Journeys - August 2009

Thailand spends a huge amount on tourism promotion. But it's money well spent, as the diversity of Thai attractions staggers even the most jaded visitor. The Global Travel Writers team specialises in Thailand coverage - and for your other travel editorial needs, search our database now!
-= THAILAND IN FOCUS =-	The GTW Team Fiona Harper Glenn A. Baker Graham Simmons Karen Halabi Philip Game Sally Hammond Sheriden Rhodes Thomas E. King Tricia Welsh Motto of the month: "Goodness is something that makes us serene and content" - King Bhumipol Adulyadej of Thailand EMAIL
Karen Halabi reports on a diminuitive Thai woman known as Lek ("Tiny"), who has done more than just about anyone else to help the predicament of elephants.
There is no elegant way to climb up onto an elephant. Tricia Welsh learns this very quickly at a Mahouts' Course in northern Thailand.
Thomas E King visits Pai , west of Chiang Mai, now a niche destination with hill tribes, hot springs, elephant trekking and sophisticated boutique accommodation
From the industrial chic of Indigo Pearl, to the barefoot charm of the luxurious Trisara, Sheriden Rhodes seeks out the most stylish new Hip Thai Resorts
Tracks across the Kingdom: Philip Game reports that the State Railway of Thailand has now reached across the Mekong with a new international line to the Lao capital, Vientiane.
New Views from Koh Samui: Graham Simmons looks at the work of the Koh Samui Tourist Police, and asks whether visitors need lessons in the art of being good guests.
For more Thai stories, E-mail Fiona Harper, Gordon Hammond (with a story "White Thai Dinner") or Sally Hammond, our resident specialist on cookery schools in Bangkok
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Fishing for tiger

If you don’t spot a tiger in India’s Corbett Tiger Reserve, at least the fish are biting, finds Philip Game.

Tiger is giving us dodge,” declares wildlife guide Hem Bahuguna, calling a halt near some tell-tale pug marks (pawprints) and scrapings. As the engine cools, then stills, we hear only the birds, the soft breeze and the distant chattering of monkeys. From time to time, another jeep materialises, stopping to exchange a few words. Otherwise, here in India, most crowded of nations, there is perfect peace.

Corbett is India’s first, perhaps finest, Tiger Reserve and is buffered by surrounding tracts of country. You can spend days chasing tigers or cast a line to tempt the golden mahseer. The Ramganga Reservoir provides year-round water for the animals and spawning grounds for the golden mahseer, which migrates upstream.