In this week’s Video Spotlight feature, Joerg Daiber makes use of ’tilt shift’ photography to bring a completely unique perspective to what would otherwise be familiar scenes filmed in some of Thailand‘s most popular destinations.

The careful manipulation of scale, blur and time creates an effect that tricks the eye. Scenes take on a miniature quality – buildings look like models and pedestrians become stick figures.

The title – Toy Thailand – is apt, not just because of the feeling of reduced size, but also as a result of the way things move. The sped-up movements resemble clockwork unwinding – a slightly jerky feeling that adds to the overall dream-like effect.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that short films like this that add clever twists show us a new way of looking at the world. It’s fun and entertaining, but it also helps to keep things in perspective – no pun intended.

“Almost there!” he bellows down the trail at us. He’s smiling and doesn’t seem at all winded by the last few hours of trudging through thick vegetation and brush, during which he expertly pointed out a slithering snake, sweet-smelling lemongrass and a weird, edible nut. The trail we’ve been following – when there has actually been sign of a trail – has recently grown wider into a dirt road, hopefully an indication we’re almost to the top of the mountain and the local village where we will spend the night.

A group of 12 trekkers marches toward a hill-tribe village in northern Thailand. Photo courtesy of Gina Douglas

I hear a low rumbling noise that gets louder and louder until a motorcycle comes roaring up the trail carrying two Thai boys who look about 15. They weave around me and stop when they get to Ti, who greets them joyfully. After a minute, the motorcycle takes off again and I notice bags of what looks like groceries strapped to its back.

“Think that’s our dinner?” jokes my fiancé, who has joined me on this adventure.

“The villagers drive motorcycles up and down the mountain?” is my surprised response. I’m aware they need to get around; I just assumed it was rare and via foot or animal. I’m more curious than ever to see this mountain-top village. We round a few more bends and arrive.

The village is more massive than I expected. Faded wood huts with thatched roofs, most on stilts, dot the landscape. As I walk around I notice a cluster of animals; puppies, pigs, chickens and roosters all abuzz amongst the overgrown grass and dirt paths winding between the huts. Joining them are a dozen young children, running around laughing, the setting sun dancing off their eyes as it creates a hazy glow over the mountains in the distance.

With glowing mountain views like this one, a northern Thailand trekking experience can seem staged for tourists. But the wild landscapes were here long before the treks. Photo courtesy of Gina Douglas

The children are barefoot, but look well fed and dressed. Another motorcycle whizzes by and the children chase it, giggling. It stops next to an empty lot where a low-slung volleyball net is strung and teenage boys, their western-looking clothes rustling lightly in the low breeze, are hitting a soccer ball over it with their feet. I wonder if they’re wearing hand-me-downs from visitors or if the money from tours actually covers the costs of such clothes.

I look around at the motorcycles, the well-dressed children and the minimalist huts and find myself wondering if it’s all an act. Do they head back down the mountain after we’re all asleep? Is this just a well-produced illusion for tourists? Then I notice a woman hanging up laundry and I pass what looks like a bare-bones general store. This definitely is a lived-in – and by all appearances happy – village.

Later, after the sun has set and a chill sets in, Ti regales us with stories. We’re huddled around a blazing bonfire adjacent to a long room we trekkers will be sleeping in. The bonfire is the only heat we’re going to have the luxury of experiencing tonight.

21st-century transport is set against a traditional wood hut, reminding us that this is a very real village and not a tourist display. Photo courtesy of Gina Douglas

A local woman, dressed in a long gold and red robe, enters our bonfire circle from the darkness beyond the hut (there is no electricity here). I look at her in surprise. Her outfit is so different from the ones I saw on the playing children and teenagers earlier this evening. She murmurs something in Ti’s ear and he nods before turning to us.

“Anyone want a Thai massage?” he asks. “200 baht,” which is roughly US$6.50.

My fiancé and I – and six other trekkers – excitedly raise our hands.

We head into the long room and climb onto our mosquito net–covered cots. Teenage girls, also dressed in robes, join us and begin massaging us over our clothing. It was relaxing, although these girls aren’t anywhere close to being professional masseuses. It’s just another useful (and clever) way for them to make some money through tourism.

Trekking in northern Thailand is a great way to enjoy the local environment's natural wonders while benefitting local villages along the way. Photo courtesy of Gina Douglas

As we leave the village the next morning, passing by a one-room schoolhouse, it is clear this is every bit an authentic mountaintop village – just not exactly what I expected. The villagers appear to have found a way to embrace the 21st century and make a living without having to leave their serene home up here where the air is crisp. From the trekkers they get what is most likely much-needed income and, in turn, trekkers such as myself get to share their beautiful mountains and home. The community’s peaceful existence is maintained through this low-impact form of village tourism, preserving the beauty of the river- and waterfall-filled environment, the habitat of wildlife such as the elephants I see along the way.

As I set off back down the mountain to where an afternoon of whitewater thrills on bamboo rafts awaits us, rows of bright green mountains fill the distance for miles and local children’s laughter follows me down the trail. To me, visiting this community is a remarkable experience, unlike any I’ve ever had. I hope it has helped to protect the little village and the majesty of its surroundings.

To experience overnight treks to the hill-tribe villages of northern Thailand, contact the whl.travel local connection in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Ang Thong National Marine Park, 31 kilometres northwest of Koh Samui in southern Thailand, spans an area of 102 km². This includes 42 lush, mountainous islands harbouring wildlife, emerald lakes, deserted beaches and all sorts of nooks, crannies and caves that can seize the imagination. Famously, Ang Thong was Alex Garland’s inspiration for his novel The Beach (now infamously known as the book that became that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio).

Low tide at Ang Thong unlocks secret passageways and kayaking gives you the freedom to explore them. As water levels drop, entrances into the seemingly impenetrable fortress are revealed. One arch is so low that I have to lie down in my kayak and blindly slip into the darkness, propelled by my hands moving along the rock. Suddenly the space opens up. Sunlight faintly trickles in from a small hole. I blink and let my eyes adjust. I’m in some sort of chamber and above me I spy a narrow tunnel that leads upwards, its terminus not visible.

Where does it go? I wonder, letting the fantasy of a hidden paradise blossom in my mind. I’m content to leave this question unanswered; often times the mystery is more satisfying than the reality.

When I look at this photo I get a taste of what I experienced kayaking in Ang Thong. ‘The sublime’ is to feel our smallness in the natural world, to feel overwhelmed by its power and greatness. In turn, this feeling of wonder and humility grants us a connection to that world.

And through this photo I also relive the joy of kayaking – I remember the childlike excitement of everyone getting out onto the water, the first few nervous strokes and wobbles, how people playfully splashed each other before setting off like a paddling of ducks, the bright bellies of the kayaks gliding through the crest and dip of every wave.

There are lessons to be learned from time-lapse photography about the beauty of slow travel. Park yourself somewhere and stay awhile. Be still. Go for long exposure. Reconsider time, stretch it, condense it and watch its flow. Leave a place with a long time-lapse memory of it rather than a handful of sporadic snapshot seconds.

We’ve asked our local partners from all over the world for time-lapse footage that moves them. In these long-exposure windows to the world, you can see what slow travel and time-lapse cameras reveal – both the constants and flux of a place over time.

Three Suns – Tatlong Araw, Philippines

“The new Philippine tourism tagline ‘It’s more fun in the Philippines’ could be applied to our sunsets – ‘Sunsets are more fun in the Philippines’ – as almost all of the time-lapse videos on YouTube feature our amazing sunset skylines. The first section of this video features White Beach in Boracay, which is consistently voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world. The time lapse captures the relaxed pace of visitors to the island.”
~ Trudy Allen, the whl.travel local connection in Boracay, Philippines

Time Lapse in Barcelona, Spain

“This time-lapse montage of Barcelona covers both the major must-sees and hidden street scenes of Barcelona. It shows the flow of pedestrian traffic and the light that breathes itself into the city at nightfall. One detail that time lapse exposes is the way people pause in front of Barcelona’s greatest works of art.”
~ Christian Petzold, of www.bcn.travel, the whl.travel local connection in Barcelona, Spain

October in Luang Prabang, Laos

“It’s often said that Laos is 20-30 years behind the rest of Southeast Asia and that Luang Prabang is a place stuck in time. This time-lapse video captures the graceful timelessness of the UNESCO World Heritage town, the ebb and flow of the Mekong River and the stoic mountains that surround it.”
~ Cindy Fan of Teamworkz, the whl.travel local connection in Luang Prabang, Laos

Last 2011 Sunrise over Dingli, Malta

“In the Dingli Cliffs on the west coast of Malta, the quietness and peacefulness of the rural area is reflected perfectly in this lovely sunrise. Outside the busy commercial centres like Valletta and St. Julian’s, life in the rural parts of Malta (like Dingli) runs at a slower pace. The slow, deliberate rhythm of the locals creates a sense of contentedness and harmony.”
~ Marco Attard of EC Meetings, the whl.travel local connection in Malta

Time Lapse of Phnom Penh City, Cambodia

“As the video creator describes, ‘Phnom Penh is a city moving into the 21st century at an astonishing rate…. Where the west had decades for society to progress in parallel with technology, Cambodian people are trying to squeeze that progression into just a few years. This video represents the pace at which this city is changing.’

Even when slowed down, through the video you’ll experience how chaotic Phnom Penh is. Watch for the scenes of traffic at night and from the back of a tuk-tuk. It’ll give you a taste of how exciting driving through the city is.”
~ Cindy Fan of Teamworkz, the whl.travel local connection in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Karuskose of Soomaa, Estonia

“This is Soomaa, Estonia, during the ‘Fifth Season’ of April, as captured over the course of an entire month from a webcam at our base camp at Karuskose.”
~ Aivar Ruukel, a Gunyah local partner in Soomaa, Estonia

Time Lapse in Hanoi, Vietnam

This is a fascinating portrayal of traffic and street life in Hanoi, Vietnam. “Slow travel is all about local immersion, and there is no better way to immerse yourself than buying or renting a motorbike and getting out there with the locals on the streets of Hanoi.”
~ Luke Ford, CEO of Gunyah, in Hanoi, Vietnam

Corcovado – Time Lapse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“Here is a slow-moving capture of the Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This video does a good job demonstrating why this world-famous icon has been named as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.”
~ Luiz Renato Malcher, the whl.travel local connection in Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Dusk-to-Dawn Time Lapse in Bangkok, Thailand

“Bangkok is where East truly meets West, where modern order collides with creative chaos and where, with help from the tropical heat, tradition melts in with the new. The city can only be described as an experience.

There’s an unapologetic exuberance to Bangkok – which is why it can be overwhelming, even for someone who has travelled there before. That’s why these time-lapsed videos are so mesmerising. The city is seemingly unpredictable, but slow it down and you’ll see how Bangkok rhythmically pulses with life and energy, how it moves to its own steady heartbeat.”
~ Cindy Fan of Teamworkz, the whl.travel local connection in Bangkok, Thailand

Time Lapse on Apparition Hill, Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina

“I like this video because it reflects the true highlight of Medjugorje: the pilgrimage to our Shrine of Peace. It shows the feelings of peace of oneness with God while climbing the hills. As you are stepping up the path, you see extraordinary white clouds drawn against the totally blue sky; you feel as if you are not alone. You could sit there for hours. You feel loved and not forgotten, and everything that makes you feel small seems to vanish.”
~ Zana R-Bilal, the whl.travel local partner in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Time Lapse in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

“Here are two different sunset city-scapes in time lapse from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Although the city of Kota Kinabalu moves with the fast pace of modernity, you can find sleepy towns, villages, and coasts that are lost in time just outside the urban area.”
~ Jessica Peters, the whl.travel local partner in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Beira-Mar Time Lapse, Florianópolis, Brazil

“This video reflects a new phase that Florianópolis is going through. Just about three decades ago, although it was already the capital city of Santa Catarina State, Floripa was just an island with bucolic fishing villages sprinkled on the different beaches. Fortunately the island still preserves this aspect of itself, but the city centre of the island is now very cosmopolitan. It matches the rhythm of any major Brazilian capital city. My favourite part of the video is how the beauty of the nature, the ocean, the small boats and the mountains combine with the rush and chaos of the city center.”
~ Renata Asprino, the whl.travel local connection in Florianópolis, Brazil

Time Lapse in Kathmandu, Nepal

“This video was shot locally by a friend and former colleague, Rishikesh. He has won awards like ‘The Best Creative Youth’ at the Crity Awards, Nepal‘s most prestigious award ceremony in the field of advertisement, in 2010. Rishi was a key member of our whl.travel Nepal team until about March 2010.”
~ Navin M. Shrestha, the whl.travel local partner in Nepal

Sunset Time Lapse, Solomon Islands

“A brief and elegant capture of a sunset in Ghizo, Solomon Islands.”
~ Kerrie Kennedy, the whl.travel local connection in Solomon Islands

Istanbul, Turkey, in 7000 Frames

“I liked this piece’s romantic pictures of old Stamboul, but what this video fails to capture is the notion of living in Istanbul! The city has over 16 million inhabitants, which don’t make enough of an appearance here. You have to come and spend some time in the city to feel the reality of that size and pace.”
~ Gerardo Oude Hergelink, Istanbul, Turkey

Cambodian Sun over Siem Reap

“I can’t think of many places that inspire more of a sense of awe than Angkor Wat at sunrise, which is why ‘sunrise at Angkor Wat’ comes up high up on many travellers’ lists of things to do in Siem Reap, Cambodia. There’s a special moment just before the sun breaks and the sky vividly displays the colours of dawn, gradually changing from pitch black through various shades of red, orange, pink and purple.”
~ Thomas Holdo Hansen, the whl.travel local connection in Siam Reap, Cambodia

This footage captures the moment hundreds of lanterns are released into the skies above Chiang Mai, Thailand. The ultra-light paper body fills with hot gas and sends each lantern soaring skyward, the suspended flame propelling its glowing form into the night. As the huge group lifts into the air, the breeze catches the lanterns and carries them peacefully into the night, each light gradually fading to a bright speck, one of many points of light in the evening sky.

The tradition is a major annual event in Chiang Mai as well as in other parts of Thailand. The release of lanterns is part of a festival known as Yi Peng, a holdover from the ancient kingdom of Lanna which used to cover most of what is now Northern Thailand. The ritual has Buddhist origins and the release of lanterns is believed to bring good luck to those who take part.

In addition, the timing of Yi Peng has come to coincide with another major Thai festival – Loi Krathong. The two are now often celebrated simultaneously at the start of November, leading to major celebrations. The festival of Loi Krathong involves the launching of small rafts as an offering. These rafts often contain flames of their own, so both the rivers and skies of Chiang Mai are filled with light during the festivities.

Amidst the hubbub, no matter what you do and where you go, one of the many knots you have to untangle is Bangkok transport, especially taxis: You’ll see a variety of options zipping down the road, including regular-vehicle taxis, motorbike taxis and the iconic tuk-tuks (three-wheeled motor carriages) with their ‘taxi’ signs all lit up.

As a foreigner, you’re sometimes an easy target for tourist price-gouging and other tricks used by shifty drivers. Many just think of you as a dumb tourist and the chances are slim that you’ll be able to convince them otherwise. However, you can arm yourself with some useful information from the local Thai ladies who are the whl.travel local connection in Bangkok. They offer you some little-known truths about tuk-tuks and taxis.

For 'farangs' (foreigners) in Bangkok, Thailand, the tuk-tuk moment of truth is negotiating prices with the driver. Stand your ground! Photo courtesy of flickr/To Uncertainty And Beyond

Car Taxis vs. Tuk-tuks

Local Thai people consider tuk-tuks to be somewhat less dignified than four-wheeled vehicle taxis, the latter with meters to measure distance and price. In a city like Bangkok, locals are only willing to take tuk-tuks for short trips where they know the exact distance to their destination and can calculate a fair price for themselves. The driver and passenger will both bargain hard to agree on a fair rate.

For foreigners, though, tuk-tuks can turn out to be even more expensive than vehicle taxis if you don’t know the going price and stand your ground on negotiations. Tuk-tuk drivers will try to charge fresh tourists 200 Thai baht (about US$6.50) for a distance they would quote 40 baht (US$1.50) to a Thai local.

Tuk-tuks in Bangkok are some of the most expensive in Thailand. This 'luxury' tuk-tuk shuttles its classy clients to and from an upscale condominium complex. Photo courtesy of flickr/Ian Fuller

Commissions and Tourist Traps

Watch out for tuk-tuk drivers who try to take you to their friends’ businesses. They do this in order to receive a commission. They’ll try to drop you at retailers, restaurants, hotels and even ping-pong shows where their buddies have something to sell you. Sometimes it can be worthwhile to just go with it – if you don’t play along, disreputable drivers might leave you somewhere half way to your destination.

Also, take note that the closer you are to a popular tourist attraction, the more a tuk-tuk driver will try to charge you. Walk a few blocks away from the roads adjacent to the major points of interest and that might save you a little on the tuk-tuk price. Watch out for car taxis in these areas, too – they’ll quote you a (very inflated) price and refuse to use their meters.

In the rush-hour traffic of Bangkok, Thailand, tuk-tuks are speedier than their car counterparts, but still not as fast and furious as motorbike taxis. Photo courtesy of flickr/Jody Art

Motorbike Taxis vs. Tuk-tuks

Bangkok tuk-tuks are more expensive than in most other Thai cities, and it may be the case that a car taxi is actually cheaper than a tuk-tuk. But in the thick of afternoon rush-hour traffic, tuk-tuks have the advantage of being able to squeeze through narrower passages and avoid some of the congestion.

Another option is the motorbike taxi, which is even speedier and more agile in heavy traffic than the tuk-tuk. But before you hop on a motor taxi, ask yourself what your mother would think. She’s right on this one – motorcycles are dangerous. Motorbike taxi drivers can be a whole new level of crazy, and you can spot motorbike accidents on a regular basis.

At night in Bangkok, Thailand, you might be lucky enough to find your very own little light show inside your tuk-tuk. Photo courtesy of flickr/victoriapeckham

Tuk-tuks at Night

Tuk-tuk rides at night might cost you even more than they would during the day. Since it’s nighttime, you’re a farang and you may have had a few drinks, drivers try to charge a premium. They’ll also be looking for a way to bring their bar-owner friends some business.

On the bright side, one thing to look forward to is the awesome glow-light décor that some tuk-tuk drivers have installed in their rides. In some cases, the tuk-tuk ride between bars and clubs will be the best light show of the night. It’s like a little rave party on wheels, speeding through the streets of Bangkok.

Four Thai students fill the back of a tuk-tuk to capacity. Two or three more could jump in and 'stuff' it to get more bang for their baht. Photo courtesy of flickr/pulfabio

Try the ‘Tuk-tuk Stuffing’ Trick

Since tuk-tuk taxi drivers have so many tricks up their sleeves, it’s only fair to pass along this little one that local Thai people (especially students) like to pull on tuk-tuks to get the most for their money. Usually, maximum capacity for a tuk-tuk is three or four passengers. If a driver sees that a bigger group wants a ride, he might refuse. So, you pull a bait-and-switch.

Step 1: Most of the group hides somewhere nearby (or acts like unrelated bystanders).
Step 2: Two or three people from the group hail the tuk-tuk and negotiate a price.
Step 3: The negotiators board the tuk-tuk and gesture to their hiding friends.
Step 4: Quickly, everyone jumps on board the tuk-tuk and stuffs themselves into it, using whatever acrobatics are necessary to stay on and hoping the driver also has a sense of humour.

Are you planning a trip to Bangkok, Thailand? Be sure to have the tuk-tuk experience at least once. And contact Teamworkz, the local connection in Thailand, to book an unforgettable trip.

Now imagine if you had a story about actually getting to drive a rickshaw. Yes, today it is possible to get your hands on the steering bar of this ever-popular mode of transport. In which case it’s game over: Your tale wins, hands down.

A good personal rickshaw report is important for two other reasons: First, ‘rickshaw’ is a cool word that’s fun to say. Try it. With conviction this time. Rickshaw. Second, rickshaws come in many varieties and are common transportation in many countries. If you’ve never encountered one, a small part of you hasn’t lived.

Even if you ride one daily, though, there are probably plenty of facts you may not have considered. For instance, the word ‘rickshaw’ is Japanese in origin (jinrickisha means ‘human-powered vehicle’) and refers to two-wheeled carts pulled by a person and often carrying a member of the social elite. Nowadays, the three-wheeled bicycle rickshaw or, more commonly, auto rickshaw has largely replaced the often-outlawed human-powered version. Also, there are many other names by which a rickshaw may be known: tuk-tuk, trishaw, tricycle, bajaj, motortaxi, auto-remorque…

Get ready to tell the best stories about your time as a rickshaw pilot, because we’ve found the top five rickshaws that you are actually allowed to drive.

On a Rickshaw Challenge in India, the first order of business is to decorate your vehicle (and yourselves) and think up a great name for your team. Photo courtesy of Rickshaw Challenge

Rickshaw Challenge in Southern India

Since 2006, the Rickshaw Challenge has been serving up rickshaw driving trips for adventure-seekers in India. The first route was from Chennai to Kanyakumari in southern India, crossing an area of the country somewhat off the trodden tourist trail. Since then, this route has been adapted into the Classic Run, which is one of four routes offered as a Rickshaw Challenge.

Get a group together and start planning an outrageous design for the customisation of the auto rickshaw that you (yes you!) will be driving. There is no limit to the amount of insane creativity and detail that participants put into pimping their rickshaw rides, but matching costumes are certainly recommended. Sign up for the 11-day Classic Run, the nine-day Malabar Rampage, the nine-day Deccan Odyssey or the 14-day Mumbai Xpress. Details about dates and prices are available on the Rickshaw Challenge website.

These two Lanka Challenge contestants are about to embark a raucous 12-day trishaw adventure of a lifetime in Sri Lanka, where their driving and tree-planting skills will be put to the test. Photo courtesy of Large Minority

The Lanka Challenge in Sri Lanka

The wildly successful 2011 Lanka Challenge came to an end earlier this month. Organised by LARGE minority as the first event of its kind in Sri Lanka, this race is as much about teamwork, mastering the trishaw (especially at its eye-watering speeds of 50 kph), dressing up in zany costumes and a race across breathtaking landscapes as it is about giving back and scoring points for the earth. In addition to funds raised for social projects (US$26,000 in 2011), each team faces cultural and ecological challenges along the way, such as planting fruit trees.

Check out the fun facts and amazing memories from 2011 as inspiration to start planning for the 2012. The 12-day ride ride (August 31 to September 11, 2012) is slated to be a bigger deal than ever before.

Cambo Challenge contestants are ready to race to the finish line on their decked-out auto-remorques, the Cambodian version of the motorised rickshaw. Photo courtesy of LARGE Minority

The Cambo Challenge in Southern Cambodia

In Cambodia, an auto rickshaw is called an auto-remorque, a ‘motorcycle-meets-carriage mishmash,’ as described by the people at LARGE minority, the organisation behind the Cambo Challenge adventure trip. What better, awkward, irrational and more absurd way could there be to try your hand at driving an auto-remorque than 11 days and 1,350 kilometres of non-stop rickshaw madness. Keen for a thrill? This year’s event is coming up, from November 6-17, 2011! It’s not too late to join.

As with the other LARGE minority initiatives, the Cambo Challenge is an awesome hybrid of fun and positive-impact travel. In 2011, funds are being raised to support a water-supply pipeline project for the Chambuk Eco-tourism Community. Help them reach their goal of US$20,000.

The Three Tinned Tigers are one of the lucky teams to compete in The Adventurists' famous Rickshaw Run adventures. Photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/MongolRally

The Rickshaw Run in India

From the same people who organise the fantastical Mongol Rally across the ‘stans of Central Asia and the Mototaxi Junket through South America comes perhaps the most well-known three-wheeled adventure out there: the Rickshaw Run in India. The Adventurists have gained such widespread fame and popularity for their extreme transportation trips that landing a spot on a tour takes some doing. They launch three Rickshaw Runs a year, all of which sell out within hours of opening registration.

The Adventurists established the elements of a good drive-your-own-rickshaw adventure as: customised vehicles, ridiculous costumes, big parties and good causes. This fun-loving bunch is also out to save the world. It has a network of charities that each adventure supports and teams that sign up for adventures are asked to raise £500 for their adventure’s Official Charity plus a further £500 for another charity of their choice.

In the highly anticipated Rickshaw Run Southeast Asia, which The Adventurists will be premiering this October 16, there will surely be the usual mix of tattooed tuk-tuks, parties, chaos, confusion, costumes, crises and top-shelf fun. Photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/MongolRally

The Rickshaw Run in Southeast Asia

The Adventurists describe their newest rickshaw tour through Southeast Asia as “the sweatier, junglier cousin of its Indian namesake.” Starting on October 16, 2011, this ambitious journey will take about two weeks to blaze a trail – by auto-rickshaw, of course – from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Bangkok, Thailand.

In this exclusive first expedition of the Southeast Asian Rickshaw Run, only 30 positions were available. They sold out in under a minute! Even though the number of participants who will make it to the finish line is yet to be seen, the next tour is already scheduled for March of next year and is sure to sell out just as quickly.

Kata also has much more of a village feel to it, with an enjoyable evening atmosphere. Nightlife in the area is fairly low-key, but the bright lights of Patong are only 20 minutes up the coast if you feel like dancing the night away.

The long-tail boat featured here is a super-sized version of what is now becoming a traditional means of water transport in Thailand. Long-tail boats are named for their unusual appearance, with the propeller mounted on a drive shaft that extends several metres beyond the rear of the boat, giving it a ‘long-tailed’ appearance.

It’s a great way to travel from bay to bay around Phuket or to explore the island from a different vantage point. Long-tail boats can be found off most beaches and can be hired by the hour or for tours. Smaller version of these boats ply the canals and waterways throughout Southeast Asia, a common mode of transport.

As the UN’s World Tourism Organization has acknowledged, tourism can play a vital role in promoting cultural understanding, tolerance and respect, which is why the theme “linking cultures” has been chosen for the 2011 World Tourism Day (to be celebrated on September 27). Often, in an area with indigenous populations, or people who are original to the land, one of the greatest assets is traditional culture. Through mindfully operated cultural tours, indigenous groups have something a great deal to offer – and to gain! – from exchanges with tourists.

Here we share a roundup of some of our favourite indigenous culture tours found in the whl.travel network of local tour operators.

In the Embera indigenous communities of Panama, women wear a traditional headpiece of tropical flowers and use corporal paint. Photo courtesy of Panama Tourism Authority

Visit the Embera Indigenous Community of Panama

In a world faced by rapidly paced globalisation, sometimes it becomes necessary to take a moment, close your eyes and just breathe. If you are searching for a place that lends itself to breaths of truly fresh air, a place where you can break from modernity and ‘progress’, you will have much to learn from contact with the traditional Embera indigenous tribes and their playful children. In Panama, the Embera maintain a careful distance from global influences and a deep respect for their environment. They use palm trees and natural fibres as construction material; they wear only simple multicoloured woven cloth garments; they practice corporal painting and have dances for all occasions. Complete with flowers in their hair, they are just as their ancestors before them were.

To start a memorable day with the Embera, your hosts paddle you down a river in a traditional dugout canoe to their community, where the village warmly welcomes you. During your day, you witness traditional dances, feast on typical foods and learn local crafts. A walk through the village and the botanical surroundings further helps you understand the wild diversity of their natural environment. At the end of the day, you leave with tender memories of a remarkable cultural exchange with the indigenous Embera, a uniquely beautiful community.

Two local girls on Malekula Island in Vanuatu greet visitors with shy smiles. Untouched by the forces of globalisation, their curiosity about foreign cultures matches outsider's intrigue about Makekula daily life. Photo courtesy of John Nicholls

Explore the Malekula Island People of Vanuatu

Visitors to the Malekula Island of Vanuatu are always intrigued by the history of cannibalism on the island. The belief system of the island’s indigenous Namba population included cannibalism until about 100 years ago, when the practice became obsolete (on the Malekula). These days, however, among the indigenous Namba, other tribal practices continue to thrive in full colour, such as matting, dancing, face painting and vibrant costumes.

As part of a special seven-day island safari, whl.travel local partners John and Silvana Nicholls include a visit to Malekula and a taste of life with the local Namba people. The tour begins in the capital city of Port Vila and then proceeds to Malekula, where you stay in the locally operated Nawori Seaview Bungalows for three nights. During that time, you follow local guides on excursions to nearby tribal villages and even take a canoe trip to ex-cannibal Rano Island. Another highlight is a visit to the Big Nambas tribe, which is distinct from all other tribes in Vanuatu; their red-dyed textiles are a highly prized and much photographed artifact of indigenous Vanuatu island life.

An Akha woman smiles warmly. The Akha are one of the five main indigenous hill tribes of northern Thailand. Photo courtesy of flickr/AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker

Trekking to the Hilltribes of Northern Thailand

Chiang Mai is the second-largest city in Thailand and part of the Golden Triangle travel loop of Southeast Asia. It is also the gateway for tours of the hilltribes of northern Thailand, fascinating encounters in sharp juxtaposition with the pace of contemporary urban life. On a trip into the lush scenery of rural northern Thailand, you reach the mountainous region near the border of Myanmar and encounter the small communities of several different tribes, like the Lahu, the Karen, the Hmong (or Meo), the Lisu and the Akha, each with its own distinct costumes, language, traditions and livelihoods.

You can arrange a trip to the hilltribes of northern Thailand through Hilltribe Holidays, a tour operator dedicated to exploring areas near Chiang Mai in a respectful, culturally sensitive and sustainable way that creates enriching and mutually beneficial exchanges for everyone. You can take in the scenic mountain passages, waterfalls, breathtaking views and local tribal ways of life. Sharing home-cooked meals and ancient customs with the local communities is one powerful way Hilltribe Holidays creates a safe and constructive context for cross-cultural understanding.

In Venezuela's Canaima Nationnal Park, an indigenous guide of the Pemon tribe leads tourists through the protected area of the park and to the main attraction: Angel Falls. Photo courtesy of flickr/whl.travel

Discover Angel Falls with a Pemon Guide in Canaima Park, Venezuela

As one of the highest waterfalls in the world, Angels Falls is the major attraction at Canaima National Park in Venezuela. The waters of Angels Falls plunge 2,648 feet (807 metres) from top to bottom, inspiring photographers and filmmakers alike with its roar and mists set against lush green forests and glistening gray rock faces. Because of its remote location, though, reaching the famous cataract takes some doing. One travel option is a five-hour upstream trip in a traditional dugout canoe.

If you’re looking to experience Canaima Park beyond a glimpse of Angel Falls, a two-day tour led by an aboriginal Pemon guide takes you deep into the natural wonders and everyday customs of the indigenous populations. (The local language of the Pemon people is Cariban, spoken only by an estimated 15,000 people.) During the tour, the Pemon guide explains the indigenous people’s symbiotic relationship to the land. Over dinner, he shares some of the myths and beliefs of the tribe before you retire to sleep in hammocks under a brilliantly starlit sky and within earshot of the roar of the Angel.

The Bassari people of Senegal practice subsistence farming in their remote villages and celebrate their rites of passage with decoration and fanfare. Photo courtesy of Association ACoSTE

Experiencing the ‘Teranga’ of the Bassari People of Senegal

In Senegal, the Wolof word teranga describes the warm welcome that Senegalese people are known to bestow upon their guests, something the whl.travel local partners in Senegal are determined to share. One way of doing so is to lead you outside the hustle and bustle of the country’s urban areas and head straight into the heart of its local villages, some of which are inhabited by people indigenous to the land.

Tours like the 12-day Great Unknown Senegal or the nine-day trip to Park Niokolo Koba  and the surrounding area take you inside the daily life of several villages in Bassari country near the border with Guinea. The Bassari are subsistence farmers who speak a local language from the Tenda family and adhere to a belief system that is, at its root, animist.

Both tours, run by Réalirêves, the whl.travel local partner in Senegal, spend several days in remote villages outside Niokolo Koba National Park. Lodging is taken in a village encampment and the daily activities focus on time spent with the people. Lucky visitors arrive in time for to witness an initiation ceremony, the most common kind of Bassari celebration. On the way out of the area, the tour passes through a Bedick village, home to another tribe similar to the Bassari.

Long long ago, most tribal groups were nomadic due to a lack of stable food supplies. These ancient itinerant practices exist to this today, especially in places like Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, where 'yurts' or transportable houses are still in use, like those seen below near Tash-Rabat. Photo courtesy of Dostuck-Trekking

To the well-intentioned traveler, though, ‘green’ labels can be a bit vague, a tinted title that has been taken to mean a host of things, not all of them positive. Faced with growing concerns about ‘greenwashing’ and tongue-twisting turns of phrase like ‘sustainable eco nature adventures,’ the average person is left wondering what a green leaf means on hotel pamphlets.

Similarly, tips for ‘green living’ can be found in most magazines nowadays, but not always with clear objectives. Does not washing your towels really make that much of a difference? Is switching off your lights really going to save the planet? What makes green hotels truly ‘green’?

To answer that, we first need to look at what it means to be sustainable.

How Do Things Look Today?

These days, green initiatives are usually taken to mean those where the practice either has a positive or neutral (anything except negative) effect on the natural environment. But while the protection of natural resources is a vital preoccupation, sustainability means a lot more than saving our planet’s trees.

Local and indigenous communities across the planet often suffer in the shadow of hard-impact mass-market tourism. While the proceeds from tourism may, generally speaking, bring in capital and sometimes even increase peace and stability, local people are sometimes hard pressed to see the benefits. The lion’s share of profits are shipped abroad to foreign stakeholders while local people are even frequently overlooked as staff, tour guides or regional experts. Those that do succeed in pushing through any obstacles are usually then not given the opportunity to rise to positions of higher-level (managerial or supervisory) responsibility, roles reserved for foreign nationals.

A favourite activity of many Solomon Islands visitors is a fishing trip guided by local people. With them, one can experience a way of life long forgotten in the modern word. Photo by Kerry Kennedy, courtesy of Flickr/whl.travel

With some bitterness, local people see their cultures bought and sold in front of them, often returned in with no resemblance to the centuries-old traditions that drew in tourists in the first place.

What Is Sustainability?

To me, sustainability is synonymous with responsible economic and social development, even as it is applied to tourism. Clearly there is no catch-all phrase able to determine whether the place in which you are staying deserves the title of being ‘green,’ but sustainability can certainly be measured in terms of an accommodation’s or tour’s effect on the health of the environment, energy consumption, the promotion of local culture and heritage, the distribution of profits, labour force vitality and even the quality and nature of building materials.

The list doesn’t stop there, especially since the notion of sustainability is one that evolves as quickly as new technologies and the circumstances through which they are brought to light.

Nevertheless I’ve tried to compile some basics to help add to a discussion about the definition of sustainable tourism. It is important to remember that each destination is unique and has different sustainability requirements. The following chart should therefore be looked at as a review of general trends in sustainable travel and ecotourism, not as a checklist.

Ecotourism Destinations

With these factors in mind, the question becomes: where to go? The following are some places that have made important strides toward sustainability and cultural immersion without compromising on comfort. Of course, travelling is all about forging your own path outside your daily routine, so always still keep make sure that your choice of accommodation fits your needs as well as those of the host country.

Green in the City
* Near Amsterdam, the Ilma Yoga House is located inside the Gaasperplas Nature Reserve just 20 minutes from the city centre by bicycle. On site you can enjoy host Ilma’s massage and yoga studios. She donates 10 percent of all her proceeds to charity.

* Located in the heart of Buenos Aires, the Eco Pampa Hostel was the city’s first ecologically friendly hostel, a model for others to follow. The managers have paid careful attention to keeping things green, from installing a rainwater tank, low-energy electrical appliances, solar panels and heating, and an organic rooftop garden to using recycled materials in the decoration of all the rooms.

Many city hostels and hotels are embracing the idea of emissions-free travel, whether it be by bicycle, foot, cart or even local animals. Amsterdam is one of the finest examples of this, where bicycles can be found for use at most accommodations. Photo courtesy of the European Centre for Eco Agro Tourism

Local Houses
* What better way to find out what it’s like to live as a nomad than actually to live like one? In Kyrgyzstan, a yurt stay is an increasingly popular way to see the vast undeveloped countryside. Because the camps move with the nomads and essentially leave no trace behind, it’s hard to imagine a way of making less impact.

* Transport yourself to 5th-century Turkey by staying deep inside the surreal cave-and-tunnel systems of the stony Cappadocian countryside. Cave hotels offer unique accommodations repurposed from ancient lodgings designed to support lifestyle without continuous access to water or outside trade. Today’s self-cooling hotel rooms, like those of the Yunak Evleri Cave Hotel, are surprisingly luxurious and full of light thanks to the innovative design of the early Turks.

* Village homestays are an increasingly popular way to directly finance traditional communities instead of parading them as tourist attractions. By living side by side with villagers in, tourists can actually take part in the perfect ecotourism model: natural materials and fibres are used for nearly every edifice and tool, water is sourced from nearby rivers and streams, and opportunities exist for fishing and hunting with locals. The Solomon Islands have some superb village stays, many of which were established in the late 1980s, when the practice boomed.

Luxury Ecolodges
* Run by a local naturalist (who discovered a new species of bird), the Hobatere Lodge in northern Namibia has leased the land around it from a local conservancy that encourages indigenous people and animals to live freely on and directly benefit from the land. Ongoing lodge projects range from the Kunene Lion Project and the Namibian Elephant and Giraffe Trust to the study of the black mongoose. Local Namibians make up 100 percent of the staff, and 80 percent of them have been working there for 10 years or more. A private generator powers the lodge and there’s a garden of indigenous plants used by the restaurant.

Many luxury ecolodges are built straight into wildlife conservancies as a way to help support efforts by local foundations and the people living off the land. Places like the Hobatere Lodge in Namibia work alongside the Kunene Lion Project, among others, to track and monitor local lion populations. Photo by Debbie Rowles, courtesy of Flickr/whl.travel

* Featured in the New York Times as the next hot ecolodge destination in Koh Kong, Cambodia, the 4 Rivers Floating Ecolodge is so remote that you need a private canoe to get there. Designed to immerse its guests in the surrounding wilderness at the convergence of four rivers, this destination proves that sustainability does not have to be at the expense of luxury.

* There’s nothing quite like the romance of the Arabian Desert, conjuring up images of starry nights, languid camels, warm campfires, embroidered throw rugs and the call of the Bedouin in the morning. At the famed Desert Nights Camp in Oman’s Wahiba Sands, guests are given the full experience of the ancient practice of the famed desert traders, all with minimal impact on the environment.

Community Projects
In Thailand, it’s easy to visit monasteries but few places allow lay people to live alongside monks and learn their practices. The 10-day silent retreat at the Suan Mokkh International Dhamma Hermitage gives outsiders a chance to experience monastic life. Expect to forsake all material pleasure, eat vegetarian food only twice a day, attend meditation and yoga classes, and maintain complete silence. The retreat is free, but participants must be committed to all aspects of the program.

Further Study
For more information about ecotourism, environmental tourism and how to go green, check out some of the links below.
* The International Ecotourism Society
* Tree Hugger
* Earth Summit

Bangkok Food Tours visit local eateries that have established themselves as neighbourhood bests. Famous specialties are spotlighted, like the best Royal-recipe green curry in town pictured above. Photo courtesy of Bangkok Food Tours

Promoting the Best in Bangkok

With so much to take in, there are many sightseeing tours in Bangkok through which to maximise your Bangkok holiday. However, if you are in Thailand with a hankering for authentic local experiences, a food tour guarantees something unforgettable. With that in mind, in March 2011, Bangkok Food Tours launched personal food-tasting tours to the city’s best-kept secret food spots.

The idea originated with three Thai friends who were studying in the United States. They would serve authentic Thai food at house parties and receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from their friends. They also observed that, despite the large number of Thai restaurants found in the US, there was still very limited knowledge about Thai food.

In Thailand, a meal is never completed without a delicious sweet. On the Historic Bangrak Food Tour, traditional Thai coconut ice cream is served. Photo courtesy of Bangkok Food Tours

The Bangkok Food Tours team therefore set out on a mission to show the world that Thai food is more than just pad thai, curries and chicken satay. They started a Facebook page called I love Thai Food through which to bring Thai food-lovers together. They also started a blog called the Thai Food Insider, on which they share local knowledge about Thailand’s best local dishes and the best places to eat in the country.

Local Tours for all Tastes

After travelling extensively and enjoying different cuisines from around the world, the thee Thai friends realised that no one offered comprehensive and truly local food tours in Bangkok. And so Bangkok Food Tours was born, to bring hungry travellers to the most delicious neighbourhoods of Bangkok and inspire them to taste a variety of dishes – from street food and kiosks to local restaurants and even fine dining.

The guided tours also educate travellers about the history behind the dishes, the regions from which they originate  and the local ingredients involved. Take, for example, the Historic Bangrak Food Tasting & Culture Tour. Bangrak is a district at the heart of Bangkok that is home to many old family-run restaurants that have been around for three or four generations. Travellers get to meet a few restaurant owners and learn more about them and their food.

On Bangkok Food Tours, a wireless radio earpiece is given to all participants so that they can hear the tour guide clearly even on noisy streets or if they lag behind a bit to take pictures. Photo courtesy of Bangkok Food Tours

Starting in May 2011, the Chinatown Foodie Walk & Culture Tour started exploring Thailand’s 200-year-old Chinatown, tasting the delicacies and visiting the cultural monuments along the way.

Bangkok Food Tours also offers private group tours for anyone who would like to design their own food trips.

Well aware of the kinds of scams to which travelers fall prey, Bangkok Food Tours is dedicated to quality tour experiences that are worth every penny. The price includes transport costs, the food you will be tasting and any other activity stated on the itinerary. Bangkok Food Tours hate hidden costs as much as everyone else.

Bangkok Food Tours participants have a chance to visit historical and cultural landmarks along the walking route, like this 200-year-old Buddhist temple. Photo courtesy of Bangkok Food Tours

Giving Back to the Food Community

While the whole Bangkok Food Tours team is happy to educate travellers about the culture and stories behind Thai food, they are also committed to bringing new customers to their favourite hidden food spots in Bangkok. Eventually they will also give part of their profits to local communities in Thailand.

“We started Bangkok Food Tours because in the long run, we would like to become a key player who helps to energise the Thai travel industry with the introduction of innovative travel experiences,” shared Chinawut Chinaprayoon, one of the three creative minds behind the business and a proud homegrown citizen of Bangkok. “We aim to connect local people and local values with travellers, and ultimately to help grow the sustainable tourism sector in the Thai market.”

Food Tours Outside of Bangkok?

While the diverse communities of Bangkok have inspired a wide variety of dishes around which to base tours, future plans include food trips to a other regions.

“We might start with Chiang Mai, as one of us hails from that city,” Chinawut revealed. Despite the excitement, for now they are focusing on building a larger following in Bangkok before branching out.

If you search on the Web for something like “best international food,” Thai cuisine is virtually guaranteed to appear in all top-10-best-foods lists. With the complexity of tastes, the reliance on fresh ingredients and a wide variety of dishes, eating never fails to be a highlight on anyone’s trip to Thailand. On your next trip to Bangkok, try stepping out of the malls and into the streets. Drop the guidebook and get the lowdown from the local food experts at Bangkok Food Tours.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Lee is a busy guy. He has been living and working in and around Laos for nearly 10 years, the last six of which as General Manager of Teamworkz, a travel agency and sustainable tourism and marketing consultancy recognised and trusted as local travel experts by a number of international organisations.

Lee Sheridan and his fiancée Pan play tour guides for Lee's visiting sister. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

On the side, Lee is also studying for a Masters in Responsible Tourism Management and working as a tourism consultant with organisations like the International Finance Corporation on their Stay Another Day project, with Dutch development organisation SNV at the provincial level to design long-term tourism development strategies with local stakeholders, and a few others such as the Asian Development Bank. He is also the local Tripbod connection in Laos.

WHL Group: Which is your favourite WHL Group destination and which would you most like to visit?
Lee: Without doubt, Laos is my favourite place, and I am not just saying that because we are whl.travel’s local connection here. Ten years ago, while backpacking in Laos, I fell in love with the country and decided to stay. Within Laos, Champasak Province would have to be my favourite destination. With a pre-Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest waterfalls in Southeast Asia, the very rare Irrawaddy dolphins, the best coffee in the world, and 4,000 idyllic islands in the middle of the Mekong River (which is up to 14 kilometres wide at this point) – how could this not be my favourite place?

In terms of where else to visit, I would love to get down to the Pacific Islands and visit some of our whl.travel local connections out there, like Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa. They sound and look fantastic! And with Laos being landlocked and mountainous, I would love to see the differences in cultural and biological diversity.

On the special occasion of his family visiting from the UK, Lee Sheridan chose for them the luxurious Luang Say Residence in Luang Prabang, Laos. It was one of the finest hotel experiences he can recall. Photo courtesy of Teamworkz

WHLG: What would you never travel without?
Lee: I don’t go anywhere without my laptop. I would be lost without it. I get withdrawal symptoms if I cannot connect check my emails every few hours. I even wake up in the night to check them!

WHLG: What do you miss most about home when travelling?
Lee: If my fiancée Pan is reading this, then most definitely her! If she’s not, then probably Beerlao (the national beer of Laos) and the great team I have in our Teamworkz office.

WHLG: What’s the most adventurous trip you’ve ever taken?
Lee: This would most likely have to be my first. When I was 17 I took part in a month-long World Challenge Expedition to Costa Rica. I remember erupting volcanoes, canoe trips through crocodile-infested waters, catching hypothermia climbing a mountain, village homestays in remote forests and giant turtles laying their eggs on golden beaches. Looking back, I can see how this trip inspired me toward a life of travel and adventure.

WHLG: What is your funniest travel experience?
Lee: I can’t think of one that doesn’t need censoring!

WHLG: What is your scariest travel experience?
Lee: Returning to the UK – each and every time.

Lee Sheridan sits down to a nice dinner in Luang Prabang, Laos, with his visiting mother and fiancée, Pan. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

WHLG: If you could go on holiday with anyone famous – living or dead – who would you take?
Lee: I would love to have travelled with some of the early explorers of this part of the world – people like Henri Mouhot or Dr. P. Neis for example. Can you imagine traipsing through the jungle and just stumbling upon Angkor Wat? Rather than just going on holiday with them though, I would much rather travel back in time and join their original expeditions. Now that would be an adventure!

WHLG: Describe the best and worst accommodation you’ve ever stayed in.
Lee: While I am not normally one of luxury, my mum and little sister came over to visit early in 2011 and we spent a wonderful few days in Luang Prabang. A few nights at the Luang Say Residence was followed by a night out in the forests at Lao Spirit and waking up early in the morning to bathe the elephants in the river. Both of these lodges are up there with the best I have stayed in.

The worst was 12 years ago in a US$2-per-night beachside bungalow in Koh Samui. It was a picturesque bamboo hut with a balcony and a hammock overlooking the ocean. I woke up in the morning with thousands of bites! I’d been attacked by bed bugs, mosquitos, sand flies and God only knows what else. I was left feeling extremely miserable and very uncomfortable for a week to follow.

WHLG: Describe your earliest travel memory.
Lee: As a child, buckled in to the back seat of the car arguing with my sister on road trips around the UK. Family holidays in the north of Wales arguing with my sister. Trips to southern France arguing with my sister. I am starting to understand why I love to travel on my own these days!

The Sala Don Khone Hotel is a guesthouse on Don Khone Island, which makes up one of the Four Thousand Islands in Champasak Province. Lee Sheridan believes it could benefit from travellers exploring beyond Vientiane and Luang Prabang. Photo courtesy of Teamworkz

WHLG: Please briefly explain what you think local travel is.
Local travel means more than just being based in the destination that we serve. Local travel means providing a kind of travel in which our guests can experience a place beyond the surface level. Living in tourism destinations, we often notice that tourists all do the same things at the same time in the same way as all the other tourists, and we wonder why. Local travel to us is about understanding the locality of a place and what makes it special. It’s about participation and positive interaction.

Local travel is a belief that nobody knows a place like the people who live there. Local travellers make the effort to seek out what locals recommend, what locals would do, and spend time enjoying and understanding the destination as a resident might, rather than staying in the isolation of the ‘tourism zone’. Teamworkz’ experienced staff are here to help you make this step – a step inside our destinations to understand why we love these places as much as we do.

WHLG: In what ways do you see local travel benefiting the country in which you live?
Laos is a culturally rich country with a lot to share with the world, especially travellers willing to spend the time and make the effort to look below the surface, to make a little extra effort in getting out of the main tourism centres. I believe local travel will bring great benefits to travellers.

In Laos, tourism is largely concentrated on Vientiane and Luang Prabang. For tourists to move to other areas of the country would mean a greater dispersal of tourism spending and more people benefiting from the growth of the tourism industry.

Having some family visitors who wanted to see it forced my hand though and off we went. We left early (around 6am) and were there by 8am – stopping along the way at a small coconut factory at a local house, where coconuts could be seen being made into pretty much everything from homemade sweets to bedside lamps.

A breakfast of noodle soup supplied on the canal-side from a woman floating by in her boat was delicious; we were happy to have gotten up early to avoid most of the crowds. We hired a small paddle boat (from which this photo was taken) and drifted slowly in between the stalls and boats.

As expected, by 10am the place had more farangs (foreigners) than locals, and with the locals already looking to pack up and go home, we bought as much fresh fruit as we could carry and headed off.

While the Damneon Saduak Floating Market is on the well-worn tourist path, it is still worth a visit. Some tips to improve your visit:

• Get there early, before 8am. By 9-10am it fills up with tourists and by 11am the market is shutting down.
• Don’t expect a ‘traditional market’ – this is a fun market to visit, but it has developed into a major tourist attraction.
• There is a lot of tacky souvenirs for sale – it is an experience to visit and explore – but not a place for high quality handicrafts.
• Try the food stalls – the local food is great!

Push biking in the outskirts of Ayutthaya is somewhat surreal, particularly if you’re used to life in the city. A wide range of smells, dust and potholes can all be expected. The scents of cooking as you pass through villages close to meal times will set stomachs rumbling, and you’re sure to have worked up a healthy appetite at the end of a day’s pedalling.

Local villagers are genuinely pleased to meet and greet outsiders, even though they may be slightly confused as to why on the earth you would hire a bike to ride around their village.

A bike tour through the Thai countryside guarantees great views, great people and the perfect excuse to get some exercise.

Like countries throughout Asia, China celebrates the New Year with a splash in some areas

Below are our picks for the top five New Year celebrations in some of the most beloved nations of Asia, each with its own unique traditions and festivities.

China

The Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year, is the most important annual celebration for the Chinese people. Apart from being a weeklong holiday mandated by the government, it is a time to honour the past, celebrate the present and gather good luck for the future. Prior to New Year, people flock to stores to buy ingredients for grand feasts, as well as various decorations for their homes, new clothes to wear when visiting ancestors and gifts for friends and family.

The Chinese people attach particularly great importance to the Spring Festival Eve. In recent years, a Spring Festival Party has been broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV) – essential entertainment for the Chinese both at home and abroad. No matter where they are in the world, families stay up to see the New Year come.

In Lijang, China, elaborate decorations are placed with care as part of one of the biggest festivals of the year - the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year

Around the world, homes are also decorated to reflect the festive atmosphere. Door panels are pasted with Spring Festival couplets written, in Chinese calligraphy, with black characters on red paper, indicating the owners’ wishes for a bright future and good luck for the next year. Pictures of the gods are also posted to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and happiness.

The lively atmosphere not only fills every household, but also permeates the streets in both China and Chinatowns everywhere. Lion dancing, dragon lantern dancing, lantern festivals and temple fairs take place for days. In the Chinese city of Lijiang, where tourism is a vital industry, travellers gather around a giant bonfire and enjoy the unique songs and dances performed by various ethnic minorities from around the region.

Vietnam

Tết Nguyên Đán, more commonly known as Tet, is the most important traditional festival in Vietnam and falls around the same time as the Chinese Lunar New Year – in 2011, February 3rd is the first day of the new lunar year, a date that is also the foundation ceremony day of the Vietnamese Communist Party. Everyone will be celebrating the Year of the Cat.

The flowers of the Han Market in Da Nang, Vietnam, are at their most vibrant during the New Year celebration of Tet. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Dragfyre

In the city of Da Nang and many other places, the streets become noisy and crowded with Tet preparations. Never hampered by the relatively cold weather, Han Market, the city’s biggest flower market, opens its doors and displays a wide range of colourful wares like apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, rosebushes, daisies, sunflowers, dahlias and marigolds. Families gather in their homes to worship the Kitchen God, who is said to fly to heaven to report all the events of the previous year.

On New Year’s Eve, families gather for lunch or dinner and pay tribute to their ancestors, welcoming them to the celebrations. Houses are cleaned and decorated. In the evening, people assemble by the nearest riverbanks to watch firecrackers at midnight. Then, they flock to biggest pagodas in the city to burn incense and pray for good luck for themselves, their families and their businesses.

Thailand

The Songkran festival is celebrated throughout Thailand as the traditional New Year, from the 13th to the 15th of April in 2011. On these days, the most noticeable practice is the throwing of water: Thais roam the streets with pitchers or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby.

The Songkran festival in Thailand is another annual New Year water-throwing free-for-all street party. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Love Krittaya

Traditionally, Songkran is a time to visit and pay respects to elders, family members, friends and neighbours. People go to a wat (temple) to pray and give food to monks. They may also gently cleanse the Buddha images in household shrines, as well as Buddha images in monasteries, using water mixed with a Thai fragrance. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, images of the Buddha from the city’s most important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can throw water at them, ritually ‘bathing’ the images as they pass by on ornately decorated floats.

Among young people the holiday has evolved to include dousing strangers with water as relief from the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand. Fun-filled water fights are basically an essential part of the fun.

Laos

What can best be described as a national water fight, Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year) is celebrated annually in Laos, from the 14th to the 16th of April in 2011. Since it takes place during one of the country’s hottest seasons of the year, it is a welcome and refreshing event.

No generation is exempt from enjoying the large-scale water fights that break out in Laos as part of Pi Mai Lao, the annual New Year celebration. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

Like in Thailand, the festival is a time to visit temples, and pay respect to and bless friends and family before the start of the New Year. Many people visit a number of temples to wash Buddha images and hope for a good start to the New Year. Traditionally, the water used to wash the Buddha images is considered blessed as it drips off the Buddha. For this reason, it is collected and gently poured over loved ones to wash away the problems of the past and help them prepare for the start the New Year clean and full of optimism.

Today, this widely practiced tradition is celebrated with enthusiasm; if you are in Laos during Pi Mai Lao, be prepared to get wet! Vientiane and Luang Prabang are the two best places to enjoy the New Year celebrations, with Luang Prabang hosting a parade through the town centre, sand-castle building on the banks of the Mekong and a traditional beauty pageant. Beer Lao soon flows freely and there is music and dancing in the streets: tourists join merrily dressed locals, young and old, in the most jubilant of Lao festivals designed to bring the new year in with gusto!

Cambodia

Lasting three full days between the 13th and 16th of April in 2011, Khmer New Year is arguably the most popular festival and national holiday in Siem Reap and over Cambodia. Chaul Chnam Thmey, as it is called in Khmer, coincides with the end of the harvest season, so farmers celebrate the New Year with their families and enjoy some relaxation before the rainy season begins.

In Cambodia's Chol Chnam Thmey New Year celebration, water throwing is a common part of the widespread festivities and games. Photo courtesy of Lee Sheridan

People travel from near and far to meet with their relatives, visit temples and partake in the celebration that occur throughout the country. City and village streets are often packed revellers enjoying some time off with their friends and families, celebrating together by dancing and playing traditional games.

The throwing of water is also a notable feature in Cambodia during this special time of year, although it happens primarily limited in the main tourist areas.