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The newsletter of
PurpleDragon Ltd's private travel club. August 2015 Contact us: [email protected] To receive this free newsletter in the future subscribe here if you are not already a Member. |
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The Softening Baht
Since Purple Dragon quotes prices in dollars, pounds, and Euros in addition to baht, we have to pay close attention to currency exchange trends. In July of 2013 the baht was trading at 31 to to the dollar. During the last week of July 2015, it finally passed 35, a six year low. It is not yet clear what is behind this steady descent, but the good news for those who spend US dollars is that prices (which have not increased significantly in the last year and a half) are lower in Thailand than they have been in a very long time. So if you are in the mood for great pad Thai, a massage, a shopping spree, or a few days on the beach, this would be a good time to make your plans.
If you have a passport issued by the UK, Germany, France, Spain or Italy, congratulations! You are now able to enter Vietnam without a visa for up to 15 days. Multiple entry visas for Vietnam were particularly tricky (and expensive) for those who did not realize they needed one if they landed in Saigon, continued to Laos or Cambodia, then returned to Vietnam for their departure flight. Honestly, visas for Vietnam (and Myanmar, and China) are a huge hassle. You can get one on arrival in Laos and Cambodia. (The really only want your money.) We are not sure how India is handling visas this week. It seems to change constantly. Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong are visa-free for most nationals. We hope Vietnam adds more countries to the list and that some countries where Purple Dragon works make it less complicated to go to their country for the purpose of spending money. If you have questions about visas Purple Dragon has a handy page on their website: www.purpledrag.com/visas.htm Wow! A New Thailand Visa Thailand's junta has not produced a lot of brilliant strategies for anything. We learned last week, for example, that youngsters in Bangkok who have piercings and/or visible tattoos would not be allowed in public schools. (Presumably this is because they identify with organized crime and other bad elements in society, which putsDouglas in the "gangster" column. But earlier this week some rocket scientist at the Tourism Authority of Thailand came up with a brilliant idea to stimulate tourism: A six month multiple entry visa. Over six months you can come and go as often as you--or not go at all. The cost is THB5,000 (US$142/130 Euyros/GBP92/AU$192). You will be able to get this new visa in October.
You might have seen the delicious cruises between Saigon and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) on PurpleDragon's website. We can offer Club Sanook Members very special prices during August. You can sail on the Jayavarman from Saigon on August 8 or 22, or from Siem Reap on August 15 or 29. Superior single or double cabins are just $1,860. Special rates on the Jahan apply to sailings from Siem Reap on August 15 and 29 and from Siem Reap on August 22. Superior Cabins are $2,340. You can upgrade to a better cabin (if available) for $60 per night. Prices do not include port taxes, beverages, gratuities or visa fees. Prepayment is required to confirm your cabin, no amendments or cancellations are allowed, and space is subject to availability. This is a great deal on two beautiful ships. Operators are standing by. Honestly, it is a pretty big deal when Douglas gets around to blogging. With the political situation in Thailand pretty calm for the time being, he has been concentrating on other things. In February he wrote about his ten day adventure in Bhutan, which you will find very entertaining if you have not read it already. Just days ago he wrote about his "month with Bhutan Boy." It's a very sweet story about his special friendship with a charming and handsome tour guide. You'll surely want to read it here. We have books about Bhutan in our book shop. Click the image on the right to see them. Winds of Change in Myanmar
We have been pleased to see Myanmar recover from the isolation it suffered for years at the hands of people who thought traveling there was a sin. For almost a decade Purple Dragon got hate mail from well-intentioned folks (most of whom listened to The Burma Campaign) who tried to convince us to stop sending our customers there. Douglas often said that he "got so many that we could have papered a wall with them." The stampede following the country's return to something like democracy is slowing as the tourism industry there begins to improve
In a past newsletter we asked the question: "Can Starbucks and KFC be far behind?" That was very a prophetic question indeed, and now there is an answer. People lined up for hours last month to dine at the country's first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Yangon. KFC followed Starbucks, which opened its first store in Yangon earlier this year. We have also learned that 7-Eleven has plans to enter Myanmar in a big way and MacDonald's has set up a Facebook page that may be hinting at its plans. A gay hotelier we know has hinted about opening a property in Mandalay So what does all this mean? Cultures change constantly and much of Asia has become homogenized. Bangkok has traffic jams, crime, fast food, super highways and about a third of the people speak English. Or was that Los Angeles? I forget. Anyway, Myanmar has always been a country with a vibrant and mostly-unspoiled culture that still has deep roots in tradition, and the past. But things are changing. And if you are after an authentic experience, don't wait to go there until it has changed too much unless you can't stand to go places where you can't get a burger and fries. If you are interested in a Myanmar visit we recommend planning at least six months in advance (nine for December and January). The average stay for a first-time visit is one week and includes Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake. If you are curious about what Purple Dragon offers, check it out: www.purpledrag.com/myanmar/ Like to Save $$$? 2015 High Season and 2016 Low Season Gift Certificates Available Now
For the sixth year in a row we are offering Club Sanook Members an easy way to save on future travel, even if they are not sure where or when they will travel. You can buy gift certificates in denominations of $1,000 to $10,000 at a discount. You can use them during October 2015 through March 2016. You do not have to use Purple Dragon's gift certificates as gifts--you can use them yourself to take up to 16% off (or 18% if you pay by bank transfer) anything Purple Dragon offers except for airfares, India, Bhutan or Nepal. You can begin making your plans whenever you like, as far in advance as you like. You can even pay for a portion of the cost by redeeming points you have already earned. To learn more see our Member Specials page. We have extended the deadline for purchases of Gift Certificates to be used during high season 2015 to 30 August 2015. Justice At Last. Maybe.
New in Bangkok: Two Hotels & and the Return of Your Youth At last Purple Dragon has broken its "We'll Never Do That" rule by adding a Holiday Inn and one in the Sukhumvit area to its collection of Bangkok hotels:
Attention people who need a little freshening-up, we have also found a great new clinic that provides all kinds of outpatient aesthetic procedures, including Botox, fillers, laser procedures, and Thermage and other well-known "lunch time facelift" procedures. They also have one of the best deals on thread lifts. For just 40,000 baht you get up to 70 threads plus free Botox. What a deal! There is a lot of competition among clinics in Bangkok. We like this one because their injectable products are 100% real. Some clinics use counterfeit products from China, so you cannot be confident about what is being injected into your face. If you would like to make an appointment for an evaluation,email Douglas. He knows all about this stuff and will take good care of you. He also had a very bad experience with fake Thermage, so he wants to see you in the right hands.
Dream Hotel Bangkok, our new low-cost hotel option, is located on a leafy block not far from Sukhumvit Road on soi 15. It is "boutique in style, not in size," and occupies two buildings. Rooms are fresh, contemporary, and enhanced with blue light therapy from beneath the beds that makes you feel like your bed is floating on a cloud. You will get things at Dream Bangkok that you would expect in more expensive hotels, like large flat-screen TVs. They have a swimming pool, restaurants, a bar/night club, and free shuttle transportation to the nearby Terminal One mall and its adjacent Skytrain station. Skytrain makes Sukhumvit a practical option for those who enjoy nightlife but don't want to be in a congested, noisy environment. Give the World Travel Awards a Piece of Your Mind
We are not 100% sure (actually, we are not even 39% sure) who is behind the World Travel Awards, but they have been at it since 1993 and they have gala awards ceremonies at which people wear gowns and tuxedoes. A dazzling number of hotels, airlines, and tour companies have been nominated for the 2015 awards.
Share This Newsletter With a Friend No "footprint" this month. But if you enjoy reading this newsletter and have friends who might enjoy it as well, please share. We have made it easy by semi-automating the process. Just click here to send an email. (We will not receive a copy.) The Final Word A certain someone at Purple Dragon, who shall remain nameless, lays in bed reading the news for about two hours beginning around 05:00 every morning. About half of that time is spend with the New York Times, probably the world's finest and most respected newspaper. Their mobile app also includes short videos on news topics, cooking, mobile apps, fashion, cars and travel. He was recently tickled to see a "36 Hours in Siem Reap" video about the town where he spends a lot of time. It even including interviews with two of his friends there at Phare Cambodian Circus. He hopes you will take three minutes to enjoy the video yourself HERE. And finally, this hilarious video from Thailand (with English subtitles): "Gay husbands are a golden treasure." Are there any real females in this one? Have fun and thanks for reading.
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