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SHOULD YOU TRAVEL TO MYANMAR? We are sometimes asked by our customers whether it is right for them to go to Myanmar. Our answer is that there is plenty of room for principled disagreement on the better way to effect regime change there. There are some who argue that it is wrong to visit Myanmar because this might be interpreted as support for the Government and indifference at the fate of the leader of the non-violent resistance, Aung San Suu Kyi. There are others who argue that the better way to support the people is to trade with Myanmar and travel there, opening up the economy, increasing exposure to outside influence and eventually effecting political change. On balance, and not only for commercial reasons, we are on the side of engagement. It has been our experience that the people themselves in Myanmar are overwhelmingly in favor of foreigners traveling there because, they say, it offers them some chance of digging themselves out of hardship and poverty. We have asked Burmese in all walks of life and can report that we have never heard a word in favor of isolation. One young man asked us: "Why should I suffer in poverty for your human rights principles?" It is important to mention that Purple Dragon only uses non-government airlines, hotels, tour operators and guides in Myanmar. When our guests visit, the people benefit, not the military regime. We believe that prospective visitors should seek to inform themselves about Myanmar's political situation, and arrive at their own educated decision as to whether they should visit or not. Readers of America's glossy
magazine Travel And Leisure have voted Bangkok as #3 in their eighth annual
"World's Best" awards. Sydney and Florence beat Bangkok narrowly, However,
Bangkok fared better than Rome, Cape Town, New York, San Francisco, Venice,
Istanbul and Sante Fe. Bangkok scored highest as Asia's #1 city. Forget the
traffic and pollution. Bangkok is simply one of the most exciting cities in the
world. Among all of our friends who receive this newsletter, we have counted
only thirty-six people (you know who you are) who have never been here. We hope
this is the finally the year you visit us. As for the rest of you who love the
food, the shopping and the fun, we are always happy to see you back.
Coming Up
Thailand's incredibly popular Pride celebrations are not very far away. Last year's parade in Bangkok
attracted 350,000 people, according to the metropolitan police. If you are considering a visit to the
City of Angels, there is no better time than November. Bangkok Pride 2003 begins
on Sunday, November 9 with the third annual "Pride in the Park" festival in Lumpini park. Events during the week that follows include our fourth annual
Utopia Awards on Friday the 14th and Gay Festival Dinner Cruise on Saturday the
15th. The parade takes place on Sunday the 16th. Pattaya's annual gay festival
bash is on World AIDS Day, December 1. Hotels and events sell out completely.
Please plan ahead. If you can not join us in November, we hope you will consider
coming for Phuket's fourth annual Gay Festival in February.
New on the Purple Dragon Website
Many guests have told us that they'd enjoy some soft adventure activities while on holiday. Take a peek at
our new Lost City Bike Ride on the outskirts of Chiang Mai -- an easy-going half
day exploration of a local village that sits atop an ancient forgotten metropolis. You can even climb aboard
an elephant ride to view some of the ruins. Small temples, rural farm fields, and red brick ruins make for
fascinating exploration.
Two more good reasons to tie the knot! Celebrate your love with a traditional
Chiang Mai Wedding especially designed for gay or lesbian couples, or just lifelong friends who want to
commemorate their devotion. Exotic floral offerings, live dance and music, ancient incantations,
Next time you're in Thailand, why not explore Chiang Rai & the North?
Just a few hours drive from Chiang Mai and you're in big sky country, the clean, green and serene plains and
mountains that border Burma and Laos. Drive up into the tea plantations of colorful hill tribe farmers, or
along the mighty Mekong River where all three countries intersect at the picturesque Golden Triangle. There's
even a bit of gay nightlife, upcountry style. Our 2-day package is an easy add-on to any Chiang Mai holiday,
or fly directly from Bangkok.
Also new is our Chiang Mai Tales day trip to visit some of this
charming old city's historic temples, neighborhoods, museums and even a boat ride on the Ping River.
Tidbits to Savor
Our occasional postcards are a big hit with almost all of our friends. We have
made it a little easier for you to see our entire series of postcards from
throughout Southeast Asia and to share them with your friends. Just go to
www.clubsanook.com/postcards
If you are a Purple Dragon fan and want to recommend us to your
friends, we have an easy new way to introduce them to our special way to enjoy visiting
Southeast Asia. Our new "Refer A Friend" page helps
you send a brief introduction to Purple Dragon and Club Sanook to as many friends
as you like. You get a copy by email. Your friends' email addresses are never
recorded or kept.
September and October Holidays and Festivals
Photo of the Month
Wasn't it Mae West who
wiggled her hips seductively and said "I like you so much I baked a cake?"
If you are not yet a member of Club Sanook you can join free! Member privileges include access our virtual "VIP lounge", specially-priced packages not on our "public" website, and access to our
library of "before you go" information. Club Sanook Members will earn points on
Purple Dragon travel to redeem for future discounts and freebies!
Current specials include free nights
and hotel upgrades in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Bali, Saigon, Hanoi and
Angkor Wat.
It takes 90 seconds to join. Just click here.
Parting Thought: Don't Look For Us in the Obituaries Yet
It was Mark Twain who first said "Reports of my death have been greatly
exaggerated." Please hold the flowers and the tears, because Purple Dragon is
doing just fine, thank you. SARS and the "war" were pretty bad for tourism in
Southeast Asia for several months this year. Big tour companies here sent up to 75%
of their employees home without pay. Some European tour companies pulled out
completely. Flights were empty and there was no problem
getting a table in any of Bangkok's finest restaurants. Thanks to good
planning and loyal customers, we have survived better than most. Our entire staff is
still intact (we did not lay off a single person during the "dark months") and
we are looking forward to the busy season ahead. During our quiet moments we took time
to fine tune some of our operations, catch up with in-house training, add new
packages, and communicate with friends like you more often. We hope you have
enjoyed the more frequent newsletters and postcards during the past several
months. Thanks for keeping us in your minds and hearts. We plan to be here for
a long time.
About This Newsletter
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a former guest, because you have asked for information about our company,
or because you have registered as a Club Sanook Member. Our list is very
private. We do not share it with anyone. However, If you do not wish to receive
future email from us, we will remove you promptly at your request. However,
points you may have accrued in our Club Sanook program will be lost.
Click Here to read previous issues of this newsletter.
Copyright © 2001-2003, Spice Trade Travel Limited. All rights reserved.
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Bangkok Takes a Bow
and a
fantastic feast. Or, consider a 
