.

Probably Thailand’s most ambitious and well-funded winery, coming out of the Red Bull fortune,is Siam Winery. The winery also, perhaps, boasts Thailand’s most known vineyard, the so-called floating vineyard at Samut Sakorn on the Chao Phraya delta, only 60km from Bangkok.

This vineyard harvests local grape varieties White Malaga and Red Pok Dum. The vines are planted on islands, separated by canals, Grapes are taken to the winery by boat.

Siam Winery’s main seller is Monsoon Valley. The grapes for this wine are now grown exclusively at Hua Hin Hills Vineyard. Again, Siam Winery has a talented overseas oenologist, Kathrin Puff, from Germany.

A visit to Hua Hin Hills Vineyard is a must for anyone staying in Hua Hin. You can stay in the hills area, but you will find yourself continually commuting into Hua Hin. The opposite commute makes more sense; and can be arranged at Hua Hin Hills Wine Cellar at Hua Hin Market Village at B200 for the round trip.

Hua Hin Hills is planted to Colombard, Chenin Blanc, Muscat, Shiraz, Tempranillo and table grapes. The Sala Wine Bar and Bistro has fantastic views out over the vineyard and great food at sensible prices (my lunch is in the picture).

The vineyard also has a nice shop. I did, though, balk at the elephant-back tour of the vineyard (though it was an elephant corral). That got me pondering the arguments that have raged in the Napa Valley, California over the balance of agriculture and leisure facilities.

Something that particularly excited me at Hua Hin Hills was the soil samples, loamy and slate. These are good vine soils; and particularly the slate must add character. This said, it must never be forgotten that these early successes for the Thai wine industry have been based very much from Thai pragmatism in welcoming overseas oenologists and technological innovation, particularly around irrigation and fruiting control.

My main worry for this embryonic industry is that the 200% excise duty will preclude a substantial bedrock demand for Thai wines in the home market.

Please contact us at marktimetravel@yahoo.co.uk for vineyard accommodation, accommodation in vineyard areas, wine and other Thai agritourism itineraries.

Mark Azavedo

I guess Bangkok has the reputation for making you feel different about yourself through the surgical option. I found something cheaper than Bangkok’s bargain basement surgery rates. Something I could afford. Something I was more inclined to. Something equally effective. Bangkok tailoring.

That said, not any old Bangkok tailor, but Jesse and Victor Gulati, the father and son team of Rajawongse at 130 Sukhumvit, by the Landmark Hotel. Assuredly not tailors to the tourist trade. More tailors to the diplomatic community.

Jesse and Victor work very closely with the US Embassy, dressing ambassadors down to marine guards.

These have recommended the Gulati’s tailoring to visiting politicians, though the recommendation to George W Bush was from Dad, George Bush. Other famous names from the USA political community that have been dressed by Jesse and Victor include Sen.John Kerry, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Nancy Reagan.

For Nancy Reagan they also produced a fabric backdrop for a television appearance that matched her dress and earrings.

She must have been one mightily persuasive lady. I don’t see Jesse and Victor often deviating from their brief of classic quality tailoring. They precisely give off an air of doing what they do best, doing it to perfection and in an atmosphere of measured calm (quite something in the freneticism of Sukhumvit).

Tailoring is a very serious issue at Rajawongse, though Jesse and Victor are happy to laugh and joke about other issues, discuss their travels, give recommendations. At all times you are addressed by your first name; and that is remembered.

When it is time for a measurement or fitting, a hush descends. The attentiveness made me feel good, the results even better. I literally felt different about myself. Silly really, as I hadn’t changed. Presumably the underlying thought was I can’t be so odd that I can’t be accommodated!

I had shirts made. For my big collar size, the arms are always too long. The body billows, unless I buy slimfit – then it’s too tight!

With Jesse and Victor I received perfection, and in the finest Egyptian cotton. Victor allowed himself a moment of wry humour at the fitting: “It could have been made for you, Mark”.

And the cost of perfection, of feeling good about myself, 1000Baht (approximately £18). A lot cheaper than surgery, even at Bangkok rates!

Mark Azavedo

http://dress-for-success.com/

I’m in the pristine grounds of Nai Lert Park Hotel, close to the embassies of Wireless Road, miles from Patpong or Nana or any other of Bangkok’s fleshpots.

Note, those places are replete with stories of bar girls waving phalluses around in club doorways before the start of business to bring good fortune, a successful session.

Here it is Sunday afternoon. The gardens are quite famed botanical gardens. Young students take notes. Families photograph each other. A group of nuns take a constitutional amid the beautiful orchids. Scantily clad bathers laze by and in the pool. All a rather bizarre combination.

But nothing prepares you for the strange sight tucked behind the service entrance to the hotel, and next to a car park.

Here is something like a mushroom field of phalluses or lingams, spreading out under the branches of a ficus tree. There are lingams of all sizes, some upto several feet in length. Some are made of wood, some stone. In their midst is the Mae Tuptim Shrine, signified by a spirit house about which are offerings of fresh food and drink, all presided over by a plastic model or two of a Thai traditional dancer.

I’ve never seen anybody at the shrine, but certainly the offerings always appear to be newly placed. It is suggested that particularly women come here to pray for pregnancy.

For me being surrounded by phalluses is its own peculiar hell, for reasons I’m largely at a loss to explain. My only guess is that I’m offended by the redness of all about me.

Certainly, that the phalluses are mostly red has been a talking point. Thereagain, their presence at all has been a talking point, as has the whole question of who Mae Tuptim was. There’s also the matter of the relationship between Mae Tuptim and the phalluses.

Less of a question is how the Mae Tuptim Shrine came into being. It was likely built by Nai Lert as protection for his new hotel. Certainly there is a large concentration of shrines in another area of Bangkok, Rajaprasong, built by shop and hotel owners to protect their enterprises and bring well-being. These include Bangkok’s most famous shrine, the Erawan Shrine, associated with the hotel of the same name.

The peculiarity of all these shrines, in a Buddhist land, is that they are shrines to Hindu deities. Thereagain, animist elements are also in the mix for good measure.

Mae Tuptim shrine, or worship at it, embodies a similar multiplicity of strands. That said, of course, motives come down to the individual worshipper. In the face of dozen upon dozen lingams about the shrine, the obvious thought, “fertility”, may well be the truth for most worshippers.

There is a simple folklorist story supporting this that a woman came to the shrine wishing to become pregnant. She prayed and her wish was granted. To celebrate the birth of her child she returned to the shrine with an offering of a lingam. As they say, “the rest is history”, as others emulated her.

Equally, still keeping things simple, it isn’t such a jump from the idea of fertility to general good fortune.

The trouble is that for the Mae Tuptim shrine lingams and association with fertility may equally come out of Thai animist traditions.

The belief here is in spirits. These spirits may be appeased to create good. More specifically procedures are available through which the spirits will do your bidding.

The bright red of most lingams at Mae Tuptim Shrine has alternately been associated with pomegranate juice or menstrual blood.

The association with pomegranate juice sees Tuptim as a corruption of Taptim, Thai for pomegranate. The relationship with menstrual blood relies upon the Tantric belief that the most powerful time for sexual intercourse is during menstruation.

There is plenty of room for thought here, including what of the prominent virginal white lingam?

Whatever, remember that, having taxed your brain and camera, maybe improved your fertility or fortune, there is the beautiful orchid collection to see. Also, the Mai Lert Park does the meanest fruit juice cocktail!

Mark Azavedo

In the (fashion) photographic days, Helmut Newton was my major influence. I´ve been in Berlin to the Helmut Newton Foundation, paying homage.

Specifically, I wanted to see the mammoth Sumo project (the exhibition continues through to January 2010 – so you´ve plenty of time to catch it).

It doesn´t disappoint. It was fascinating to see such a large body of work. Paris was Newton´s highpoint. He was clearly excited by the city, making wondrous explorations of “la zone” as well as photographic technique.

Above all, though, Vogue France simply commissioned in an adventurous way – hard, hard-hitting, graphic, sexy images. By comparison, the American Vogue images look soft and pale.

Alongside Sumo is Private Property. In this section is a video installation of Newton at work, shot by June, his wife. It is simply unrivalled as an insight into the photographic process. I want it on continual “loop” in my home!

What of the rest of my time in Berlin? Spent almost entirely in the creative, alternative, high-immigration zones of Kreuzburg and Mitte. Think Oranienburgerstrasse and surrounds in Mitte and Oranienstrasse and surrounds in Kreuzberg.

Tacheles “art centre”, in fact a loose co-operative of creatives, on Oranienburgerstrasse is a highspot. Good restaurants are there too. Nearby is Hackescher Markt, a great market on market days, and always a wonderful area for eating out and catching the buskers. Close to Hackescher is Museum Island.

Generally, Germany does BOHO/Alternative well, especially Berlin. That said, my preference is Hamburg, where a weekend in the St Pauli and St George districts is a weekend well spent.

What you will never find in Hamburg, though, is the Berlin Wall!  Particularly worth a visit is East Side Gallery, on Muhlenstrasse near Ostbahnhof, a 1.3 Km preserved section of the wall, decorated with paintings.

It is periodically restored; and the latest restoration began on 14th April 2009.  You can go and watch the artists at work.

This said, my preference is for flipping through a hole in the wall to see the spontaneous artwork that has appeared over the years.

The other advantage of doing this is that, in summer, this is one of the areas by the River Spree that is turned into an artificial beach.  Hit the sunloungers, unless someone has put a towel there first!!

Hotel City 54 was a real find. Doubles are in fact apartments with a small separate kitchen and huge, well-appointed, separate bathroom. All for Euros 42! Go to Hotels search at www.marktimetravel.com – availability is at booking.com

Mark Azavedo

My relationship with Thailand goes back a long way. I have worked and holidayed there often.

At first, I used to feel like a GI from Vietnam on R & R. I remember “Let it Be” blurting out under the old whirring fans of the Ambassador Food Court (sadly, now long gone) and fake Rolexes for sale on every street corner.

My friend, Julie, always insisted on eating out at Thai Room. It was the old Peace Corps hang out; and, assuredly, had not been decorated since the Vietnam days. Julie liked the full-on Bangkok experience, but would only “go for it” when either Keith or I was around. In those days Patpong wasn’t quite the place for a lone western woman.

Fast forward to Bangkok now. A lone western woman wouldn’t be noticed. Western businesspeople are everywhere. A tide of concrete has hit Bangkok, not to mention Skytrain, an underground system, a new airport and a new airport link. There are fabulous new shopping malls and department stores.

An awful lot of concrete. But Bangkok is the same city, in many ways a better city. What dilapidation was there where the fabulous OJ Place trades upscale antiques and offers a wonderful place to have a quiet coffee or fruit juice? What of the fantastic “colonial” house that is now Spa 1930? Did the Oriental look as good as it does now?

And, above all, if any city in this world is made of people, not places, it’s Bangkok. Not without reason has the Land of Smiles earned that sobriquet – not that “earned” is quite the right word. Charm, graciousness and half-full glasses come effortlessly to Thais.

Not that Thais are without an eye to the main chance. Changes in Western lifestyles and interests have been well understood to produce a range of holiday add-ons unheard of only a few years ago.

The internationally acclaimed Oriental and Blue Elephant Cooking Schools offer day courses in Thai Cookery, starting with a trip to market to buy ingredients, ending by dining on the meal you have cooked. Even at these highly upscale establishments, prices are only in the range of around £50 to £70.

There are cheaper well-established day courses, again hands-on, at such places as Baipai Thai Cooking School and Silom Thai Cooking School. Prices range from about £18 to £32.

Several establishments offer massage courses, be that traditional Thai or oil-based massage. The benchmark is the well-known Wat Po School of Massage and Traditional Thai Medicine. 5 Day courses range from £117 to £153, depending on school of massage followed.

Another developing area is medical and dental tourism. You may develop immediate “pass on that” images of cosmetic surgery. But what of simple teeth whitening, taking around an hour by laser, and costing a fraction of Western rates?

And , failing all this new stuff, there is still the unmissable old stuff, such as Wat Phra Keo, Wat Arun, Wat Po, The Royal Palace, The Royal Barge Sheds, Erawan Shrine, Jim Thompson’s House (also a great place for coffee or a fruit juice by the pond, not to mention the fabulous silks shop), and Chatuchak Market.

Finally, a plea to frequent the Cabbages and Condoms restaurant off Sukhumvit (10, Sukhumvit Soi 12). All profits go to support a brilliant sexual health and development charity. The food is good and sensibly priced. Go upstairs if the weather is good.

Our knowledge of Bangkok in particular and Thailand in general is unparalleled. Do contact us on 02089852161 or get booking from our fantastic accommodation bank – button on home page of this site!

Mark Azavedo

In the old days - just a few years back – a guide to Singapore was a really simple (and short) affair. Orchard Road was covered for shopping, Raffles Hotel was suggested for a Singapore Sling, Bukit Timah (Nature Reserve) was suggested to get out of the City, Haw Par Villa was mentioned (I wonder what happened to that), and a final suggestion was the Singapore Zoological Gardens.  As the years went by, Sentosa was added.  And that was about that!

Now a very different Singapore presents itself to visitors, one that positively celebrates its massive, vibrant, ethnic diversity.  One that lets you where you weren’t previously encouraged. Come to think of it, one that lets you where Singaporeans weren’t encouraged!  There is a new liberalism.  The air is positively different, lighter, exciting, particularly by night.

Mostly, I see any visit to Singapore as focusing on its various ethnic areas.  That said, there are one or two stragglers that don’t fit the pattern, notably the Singapore River area, which you must visit, particularly by night.

The areas I’m thinking of are Clarke’s Quay and Boat Quay, areas of old riverside warehouses that have been restored (some would say over-restored); and are now restaurant and retail areas.  In the evening there are hawker stalls too.

The whole environment down on the Quays is totally gorgeous, very upscale in appearance.  Don’t, though, be put off the restaurants and bars.  There are cheaper in Singapore, but prices are by no means crazy.

For cheap, fun, nightlife, a grittier, but never threatening, atmosphere, go to Geylang.  This is the ethnic Malay area of the City.  It is an entertainment zone, but, note, it is also a red-light district.  There are sights that would make Bangkok blush!  But, that is actually refreshing in previously uptight Singapore.

There is a great choice of restaurants, many Ma and Pa or family-run businesses.  Food is good (though never great); and I seem to remember paying about £6 per meal with water in 2008.

I appear to have developed an accidental theme of entertainment and dining by price, though this also fits with my ethnic areas view.

Singapore’s mid-range is clearly Chinatown, though there is much diversity.  The area is never down-at-heel, but parts, around Duxton Road, are creamy smooth.

Keong Saik Road is also a particular favourite with its wonderful yoga studios (Whatever – it also has healing spaces, cafe and bookstore) and simply the best cookery bookshop in the world (25DegreesC – it also has a test kitchen, guest speakers and a small cafe).  Keong Saik, originally Chinatown’s red-light district, also has a number of wonderful boutique hotels, such as Hotel 1929, Royal Peacock Hotel, Keong Saik Hotel and Regal Inn.

More central in Chinatown is Pagoda Street, famed for its night market.  Closeby is Spring Street, better known as Food Street.  At night the street is made over to outdoor dining, with a huge number of restaurants competing for your custom.

I seem to have talked a lot about nightlife areas.  My recommendations for day are Kampang Glam, Singapore’s Arabic area and Little India.  Both do what they say on the can, providing a maze of ethnic eating spots and speciality stores.

So, you’ve had a few days of serious city buzz.  My problem has always been, what next?  With Bangkok, you make easily for a few days at a beach resort, such as Hua Hin.  With Hong Kong, you simply go to an Outlying Island.

The obvious focus from Singapore is Indonesia’s Riau Islands, notably Batam, only 45 minutes by ferry.  But, I’ve always been dubious, the island being essentially industrial.

Then I found theTuri Beach area of Nongsa.  Heaven.  Specifically, I adore Turi Beach Resort – you don’t even have to change your Singapore dollars!

See our pictures, then contact us straightaway in London(marktimetravel@googlemail.com, +44 (0)2089852161).  Through our partners in Singapore, we can offer very special rates at Turi Beach Resort and packages to include ferry and taxi transfers (the Resort is 5 minutes from Nongsapura Ferry Terminal).  We can also add spa treatments and meals.  This place is so relaxing.  Perhaps a honeymoon?

Mark Azavedo

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.