The most obvious changes seen across Thailand in the last months have been those in the political arena, following the December 2007 election results that re-elected a pro-Thaksin Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej. In early September, following weeks of protests in Bangkok streets, Samak declared a state of emergency that restricted movement in the capital. The following week, Thailand's Constitutional Court removed him from power, ostensibly for hosting a cooking show. And this week, the Thai Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for the beleaguered ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra who had just fled the country following a short return after from his 17 months' exile abroad. Thaksin and Samak's People Power Party nominated Somchai Wongsawat, the former's brother-in-law as prime minister, a position he had already assumed in an acting capacity following Samak's ouster. Somchai removed the state of emergency in an attempt to encourage tourists to return.
The Thai intelligentsia is openly weary of Thaksin and his party, but the rural masses, on whose support his right-wing politics have regained new life, came out in force to welcome this ex-policeman billionaire. Only time will tell how it will all endÂ?
The early part of the year also brought the sad news of the death of HRH the King's only sister, HRH Princess Galyani, who passed away from abdominal cancer in early January. As a result, you'll see her portrait hanging in many public places festooned in black bunting. It is expected that a State funeral will not take place for some months.
The health of the Thai king - who is of course, highly revered as the father of the nation - had been the cause of much anxiety in late 2007. His much-awaited exit from hospital in a vivid, rose pink jacket brought an outpouring of joy and relief from crowds amassed in the capital. Until this point, fans of Thai royalty had always worn canary yellow shirts to show reverence to their benefactor, (the king was born on Monday, and according to Thai custom, Monday is represented by the color yellow) but thanks to his dazzling pink outfit, powder pink has been silently deemed sartorially de rigueur for all royalists, at times turning the city into a sea of rose.
Planning Your Trip
Unfortunately as the hotel industry in Thailand continues to expand in leap and bounds, the changes to the tourist visa regulations, brought in just after the military junta was installed in fall 2007, are as yet, un-amended. This means no tourist arriving at the airport (thus gaining a free 30-day visa) can stay longer then 90-days in total, over any six month period. Of course, for many regular returnees, they have no idea when this six-month period started and the rules are as unintelligible as the checks are random, giving rise to long queues at immigration, as each officer diligently goes over the number of days from previous stamps. If in doubt, get a 1-2 month tourist visa outside Thailand at a Thai Embassy and you will be spared this time-wasting, bureaucratic scrutiny.
In the first four months of 2008, police scrutiny has also yielded three separate, high-profile arrests of foreign tourists, on offences ranging from drug trafficking, child sex-offences and arms dealing, proving once again, that Thai authorities are keeping their promise to track down and extradite such unwanted visitors.
Bangkok
The sparkling new face of Bangkok is steadily becoming more and more apparent. The construction sites that were, until a few months ago, holes in the ground, have given rise to mammoth skeletal structures, cranes dot the city centre, and new office blocks abound. The most fervent areas of burgeoning building mania are on downtown sections of Sathorn and Sukhumvit Roads, and along the river, with behemoth developments on both east and west banks. Most of the latter are clustered around Saphan Taksin (Taksin Bridge) in eager anticipation of the new BTS extension that will at last penetrate Bangkok's final frontier, the up-and-coming western suburb of Thonburi, known locally as 'fang thon', across the Chao Phraya River.
Along Sukhumvit, the once quiet, residential sub-sois have been cleared to make way for smart, boutique or designer hotels such as CitiChic Suites in soi 13 (tel. 02342-3888; www.citichichotel.com), the glittering, gargantuan Millennium Sukhumvit on Asoke (www.millenniumhotels.com/th/grandmillenniumsukhumvitbangkok), or the fancy Fenix (www.bangkok.com/lefenix) and soon-to-open Citadines (www.citadines.com), both in soi 11.
Good news comes for the Bangkok malls whose lingering shop spaces are now almost all taken. Upmarket labels, Chloë and Dolce & Gabbana now have a Thailand presence exclusively at mighty Siam Paragon (www.siamparagon.co.th), while swish, homegrown eateries such as Kuppa, have opened in Central World. Meanwhile the yuppy-loving Thai creation, Greyhound Café, can be found under its newer, self-deprecating alter ego, Not Another Greyhound Café at Siam Paragon's 4th level, which showcases Thai fashion labels, such as the eclectic Fly Now.
Bangkok's skyline is thus fast morphing away from six-story tattiness into gentrified trend-setting spaces. Alas, that does mean that huge swathes of the city are under the jackhammer, and smaller shops, very often long-established, are now going faster than you can say Tom Yum. It's true to say that new, air-conditioned supermarkets such as the loft-styled Central Food Hall now draw the well-heeled Thai housewife, rather than the city's famous wet markets. Yet one ancient tradition is at work alongside this boom in residential construction, Buddhist stupas are now rising next to the condominiums. As I look out from my balcony, I can see at least two examples of these religious towers, measuring four- to ten-stories, like fingers stretching into the sky. No one can quite explain this spate of piety, but perhaps as the baht strengthens and the wealth of many Thais increases it might suggest the more religious Thais are giving something back, as is the custom here. Maybe the political upheavals of late, the much-loved monarch's recent ill-health, or the continued butchery in the conflict in Thailand's south have brought more Thais to review their moral values.
Southern Peninsula: The West Coast & Islands
Just off Phuket, Six Senses (www.sixsenses.com) is still talking of opening their delicious Destination Spa Phuket, a new, super-luxury retreat on the island of Koh Yai Noi, and Millennium Resort is pushing to finish the final stage of its Millennium Resort Patong Phuket five-star extravaganza (www.millenniumhotels.com/th/millenniumpatongphuket), the first real luxury digs on Patong Beach. The Thai-based Dusit Group's global expansion is now in the headlines, hot on the heels of its newly-opened Dusit Princess Koh Chang Resort (www.dusit.com/hotels/thailand/koh_chang/dusit_princess/index.html).