Being a tax-free zone for all goods except alcohol and tobacco has long made Hong Kong an attractive shopping destination. To make it even more seductive to people seeking serious retail therapy, shops have traditionally banded together to offer two mega-sales periods per year: from New Year to Chinese New Year, and throughout summer. And…
Read moreGetaways from Bangkok: Hoi An
Historic Hoi An, one of Vietnam’s most charming cities, has been a viable short-term holiday destination for Bangkokians since October 1999, when THAI began flying to central Vietnam’s Danang. Previously accessible only to backpackers with more time on their hands, Hoi An is attracting increasing numbers of international travellers – and with its history, shopping…
Read moreEmployees’ market for good web programmers
Not only is the Internet changing the way we live, it’s opening up a whole range of new careers to consider. One career that’s recently evolved into an option for web lovers is that of the web programmer: the person who actually writes the languages behind the pages you look at on the web. Demand…
Read moreChile stakes its claim to variety in value-for-money wines
Chilean wines are readily available on the Thai market – they really boomed here about four years ago – and many still represent excellent value for money in a market where the total overall tax is now nearly 400 per cent. Bangkok Fine Wine’s Jonathan Glonek says, "For about 400 baht or under in Bangkok…
Read moreDiscount packages bring Australia closer
According to the Australian Tourist Commission, increasing numbers of Thais are heading to Australia for holidays – in 2000, 74,000 made a trip there, a nearly 20 per cent increase on the year before. The reasons? Thongchai Wibulsaksakul, country manager of the ATC in Thailand, says Australia is proving popular because it’s the closest Western…
Read moreSmall country, ambitious wines
The New Zealand wine industry took its first steps back in 1819, but has grown most dramatically over the past decade. Last year the New World country’s wine-makers sold NZ$168.8 million worth of wine to the world, a nearly tenfold increase on the 1990 figure of $18.4 million. And although not much of it is…
Read moreHoneymoons in Thailand
With a weakening baht, newlyweds watching their cash would do well to recover from their wedding – and celebrate their new life together – by choosing a honeymoon destination in Thailand. There are plenty of great choices, so whether you’re a sunny beach lover or are fond of forested mountains, you don’t need to spend…
Read moreRead a good book lately?
In an age where getting things done quickly is important and being entertained at the touch of a button is de rigeuer, it’s far too easy to forget the simple pleasure of reading a good book. Can’t afford the latest releases? Try a library. There are plenty of well-stocked libraries in Bangkok, and most aren’t…
Read moreA mad time for Mamee
It’s a hectic time for Naphakpapha "Mamee" Nakprasit. Still reeling from the recognition that her role in Mae Bia has brought, the 20 year-old actress has just finished her second film, Butterfly Man, and is about to head to the US to shoot her second TV drama. In fact, Mamee needs to call several times…
Read moreSaving a precious resource
"It’s an emergency. There’s a real crisis with our watersheds," Mr Marlo D Mendoza warned the press after accepting an Asian Water Management Excellence Award on behalf of Bantay Kalikasan, the environmental arm of the Philippines’ ABS-CBN Foundation. "In a few more years, those provinces now developing quickly will want to use the water supplies…
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