Looking to get well off the beaten track in Cambodia? Travelfish (and Cambodia) regular Greg McCann reports on a fascinating trek into a little-known national park set in the far northeast of this ravaged country. McCann is so fond of the park in fact that together with some friends he formed Habitat ID, which works to garner more attention for "paper parks" -- those that are parks in name but get little protection in reality.

A veteran wildlife conservationist in Southeast Asia recently called me “Mr Virachey”, saying I'd earned the title by insisting on returning to Cambodia's Virachey national park for the fifth year in a row, rather than take up his sweet offer to help me work on a project in Thailand. That would be the project where, last year, we heard a tiger roaring in the jungle together just 100 metres from our camp. Instead, I opted to return to Virachey for a trip that was much more than just a trek.

Veal Thom grasslands.

We spent 13 days in the jungle installing 11 motion-triggered camera traps in remote areas of the park in an effort to produce evidence that tigers (which are possibly locally extinct) or even Javan rhinoceros remain in the area. Locals insist that the latter hang on in small numbers in the sacred mountains that form a natural barrier between Cambodia and Laos, but the last known Javan rhino in mainland Southeast Asia was poached for its horn in Vietnam’s Cat Tien national park in 2011. We are also hoping to get images of leopards, clouded leopards, elephants, gaurs, and -- who knows? -- maybe even the near-mythical kouprey, one of the most mysterious large mammals. That’s how still-unexplored some areas of Virachey are today.

An unnamed tributary of the Gan Yu.

Snakes were the main threat to our safety -- we ate a dead reticulated python that had recently been killed by an eagle and floated headless down to the shore of our camp one morning on the Gan Yu River. Ticks, hornets, leeches and mosquitoes were also a concern, but none proved to be any trouble.

Chinese Water Dragon.

The night before we left our Brao village on the Sesan River, I inquired about another threat: the “tek-tek” or Annamite Mountain Yeti. Called the Batutut by Vietnamese tribal people, both the Vietcong and US Special Forces claim to have seen and fired on them during the war, and nearly everyone I talked to in the villages knew about them. With their machete-like forearms, the tek-tek can decapitate a man with one swing. I met a Brao man who was an authority on the tek-tek, and I asked him if one would attack a group of nine of us (our group comprised three barangs and six locals). He contemplated the question. After a minute of pondering, he lifted his head and said: “In that situation, two of you will die, and the rest will survive.”

D'dar Poom Chop camp.

We didn’t encounter the tek-tek, but we did hear two sun bears engaged in a ferocious fight (or were they fornicating?) just 400 metres from the Laos border, we found elephant footprints, dhole tracks, heard loads of gibbons, saw hornbills, and found so many sun bear claw marks in the forests north of the Veal Thom grasslands that we feel the area might be called the Upper Gan Yu River Sun Bear Preserve.

A jungle meeting.

But this is more than a trip report: we need your help. In August 2012 some friends and I formed a group called Habitat ID. Our mandate is to go into neglected “paper parks” -- those that get little real protection -- in Southeast Asia, and set up cameras to prove that they are worth being treated like real parks, which get sufficient protection from loggers and poachers. Virachey is our first project.

Rangers setting a trap.

How can you help? As an ecotourist! If you trek to the Veal Thom Grasslands (a jaw-dropping natural savanna in the middle of the jungle) you can give Park Ranger Sou Soukern the opportunity to service four of our cameras, which are set up near permanent swamps, wallowing holes, and game trails. Having checked on camera-traps myself in Thailand, I can tell you that taking those memory cards out of the traps and sticking them in your camera to see what kind of wildlife has been photographed will add excitement to your trip. And you’ll know that you are also furthering the conservation cause in this beautiful but highly threatened park.

Python for breakfast.

There’s also a new trek connected to the classic Veal Thom Grasslands trip. Instead of spending the night in grasslands itself, you can pass through and then head into the northern forests (where only a handful of outsiders have ever been) and camp out at a serene waterfall swimming hole on the Gan Yu River known as D’dar Poom Chop. The swimming is unreal, and you’ll also be able to service another camera, where just after three nights we got images of a large civet cat.

Sunbear woz here.

The Veal Thom Grasslands is unique in Southeast Asia -- it's an inexplicable savannah that, according to Brao legends, was once the home of giants. You can help ensure that today’s giants of the forests -- elephants, tigers, leopards (and tek-teks) -- will always have a home in Virachey by doing a camera trap-checking trek to Veal Thom.

Another trek in the bag.

The best time to visit is from late November till late April and the price usually works out to about $50 per person per day, which includes food, hammock rental, boat ride, and village home-stays at the beginning and end of the trek. A moderate to strong level of fitness is required for this trek.

Those interested should contact Park Ranger Sou Soukern at +855 9733 34775 or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/sou.soukern. Or email me at greg.mccann1@gmail.com.

More than just a Kampot cafe, Epic Arts have been using creativity to expand horizons for disabled and non-disabled participants for ten years, with the simple but powerful message that Every Person Counts. Services for people with disabilities are very poor in Cambodia, particularly for those with learning disabilities. The Epic Arts Cafe was set up in 2003 as a model for inclusive business and the purpose-built Arts Centre opened six years later.

Epic's inclusive education programme currently serves 20 special needs students, who attend classes five times a week, with transport provided. The Peace class is for students under 15 years old while those aged 15 to 28 attend the Independence class, developing new skills and increasing self-confidence through interactive lessons including art, cooking, dance, handicraft and gardening. Parents of younger children get involved in the classroom, and parents are educated in how to support their kids.

Even great artists have to clean up.

There's also a new two-year Inclusive Arts course in visual arts, literacy and theatre for deaf, visually-impaired, disabled and non-disabled students. Modules include drama and theatre, creative movement, music, film-making and visual arts, plus lessons in Khmer and English literacy. Students learn to work together, respect each other, and identify their strengths.

Performance targets.

One of Epic's success stories is Ly Chin Chok, a young Khmer man with Downs syndrome who never learnt to speak. For his first 19 years, Chok was considered to be stupid and a nuisance by many in his community. He now speaks sign language and has his own arts and crafts brand.

Epic Arts requires US$100,000 of funding a year to maintain their programmes. They run social enterprises, such as the Epic Arts Cafe, to help support their activities. As well as tasty breakfasts and coffees, there's a shop of creative art products and the fabulous Epic Encounters, a fully inclusive contemporary dance company which puts on paid dance and theatre performances across Southeast Asia.

Get some perspective.

Four times a year, Epic Arts puts on community performances -- if you happen to be in Kampot at the right time, you're in for a treat. Visitors can also attend weekly Cambodian sign-language classes free of charge, and practise their new skills with deaf staff at the cafe. An interaction with Epic Arts is likely to make you feel inspired, humbled and above all, happy.

We challenge you to watch the following video without having a smile break out. They're really doing some fabulous work.

Epic Arts Cambodia perform 'Happy' Pharrell Williams.

Travelfish's contribution of A$100 will provide a month of free meals for Inclusive Arts course students.

Epic Arts
Sovann Sakor, Kompong Kandal, Kampot, Cambodia
T: (033) 555 5201
http://epicarts.org.uk/cambodia
cambodia@epicarts.co.uk

Sometimes called the "Beast of the East" thanks to its sheer mass and location in the eastern Gulf of Thailand near Cambodia, Ko Chang might just be the quintessential Thai island destination. From breathtaking mountains to idyllic beaches, hippy hangouts to salubrious resorts, and traditional fishing villages to neon nightlife, "Elephant Island" truly has something for everyone. Having something for everyone also means there are hundreds of places to stay on Ko Chang. How is one to choose? Let us help.

When it comes to accommodation, Ko Chang satisfies even the most peculiar of tastes. You'll find an abundance of big beach resorts and basic bungalows, but also hipster havens, romantic hideaways and humble homestays. After visiting over 130 properties, we would highly recommend at least 30 across all budgets. In no particular order, here are 10 favourites.

Oasis

Perched high on a jungle-backed hill with commanding views over Lonely Beach and the open sea, Oasis has a name that fits like your favourite hammock. Thoughtfully done bungalows represent phenomenal value in the low-end range, and the service strikes a casual yet attentive balance. It wasn't easy prying ourselves from the bountiful flowers and birdsong.

Hangin' at Oasis.

Saffron on the Sea

Few of Ko Chang's boutique resorts can match the enchanting experience of Saffron on the Sea in Haad Khai Mook. Balinese-inspired rooms are beautifully done with unexpected touches, like laterite stone terraces and bronze elephant showerheads, but it's the atmosphere that sets Saffron apart. Served on a seaside terrace, artistic Thai cuisine adds to the tiny resort's stylish and romantic allure.

Relaxing seaside at Saffron.

Independent Bo

This artsy institution isn't for everyone, but there's something to be said for a resort that refuses to get a telephone. Independent Bo keeps that old-school bohemian vibe kicking with a melange of murals, chill spaces, musical instruments and bits of curio from around the globe. Anchoring Haad Sai Khao's northern backpacker village, Bo also delivers solid low-end value on a great beach.

Independent Bo -- did I just see a ghost pirate up there?

Nirvana Resort

Of Ko Chang's many high-end resorts that will cater to your every whim, only Nirvana Resort has the creative bent of a grown-up who has matured in fortune while staying true to a free spirit. Along with an impressive list of luxuries, rooms feature psychedelic Grateful Dead posters and framed photos of John Lennon smooching Yoko Ono. We also dug the resort's secluded sunset perch that hangs over Bang Bao's distant southwestern peninsula.

Looking back north from Nirvana's coastal walkway.

The Mangrove Hideaway

Tucked along a mangrove-lined estuary in the quaint Salak Phet village, every inch of The Mangrove Hideaway is designed to relax the body and mind. Gently lapping water, soft classical music, fragrant candles, abundant greenery and numerous chill-out spaces conspire to woo you into a soothed out state. The eco-friendly guesthouse also lets you escape the "real world" while treading lightly on the environment.

The view from Mangrove Hideaway.

Blue Lagoon

A list of Blue Lagoon's selling points reads like Michael Jordan's record book. Inexpensive cottages are thoughtfully designed with huge terraces overlooking a scenic canal, the powder-white sand of Khlong Prao beach is a minute's walk away, and a fantastic cooking school holds classes on site. We guess that's why even the cheapest rooms come with fridges -- got to have somewhere to keep that handmade curry.

Small rooms but huge balconies at Blue Lagoon.

Amber Sands Resort

Ko Chang's west coast gets most of the attention, but according to Amber Sands' friendly owner, the east coast is best. After checking out this intimate boutique resort on a distinctively amber-sand beach with Cambodian mountain views in the distance, we were convinced. The secluded setting is oh-so-peaceful and the rooms romantic, though it's the attention to detail that sets Amber Sands apart.

Amber Sands: five-star quality at three-star rates.

Top Resort

Beyond the faded block-letters of what first appears to be a bland package resort in Haad Sai Khao, Top Resort is arguably Ko Chang's finest family option. Sizable, reasonably priced rooms are studded with quality furnishings and appliances, and the family villas boast separate living areas and full kitchens. The German-run resort is known for personable service, great views and over two dozen varieties of European beer.

A five-minute stroll from Top Resort.

Porn's Bungalows

Of all the cheap bungalow joints that vie for business across Ko Chang, Porn's Bungalows in Kai Bae nails the laid-back tropical vibe with slow-paced perfection. Hammocks strung to thatched porches are prime material for kicking back with a book, and "sheesha lofts" in the treehouse-esque restaurant provide ideal seats for the nightly fire-spinning shows. Like most of the guests, the staff move methodically -- and we wouldn't expect it any other way.

Typical day at Porn's.

Baan Rim Nam

Set beside a calm canal in a renovated old fisherman's house that's an easy stroll from Khlong Prao beach, Baan Rim Nam offers a taste of what Ko Chang felt like decades ago. Rooms are comfortable, but the soothing setting is the main draw. After chatting with the laid-back owners and obliging the house golden retriever with a belly rub, dip your toes in the emerald estuary as fireflies light up the mangroves.

The entrance to Baan Rim Nam.

Honourable mentions

Though we'd be quick to defend our picks, narrowing them down was no easy task. You could easily make a case that several other spots deserve to be among the top 10, and ultimately it comes down to a matter of opinion. Here are some of those that almost made it.

Motorised Floating Picnic Table (MFPT) at Moley's.

KP Huts in Khlong Prao competed with Porn's for the best cheap beach bungalow spot, and Moley's nearly made it thanks to its motorised floating picnic table (the guesthouse isn't too shabby either). Over in Salak Phet, good vibes and idyllic settings are found at both Little Gipsy and Karang Bayview, with the latter especially notable for its hidden beach location. We also can't forget Wai Shak Bungalow for its communal, back-to-nature scene that reminded us of The Beach.

Watch your head at White Sand Resort.

The "best location" award probably goes to White Sand Beach Resort, which covers a huge swathe of an exceptional beach to the north of Haad Sai Khao, though the accommodation is just okay. Remark Cottage in Haad Khai Mook is a worthy alternative to Saffron on the Sea, and you could make a strong case that Chai Chet Resort beats Top Resort for an affordable family holiday.

Koh Chang Sea Hut -- those are some "huts".

Kai Bae's K.B. Resort is another well-done midrange beach resort, while Warapura Resort in Lonely Beach nearly made the top 10 thanks to its stylish rooms set right next to the sea. You also can't go wrong with a hectagonal cottage perched over Bang Bao bay, complete with a water slide, at Koh Chang Sea Hut. Nirvana was our clear favourite among the high-end set, but we also liked Little Sunshine's gorgeous villas in a serene Khlong Son location.

If you’ve been hearing tales of Yangon’s crazy hotel prices, take a deep breath and relax. It's true that accommodation in Burma (Myanmar) is pricier than in neighbouring countries -- we like to say you'll generally be paying double Thailand rates for half the standard expected in Laos. While that's not always the case, it often is and Burma and the commercial capital, Yangon, are both home to some breathtakingly overpriced dumps. But things are changing.

With Burma changing by the day, guesthouses and hotels are improving -- in Yangon in particular -- and while rates are still high, at least the standards are rising ... somewhat. A new generation of guesthouses is popping up in the former capital to help relieve the older generation of expensive hotels and here’s our pick of Yangon's best value hotels and guesthouses, along with a couple of tips to help you cut costs.

Kon Zay Dan Street is the big banana for budget accommodation.

The first step to choosing a cheap hotel in Yangon (Rangoon) is to drastically lower your expectations. It is common for electricity to go out daily during the hot season, WiFi speed is bang-your-head-against-the-router slow, and rooms may smell a bit musty even if you’re lucky enough to get one with a window. That said, most of our favourite places are already adjusting in order to provide what foreign travellers want and offer extras such as free WiFi, an included breakfast, transport booking options and laundry service; they also tend to offer air-con and private bathrooms for only an extra few dollars.

Our list's mother topper: Motherland Inn 2.

The second step is, if at all possible, to travel with a partner. The price difference between a single and a double room is often only US$2-5, which may cut your costs nearly in half if you’re sharing with a friend, so keep an eye out for other travellers looking to partner up.

Chan Myaye Guesthouse lobby view.

The best value accommodation in downtown Yangon starts in the US$20-30 range. Our top two picks in this range are a bit away from the downtown centre but are well worth the extra walking: The Hninn Si Budget Inn (US$27) makes the top of our list, if only because of their immaculately clean bathrooms. The charming Motherland Inn 2 ($22) bumps up their value with a free daily shuttle to and from the airport, which will save you some kyat to put towards one of their cooler $25 air-con rooms.

Chan Myaye's superiors are superior to most other budget spots in Yangon.

If you are looking for a more central location, Chan Myaye Guesthouse has long been a favourite for NGO workers. It recently added a brand-new floor dedicated to dorms ($14), which are offered alongside a variety of private rooms where the price matches the amenities within ($20-35). The very well run, neighbouring Cherry Guesthouse (US$20), has less room variety but provides a longer list of comforts, though unfortunately hot water is not always on this list. If you're looking for a quieter stay, Beautyland Hotel 2 (US$25) has more of a hotel atmosphere, and is located on the same block.

The Cherry pick.

If you're enchanted by local flavour, Golden Star Guesthouse ($25) will induct you into the midst of lower block downtown life. Don't be discouraged by the damp and dark stairway entrance teeming with children and foot-traffic -- you'll find one of the most comfortable beds in town here in the form of bunks (queen on bottom, single on top) inside the tight yet tidy rooms.

Golden Star's entrance is awful but the inside is pristine.

If you’re pinching every penny possible, the lowest priced place we can recommend in downtown is Daddy’s Home Hotel ($15). Daddy has the bare basics with no windows, but be sure to call ahead (or in the worst case, just show up), because their rooms on Agoda start at their more luxurious end -- air-con rooms with a private bathrooms.

Daddy's Home Hotel.

Heading uptown near Inya Lake, if you've got more of a midrange budget, a fun and friendly choice is Bike World Bed and Breakfast ($50-65). Their high-quality bike rentals are available for their weekly tours and free night-ride Fridays. For those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, a shorter walk to the lake starts at the Royal White Elephant Hotel ($55). It is half the price it would be if it was located downtown and comes with a list of amenities a mile long.

A US$50 dollar room at Bike World means US$25 each for two people.

For those with a more forgiving budget who are looking for charm and character, Aung Tha Pyay Hotel ($75)  has spacious rooms in their building, which has been converted into a hotel from an old brewery. East Hotel ($110), located just north of Sule Pagoda, has more of a modern boutique vibe and is one of the lowest priced high-end hotels you’ll find in the city.

Aung Tha Pyay Hotel's family room. Go stripes.

While booking ahead is becoming less essential for travel to Burma than it was perhaps a year ago, Yangon and Inle Lake can still be problematic, so it can be prudent to make a reservation. If you're planning a trip to Burma, do keep an eye on our various accommodation sections for new listings and updates on already featured guesthouses.

Recently I sat down with Travis Sherry of Extra Pack of Peanuts for an interview about Travelfish.org, travel in Southeast Asia and so on. I mentioned that during my frequent travels over the years to Thailand, I've visited 31 islands in total. So while Thailand has very famous islands like Ko Samui and Phuket -- perhaps your average traveller would be pushing it to name more than five -- it also has a lot of others worth considering. Without further ado, here's my list of 31 islands with a few lines about each. Happy island hopping!

Gulf of Thailand

October and November see the most rain on Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao; the best time to go is June through August and around Christmas. The wet season is fairly mild.

1) Ko Samui
A large island with equally large resorts. A wide variety of beaches, from the over-developed and sleazy to low-key and local. Budget options remain, but backpackers are better served with more options on neighbouring islands.

Hello Leela, it has been too long.

2) Ko Pha Ngan
Home to the infamous Full Moon Party, which for better or worse is a rite of passage for many young travellers, Ko Pha Ngan is also home to more than a dozen beaches and bays, some stunningly beautiful, and an interior clad in coconut groves and jungle. Interests served range from smoking weed in a hammock (this is illegal by the way!) to getting high naturally. This island is a hit with sun hedonists and a great spot for single travellers to meet others.

3) Ko Tao
One of Thailand's most popular diving locations, with thousands of travellers learning to dive here year in, year out. By Thai standards the diving is reasonable. Above the water, beaches range from bar and guesthouse-lined through to isolated getaways. Prices are moderate. Good for hiking and bouldering.

Get wet.

4) Ko Nang Yuan
A blip of an island just off the coast of Ko Tao and home to a single semi-upmarket resort. Known for its snorkelling -- and gets overcrowded with day trippers.

5) Ang Thong National Marine Park
While the park encompasses a bunch of islands, we'll count it as one. Commonly visited on a day trip from Ko Samui, you're able to visit a spectacular lake (the one Leonardo jumped into in The Beach), go kayaking and just explore. Overnight camping trips are possible and come very highly recommended.

6) Ko Thalu
Off the mainland, between Bang Saphan Yai and Noi, Ko Thalu hosts a single private resort that also claims ownership of the entire island. Most visit on a day trip as the resort is overpriced for the standard. Acceptable snorkelling when the conditions allow.

Assistant required. Must be able to paddle.

Eastern Thailand

This area, especially around Ko Chang, gets very heavy rain in July, August and September, so bear that in mind. Ko Samet is pretty good year-round.

7) Ko Si Chang
Just a hop, skip and a jump from Bangkok, Ko Si Chang faces onto Bangkok's deep water anchorage and delivers great ocean vistas, but not the cleanest waters in the kingdom. This is a very local spot with foreign travellers few and far between. It's a good choice if you're waiting for a visa and can't face Samet again.

8) Ko Samet
Ostensibly a national park, but a shambles in that regard, Ko Samet offers convenient weekend getaway material for Bangkokians and others passing through. Quite built up, it's generally not the best value and pollution remains a problem. Some of the beaches though are very photogenic.

Beats Bangkok.

9) Ko Mun Nork
Just to the east of Ko Samet, Ko Mun Nork was home to an affordable resort that did packages out of Bangkok. It has recently redeveloped and moved considerably more upmarket, but if your budget stretches, this is a great place to get away from it all with a few books and a bottle of wine or three.

10) Ko Chang
Thailand's Elephant Island rivals Ko Pha Ngan for its budget offerings, but also has a mind boggling selection of more upmarket hotels and resorts. The busier beaches are well worth skipping entirely while the quieter spots still offer considerable beauty. The interior is still vast tracks of jungle.

11) Ko Maak
Broad and largely flat, Ko Maak is almost as famous for its sand flies as it is for its low-key vibe. Popular with slow travelling backpackers, you'll find plenty of discounts for long stays here.

Ko Maak taxi rank.

12) Ko Kham
A tiny island just off the coast of Ko Maak, this was once a popular place to hangout when Ko Maak just got too busy for you, but it's now in the midst of a very slow moving villa development, which should keep it out of most budgets.

13) Ko Wai
If you thought Ko Maak was too busy, Ko Wai could be to your liking. While it gets busy with day trippers during the day, in the morning and late afternoon this island has a blissful serenity you'll not find in many islands in Thailand.

Islands and more islands.

14) Ko Kut
My favourite island in Thailand. A little pricey for backpackers, but the beach quality more than compensates. Some of the best beaches in Thailand can be found here -- it's truly Maldivian. One downside is the snorkelling and diving isn't very good.

Andaman Coast

The wet season on the Andaman Coast runs from around May to October. On smaller, less popular islands, some resorts may shut up shop while the popular islands run year round.

15) Ko Chang Noi
Often referred to as "Little Ko Chang", from a vibe point of view this is more like "Little Ko Pha Ngan". Think much time spent in hammock doing very, very little. Particularly popular with German travellers who've been coming here forever.

Take a walk on the wild side.

16) Ko Phra Thong
In a solid case of wilderness meets an island, Ko Phra Thong delivers the goods for people how want to really get away from it all. Beautiful wooden houses are available to rent for those with the funds and backpackers are also catered to. Great for families who'll enjoy a place where the closest 7-eleven is a two-hour boat ride away.

17) Phuket
Some love it, some hate it. Swings between breathtakingly sleazy to breathtakingly beautiful in a matter of a five-minute motorbike ride. While the best known beaches are heavily touristed with massive resorts, the far north of the island is largely deserted, save the occasional seafood shack where you can order barbecue squid and cold beer at very reasonable prices. Phuket Town though boasts a charming historic vibe and fabulous food. Many who write off Phuket have never been there.

18) Ko Phi Phi Don
From a distance, one of Southeast Asia's most beautiful islands. Up close it is overdeveloped and wickedly over-priced -- but the people keep coming. Home to a few glorious high-end resorts, flashpackers are the best served here, with a wide range of mid-priced lodgings. A heaving party and singles scene, the "village" can be too much for some, in which case a hideout on one of the remote eastern beaches is a better idea. A popular diving centre as well.

Phi Phi: Where just filling up the tank is scenic.

19) Ko Phi Phi Leh
You've read the book? You've seen the movie? Now see The Beach. There's no formal accommodation on the island, though you can camp at the national park campground. In practice though, the vast majority visit on a day trip, meaning you're best to try and get here earliy-ish to dodge the worst of the crowds. When empty the beach is beautiful, but when busy in the middle of the day in high season, it's like a longtail parking lot.

20) Ko Yao Noi
Set well to the north of Ko Phi Phi, conservative Ko Yao Noi is home to some very high-end resorts along with a clutch of backpacker to flashpacker options. Beaches are good, the snorkelling less so, but the real attraction is the low-key, seemingly untouristed vibe.

21) Ko Jum
Halfway between Krabi and Ko Lanta, Ko Jum is the perfect antidote for travellers looking for a laidback island scene without the development you'll get on Ko Lanta. Conservative and mostly Muslim, this is one of our favourite islands in the country.

Just another day on Ko Jum.

22) Ko Lanta
One of the best family destinations in Thailand. For those who feel Samui is now too developed, Lanta offers a comprehensive range of beaches and accommodation options along with calm waters and good food. Longer term holiday rentals are becoming more popular here.

23) Ko Ngai
Also known as Ko Hai, Ko Ngai has shifted somewhat upmarket over the years, but it makes for a good rest stop for a night or two while island hopping around the Southern Andaman islands. While much of the coral is stone dead there are still plenty of fish, and extremely clear water makes for fun snorkelling.

24) Ko Kradan
One of the more isolated Thai islands, Ko Kradan offers a great place to stay hidden away in the jungle and a terrific beach for taking in the scenery. As with many of the islands around here the coral is quite banged up, but good visibility and plenty of fish partly compensate.

25) Ko Rok Nai
Super isolated, Ko Rok Nai is the northern of twin islands separated by a deep channel. With a very pretty beach it promises good snorkelling, but we've heard that conditions have suffered over the years and it isn't what it once was. While possible to camp here, nearly all visit on a long day trip from one of the islands closer to the mainland.

Ko Rok many moons ago.

26) Ko Muk
Ko Muk is famous for its Emerald Cave, a collapsed sinkhole that you can swim to via a submerged tunnel -- the sinkhole is beautiful, the tunnel more of an acquired taste. Both are best experienced without being accompanied by 30 tourists in lifejackets, so pick your time wisely. The island otherwise has some good beach and great sunset views, with a true traveller vibe.

27) Ko Hin Ngam
Another day trip-only island. Legend has it you'll be cursed with bad luck if you take one of the beautiful black smooth stones on the pebble beach here. One of our travel companions scoffed at the warning and took a stone -- she was run down by a longtail while snorkelling the next day and promptly returned it. Apparently the national parks office receives hundreds sent back in the post every year.

28) Ko Bulon Lae
Think Ko Lipe without the mob scene, and not as great beaches, but with a very good jungle atmosphere and a very relaxed vibe. People find this island and return again and again and again.

Beach hobbies on Bulon Lae.

29) Ko Tarutao
Once the site of a Survivor series, Ko Tarutao is a rugged island offering multiple beaches to explore. Most stay at the top beach where there is national park bungalows but it's possible to camp on some of the others. Those planning on sleeping rough should note that the island has sandflies. Still, even a night or two at the top can be rewarding and it's a good spot to break the trip out to Ko Lipe.

30) Ko Lipe
Thailand's new Ko Phi Phi, with a staggering array of accommodation for such a small island. Plenty of beach to go around and some very beautiful spots. It's popular for snorkelling and diving, but many choose just to hang out. A good spot for meeting other travellers.

Sweat was involved in the creation of this photo.

31) Ko Adang
Opposite Ko Lipe and a flip side of the coin when it comes to the scene. A rugged national park, with simple park accommodation making for a change from Ko Lipe. Most visit on a day trip to see the waterfall and enjoy the significantly quieter beach.

What's missing?

I'm still yet to get to Ko Phayam and the Surin and Similan islands in the northern Andaman and Ko Siboya, Ko Sukorn and Ko Libong in the southern Andaman. Also yet to get to Ko Yao Yai. Over in the east Ko Kradat still beckons.

Where should I go?

Younger travellers looking for a vibrant scene to meet other travellers: Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao, Ko Phi Phi and Ko Lipe.

People looking to chill out: Ko Jum, Ko Chang Noi, Ko Yao Noi, Ko Bulon Lae and Ko Maak.

People looking for more creature comforts but still a unique getaway: Ko Jum and Ko Kut

Families with young children: Ko Lanta, Ko Samui, Ko Maak parts of Phuket and Ko Chang.

Families with teenage kids: Phuket, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Samet.

Beach bums: Ko Lanta, Ko Kradan, Ko Lipe, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Kut and Ko Chang.

Still not sure?

Here's some more reading on islands in Thailand:
What is the best island in Thailand?
Thai islands for nature lovers
Thai islands to lose yourself on
Which island off Trang?

The raw, wild Indonesian island of Sumba, in East Nusa Tenggara, is home to one of the world's last remaining megalithic cultures. The "pasola", an integral part of the local culture and religion, and a kind of war game, sees thousands of traditionally dressed people convene to witness horseback battles between two teams of men across February and March each year, ahead of the rice harvest.

Battles were once waged until enough blood was spilled on the fields to guarantee a bountiful harvest; the central authorities have in recent years banned steel spears – they use wooden ones instead -- meaning deaths are now rare, but the violence is still a dramatic spectacle and the more blood spilt, the better the harvest is expected to be. The pasola is an echo from a past steeped in primal rituals, but the drama remains very much part of today's Sumba.

A proud rider and his beautifully decorated horse. (Photo Hay Haenen)

The term "pasola" is derived from the words pa, which means "game", and sola or hola, meaning "spear" or "stick". The battle, carried out in the intense heat of the sun, can go on for four or five hours, with the warriors determined to score as many hits as possible -- the higher their strike rate, the more highly they will be esteemed by their village.

The spears are thrown with great force and precision. (Photo Hay Haenen)

The Pasola is performed in four different areas of west Sumba each year. Usually February sees it take place in the Lamboya and Kodi areas and in March it takes place in Wanokaka and Gaura. The actual dates of the events nowadays are revealed a few weeks beforehand by tribal elders and government officials but as a rough indication -- don't rely on this -- it's held very roughly eight or nine days after a full moon. While frustrating, the lack of an early announcement keeps big tour groups, who need to plan well in advance, away from the ritual, allowing it to retain a genuine atmosphere.

Priests gathered at the ceremony before the start of the Pasola. (Photo Hay Haenen)

I was lucky to see the Pasolas in Wanokaka and Kodi and they were among the most special and exciting events I've ever seen. A unique blend of culture and sports, the atmosphere is very lively -- sometimes aggressive -- with shouting people, thundering horse hooves and spears flying through the air. The crowd cheers whenever somebody is hit and sometimes riders fall from their horses. Although the wooden spears are no longer sharpened, serious injury is an integral part of the "game"; drawing blood during the Pasola is a necessary step in the cleansing and purification of the fields. The skilful riders ride bareback, rope halters in one hand, spears in the other. The best riders duck or can even catch their rivals' spears.

A rider attacks while the others are waiting for their turn. (Photo Hay Haenen)

Visiting a Pasola is not for the faint hearted. It’s both exhilarating and frightening; usually the warriors suffer minor injuries to arms and legs, but death is possible. Just a couple of years ago, one rider died after being speared through the eye, while at the Kodi Pasola this year a rider was seriously injured in the eye, but survived. The spectators of course are at risk too and at the Kodi Pasola I attended one man not so far from me was hit by a spear.

Bareback riders show their great skills. (Photo Hay Haenen)

If you're keen on seeing the Pasola, you'll want to base yourself in West Sumba. Waikabubak in general is the best option as it’s more or less central for all the Pasolas, although going to Kodi can still take up to two hours. Waikabubak also has some reasonable hotels and is easy to reach from Tambolaka airport.

In full concentration for a coming attack. (Photo Hay Haenen)

How to experience Pasola, Sumba

To get from Tambolaka airport to Waikabubak a private car will take less than an hour and cost about 250,000 to 300,000 rupiah; sometimes there are shared minivans which charge 100,000 per person. No public buses leave from Tambolaka airport.

For getting around it’s best to ask a local tour operator to arrange a car with driver and guide, which should cost around 900,000 rupiah per day, going up as more people and longer distances are involved. An ojek will cost about 250,000 per day while just renting a motorbike should cost about 80,000 per day.

We'd recommend Yuliana Ledatara (yuli.sumba@gmail.com) or Sumba Adventure (sumbaadventure@yahoo.com) to help you out; they know the island and can tell you about the culture of Sumba and the traditions of the Pasola, so you will get a deeper look beyond the facade of the violence. They'll help you meet locals too, though it's also possible to do this if doing it under your own steam. I met several young people speaking quite good English, telling me proudly that their family was taking part in the Pasola and inviting me to their village afterwards.

But don't just come to Sumba for the Pasola. Sumba has an intriguing culture, beautiful beaches, some of the best surf spots in Indonesia and stunning, wild scenery. Garuda and Wings serve the Denpasar (Bali) to Tambolaka route daily, and Garuda also now flies between Labuan Bajo (Flores) and Tambolaka.

Even those who rarely venture from their neighbourhood pubs know Thailand for its magnificent beaches, glittering temples, fiery food and notorious nightlife. Now drawing well over 20 million visitors a year, the kingdom has accommodation for every imaginable niche and budget. But will it keep the backpackers smiling for long?

The trailblazers who first crashed on empty Thai beaches in the 1980s will now find some of those same beaches fully developed with a mix of large-scale luxury resorts, boutique hotels and featureless villas that fetch 3,000 baht (US $95) a night in high season. A few old-school bamboo bungalows might sit in the shadows of all that concrete, at least for now.

I swear there was a 100-baht bungalow right here!

During his first visit to Bangkok in 1992, Travelfish co-founder Stuart McDonald paid 60 baht a night to stay at a place called Bony Guesthouse, which he recalled featured a big ceramic jar in lieu of a shower. Like many Thai guesthouses back then, Bony was a local family's house with a few extra rooms rented out to passing travellers.

According to Stuart, much of the accommodation in Bangkok at that time "was either a big hotel or someone's house... Little had been custom-built for tourists". Round-the-clock electricity was a distant dream on most of the islands, where travellers had a choice of hut, tent or hammock. The term boutique remained nothing but a French word for "small shop".

Gracefully ageing bungalows at Buoy Guesthouse, Sangkhom.

In a country that still lacked many first-world comforts, the majority of rooms were insanely cheap by Western standards. Not surprisingly, they were mostly filled by young, baht-pinching backpackers who were happy to rough it in exchange for adventures in an exotic land. If you happened to be one of them, we're sorry to tell you that the glory days are over.

After apparently checking out the current Bangkok travel guide, a Travelfish member who last visited Thailand eight years ago, pointedly asked: "Where has the budget accommodation gone?" While plenty of cheap rooms can still be found, the question provoked us to look deeper into how Thailand's accommodation landscape is changing.

Hostel is the new guesthouse
Over the years, "guesthouses" have evolved from being family-owned houses with a few rooms for rent (those are now called "homestays") to purpose-designed mini-hotels with 24-hour reception, internet stations, lounges, restaurants and maybe a tour desk. The two chief factors that made a given guesthouse popular were: a) inexpensive rooms with minimal cockroaches, and b) a lively scene where you could meet other travellers.

The old: K Guesthouse, Krabi.

These became standard accommodation for foreign travellers on a budget, with cheap bungalows being the island equivalent. For a long time, the only other options were large and comparatively expensive hotels and resorts that were usually sold through travel agents; or old-school Chinese-Thai hotels that had targeted domestic travellers since Jim Thompson's days.

While guesthouses remain popular in Thailand today, they seem to be gradually going out of style. Born in Europe and adopted by Asian cities like Tokyo and Singapore, the stylised hostel craze has now been firmly planted on Thai soil. Many would-be guesthouse owners now open hostels instead, while some old guesthouses have transformed into slick hostels.

The new: Chern Boutique Hostel, Bangkok.

Unlike in more expensive countries, hostels are not always the cheapest choice in Thailand. On several occasions, and not only in Bangkok, we've come across dorm beds that go for 400 to 500 baht per night when guesthouses in the same area offer private rooms for the same amount or less.

Many of the higher priced hostels have catchy design themes that range from "prison-camp-chic" to "antiquarian-Thai" and "boozy-art-pad". Yet plenty of others are essentially guesthouses that have jumped on the hostel bandwagon; many don't even offer dorms at all. "Hostel" is often used simply as a modern replacement for "guesthouse".

So why are guesthouses dying out?
One theory is that guesthouses have become associated with that minority of backpackers who can be aggressively stingy, stinky and generally offensive (no it's not okay to enter a temple in a bikini). Though many Thais are experts at travelling on the cheap, most don't seem to relate to the so-called backpacker lifestyle.

At the same time, a booming Thai economy has made it possible for more Thais to travel for leisure. Hoteliers have responded by introducing accommodation that will appeal both to short-term domestic holidaymakers and foreign travellers who have graduated from their backpacking days to seek something a bit more cushy and sophisticated.

Maybe something like Loog Choob Homestay?

With millions of relatively well-funded foreign and domestic travellers all looking for rooms, why open a cheap backpacker guesthouse? And if it's not geared towards backpackers, why call it a guesthouse at all?

Enter the boutique hotel
The catch-word "boutique" is now being swallowed up by travellers as often as pad Thai noodles. They're not guesthouses anymore; they're boutique houses. Throw a red-silk pillow on the bed, draw a couple of flowers on the wall, and -- voi-la -- these masterful interior-design skills have bagged you an extra 500 baht per room.

Bangkok's fantastic Loy La Long Hotel goes way beyond a few patterned pillows.

For the record, our definition of a boutique hotel is an intimate place to stay -- so not more than a dozen or so rooms -- with a creative touch and no two rooms that are alike. The art should be hand-picked by (or better yet, created by) the designer; vintage antiques and heritage architecture are welcome but not required; and, most importantly, the word "boutique" does not have to appear in the title. People over 40 might be thinking, "Isn't that a bed and breakfast?"

An easy-to-miss turn off the boutique highway takes you down the "eco" route. In Thailand, the term is sometimes used honestly by hotels with environmentally sound practices, but is often a shameful ploy to tap the ever-growing sustainable travel market.

Bangkok Tree House: a real-deal eco-resort.

Whether used properly or not, the terms "boutique" and "eco" usually translate into "expensive". More than a few old guesthouses are now "boutique hostels" or "eco-resorts" that are often very popular among a diverse mix of travellers. Most backpackers, on the other hand, simply can't afford those red-silk pillows.

Rooms are comfier online
Long gone are the days when travellers relied on traditional guidebooks and travel agents when picking a place to stay. Even many of the lowest-budget backpackers are now extremely savvy, scouring online reviews and blogs in search of ideal rooms and inconceivable deals. While the vast majority of cheap rooms used to be booked in person, on the spot, many budget travellers now opt to book online.

Maybe I'll search for tips online instead of noticing this travel writer standing right in front of me.

Before this shift occurred, a lively atmosphere and reasonable rooms were all that a guesthouse needed to literally lure travellers in off the street. Today, the same sorts of travellers wander past the same sorts of guesthouses and think, "Why didn't I see this one online?" Unless the old-style guesthouses have phenomenal reputations, they're forced to reinvent themselves as "boutique hostels" -- or anything that cuts through the clutter of cyberspace.

Does this mean budget travellers are doomed?
Over the past several years, room rates in the big cities and popular islands have steadily climbed. Even some of those basic cold-water beach bungalows that went for 50 baht a night 20 years ago now fetch 1,000 or more in peak season. Plenty of budget options remain, but they're overshadowed by all of the bigger, pricier, boutique-ier resorts that have gradually filled in the landscape. (Over-development in popular Thai destinations is a whole other story.)

Dude, where are the cheap rooms?

Even so, very few destinations lack some sort of low-cost accommodation, which in Thailand means under 600 baht per night. In places like Sukhothai, Bangkok's Khao San Road and Chiang Mai's old city, budget travellers still huff it from guesthouse to guesthouse and score private rooms for 400 baht or less. The difference nowadays is that you might have to huff a little farther to find it.

Is this really a bad thing?
Complaining backpackers and unfortunate names like "Sunset Splendor Tropical Garden Boutique Eco-Resort" aside, the bottom line is that Thailand's accommodation scene is now better than ever.

Those wanting a local experience can settle into a homestay; budget travellers who appreciate a modern edge can go for a hostel (free ebook to Bangkok's best hostels here); those who incline towards the artsy and intimate might check out the B&Bs and boutique hotels; travellers wanting a straightforward comfy room can grab a serviced apartment; the well-heeled have an impressive selection of swish hotels and five-star resorts; and yes, the old-style backpackers still have their old-style guesthouses.

Plus "swinging bungalows" like this one at Sunset Beach Bungalow, Ko Jum.

While it's true that some of the modern boutique hotels and concept resorts are more shocking than stylish, Thai hoteliers should be praised for pushing the creative limits light-years beyond the boring chain hotels that dominate many Western countries. From concrete blocks reborn as plush pads to tastefully restored teakwood houses and space-age hostels, Thailand has come a long way since Bony Guesthouse.

If you're heading down to Sihanoukville or the islands and want to see more of Cambodia than just temples, beaches and genocide memorials, Kampot and Kep, both in Southeast Cambodia, make a great stop-off point. Only 25 kilometres apart, it's easy enough to stay in one and visit the other for a day, but which should you favour?

Each of the two towns has a distinctive flavour. Kampot has slightly more of a laidback backpacker vibe, while Kep, with a distinct French tilt, appeals particularly to Phnom Penh expats, flashpackers and travellers with kids. That said, there are benefits to visiting both regardless of who you are, so here are our suggestions for working out which will suit you best. Spoiler: Go to both!

Kampot's daily show.

Budget bargains
Although Kep does have some budget digs, Kampot's backpacker scene is more developed. In-town dorm beds can be had for $3 at Blissful Guesthouse and The Magic Sponge, or cross the bridge for clean and comfortable bargains at Naga House. Kampot doesn't have Kep's hills and isn't as spread out, making it viable to save money by walking. Cheap eats are easy to find around town, with hand-pulled noodles, night market barbecues and family-run restaurants. If money's no object, then by far the swankiest place to stay is at Kep's Knai Bang Chatt, an exclusive and rather special hotel that's perfect for honeymooners.

Keptacular beach.

Fresh or salt water?
If you're after a dip in the briny, then Kep is the obvious choice. Much of the available accommodation comes with seaviews, and the small but clean white sand beach is easily accessible. If one shoreline isn't enough, take a trip to Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) or set off to find the usually deserted Angkoul beach, 25 kilometres out of town. Those who prefer the calm of a river should plump for Kampot -- you can mess about on boats, kayaks, tubes and boards or just dive right in. There are some very tranquil spots, such as The Greenhouse and Villa Vedici, where you can enjoy the view. Look out for the evening fishing boat parade along the river, a staple of Kampot sunsets.

Worth the walk.

Let's get physical
When looking at water gets boring, both towns have something for those who just can't sit still. You can explore either locality by bike, with Kep's hilly topography guaranteeing a good work out. Kep's national park has easy- and medium-difficulty treks, and it's possible to explore the forest for most of the day, keeping an eye open for macaque monkeys, hornbills and drongos. In between Kep and Kampot are several caves featuring bats, old temples, drawings and, best of all, natural air-con. For more than a quick scramble around the rocks, Climbodia can guide you on a caving, abseiling and climbing tour. Kep's Sailing Club has programmes for beginners and more experienced sailors on Hobie catamarans and hires out windsurfing kit and kayaks, while on Kampot river you can kayak, waterski, and learn how now to fall over on a stand-up paddle board.

Kampot kayaks crave crew.

Family holiday
Although Kampot has a few kid-friendly resorts, Kep does the pool and family bungalow combo particularly well. Spring Valley Resort and The Veranda are firm favourites, with a range of rooms and good-sized shady swimming areas. The Veranda even offers a babysitting service and craft club if you want a break from the little darlings. The Butterfly Farm and the Oceanarium are interesting distractions from pint-sized boredom, while bigger kids will enjoy the skateboard halfpipe at Jasmine Valley Resort.

Crab with everything.

For foodies
Kep is famous for crab, while Kampot has world-renowned pepper. The perfect combination of course is crab fried with fresh pepper, served up daily at Kep's crab market. Other than cooked crustaceans, Kep's restaurant scene is limited, but sufficient for a few day's stay. Kampot has a much wider selection of cuisine, offering a range that includes Indian, Italian, German and Japanese. There's also a lively coffee and bakery scene that is heavenly for travellers who've been on the road for a while and are in need of a pie.

It'll be nice when it's finished.

Architecture
Most of Kep's notable architecture is of the ruined variety, with pre-Khmer Rouge villas dotted around in various states of decay. They make for great photographs and a fun afternoon's hunting, but Kampot wins out with the Bokor Mountain abandoned hill station and remains of the hotel casino. The town centre also has plenty of Chinese-style shop houses and beautiful corner buildings, which are slowly being restored by resident businesses.

Kampot charm.

Where's the party at?
Other than the occasional rave-up at Kep Lodge and impromptu beach celebrations on Cambodian public holidays, Kep isn't much of a party town. The peace and quiet are part of the package. Those looking for live music, a late-night drinking hole or permanent happy hours should visit Arcadia, Naga House or Bodhi Villa across from Kampot town, or find a bar stool at Madi's or Oh Neil's on riverside.

Visit both!
As a rule of thumb, we'd say that Kep is the perfect spot for relaxing around a swimming pool and eating seafood, with enough activities to keep you busy for a couple of days. It suits families, couples and flashpackers looking for some respite from big cities and tourist crowds. Kampot is more geared up for backpackers, but there's plenty of beautiful places to stay for those on a medium budget. It provides restless souls with a choice of things to do and enough restaurants so they never need to eat in the same place twice, but it's still very laidback. Both are ideal for some downtime, and if you can, we'd recommend a couple of nights' stay in each to really get a feel for the differences.

The work of Angkor Hospital For Children (AHC) is immense. Since 1999, the paediatric teaching hospital -- Cambodia’s first -- has provided more than one million medical treatments, education to thousands of Cambodian health workers and prevention training to thousands of families. A non-profit, the hospital relies entirely on donations.

With sobering statistics like 1 in 77 children in Cambodian children dying before their fifth birthday, the essential work AHC carries out is no easy task. AHC offers inpatient and outpatient care, surgical services (including heart surgery), 24-hour ER, intensive care treatment and antiretroviral HIV therapy. With an eye clinic, neonatal unit, physiotherapy and even a social work department (a very rare thing in Cambodia), the scope of the hospital’s services is very broad, yet with a clear focus on quality.

The visitor centre at AHC.

Many of the 500-600 patients seen daily travel from far and wide, on the bus, the backs of motos or any means possible to receive free medical care. The hospital helps support those who can’t afford it with travel costs, food and sleeping materials if they stay overnight and it provides basic on-site cooking facilities. The queues are long, as Cambodian families wait their turn for help. Nurses focus on around 40 percent of patients, enabling trained doctors to handle the worst illnesses and problems.

The hospital is located in the centre of Siem Reap with a Visitor Centre for those in town with an interest in learning more about their life-saving work and how they can help. However, the hospital’s work is not confined to Siem Reap and those that have made the journey here. AHC also runs a Satellite Clinic 35 kilometres outside of Siem Reap, in partnership with the government hospital, to try to enable the most impoverished and more rural dwellers access to basic healthcare provisions.

After the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia was left with a mere 50 doctors in the entire country. Education is therefore also core to the hospital’s work, both of skilled medical professionals in Cambodia and through community outreach work. AHC’s staff are 99% Cambodian. When foreign doctors do visit to perform specialist surgery, the goal is to also train local medical teams to be able to continue carrying out the same vital operations.

AHC also runs programmes in schools, local communities and regional health centres to help strengthen the existing health care provision, and in clear recognition that education helps with prevention.

Run not for your life, but to help save someone else’s.

Basic public healthcare provision doesn’t yet go far enough in Cambodia; AHC’s work is vital and heavily relied upon by many Cambodians. How to help? Donate online. If you’re in Siem Reap, donate blood at the hospital. Raise money via sponsorship – you can even do so in Siem Rep getting sponsored for the annual Angkor Wat Half Marathon.

Angkor Hospital For Children
http://angkorhospital.org/

It's around 02:00 at Greenpeace Restaurant in the heart of Ko Pha Ngan's Full Moon Party and Nat is up at the counter trying to pay the bill for our table.

"What did you have? We have no idea what you had," says one of the Burmese staff "Just pay me whatever you think is right." He's distracted, busy trying to deal with a Western guy who is covered in his own faeces, so Nat passes him a few hundred and we move on.

Much has been written -- both good and bad -- about Thailand's Full Moon Party and, after experiencing the August 2014 party, we'd say it is just about all true. The party is a breathtaking amalgam of excess, swinging from hedonistic to horrible between steps, yet with a dreamlike and other-worldly misting thrown over it. It's a remarkable testament to both human physical endurance -- particularly of the eardrums -- and abject greed and stupidity.

A non-party day at Haad Rin.

The Full Moon Party on Ko Pha Ngan happens ostensibly on the night of each full moon (though it is sometimes shifted a day to accommodate other Thai cultural sensibilities) and takes place on Haad Rin beach -- a stunning dust-like white-sand beach towards the southern tip of the island. The party originated back in the 1980s but by the time I first tried one in 1993 it had already strayed far from its purported origins -- my most memorable event was seeing a fellow traveller shot in the back with a firework.

Fast forward 21 years and while the party hasn't aged well it still draws tens of thousands of people and plays a pivotal role in the economy of the island. So what's a party like? With a handful of travelling companions we tried the Super Moon FMP.

What the party is all about.

A dusk Haad Rin arrival saw roads already full of mostly young backpackers -- foreign and Thais -- cruising the streets in their dayglo FMP T-shirts. Groups of friends, often decked out in matching dayglo, wandered the streets snacking and drinking. The preferred poison was buckets: a small plastic bucket filled with a half bottle of liquor (vodka, gin and Thai whisky are popular) then topped with a bottle or two of RedBull, ice and a mixer of your choice. The logic is the liquor gets you smashed while the RedBull keeps you going.

Down on the beach the Super Moon was rising as the sun fell away behind. Drifting onto a soft blue canvas scattered with clouds and with a warm sea breeze in the air it was easy to imagine the way back when appeal of the early parties.

We recommend going with the 7-eleven fluoro tattoo.

We had friends to pick up so jumped in a longtail and headed over to Haad Yuan, a beautiful beach some 15 minutes north of Haad Rin. The beach lacks the hordes and boasts a comforting relaxed vibe. Friends collected, we climbed over the headland and set up camp at Sanctuary -- a hip yet laidback resort with excellent food and drinks where we sat around for a while.

By the time we grabbed a longtail to get back to Haad Rin it was 23:00; as the roar of Mos' longtail drowned out the chilled tunes of Sanctuary, we rounded the Haad Yuan headland and had the Haad Rin lightshow laid out before us.

Oh my god.

Arrival.

The entire beach from Paradise in the south to Mushroom Mountain in the north was illuminated. Explosions of fire bellowed out above the crowds and strobes and spotlights rippled out from the stages slicing the night sky, bass reverberating across the ocean to greet us. Our transition from chilled bamboo lounge under a tree to an electronic End Of Days was as jarring as it was exhilarating.

It wasn't till our anchor was thrown and we leapt out into the shallows that the scene was really laid out, with thousands of people walking back and forth along a deafening and confusing stage. The water's edge and the back of the beach were the two main throughfares and along these many already debilitatingly drunk partygoers wandered back and fourth.

Dig out your WHAM! fashion for the party.

We joined the throng and worked towards the Paradise end of the beach. A blended mix of dancers and drunks cavorted about us while the water, already littered with beer bottles, washed around our feet. Elevated platforms showcased fluorescent dancers while red, green, blue and searingly white staccato strobes both illuminated and confused us. The noise was indescribable.

Still before midnight, the crowd was jovial and the overall vibe was friendly and fun. One of our party went to try the nitrous oxide (laughing gas) thinking it was helium and when she went to speak expecting a high pitched helium voice, it felt like half the beach cracked up laughing when she realised she'd tried the wrong gas.

Mark queues at Mark Buckets for a bucket.

While plenty were dancing the night away, in between the two thoroughfares small clusters were sitting down, smoking weed, chatting and relaxing as the circus went on around them. We sat down and what a circus it was. In a spectacle the surreal Lewis Carroll would appreciate, gorgeously fluorescent frangipani Alice bands were everywhere. Elaborate body paintings -- from psychedelic with Akha hats to skeletons with loincloths wandered by. I saw elephants, zebras, gorillas and tigers with in-character facial paint -- the gorilla even had some kind of long-haired body suit to match. Guy Fawkes masks, a decidedly odd purple-nailed man with a banjo, two women dipped in fairy dust and glitter with hair dyed white with flecks of bright red and purple. A woman in a soaking wet velvet suit jumped a guy sitting behind us. Another sat by herself wailing. Buckets and the bizarre were everywhere.

Wear a Full Moon Party t-shirt in case you forget where you are.

At around 01:00 there was a shift in the crowd and the vibe. The party suddenly became much more male and considerably more ugly and aggressive. Incapacitated people were dragged out of the shallows by panicked passersby and an increasing number of people seemed to just not be in a comfortable place anymore. Around an hour later the rest of our party decided they'd had enough. Some caught a speedboat back to Ko Samui and others a songthaew (share taxi) to elsewhere on the island.

Have you seen the light?

I pressed on and wandered all the way down to Paradise. It was here between 02:00 and 03:00 that I found the party at its most surreal: muscle-men and muscle-women doing chin-ups on a flame topped beach jungle bar; the infamous fire rope -- a long skipping rope set alight for people to jump, often getting badly burnt in the process. Hours later, in my ride back home, another passenger showed me his bandaged face, arms and legs after he got "roped".

Dancing on the inside.

Beyond the fire show, the dancing and the crowds were at the most intense. In trying to get some closer photos of a stage I got corralled into a heaving mass of a couple of dozen bare-chested guys who were stamping their way into a new dawn. The raw energy was palpable but the guys were clearly in another place and it quickly became uncomfortable. I escaped and chatted to a couple of Belgian women standing on the periphery of the same copse of dancing. They were both very high and one sported a swollen black eye she scored earlier in the melee I just escaped. She laughed it off and said she was having the time of her life.

Thrill Mum & Dad by doing the fire rope.

I wandered back past the sleep zone and medical tent towards Mushroom Mountain. The walk played out the shift in the party. The water's edge was lined with men and women peeing into it and I saw people obviously freaking out with friends trying to calm them down. A man lay in the sand trying to make himself vomit. Another very distressed guy ranted in the medical centre while a Thai woman tried to give him a bottle of water. People passed out while others just slept. A man wearing nothing but white underwear stood at the water's edge screaming incoherently while his friends stood at a comfortable distance taking his photo. A lot of drunk, really drunk people staggered past looking for trouble. It felt ugly but that said, from dusk to dawn, I didn't see a single fight.

Don't lose your head at Mushroom Mountain.

I made a beeline for the Mountain. Known for its magic mushroom shakes -- with the artwork to match -- Mushroom Mountain has a bar and dance floor elevated over the rocks at the northern end of Haad Rin. It offers a great vantage point to take in the scene from a more comfortable distance. I took up with a trio of British travellers and we compared notes.

Paradise.

As we chatted we watched a couple dancing about 30 metres apart on the beach below us. He was wearing fisherman's pants and she not much more than a sarong, but they could both really dance, were in their own world and were flirtatious as hell. Our conversation faded away and the moon sunk towards the trees. Then, as subtly as a sledgehammer, a bunch of guys marched up and in unison dropped their pants in front of the woman. The dancers drifted up the beach a bit and the flashers moved on, but the moment has been shattered.

The moon starting to dip.

It's here for me that the Full Moon Party is best summed up: beautiful one moment, ugly the next -- and way too many stupid people.

By 04:00 I was really starting to wane so I walked up to Chicken Corner -- the heart of Haad Rin town -- and sat at a table overlooking the main walkway to the beach. It was ugly hour now and the monsters were out. Drunk people stumbled their way up from the beach, some so smashed they couldn't walk and were dragged up by their companions. There were some sketchy scenes of seemingly sober guys helping hammered solo women -- knights or not, it was difficult to know.

Who turned the lights on?

It was nearing 05:00 by the time I got back to the beach and the crowd had thinned. I'd have guessed at the peak the crowd was perhaps 15,000 strong, but now it was maybe a third of that. The organisers had set up a "safe sleeping area" where people could grab a snooze without fear of being pickpocketed and the medical tent provided care to distressed people; both were at capacity.

Have a snooze.

Squads started picking up the trash left behind, working their way around collapsed partiers. It was impressive how quickly the beach improved (save the bodies, of course). Off the beach though it remained a pigsty. As light broke I took one last stroll up to the crazy end of the beach. Paradise was still going strong, but the fire swing was gone and more people were sitting than dancing. The beach was still lined with people peeing in it.

One last pee in the ocean before getting the boat home.

As the sun rose, the edge was gone, the fluoro deadened and the lightshow faded. Longtails beckoned for cargo, calling partygoers heading back to the northern beaches. I spied Mos, the boatman who brought us over from Haad Thian. We swapped pleasantries then he was off with another load. It seemed like the right moment for me to leave too.

FMP travel advisory

Buckets for beginners
Buckets are very easy to drink and sneak up on you. Like martinis, anything more than two is pushing the friendship.

Full Moon Parties are best with friends
Go with a group of people you know if you can. Organise a place to meet up if you get lost.

Drugs are not legal
There are plenty of drugs on hand. They are not legal. Laws of entrapment you may be familiar with in your home country may not hold in Thailand. Do not arrive by boat carrying drugs of any kind.

Stay in control
How does one stay in control at an out of control party? It's a personal call. Solo travellers should be wary of "new friends". Likewise if you pass out on the beach don't be surprised if your wallet is gone in the morning. Drink lots of water. Listen to your Mum.

Use public transport
There are songthaews and boats to and from the party at all hours. Use them. Do not ride or drive yourself.

Get help
If you or someone you are with is in need of assistance, get to the medical tent and or the safe sleep area near Tommy Resort (about half way down the beach). People will be able to help you there.

Only take what you need
Don't take anything you can't afford to lose.

Have fun
The Full Moon Party can be a fun event but if it isn't what you imagined, or if it suddenly feels uncomfortable, leave. The northern end of the beach (between Tommy's and Mushroom Mountain) is the quieter area.

Sorry about the pic quality - I only had by iPhone!

At Travelfish, we work hard to steer you towards the best Thai food in Thailand by way of our many Eat and Meet sections, like this one for Chiang Mai. But those who want to voyage deeper into the vibrant world of Thai cuisine have several terrific blogs to choose from. In no particular order, these are the sites that we look to when our taste buds need some inspiration.

Eating Thai Food

No one is more devoted to sharing Thai food with the world than Bangkok-based world traveller and creator of Eating Thai Food, Mark Wiens. This user-friendly blog demystifies Thai street food for newbies while providing direction to seasoned food lovers. Mark's enthusiasm is contagious, his brilliant photos put you right there at the table, and maps and translations make even the most hidden-away eateries accessible.

Along with recipes and ebooks covering the ins-and-outs of ordering and eating in Thailand, Mark's reviews spotlight countless inexpensive restaurants, street carts and markets in the greater Bangkok area. This is also the only blog we know of with a sub-section for vegetarians. Dwight of BKK Fatty also contributes, and Mark's original blog, Migrationology, covers his formidable food explorations beyond Thailand.

Eating Thai Food makes authentic Thai food less scary.

Bangkok Glutton

Chawadee Nualkhair, or Bangkok Glutton, is arguably the most talented food writer currently focused on Thailand. She spent her formative years in midwest America before being beckoned back to her native Bangkok to indulge a passion for Thai food. Writing about specific restaurants, street food, recipes and her own random, often hilarious thoughts, Chawadee's natural wit could make a prison mess hall seem fun and tasty.

While the blog touches on Thai cuisine in all of its different shades, it always returns to the irresistible bites found amid Bangkok's gritty footpaths and nondescript shophouses. Chawadee's now out-of-print book, Bangkok's Top 50 Street Food Stalls, is a phenomenal resource for both travellers and locals (we reviewed it here), and her forthcoming Thailand's Best Street Food promises to be even better. She also recently popped up on the Food Network.

Bangkok Glutton's motto: "Tasting it to the streets."

Austin Bush

Austin Bush is among very few foreigners with fluent Thai language skills and an uncanny ability to unveil the subtleties of Thai cuisine through words, images and recipes. His blog, Austin Bush Photography, is stacked with stunning photos and spot-on knowledgeable portrayals of the ingredients, cooking techniques and cultural background behind a wide range of Thai dishes.

Not limited to a single city or region of Thailand, Austin has a knack for discovering everyday sorts of chefs who do extraordinary things -- and capturing both them and their cuisine with his camera. His work has appeared in a long list of big-name publications and if you want to dig straight down to the roots of Thai food, this is an excellent place to start.

Not an Austin Bush photo (his are a whole lot better).

OhSirin

This eclectic blog by Thai writer Sirin Pwongpanit flutters from fine dining to the "anatomy" of unusual dishes and back to everyday street fare. In a matter of a dozen posts on OhSirin you might dig into fried pork skin and chilli paste in Chiang Mai, devour egg tarts in Hong Kong, endure fiery curries in Phuket and fill up on pastrami sandwiches in Oregon. Sirin clearly is a renaissance woman.

While the writing displays a far-reaching level of expertise, the posts always retain a casual tone that makes you feel like Sirin is just sharing her thoughts with a friend. Having lived in the US and travelled extensively abroad, she also writes in-depth lifestyle, food and travel stories for print publications in both English and Thai, and has penned several travel books for Thai readers.

OhSirin -- expect the unexpected.

BKK Fatty

Feel good Thai food blog BKK Fatty is also the alter-ego of Dwight Turner, an American-cum-Bangkokian who takes bigger bites of the Big Mango than just about anyone. He's actually an athletic-looking guy; the "fatty" aspect refers to the "overweight plates" that he consumes. Loads of photos make for a delicious visual element while a wily, irreverent tone keeps you hanging on for another post.

Though anchored in Thai food, the blog often wanders into other cuisines in an ongoing quest to uncover Fattiness in its myriad shapes and forms. And the Fatty doesn't hoard it all for himself, either. Dwight runs the Bangkok-based In Search of Sanuk charity and leads the Big Bite Bangkok food fest. He also collaborates with Christy Innouvong on a charity cooking school for kids, and contributes regularly to Eating Thai Food.

BKK Fatty would approve.

She Simmers

She who has simmered up one of the web's finest resources for home-cooking Thai food is Leela Punyaratabandhu, a Thailand native who conjures authentic Thai dishes from the limited ingredients available in the US. A linguist by trade, Leela's smoothly written posts often delve deep into the history and etymology of each dish before relating all of the nuts and bolts needed for perfectionist preparations.

She Simmers packs in hundreds of recipes with gorgeous photos, all neatly sorted into categories like "She Smokes" and "She Drizzles and Smears". In mid-2014, Leela tied it all together in her first print cookbook, Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen. We've found this to be the best and most consistent Thai cooking blog around, but you'll also find quality recipes on Joy's Thai Food, Thai Food Master and Riya's Kitchen.

Who's ready to simmer?

All of the photos here are from the author of this article, not the bloggers themselves. Please let us know in the comments if we missed one of your favourite Thai food blogs!

You're traipsing through Peninsular Malaysia and have time for just one west coast island and the two most frequently considered are Penang and Langkawi -- but which should it be? In an ideal world we'd say stretch your leave form for another week and visit both, but if you really only have time for one, here's our take on which you should go for.

Are you a beach bum?
If you're primarily looking for slow time spent lazing on a beach, with some afternoon watersports and the occasional cocktail thrown in, then Langkawi wins hands down. It has, by far, the better beaches of the two islands. Plus it is surrounded by a cluster of other smaller islands that can be visited on day snorkelling and diving trips. Even without leaving the main island there are plenty of beaches to choose from -- from Cenang to the more isolated and almost lovely Tanjung Rhu.

This is not Penang.

Penang's beaches on the other hand are really quite ordinary. Batu Ferringhi is seriously overrated and while there are a few other strips of sand on the island, Penang just isn't in the same league as Langkawi when it comes to beaches.

Langkawi 1; Penang 0.

Are you a food lover?
What's the point of having great beaches if there's nowhere decent to eat? Penang, and in particular Georgetown with its strong Chinese influence, excels when it comes to food. We can't recall ever having an ordinary meal here (never ever have the guesthouse breakfast!) which isn't something we can say for Langkawi. Georgetown boasts fantastic street food and there are also excellent Georgetown food walks and cooking classes that the culinarily inclined will want to savour.

This is not Langkawi.

Langkawi's food scene is far more a meld of Malay and tourist fare -- and none of it done especially well. We're not saying you won't have a decent meal here -- you will -- it's just that it's as likely to be a pizza at a beachfront bar as a steaming plate of street food.

Langkawi 1; Penang 1.

Are you a culture vulture?
Langkawi's history is wrapped in legend and mystery -- of which today there is precious little evidence. Skull Sand beach isn't littered with skulls -- though the sand is nice. Langkawi was the first part of Southeast Asia to rise from the sea (some 500,000,000 years ago) but, well, there's just a big (and impressive) mountain today.

This is also not Langkawi.

Penang, on the other hand, is a living museum, with a rich culture you can observe and, to an extent in Georgetown, participate in. While it fights an ongoing battle with culturally challenged developers who'd seemingly like to demolish and concrete over half the old city, the heart of this area is an intriguing area to explore -- and that's before we even get to the real museums. Langkawi has some museums, but Penang wins this race.

Langkawi 1; Penang 2.

Are you an outdoor enthusiast?
When it comes to outdoor pursuits -- be it mangrove exploring, jungle trekking, waterfall hiking, snorkelling, diving or even banana boating, Langkawi wins on all counts. Langkawi's cable car is simply breathtaking and we'd say that alone makes Langkawi worth visiting.

This is not Penang.

Penang has its botanical and spice gardens and Penang Hill of course, but it is not an outdoor enthusiast's playground.

Langkawi 2; Penang 2.

Are you a honeymooner?
Ahh, this is a difficult call. Both islands have terrific upper-end properties that would ideally fit with a romantic honeymoon. In Georgetown, Love Lane remains one of our favourites, while for a more resort style hideaway, the Datai on Langkawi's rugged jungly north coast delivers the goods. For those looking for a more affordable romantic spell, both islands also have options that fit the bill. We've covered some of our favourite places to stay in Georgetown here and Langkawi has plenty of comfortable flashpacker options. We'll call this a draw.

Love Lane: So lovely we wanted to get married again just to stay here.

Langkawi 3; Penang 3.

Are you a budget traveller?
We think that Langkawi unfairly has a “package tourist resort” reputation, when in practice it's no more resorty than any other popular island in Southeast Asia. That said, if you're on a tight budget, Penang is where it is at -- it boasts cheaper rooms, cheaper food and it's cheap to get around on. Langkawi costs a little more in almost all respects, but as it is a duty free island, you can pick up some mighty affordable booze. If you're on a tight budget we'd say visit Penang and save your pennies for a beach fix on the Perhentians (season allowing).

Langkawi 2; Penang 3.

In summary
Overall, the decision really depends on you and what your priorities are. Or just make the whole thing easier and prolong your stay by another week!

Phuket, like most areas of Thailand, is home to many stray animals in need of care. But visitors returning to Phuket will notice that there are far fewer sad, sickly dogs and cats on the loose than there were a decade ago, thanks in no small part to the tireless work of Soi Dog Foundation in providing medical care, sterilisations and adoptions for the island's strays.

Since its founding in 2003, Soi Dog has expanded its role from doing mobile sterilisation clinics and organising the care of sick and injured strays with local veterinarians into a multi-faceted organisation that not only shelters stray dogs and cats on Phuket, but is active in working to end the illegal dog meat trade of Southeast Asia.

In Phuket, Soi Dog sterilises about 12,000 animals a year both at its clinics at the Soi Dog shelter and in mobile clinics around the island. Some 400 dogs and cats are housed in the shelter, each of which receive medical treatment as needed and are cared for by both Soi Dog staff and its volunteers.

The shelter's shady sala seems to be a choice gathering spot.

The aim is to find homes for as many of these animals as possible, both within Thailand and abroad. Dog lovers from around the world have offered their homes, and several former Phuket street dogs are now enjoying more cushy lives as far away as the UK, Australia and North America. It's a costly and lengthy procedure, but Soi Dog assists new owners with sorting through the quarantine regulations and paperwork required to move the dogs to a different country.

Soi Dog received worldwide attention and accolades for its animal rescue efforts following both the 2004 tsunami disaster in the Andaman region and the 2011 Bangkok floods, and is now a legally registered charity in Thailand, the United States, Australia, the UK, France and the Netherlands.

Take me!

One of its founders, British expat Gill Dalley, was named “Asian of the Year” by Channel News Asia for her work in helping animals. Her determined efforts are particularly inspiring, given that she continued leading the charity after having both her legs amputated due to contracting a septicemia infection following a dog rescue in a muddy buffalo field, followed just a few months later by the tsunami in which her friend and one of Soi Dog's most active volunteers perished.

Two sheltered cats in need of a home doing their best to look adorable.

Since 2008 Soi Dog has operated from its own large facility with vet clinics and plenty of running-around space for the dogs near Mai Khao beach, just north of the Phuket airport. A new animal hospital is in the works, with construction set to begin later this year.

In 2011, Soi Dog also became involved in combating the dog meat trade in the region. Working with local agencies and the government, Soi Dog has helped established a community monitoring system that helps alert officials to dog smuggling activity as well as providing funding and care for a large government-run shelter in Buriram province that houses dogs rescued from the trade.

It's not only stray dogs that are snatched from the streets around Thailand, but pets, too. Most of the trade is in Thailand's northeastern region, and dogs are often transported across borders to other Southeast Asian countries. Soi Dog's research has found that “[e]very year tens of thousands of dogs are inhumanely transported from Thailand to neighbouring countries where they are butchered by cruel and barbaric methods.

“The conditions under which the dogs are transported and slaughtered are inhumane and many die from suffocation long before they reach neighbouring countries. In reality these are the lucky ones. Those that are still alive are not humanely killed many are tortured often for hours before being skinned alive. The reason for this is that people believe that the pain inflicted leads to the tenderising of the meat. Most shocking of all, is that some dogs are still alive when their fur is removed.”

With greater awareness and law enforcement spearheaded by Soi Dog's efforts, the charity reports that the number of dogs smuggled around and out of Thailand has greatly reduced since 2011, but there's still a lot work to be done. It's now working to expand its campaign into Vietnam.

These pups have all found homes, but they're still happy to make new friends.

Soi Dog receives no government funding and relies entirely on private donations, so monetary support is always welcome. General donations are possible through the Soi Dog website, and there are several targeted ways to provide help as well, from sponsoring an animal to joining its “Puppy Care Club” to funding the new hospital. The website also maintains a list of veterinary supplies that are needed.

Another way that Phuket visitors could help, at no cost, is to sign up to be a flight volunteer. If you're flying out of Phuket to another country, particularly to the US, Canada or in Europe, you could bring along a dog as extra baggage. Soi Dog takes care of all the paperwork and sends a representative to meet you at the airport to help check the dog in, then upon arrival the new adoptive owner will meet you to pick up the dog. In order to do this, Soi Dog asks that you contact them well in advance of your travel date so they have time to make the necessary arrangements.

Volunteers on site are always welcome, too, and coming to the shelter for a few days or weeks to help care for the animals certainly gives you a different perspective of Phuket away from its beaches and nightlife. They ask that you email volunteering@soidog-foundation.org at least a few days before visiting to set up a day and time.

Soi Dog also gives free tours of its facility daily, so be sure to at least join a tour if you have a chance. It's impossible to remain indifferent about the plight of Thailand's abused and neglected animals once you've been mobbed by a friendly pack of puppies!

Soi Dog Foundation
167/9 Moo 4, Soi Mai Khao 10
Tambon Mai Khao, Amphur Thalang, Phuket
http://www.soidog.org/

Ha Long Bay and Sapa are both highlights of Vietnam for good reason, but if you only have time for one, which should you choose? It's not a decision we'd like to have to make but we've put together some guidelines to help if it's one you'll have to face.

In a way it's surprising how often Sapa and Halong Bay are compared as they are different in so many ways. In fact, the only thing they really have in common is that they are both beautiful, albeit different, landscapes. Given these many differences, the main factor in your decision should be your interests and what you want to get out of your trip.

When you're lucky you get this ...

Trekkers and those interested in ethnic minorities should head to Sapa. Guided treks are available from a half-day upwards and range from easy to challenging -- you can even take a seven-day trek to Ha Giang. All treks include visits to ethnic minority villages; you will also come across plenty of people from the Red Dao and Black H'mong groups in Sapa town and a visit to the local markets is a fascinating experience.

Stunning landscapes in Sapa.

Trekking options are available on Cat Ba Island (Halong Bay), but if you're on an organised boat tour it's likely to be limited to a few hours walk around the national park. Travel to Cat Ba Island independently and more options are open to you, but it's trekking of the nature-loving rather than stunning scenery type that you'll get in Sapa. And although a cruise around Ha Long Bay will bring you up close with the inhabitants of the floating villages, it's not as personal as a wander through a H'mong village.

While trekking is big in Sapa, you won't find so many other activities, whereas Ha Long Bay offers an array: kayaking, swimming, rock climbing and cycling. And, of course, boat trips.

The junks are a bit better equipped.

If it's all about the scenery, well, that's where it gets difficult. In our opinion Sapa perhaps has some more jaw-dropping scenic vistas -- on a clear day -- but the views of Ha Long Bay from Cannon Fort or one of the other viewpoints are spectacular, and as you cruise between the karsts it's difficult not to be a bit awestruck. Rice fields and mountains or karsts and ocean? That's the decision.

Both places offer opportunities to relax. On a Ha Long Bay trip you can relax on deck or, on Cat Ba Island, on the beach. If you go on an organised tour however you'll find that you are pushed from one activity to the next. In Sapa, relaxation will be in the form of finding a spot overlooking the valley with a good book. Sapa doesn't have any sunbathing venues as the only pool in town is under cover and only open to guests of the Victoria Sapa Hotel. If you're after serious sunbathing, hit central or southern Vietnam's beaches instead -- Nha Trang, for instance.

Coffee with quite a view.

If you want to party, Sapa is probably not for you. Ha Long Bay is hardly party central either, but join the cruise with Hanoi Backpackers' Hostel, book onto the 'party cruise' -- available at Bamboo Travel -- or a cruise with another hostel and the chances of a big night are higher.

For the gourmands, Ha Long Bay is a case of getting whatever you're given on board, but if you go on a decent boat the food can be excellent. Overnighting on Cat Ba Island provides a change to indulge in excellent fresh seafood. Sapa isn't exactly a gastronomic delight although it has a couple of decent eating spots and some good barbecue stalls.

Or this view?

Time is a consideration. It's possible to visit either place for only two days but for Sapa that means a night either side on the train, which could leave you exhausted for your first day and for onward travel from Hanoi. It's also just a lot further than Ha Long Bay -- we'd recommend at least four nights and three days to make the most of it. Ha Long Bay, on the other hand, is great for three days if you want to do some activities but also works as an overnight trip. We wouldn't recommend a day trip unless you're basing yourself out of Cat Ba Island or Ha Long City.

Finally, the weather. Although both places are known for their unpredictable weather -- rain and fog can hit hard and unexpectedly -- Sapa gets very chilly and damp in the winter, so is best avoided if you're not a fan of wrapping up warm on holiday. That said, it's not exactly warm in Ha Long Bay when winter (December to February) comes either.

We urge you not just to compare Sapa with Ha Long Bay, but consider everywhere that takes your fancy in the country and make choices based on that. Perhaps you should just focus your time in the north and do both?

Short-term visitors often size up Bangkok as a place of glitzy malls, thumping nightclubs, street stalls, traffic jams and impressive, but touristy, temples and palaces. Peel back this out layer to discover a rich and persistent artistic heritage that's likely to turn first impressions of the city on their heads. How to find it? Any of six centuries-old craft villages are great places to start.

The artists persist down inconspicuous lanes, quietly competing with factory goods to keep their long-running family businesses alive. Their crafts have been passed down over time; often they work in the exact same shophouses where their great-grandparents did. They produce flutes, silk, bronze, puppets, alms bowls and paper products by hand, and travellers are welcome to join in.

Who's up for a treasure hunt?

Click on the names of each village for in depth reviews and travel info.

Baan Krua Nua
Thailand's silk industry was revitalised in the 1950s thanks in large part to American-spy-turned-fashionista, Jim Thompson, but he couldn't have done it without the silk weavers of Baan Krua Nua. Settled by Muslim Chams in the late 18th century, this overlooked slice of central Bangkok still hosts a handful of the original silk shops that collaborated with the man himself. Though the brand left the village following Thompson's disappearance in the '70s, Baan Krua's weavers never stopped.

Little has changed here since Thompson's days.

At least one resident elder who worked directly with Thompson is happy to share his old photos with visitors, who can also watch the silk weavers at work. The house where Thompson lived -- now a touristy museum and store -- is just across the canal from the workshops. It's also worth a stop, though we'd buy our silk wears direct from the Baan Krua craftspeople instead.

Baan Bat
In the old days, each of the streets (or canals before they became streets) around the Golden Mount hosted its own specialised trade or product, from wooden furniture to books and herbal medicines. Things have changed, with budget tourism replacing Khao San Road's namesake rice market, for example. One survivor is Baan Bat, a tiny community that has produced alms bowls for Buddhist monks for more than two centuries.

Follow the sound of hammer on steel.

Each morning in virtually every city and village throughout Thailand, monks stroll the streets as locals fill their bowls with food in exchange for a blessing. The practice serves as an everyday symbol of the mutually beneficial relationship between monastics and laypeople. Most of the bowls used today are mass-produced in factories, but Baan Bat's craftspeople still hammer them into shape by hand. Visitors can watch the process unfold down a tiny lane, and an array of polished bowls are available for purchase.

Baan Bu
Nestled into a maze of alleys near Bangkok Noi canal and Thonburi train station, the villagers of Baan Bu have crafted opulent bronze wears for over a century. A handful of workshops persist in the area, but the skilled bronze-smiths at Jiam Sangsajja have opened their studio to the public as an offbeat attraction, complete with English information boards on the history and methods of bronze-work in the village.

High-end bowls from humble beginnings.

A production line of craftspeople begin by melting an alloy down from copper, tin and gold before they heat, shape, polish, etch and perfect each dish. A single piece requires hours of hard work in front of an open furnace that makes the already tropical heat almost unbearable to the average onlooker. Visitors are welcome to observe all aspects of the process, and dishes of all sizes can be bought at an on-site showroom.

Baan Lao
Also found amid 100-year-old houses down a nondescript Thonburi alley, the residents of Baan Lao have crafted flutes by hand for at least three generations. The area was settled by Lao migrants who brought their craft, and the music that goes with it, to Bangkok in the late 1800s. While several households still produce flutes, P'Chang's modest workshop opens its doors to visitors.

Take your pick.

The place is stuffed with photos of elders playing traditional Lao music, flutes on display and heavy equipment that calls the early Industrial Revolution to mind. Crafted with precision, each flute has a unique tone that depends on size and material used. A wide selection of flutes are for sale, some of the pricier ones adorned with mother-of-pearl designs. If you're lucky, you might arrive to an impromptu jam session by some of the master flute-playing residents.

Charoen Chai
In Bangkok's bustling Chinatown, family businesses founded more than a century ago continue to operate in venerable shophouses. Many were sadly destroyed in recent years to make way for a subway extension, and the Chinese joss paper craftspeople of Charoen Chai were among those whose homes and livelihoods were threatened. After launching the Historic Hut & Museum to draw attention to their plight, it appears that the village and its craft will be spared.

Lost in a joss paper world.

Sitting along a hidden alley that runs parallel to Charoen Krung Road, the artists piece together an array of paper products just as their parents and great-grandparents did in years past. Visitors are welcome to watch, buy and learn about the community's rich history at the museum, which occupies a century-old house that once hosted a Chinese opera troupe. Don't miss the village's famous coolie noodles for lunch.

Khlong Bang Luang
Set amid a row of canal-side teakwood houses in non-touristy west Bangkok, this enchanting “art collective” is different from the city's other craft neighbourhoods. Rather than focus on a single craft, the recently reinvigorated village is home to several artists who create everything from paintings of Thai life along the canals, wax sculptures of famous Buddhist monks and hand-painted masks.

New friends at the Artist House.

Khlong Bang Luang is rooted in traditional Thai art, best evidenced by a resident puppet troupe that relies on handmade dolls topped with khon masks to act out scenes from the Ramakien at Baan Silapin, or Artist House, on most afternoons. The hood also hosts some great coffee and noodle shops, boat vendors, an artsy guesthouse, several galleries and studios, and ancient wall murals at nearby Wat Kamphaeng.

In early 2014, we stayed a night in each of 15 Singapore hostels we selected from an original list of 30 we had carefully curated. From those 15 nights, we hereby present our 10 favourite hostels in Singapore. We can't say these are the best, as with more than 100 hostels in Singapore in total, we haven't stayed in them all. We can say, however, that the 10 following hostels are terrific. Some are great for families, others for flashpackers, others still for couples (yes, there are double dorms) while a select few maintain that old-school backpacker vibe some travellers love.

Fisher Bed and Breakfast: We paid S$28

Fisher BnB was our overall favourite hostel in Singapore and if it fits within your budget, look no further. Opened in mid-2013, it offers immaculate dorm accommodation in a two-floor building on tongue-twisting Tyrwhitt Road in Lavender.

Fisher BnB is a great catch.

Lodgings at Fisher (the name refers to the original name of the street) come in mixed and female-only dorms along with a bunk-bed family room. Bunks are metal framed with spring mattresses, while oversized double lockers have plenty of room to fit a full-sized backpack plus daypack. The complimentary WiFi is fast and individual reading lights and universal power sockets for each bunk are functional touches. We stayed in the 18-bed mixed dorm and despite it being near full, there was enough space for everyone. As with the rest of the hostel, the shared bathrooms are spotless and with more space than we'd come to expect in a Singapore hostel -- the showers are positively spacious!

Fisher BnB
127 Tyrwhitt Road (Closest MRT: Lavender EW11 or Farrer Park NE8)
T: 6297 8258
Official Fisher BnB website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

Rucksack Inn Hong Kong St: We paid S$32

It's easy to write a review of Rucksack Inn's Hong Kong Street location -- we loved it. Staff are excellent. Dorms spacious and immaculate. Bathrooms spotless. Facilities solid. Location ideal.

There is something for everyone at Rucksack Inn, Hong Kong Street.

Our 10-bed mixed dorm was one of the cleanest and best-kept we saw in Singapore. Mid-sized, there's enough room to move around the metal framed bunks, but it isn't overloaded with space. Each bunk has its own lamp and a silk-ish throw rather than a traditional top sheet. Air-con throughout, the temperature was chilled, breaking the Singapore sweat immediately. Bathrooms maintain the high standard. Rucksack Inn has a looser approach to security than some hostels. Your keycode gets you in the door at ground level, but after that you have the run of the place. Lockers are available.

Rucksack Inn Hong Kong St
38-A Hong Kong Street (Closest MRT: Clarke Quay NE5)
T: 6532 4990
Official Rucksack Inn Hong Kong St website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

Wink Hostel: We paid S$50

Set on Mosque Street in the heart of Chinatown, Wink is an "upmarket pod hostel". We had a single pod in a six-pod dorm and it was the most comfortable and spacious we tried. In our dormitory there was enough room to fit at least three more sets of bunks, but instead there was a single lounge.

Easy to sleep a wink at Wink.

Each capsule comes with its own plug and light, and in a very clever touch, when you enter the room with your security card, the light in your pod automatically switches on, negating the need to turn on the bigger light. Bedding is comfortable and the WiFi good. Capsules each have secure luggage storage below the bed. Bathrooms and showers are on the upper floor, which for us meant a trudge upstairs (there is a toilet on the lower floor but no showers). While the ground floor entrance is not keycard protected, your dorm and your locker are. Take care with your key. They are flimsy and ours broke while in our pocket and we were not impressed at losing our key deposit of $10.

Wink Hostel
8 Mosque St (Closest MRT: Chinatown NE4/DT19)
T: 6222 2940
Official Wink Hostel website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

Bunc @Radius Little India: We paid S$38

Bunc has properties in both Little India and Clarke Quay and we reckon they're going to shake up Singapore's hostel scene. You'll be paying more than what you will at a more traditional hostel, but the jump in standards and comfort is more of a leap. Flashpackers should look no further.

Great bunks at Bunc.

Set across multiple floors in a spacious shopfront-style building, Bunc's standard offerings (they call it a “medium-size” dorm) have four oversized bunks per room. The bunks are doubles on the lower level and singles on the upper. Dorms have chilled air-con, good mattresses, full linen, double pillows and a towel. Our dorm had no windows and once the lights were off it was absolutely pitch black. Our only complaint was the ladders to the top bunks are tricky to climb. Bathrooms are clean, but while the toilets have proper doors, showers have a curtain only, and an oddly placed fan kept blowing ours open!

Bunc @Radius Little India: We paid S$34
15 Upper Weld Road (Closest MRT: Little India NE7 or Bugis EW12/DT14)
T: 6262 2862
Official Bunc @Radius Little India website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

The Green Kiwi: We paid S$24

If you're in the market for a hostel with a true traveller vibe, don't go past The Green Kiwi in the heart of Kampong Glam. With a fabulous location just down from Sultan Mosque facing onto Bussorah Street, this hostel delivers the goods. Staff are excellent, with a hat tip to Benjamin in particular who couldn't possibly have been more helpful.

Down time not allowed at Green Kiwi.

The accommodation is all upstairs and with 80 beds all up, sleeping quarters are cramped -- they've made use of every available square metre. That said the bunks are well looked after and comfortable with a good duvet, and each with a lamp. Bathrooms are medium sized but can get extremely humid -- more ventilation would be a great improvement. And unless you're a very early riser, you'll most likely need to queue for a shower. Lockers are on the ground floor and are very small -- really just for valuables as you'd not even get a daypack into one. The ground floor terrace is a very social area -- one of the best we came across.

The Green Kiwi
55 Bussorah Street (Closest MRT: Bugis EW12/DT14 or Nicoll Highway CC5)
T: 9695 9331
Official The Green Kiwi website
Full Travelfish review

Beary Best!: We paid S$28

Of the midrange Chinatown Hostels, Beary Best! was our favourite. It's a clean and comfortable set up, with friendly staff and solid facilities. The building is quite spacious and has a large amount of space given over to common areas for guests to congregate.

Beary Best or Beary Bright?

Brightly coloured throughout -- including the street frontage -- Beary Best! feels like it was painted yesterday as opposed to some hostels that feel like they last saw a paint of coat when Raffles was still kicking around. We had a bed in an eight-bed mixed dorm -- mid-sized by Singapore standards, but it felt super-sized as we had the entire dorm to ourself. Lockers are in the room and each bunkbed has its own bedside lamp -- but that is about it as far as personalised facilities go. You'll need a keycard to enter the hostel, get into the stairwell and again to access to your room. Toilets and showers are adequate. The bear motif is carried throughout the hostel, sometimes in quite amusing fashion -- we liked the warning noting that people found smoking would be shot and those who survived that would be shot again.

Beary Best!
16 & 18 Upper Cross Street (Closest MRT: Chinatown NE4/DT19)
T: 6222 4957
Official Beary Best! website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

The Inncrowd: We paid S$20

The InnCrowd has long been a backpacker crashpad of choice in Little India, and is a great value, very sociable old-style hostel. Our stay was in an eight-bed dorm on the first floor (private double and triple rooms are also available), looking over Dunlop Street.

Clean and comfortable at InnCrowd.

The "Inncrowd reception", even before arrival, was good as when I noted I wouldn't be flying in till around 23:00 a staffer emailed me back explaining that the MRT would be closed by the time I cleared customs and made suggestions for alternative ways into town. The dorm wasn't one of the most spacious I tried out, but there was enough room to move without tripping over too many backpacks. Bathrooms are shared, with no queuing, and are clean. InnCrowd has a very well-earned reputation for its social atmosphere and range of activities you can do from here.

The Inncrowd
73 Dunlop Street (Closest MRT: Little India NE7 or Bugis EW12/DT14)
T: 6296 9169
Official The Inncrowd website
Full Travelfish review

The Pod Boutique: We paid S$50

The Pod brands itself as a "boutique capsule hotel" and you'll find it on the upper floors of a modern building on Beach Road, just around the corner from Arab Street in Kampong Glam. The look and feel is boutique, from the gift-box presented Nespresso cartridges at the front desk through to the polished bathrooms with arty tiles underfoot.

Today's office is at Pod.

Two "pod" styles are available -- front entry, where your feet face towards the corridor, and side entry where you sleep parallel to the hallway. Mattresses are firm with clean linen and a small desk that descends from the side of the wall. A swipe-key secured locker lies below the bed and, at least with the side entry, there was plenty of space to cram stuff in. The pod has its own light and a single power outlet and free good quality WiFi is beamed throughout the premises. Most importantly, each pod has a blind that can be pulled down to give more privacy. Each floor has its own bathroom and with these facilities, which are really of a hotel standard, Pod Boutique is a fabulous choice.

The Pod Boutique
289 Beach Rd (Closest MRT: Bugis EW12/DT14 or Nicoll Highway CC5)
T: 6298 8505
Official The Pod Boutique website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

Pillows & Toast: We paid S$20

Pillows & Toast is a cute, clean hostel in a three-storey shopfront on Mosque Street in Chinatown. In particular, Pillows & Toast does really well with its staff -- and in a city with such a high standard of hostel staff, that's saying something.

The lockers match at well as the packs.

The air-con dorms are upstairs and on the floor above them is a common area in an attic, but it lacks much in the way of natural light -- and furniture (aside from a big TV). Dorms are clean and they're middle of the range size-wise but the wooden framed bunks were among the most wobbly we tried. Bathrooms are gleaming and well kept but expect to queue for a while for a shower. With wet feet watch yourself on the wooden stairs -- we took a nasty tumble. Security wise you'll find lockers in the dorm coming in a couple of seemingly randomly allocated sizes. The hostel is fully locked down with keycard access required for your dorm and through the front door.

Pillows & Toast
40 Mosque Street (Closest MRT: Chinatown NE4/DT19)
T: 6220 4653
Official Pillows & Toast website
Full Travelfish review
Check for an online discounted rate with Agoda.com

Betel Box: We paid S$20

Long-running Betel Box has been an equally long-running Travelfish favourite due to its interesting location on Joo Chiat Road and old-school backpacker vibe.

Where's the ping pong table?

The hostel is reached via a pin-code-access door up a stairwell lined with what's on information. The comprehensiveness of the information is indicative of both the effort involved in keeping it up-to-date and the passion owner Tony has for the area. Betel Box has a large, homey common room shared with reception and includes space to eat, a pool table, a large flatscreen TV with huge selection of movies and very fast WiFi, with plenty of plugs and tables for those who'd rather surf Facebook than shoot pool. Dorms are oversized -- you could easily fit a ping-pong table in the empty space and the metal-framed bunks are comfortable. Lockers are supplied, though they're only big enough for a daypack rather than a full pack. The bunk setup lacks the frills of some Singapore dorms -- no bed lights or personal plugs -- but this is also one of the cheapest places we tried. Bathrooms are the one weak spot and could really do with a solid sandblasting to get them up to the standard of some of the other hostels in our top ten. Disclosure: We've stayed at Betel Box many times over the years and Tony is a personal friend.

Betel Box
200 Joo Chiat (Closest MRT: Paya Lebar EW8/CC9)
T: 6247 7340
Official Betel Box website
Full Travelfish review

Summary

The rates we paid varied from $20 to $50 and while there are quite a few cheaper hostels in Singapore -- Ali's Nest for example still does dorm beds for $12 -- it is very much a case of you get what you pay for, and in Singapore $12 doesn't get you very much. If you're looking for creature comforts, upping your budget from around $20 to $30 per night will more than pay dividends. That's not to say the $20 places are not very good -- they're great -- but the $30 places tend to be even better. The $50 pod hostels are more of an acquired taste and once there are two of you, an affordable hotel like the Kam Leng is a far better deal. Many of the hostels listed above also offer private double and triple rooms but these are near universally very poor value for money and you're better off in an affordable hotel.

Which to choose? Solo travellers looking for a backpacker vibe will feel right at home at The Inncrowd, Betel Box, Pillows and Toast or The Green Kiwi. Flashpackers looking for, well, more flash, try Beary Best!, Rucksack Inn, Bunc @Radius or Fisher BnB. The two Pod hostels will appeal to those looking for more comfort still, with the price tag to match. Location-wise, all the above are within a 10-minute walk of an MRT station. Little India, Kampong Glam and Chinatown have the biggest concentration of hostels -- and the best eating too!

Where possible we booked through Agoda and the most we saved was $8 for a night at Pillows & Toast, while Bunc @ Radius was $3 more through Agoda than direct from Bunc. Overall though, most were slightly (a few dollars) cheaper via Agoda, so if you're counting your pennies, compare prices online to see where the best deals in Singapore are.

Laos is renowned for its tradition of weaving and Luang Prabang has become a hub for textiles. Weaving is an art and skill that has been passed on between generations. What begins as a silkworm, a bud of cotton or a hemp plant is transformed into a cloth that tells a story about the weaver, her village, her tribe and ethnicity: Hmong, Tai Lue, Tai Dam, Lanten and Katu, just to name a few. Textiles are a fascinating way to connect with the culture of Laos and through them you can discover the country’s astounding diversity.

SEE
Ban Phanom is a popular stop with tour groups. Visitors can observe the silk-making process, see weavers at work and of course, buy products at this weaving village about five kilometres from the town centre. It’s a very touristy place and this village supplies many of the woven textiles for sale at the night market, often sacrificing quality for speed.

A world of weaving awaits in Luang Prabang.

Instead, we recommend Ban Xienglek and Ban Xangkong, also known as the Paper and Weaving Village. It’s a low-key experience, with much more variety – not just silk scarves but also cotton rugs, tapestries and shawls – and better quality too. To get there cross the bamboo bridge (available in dry season, from November to June) to Dyen Sabai Restaurant, or cross the motorbike bridge and turn left. Just continue on this road along the Mekong for 2.5 kilometres, about 15 minutes by bicycle, or 30 minutes' walk. It’s a pleasant trip when it’s not too hot.

At work.

LEARN
Get hands on. Ock Pop Tok has classes at their Living Crafts Centre two kilometres from town. Try a half-day natural dyes session (464,000 kip or US$59), a full-day silk weaving or Hmong batik class (starting from 605,000 kip or US$77). Enthusiasts can partake in a two- or three-day workshop with master weavers. The full-day class includes a Lao lunch and free shuttle from the town centre. Ock Pop Tok also do weekly informative “Shop Talks” at their two boutiques in town. Presentations have covered a range of cultural topics, such as the traditional Lao sinh (skirt) and understanding animal motifs. Admission is free. See their Facebook page for schedule.

Banana Boat Laos, in conjunction with handicraft shop Ma Te Sai, do a three-day trip to Nong Khiaw that includes a stop at a weaving village on the Nam Ou river and a half-day visit to a Tai Lue village that specialises in cotton weaving. Located in the agriculturally rich Nam Bak district of Luang Prabang province, the trip will get you off the beaten track to experience true village life. You will meet the weavers and see the indigo dyeing process.

Indigo leaves are used in dyeing threads blue, green or black.

You can also buy this Tai Lue village's cushions, shawls, baby blankets and jackets at Ma Te Sai. Buy fabric for a sinh and the shop can help you get a traditional skirt tailor made. Sinh fabric is priced at 450,000 kip and up.

Cotton indigo-dyed and woven by the Tai Lue people, ready to be made into a woman's Sinh.

HOW AND WHERE TO BUY
The quality at the night market is average at best, but there is nothing wrong with that if you find something you like. Simple scarves can be priced as low as 25,000 kip. Visit the night market as they are setting up the stalls, around 16:30-17:00. With the daylight you can see the colour, detail and any imperfections. And as the lucky first sale of the business day, the women may give you a great deal.

Cheap machine-woven scarves from China and Vietnam have found their way into the night market and for the average person it will be difficult to identify or find out. Sometimes the machine's weave has purposely been made loose, to look hand done. If it looks cheap, it probably is. If you have your heart set on buying an authentic one-of-a-kind piece, buy direct from the village or visit the shops we've listed below. Better retailers should be able to give you accurate information on where the product came from and who made it.

Natural dyed or chemical dyed? Silk or cotton? It’s all a matter of preference. Expect to pay more for a natural-dyed, hand-woven piece. The more intricate the pattern and the larger the textile, the more raw material, skill and hours on the loom it took so it will be priced accordingly.

Chemical or natural dye? Whatever you like is what's best.

The following shops have high quality products from Laos. Prices are fixed – no bargaining. We’ve created “the scarf index” – the price of a basic scarf – as the benchmark for pricing.

Caruso Lao specialises in home accessories but also has superb, very pricey hand-woven silks and brocades. Silk scarf, 400,000 kip and up. (60 Sakkaline Road, Ban Wat Sene, on the main street across from Primary School; T: (071) 254574; http://www.carusolao.com)

Ma Té Sai is a member of Fair Trade Laos and they support and buy from villages. Cotton scarf, 100,000 kip. (Ban Aphai, opposite the Aussie Bar; T: (071) 260654; http://matesai.com)

Kop Noi has a range of made-in-Laos clothes and pretty accessories. Silk scarf, from 250,000 kip. (Ban Aphai, beside Ma Te Sai; T: (071) 260 248; http://kopnoi.com)

In addition to stunning Asian antiques, Le Pavillon de Jade has exquisite silks of the highest quality in tones that you won’t see anywhere else in town. It will have you fawning then gasping at the price tag. Silk scarves from 1,200,000 kip. (41 Sakkaline Road, Ban Wat Sene, on main street across from Primary School.)

In July 2014 the Traditional Arts & Ethnology Centre opened a retail shop on the main street. The museum's products showcase the country’s diversity. Cotton scarf, 120,000 kip. (Sakkaline Road across from Villa Santi Hotel; T: (071) 253 364; http://taeclaos.org)

While the majority of scarves you see in Ock Pop Tok were woven by weavers employed at their Living Crafts Centre, they do carry items made in other parts of Laos. Silk scarf in every colour imaginable, from 320,000 kip. (Ban Vat Nong, beside L’Elephant Restaurant; T: (0)71 212 597; http://ockpoptok.com)

Where you might expect modern industry and suburban living to dominate, the old ways of central Thai life quietly endure. Reachable as day trips from Bangkok, many attractions can also be found amid the orchards, canals and villages that stretch just beyond the urban sprawl. In our opinion, a taste of the slow pace of life is what makes these short-lived adventures most worthwhile. Gradually, we've filled in the relatively new "day trips" section of Travelfish's Bangkok attractions guide with some of our favourites, most of which rarely make it on to travellers' itineraries. For those willing to stray from the predictable historical sites, shopping malls and party streets, greater Bangkok and a little beyond has a lot more to offer than you might imagine.

Some might wonder why we left Damnoen Saduak and Ayutthaya off this list, but in our opinion, neither make great day trips. The floating market at Damnoen Saduak is extremely touristy (there are better floating markets to visit) and we feel that a single day just doesn't do Ayutthaya's historical park justice. Go for one of these lesser-known options instead.

... Like roadside mangoes, for starters.

Bang Kachao
Covering a section of Phra Phradaeng that's been cut off from the rest of the city by an oxbow in the Chao Phraya River, Bang Kachao looks like a teardrop of green amid a sea of concrete when seen from above. Many people who live in Bangkok for years remain totally unaware of this low-key agricultural community within a 20-minute walk and two-minute ferry hop of Sukhumvit Road.

Bang Kachao: No honking.

While Bang Nam Phueng weekend market is the biggest attraction, cyclists will be psyched by a network of raised bicycle lanes that crisscross the canals and coconut orchards. Traditionally home to Mon people who emigrated here centuries ago, nearby Phra Phradaeng town has a healthy food scene to go with a park that once served as a defensive garrison.

Directions on how to reach Bang Kachao and where to rent bicycles can be found on the Phra Phradaeng transport page. Those looking for a quiet overnight getaway have a few accommodation options to pick from, including one of Thailand's best eco-resorts.

Samut Songkhram
Some 70 kilometres southwest of Bangkok, Samut Songkhram is the smallest province in Thailand in terms of area -- and it hosts the highest number of temples. Anchored by the Mae Khlong River, this a place of fishing, bountiful agriculture and the slow-paced lifestyle that goes with it. Look no further if you're keen to witness Thailand's old-style boat culture, still alive and rowing.

De-shelling crabs near Don Hoi Lort.

The colourful provincial capital is worth a stop for its train market, which spills on to a working railway track, while an eye-popping seafood market buzzes away on weekends at nearby Don Hoi Lort. Amphawa is the province's biggest draw thanks to its weekend floating market and century-old wooden houses, many of which serve as homestays, lining the canal. For something quieter, head up to Bang Noi or Tha Kha.

For info on how to approach Samut Songkhram, check out our in-depth day trip listing and Amphawa destination guide.

Nakhon Pathom
Best known for its enormous chedi, travellers usually only see Nakhon Pathom province through the window of a bus or train headed to Kanchanaburi. Those seeking a more offbeat experience would do well to hop off and climb around the chedi before moving on to the town's very own royal palace and, if you're really adventurous, several other intriguing spots in the vicinity of Nakhon Chai Si.

Nakhon Pathom: Look beyond the chedi.

We were entranced while munching on sam-o salad in Tha Na Market, soaking up the country atmosphere in Lam Phaya, stumbling on a Delorean at the curiously placed Jesada Vintage Car Museum, and wandering amid a thousand different types of orchids at Air Orchid Farm. You'll also find ancient temples and mystical tattoo-artist-monks amid the expansive rice fields and lotus ponds.

The province could be divided up into two or even three day trips, or you could settle into one of the basic hotels in the provincial capital. Check the Nakhon Pathom destination guide and Nakhon Chai Si listing for logistics.

Samut Sakhon
Located where the Tha-Jeen River empties into the Gulf of Thailand, Samut Sakhon continues to support a lifestyle of fishing and agriculture within a short drive of Bangkok. A cruise along the back roads takes you past orchards bearing papaya, mango, chilli, lime, lychee and more. You might pass one of the province's signature "floating vineyards", or head towards the sea for a taste of handmade shrimp paste.

Harvesting grapes in Samut Sakhon province.

While we highly recommend a drive through the countryside if possible, the easiest and cheapest way to hit Samut Sakhon is with a day trip to Mahachai. Home to one of Thailand's largest wholesale seafood markets, you'll also find a community of artisans who've been crafting Benjarong pottery for over a century. Take the ferry across the river for a glimpse of Tha Chaloem's Chinese shrines, samlors and shophouses.

Though minibuses run frequently from Victory Monument, the best way to hit Samut Sakhon is with a train ride on the old Mahachai line.

Chachoengsao
Stretching out to the east of Bangkok, Chachoengsao province's small but animated capital is clustered along the banks of the Bang Pakong River. The claim to fame is Luang Por Sothon, an ancient Buddha image that's said to have been found floating miraculously downriver centuries ago. The town's many markets are also known to offer some of the best handmade Thai sweets in Thailand.

Made to order in Bang Khla.

While Chachoengsao town provides a glimpse of non-touristy Thailand, we also recommend heading further east to the country village of Bang Khla. Here you'll find a weekend floating market featuring the area's famous sweet yellow mangoes among a bounty of food. For a more historic market experience, make a stop at century-old Khlong Suan on your way back to Bangkok.

Buses and minibuses run regularly to Chachoengsao from Ekkamai (eastern) station and Victory Monument, and taxis can be arranged to take you here on a day trip.

Samut Prakan
The few travellers who know Samut Prakan by name tend to view it merely as "South Bangkok", but locals take much pride in land that once served as a key protectorate of the capital -- even if their defenses failed to hold back French forces in the late 1800s. More industrialised and with less agriculture than the other two "Samut" provinces, the "fortress province" still has plenty to offer.

Not-so-shabby sunset off the coast of Samut Prakan.

Two major cultural attractions -- Erawan Museum and Ancient Siam -- can be reached by bus or taxi from anywhere on Sukhumvit Road and together make for a full-day trip by themselves. While Erawan's gargantuan three-headed elephant should not be missed, we'd pass on Ancient Siam and instead drop by the riverside town of Pak Nam for a large seafood market and ferry ride to Phra Samut Chedi, the provincial symbol.

If you're here in September, don't miss the annual lotus throwing festival in nearby Bang Phli.

Ko Kret
Created when a canal was dug centuries ago to shorten the boat voyage to Ayutthaya, the island of Ko Kret is one of the easiest, most popular and best day trips from Bangkok. First settled by Mon refugees in the mid 1700s, the riverine island remains an enclave of Mon culture that attracts both Thai daytrippers and foreign tourists from the big city, just 20 kilometres down the Chao Phraya.

When on Ko Kret, don't miss khao shae.

Chants are still performed in the Mon language in the island's several beautiful temples; traditional Mon pottery crafted in the workshops; and Mon foods sold in a charming weekend market that sets up along the river. Once you've eaten your fill, be sure to rent a push bike for a spin past the old houses, shrines and farms, or hire a longtail boat for a cruise to a nearby canal whose residents are adepts at making rice flour goodies.

Ko Kret can be reached in a number of ways from Bangkok, including by boat. See the attraction listing and the Nonthaburi travel guide for more.

Blue Dragon's Street Outreach team recently took in three homeless boys, one of whom was living in a precarious position under a bridge in an attempt to stay safe. The other two had previously been sexually assaulted. Fortunately the harrowing stories are usually balanced by positive and uplifting news: Blue Dragon kids have done well at school, a child who was living on the street has been re-united with his family. The list goes on.

These stories highlight the amazing work the organisation is doing and why they are so worthy of support. Blue Dragon was started by Australian Michael Brosowski, who moved to Hanoi in 2002 to teach at the National University. Before too long he was also teaching English to a group shoeshine boys and with the help of one of his university students, Chung, this expanded to teaching other skills -- and Blue Dragon was born.

Blue Dragon supports students in rural Bac Ninh.

Before too long, the first Blue Dragon residence was established in Hanoi, a sponsorship programme was launched and the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation was set up in Australia to provide support to the work.

In the 10 years since then, the work of Blue Dragon has grown both in scale and scope. The organisation now has 6?5 staff and supports 1,500 children in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hue, Hoi An and Dien Bien Phu. Its overall aim is to work with children in crisis in Vietnam. This includes working with street kids, children with disabilities, children from rural families living in extreme poverty and victims of human trafficking and slavery.

Summer activities -- kids having fun.

Blue Dragon now provides crisis care, safe shelters, a drop-in centre, nutritious meals, legal advice and other support to children in need, as well as running other activities, such as their long-standing and popular football team and art classes. One story to hit the Blue Dragon press this week was about a 16-year-old boy, Bao, who has become an accomplished DJ through training provided by a volunteer. He recently DJ’d at a dance event and met his idol, DJ Hardwell, at a concert in HCMC.

Anything is possible: Bao and DJ Hardwell.

Its focus on getting kids back into education and helping them access training and apprenticeships -- through partnerships with local businesses -- reaps great rewards. The Stay in School programme works in poverty-stricken northern and central provinces to help prevent children dropping out of school through providing sponsorship and equipment and working closely with schools and authorities. There are countless stories of children graduating from school or university or becoming chefs, mechanics, beauticians or sales people, thanks to Blue Dragon financial support and training programmes.

Blue Dragon supports vocational training.

Another area in which Blue Dragon works tirelessly is in finding and rescuing children who have been kidnapped or falsely lured away from home and sold or taken into the sex trade or slave labour. The anti-trafficking team, working alongside the Vietnamese police and local authorities, rescues them from their desperate situations and returns them to their families.

Blue Dragon reunited trafficked children with their families.

The big story this week is about Blue Dragon working with the Vietnamese police to rescue 14 children from two garment factories in HCMC. They had been taken from their villages in northwest Vietnam with the promise of vocational training but ended up in forced labour for between eight and 24 months. As we write this they are being transported back to their homes and families.

Blue Dragon Michael addressing football kids.

Despite the distressing nature of the circumstances in which these children are living, or have been forced into, the work of Blue Dragon offers more than just a glimmer of hope. One-off or regular donations to Blue Dragon can be made through their website via PayPal or a bank transfer.

Photos courtesy of Blue Dragon Children's Foundation.

For more information:
Blue Dragon Children's Foundation
T: +84 (4) 3717 0544
http://www.bluedragon.org/

Loy Krathong is a time to forgive, forget and literally launch fresh hopes into the universe. Along with the related Yi Peng events up north, the festival is celebrated across Thailand with no shortage of booze and fireworks to accompany candlelit lanterns floating on water and in the sky. Observed on the full moon of the 12th lunar month, 2014's "Festival of Light" falls on and around November 6.

Background
Loy Krathong is rooted in a deep pool of animist beliefs, Theravada Buddhist tradition and early Thai-Lao-Shan history. The most popular legend stars Nang Nopphamat, a beautiful woman thought to have lived during the Sukhothai-era around the 14th century. In a successful attempt to attract King Ramkamhaeng's attention, she crafted a lotus-shaped offering with a candle and intricate fruit carvings, among other colourful bits, and floated it downriver. Hence the krathong was born.

Just how Nopphamat would have done it.

As the story goes, the devoutly Buddhist King was so captivated that he established a holiday to honour the Buddha on a night when rivers and canals swell and moonlight blankets the sky. This is probably a tall tale crafted by King Rama IV in the 1800s, but that hasn't stopped millions of Thais from creating Nopphamat's signature offerings and competing in beauty contests that often bear her name.

Some say the festival is rooted in ancient Hindu ritual, while many feel it honours the magical naga serpents that are so pivotal to countless Southeast Asian legends. An especially popular belief holds that Loy Krathong is a form of devotion to Phra Mae Kongka, the Thai version of Ganga, Hindu goddess of water. In any case, Loy Krathong is clearly associated with water and its purifying power.

Many beautiful moments during Loy Krathong.

Thais view the festival as an opportunity to free themselves of bad luck; to start afresh and establish new hopes and priorities. In this way it's reminiscent of New Year's Eve in the West. Reflecting on mistakes and grudges -- allowing them to float away and be replaced by new hope -- makes Loy Krathong a moving event for many. Also echoing the Western New Year, it's simply an excuse to party for others.

Krathong
The floating offerings known as krathong were traditionally crafted from pieces of banana tree trunks, spider lily plants or coconuts. While all of these remain popular, today they're often made from bread that serves as an offering to the local fishes as well as the river goddess. Some krathong are made from styrofoam, a practice that's frowned on due to the obvious pollution. There's no limit to how expressive a krathong can be.

One rule: they have to be colourful.

The average krathong includes a single candle, incense, flowers and coins -- all offerings to the river goddess, nagas, Buddha and anyone else you care to include. A strand of hair or nail clippings is sometimes added to symbolise a relinquishing of negativity and bad luck. Some krathong are nothing more than a single lotus bud with a candle; others look more like floating wedding cakes.

Krathong can be purchased on the streets in any town or city in Thailand throughout the festival. Before letting it go, Thais typically hold it up to their foreheads while silently making a wish or reciting a prayer. The Thai word loy means "to float," and it's believed that your wish will come true only if the candle stays lit until it disappears out of sight. If it sinks right after leaving your hands, well, better luck next year.

Yi Peng
Rooted in the ancient Lanna kingdom, Yi Peng is celebrated alongside Loy Krathong in Northern Thailand. The term (also spelt yee peng) means "second month" since, according to the Lanna calendar, this is the full moon of the second lunar month. The most eye-catching feature is khom loy, metre-tall paper lanterns -- essentially mini hot-air balloons -- that light up the sky in great numbers during the festival.

Even greater numbers than this!

Also thought to relieve bad luck, Northern Thais offer khom loy to a crystal chedi believed to be situated high above the earth in a heaven realm. Made of (somewhat) fire-resistant paper, the amazingly sturdy crafts often float high into the atmosphere. An annual event just outside of Chiang Mai is known for its simultaneous launch of thousands of khom loy, a spectacular sight that's widely photographed.

Though Yi Peng is traditionally a Northern Thai festival while Loy Krathong derives from Central Thailand, they're now more like two sides of the same coin. Throughout the Kingdom, and on the same nights, krathong fill the rivers, lakes and seas while khom loy dot the sky. It's like being surrounded by Christmas lights -- if the lights were alive and floating in all directions.

Where and when
It comes as no surprise that the presumed birthplace of Loy Krathong, Sukhothai, remains one of the best places to experience it. The festival runs for four days, culminating on November 6 and including an elaborate beauty contest, parade, folk music performances and light and sound shows at Wat Mahathat, one of the area's more magnificent 800-year-old sets of ruins. Sukhothai is not a big city; accommodation reservations are essential.

Wat Mahathat: imagine it bathed in light and music.

Chiang Mai is the go-to venue for Yi Peng, with mass khom loy launchings taking place at the Lanna Dhutanka grounds near Mae Jo University. The free "local" event is scheduled for October 25, while the "international" version is set for November 8. The latter requires tickets costing from 3,000 to 4,500 baht per head. On either day, arrive by late afternoon and expect a lot of Buddhist chants and rituals leading up to the launch.

In Chiang Mai city itself, festivities will run from November 5 to 7, centred at Saphan Nophawat Bridge, which we've heard gets crowded with young firecracker-shooting revellers. For a tamer and more spiritual atmosphere, head to Wat Chai Mongkhol. A parade will begin at Tha Pae Gate on the first night, with beauty pageant contestants carried through the streets. For more info, Chiang Mai Best is a good resource.

Letting one float.

Bangkok greets Loy Krathong with several fireworks displays, temple fairs and an overall raucous atmosphere. Wat Arun and Wat Yannawa are both good options for floating your krathong down the Chao Phraya. Asiatique puts on a large fireworks display to go with live music. Memorial Bridge (aka Saphan Phut) is a fine place to watch the illuminated boats drift past while sending off a khom loy or two. November 6 will be the big night in the Big Mango.

If you can't make it up to Sukhothai, Thailand's other historic royal capital, Ayutthaya, is a decent alternative. Illuminated boats will cruise the trio of rivers that surround this 650-year-old city and its historical park, with cultural performances scheduled in front of the National Museum and Queen Suriyothai Monument on November 6.

Bangkok's Wat Arun, lit up for Loy Krathong.

North of Ayutthaya, the riverside city of Suphanburi is known for an especially festive time that draws next to no foreign tourists. If you think Sukhothai might be too played out, nearby Tak has its own take that includes the launching of 1,000 krathong simultaneously on the Ping River, planned for the night of November 6.

Closer to Bangkok, the historic town of Amphawa holds its own unique version, complete with large-scale folk theatre performances next to the Mae Khlong River. If you're down in Southern Thailand, Phuket's west coast beaches and Nai Harn Lake will be aglow with krathong on November 6 and 7, with lively local parties at Saphan Hin and Suan Luang parks.

Loy Krathong is celebrated in some way practically anywhere there's a body of water in the Kingdom, from the Mekong River towns in upcountry Northeast Thailand to the islands that dot the Andaman Sea. If you happen to be in Laos, check out the related festival of Loy Kathung.