Unwrapped travel

Bangkok’s brand spanking new airport officially opens September 28 and while a few airlines have already started using it, the bulk of carriers won’t start flying in until the 28th. The lead-up to the airport’s opening has concentrated on the hyperbolic — tallest control tower, largest terminal building, most “expensive” luggage scanners and so on, but what about how to get there and away? Here’s the nitty gritty.

We’ve just completed updating our coverage of the Thai island of Ko Samet, so if you’re looking for the right place to collapse on the beach, you need look no further than here.

In the very early morning of the 20th September, a coup took place in Thailand. Reports so far indicate the coup was bloodless (Thaksin was out of the country). It is still very early days and most importantly there is yet to be a word on the coup from the King — untill he makes a statement the situation should be considered to be very much up in the air.

For even the most diehard Thaksin-loather, this is a sad day for Thailand.

If you’re planning a trip to Thailand, for the moment go ahead with your plans, but keep a very close eye on developments.

We’re following www.2bangkok.com for up-to-date news on what is happening, while Wikipedia has a good summary of the events.

Our intrepid beach reporter recently trolled through every single place to stay on Ko Phi Phi — and believe us, there’s a lot more places to stay than you may read about in your guidebook. Read on to find out what his top choices were — for all budgets from Baht-pinchers to Baht-burners. What is the best place to stay on Ko Phi Phi?

We’ve just added our revised and fully updated coverage on Kanchanaburi in Eastern Thailand — lots more pics, places to stay and things to do. You can see our Kanchanaburi coverage here.