Our rescheduled trip is still to experience Thai culture and activities, but it now also is to help spread the word that Bangkok is back to normal, and it’s safe to visit the country once again.

I can say without hesitation—and without outside influence—that the city does indeed seem back to normal and feels as safe as ever. I speak from experience: Bangkok was my base during my extended travels in Southeast Asia a decade ago, and I’ve returned to Thailand many times since. (Technically this is my ninth visit.)

Me in front of the gold chedit at the Grand Palace.

Seeing the unrest unfold this spring was shocking. My experiences with the Thai people have always been consistent—they are incredibly hospitable, generous and hard working. They are polite, almost to a fault, and rarely will say no to a request, even when they should (such as not knowing directions to a place but attempting to get you there nonetheless). They also do not like conflict—not surprising, given that a majority of the country is Buddhist. In fact, showing anger is strongly frowned upon and considered “losing face.”

Prime example: Bangkok is notorious for its traffic jams. The other day it took us nearly two hours to travel fewer than five miles. Actually, it might have been fewer than three. Not once did we hear a car horn. Everyone just dealt with the situation calmly and patiently. That is what is typical of Thailand and its people. Not the rioting.

Bangkok traffic is what it is: tight.

So I knew things would be back to “normal” almost immediately, that the Thais would clean up the streets, return to their businesses and move forward toward reconciliation.

Now, I’m not naïve enough to think that there still aren’t tensions between the opposing sides. In fact, I’ve talked with individuals who support the Red Shirts as well as those behind the current government (called Yellow Shirts) and each is equally passionate about who is right, who is wrong, and what needs to be done politically. Kind of like in the United States between Republicans and Democrats. Or in any other country where people are allowed to voice opinions (or not).

The government's marketing campaign effort to bring the people together.

But if you didn’t know Bangkok had seen blood on its streets and was still under a state of emergency, you wouldn’t. I’ve been staying in the area that had been taken over by protesters, and the only visible sign of the recent violence is the repair work going on at the mall that had been set on fire.

I’ve been out walking around on my own, ridden the Sky Train, visited markets and shopping malls, eaten at a variety of restaurants—from street stalls to upscale venues—and have been perfectly fine. The protesters are gone, and police are not out on the streets in force. The city feels no different than on any of my previous visits.

The only other indication that something may be amiss is the lack of tourists. Since April, tourism numbers to the country have dropped a staggering 80 percent, according to individuals in the industry. In some other provinces, the decline is even steeper.

Tourism is one of the country’s top industries, which had already been weakened due to the global financial crisis/recession the past two years. The last thing Thailand needed now was another economic hit.

I’ve been surprised by just how empty some places are. The last time I visited the main historic sites in Bangkok, there were crowds of tour groups and individuals throughout, making it somewhat difficult to really see much without getting bumped and jostled. This week, Wat Pho seemed nearly deserted, and there was just a handful of groups at the Grand Palace to see the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

The upside, of course, is that it’s easier to enjoy the sites without the crowds. Prices are incredibly budget-friendly too. Thailand has always been a country of great value, but costs have barely changed in the 11 eleven years since my first visit.

Most items are priced the same, or just a few baht more. And at 32 baht to the dollar, that sure isn’t much, even when taking into account that the exchange rates on prior visits put the value at between 35 and 38 baht per dollar. Guesthouses remain about 200 to 600 baht ($6 to $20) per night. Hotels start at about $35. Street food dishes, which are my favorite, can still be had for between 20 and 100 baht ($.75 to $3.25). A fifth of local whiskey costs 150 to 200 baht ($5 to $7.50). Large bottles of beer, even though I can’t drink them, are still just 40 baht ($1.25).

So to me, that makes Thailand an even more appealing place to visit than ever.

It’s time for dinner now here, so I’m going to head out, find myself a nearby street market to “splurge” on some amazing Thai food, and finish the evening with a bit of shopping and a scotch, or two. In other words, I’m going to do what I normally do when I’m in Bangkok.

(Last year I visited Xinjiang province in China two months after protests turned violent there too. Look for an upcoming post on tips for traveling to a country after civil unrest.)

The Viceroy Spa

Starting today, 36 of Miami’s top spas (a record number) are offering signature treatments normally valued at $199 or above for just $99. Participants include some of my favorite Miami spas and hotels: Exhale Spa at the EPIC Hotel, Elemis Spa at Loews Miami Beach Hotel, The Spa at David Barton Gym at the Gansevoort Miami Beach (the most extensive gym I’ve had access to as a hotel guest), and The Viceroy Spa at—where else?—The Viceroy.

Summer also is Miami’s slow season, so there are good deals on hotels and attractions in the city, such as the current Miami 4-4-3 promotion where guests get four nights or tickets for the price of three, valid through September 30. Plus in August and September visitors can participate in the Miami Spice Restaurant Month for dining deals as well.

Discount hotels, restaurants and spas—sounds like the ideal trifecta of savings to me!

The conference reinforced what I already knew—that I need to dedicate more time to this blog, especially since after a year of looking for a full-time editorial position I’m still freelancing, so I had better take this endeavor more seriously.

Deserted beach on a small island off Phuket, Thailand.

The new header photo is that of a fishing village on the island of Phuket in Thailand, taken during my last visit five years ago. The shot above was taken during that same trip, and it reminds me of what I love about the southern region of Thailand—the ability to still find a little piece of solitary paradise without leaving civilization too far behind.

I have been thinking a lot about “my second home” lately, especially because of the protests in April, which means I’m overdue for a return visit. Lucky for me I was invited on a blogger trip to Thailand the other day and will be back in Southeast Asia—one of my favorite parts of the world—next week. Look for new posts here on Bangkok and other destinations in Thailand soon.

I’ve also added a list of selected clips, to show that one of the reasons I haven’t been posting here too regularly is that I’ve been keeping busy with paying assignments—an ideal reason if you ask me.

So I hope you enjoy the new look, which I’ll continue to tweak, and most importantly the new content that I’ll be uploading on a more regular basis.

Though the site moved beyond covering just family travel two years ago, and I’ve been gone from TravelMuse for a year now, I still find myself coming across kid-related deals and contests on a regular basis that I think would be cool for not just for parents heading out on vacation, but in general.

While attending a new product event for a business magazine assignment, I learned about this Gerber Generation photo contest, which also incorporates a bit of social networking (and, perhaps, begging). The company soft launched the contest a couple weeks ago and is just now getting the word out about it to parents.

Gerber Generation judges are looking for photos of children from birth to preschool that “demonstrate expression, charm and uniqueness.” There are six monthly competitions from July through December, with a winner each month. At the end of the contest, the child whose photo best meets these criteria will receive the grand prize of starring in a Gerber print advertisement plus a $25,000 scholarship.

Here’s how it works:

Enter the Gerber Generation Photo Search
Parents can visit Gerber.com to upload a picture of their child under the appropriate Start Healthy, Stay Healthy milestone symbol. Once approved, the picture will be posted to the Gerber Generation gallery. Pictures must be recent, taken within six months of uploading. Jpeg, Png and Gif formats only; image must not be larger than 1 megabyte in size.

Campaign for Votes
One month after each photo appears, parents can ask everyone they know to vote for their child’s picture. (That’s the begging part.) Gerber will send a reminder email once voting begins. Voting for July begins July 3; parents can upload photos the rest of this month for the July contest, but given the 30-day lag time for voting, the earlier you get one uploaded, the more chances for votes.

Monthly Prizes
The photo with the most votes in each milestone—there are three categories, so three winners each month—wins the monthly prize:
- A Flip Slide HD video camera
- The child’s photo featured on the Gerber Web site

Monthly winners will be featured on the Gerber Winners Page. Parents can enter a different photo each month.

The contest runs now through November 30, 2010. Voting is open until December 31, 2010. The grand-prize winner will be announced on or around January 10, 2011. Visit Gerber.com for additional guidelines, rules, regs and details.

May the best photogenic baby win!

I was incredibly saddened by those events, as Thailand and its people will always have a special place in my heart: Bangkok was my home base when I spent the better part of a year in Southeast Asia a decade ago, and I encountered nothing but kindness and warm hospitality then and on my return trips to the country since.

So I was excited to attend a luncheon yesterday with members from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to hear about how they plan to get people to return to the “Land of Smiles.”

“I am delighted to confirm to you that the troubles are behind us, that all is returning very quickly to normal, and that the [U.S.] State Department has lifted its travel advisory,” said Khun Srisuda Wanapinyosak, director of TAT New York. “It is my privilege to report to you that the state of Thailand is sound, safe and more glorious than ever before.”

We were reminded of this return to normalcy throughout the event, where we watched video clips of travelers who were in Thailand during the protests and immediately after, all noting that outside Bangkok there were no disruptions and those in the city stating that it feels completely safe. Naturally there also was footage of the country’s beautiful destinations, from the hill country in the north, to the incomparable beaches in the south.

“More than 680,000 Americans came to Thailand in 2008 and, despite the economic downturn, 2009 was not the catastrophe that many international destinations feared it would be,” said Wanapinyosak.

Still, international passengers arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport fell by an average of 20 percent over May 2009 and by 30 percent over May 2008, with the week of May 18, 2010 showing daily arrivals declined by an average of 12,000 to 14,000 over normal figures, according to a June 2 Travel Daily News article. On the plus side, air arrivals to the island of Phuket in the south were up more than 61 percent over 2009.

To make it easier to travel to Thailand, a member of Wanapinyosak’s New York team said the government is looking to reduce landing fees for planes and offering interest-free loans for small- and medium-sized tourism-related businesses that qualify. Lower hotel taxes are also under consideration. He also mentioned adding 30-day visa free stays for tourists from around the world, though that’s already available for visitors from the U.S. and many other countries.

Most in the audience though wanted to know what type of deals would be on offer to tourists who canceled or postponed their trips to Thailand. Unfortunately, “not much” was the ultimate answer. Instead, TAT members stressed the value and quality of experiences to be had in Thailand rather than special discounts, though we were directed to the site www.thailandsuperdeal.com, which actually is just another URL for the TAT Web site.  When I clicked on the Packages & Promotions tab, however, all it said on the page was “There are no deals.”

Of course, those of us who know Thailand know that it always offers amazing value, whether you’re a backpacker or a luxury traveler. Those on the top end have the best chance of finding incredible bargains these days. The chic Metropolitan in Bangkok, a COMO hotel, is offering rooms for just $80 a night, a fraction of the regular cost, said an attendee at the luncheon who works with the brand.

In closing, the TAT team strongly encouraged us to come visit Thailand to see how great it still is and to help spread the word in order to bring people back to the country.

“Perhaps the most painful element of recent events was for us not just the specter of cancellations and postponements, but the interruption in what the people of Thailand love to do,” said Wanapinyosak. “That is to welcome visitors and emphasize that Thailand is the warm and welcoming place it has always been. It is part of our culture to greet those who come to Thailand with grace and with warmth, and it was hard for that culture to be placed temporarily on hold.”

Here’s how it works:

• Sign up: basic registration process.
• Buy bids: packages available for $10, $25, $50, $100, $250.
• Start bidding: each $1 bid adds $0.25 to the going price. If no one else bids on the item within 30 seconds, the high bidder gets the prize, and you have 24 hours to make your reservation.

Besides the Tata Suite at The Pierre, the other live auction at the moment is for two nights at the Parlor Suite at the Wynn Las Vegas (at $97 currently). Auctions starting later today: three nights in a one-bedroom suite at the Intercontinental San Francisco, and two nights in a view suite at THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

The auction can go on for quite a while. There is a clock counting down the time remaining, but it goes back up 30 seconds each time a new bid comes in. Indefinitely it seems. Current bidders quickly learned that the best idea is to wait until there’s just a few seconds left on the clock, then jump in with their $0.25. You’ll see the same names trying to duke it out back and forth then they’ll give up and others will get back into the game. (Current Tata Suite price: $490.)

What if you get tired and need to get on with work, or you’ve spent all your bought bids, don’t want to spend any more and still don’t win? You can apply up to 110 percent of your bids toward another room from Off & Away’s partner inventory. You have up to seven days to make a purchase—note that bids from different auctions cannot be combined. Otherwise, the money you already bid is gone. Unused bids remain in your account for participation in future auctions.

(Tata is up to $510; Wynn $115.)

Off & Away was founded by and is run by a group of executives with plenty of product marketing and development experience behind them, along with some heavy-hitting companies on their resumes, including Amazon, Orbitz, CheapTickets, Expedia and Travelocity. It also has the big venture capital company Madrona behind it, which happens to be funding another cool new company, Animoto, which uses technology to automatically create videos for people from their images—great for snap-happy travelers.

It’s an interesting idea and definitely fun dreaming about the possibility of living like modern royalty for a couple days while you keep hitting the “Bid” button. But fair warning: It’s sort of addictive once you start. Yep, just like gambling. So if you see a place for auction that you’ve desired to stay in or a destination you know you’ll be heading to soon and have lots of personal control, go for it. If not, be prepared to transfer those bids to purchase hotel rooms for a future stay somewhere, or just let go of that money as a pay-to-play cost.

Me? I was in it for a minute, bidding just 10 times for the Tata Suite before I realized I was wasting away my day and my money that I should instead be putting toward my upcoming honeymoon.

By the way, The Pierre’s Tata Suite deal is now up to $546.50; the Wynn $154 … and counting.

(Update: The two nights at the Wynn suite auction just closed for $212.50. Two nights at the Tata Presidential Suite at The Pierre closed at $938.25. A steal compared to $40K, not that anyone really pays rack rates.)

I pitched the idea to DNAinfo.com, a new Manhattan-focused online news site, and they loved it. Of course, what I submitted and what was published look like two different articles, especially since the editors chose to highlight the reference to Batali’s recent funny quote in The New Yorker dismissing vegetables that I had kept near the bottom of the piece, and mentioned only once. Here’s what they ran, which is a more succinct version of the story:

Mario Batali, Meat’s Best Friend, Highlights Veggies on Monday Menus in Restaurant Empire

The celebrity restaurateur will offer vegetarian specials at his Manhattan eateries in Meatless Monday program.

MANHATTAN — Celebrity restaurateur Mario Batali, who was quoted recently in The New Yorker saying he didn’t want to eat “any f**kin’ vegetables,” is going vegetarian. Sorta.

Starting this week all Batali restaurants, including the seven in Manhattan, will feature special “meatless” dishes on their menus every Monday, as part of a nonprofit initiative called “Meatless Monday.” The New York City-based initiative is designed to encourage people around the globe to eat healthier.

“It’s a real commitment on Mario’s part,” said Chris Elam, program manager for The Monday Campaigns, which runs Meatless Monday in association with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins. (Read more …)

Even though Mexico is an easy hop from New York City, San Francisco and Chicago, the three cities I’ve lived in at some point over the past 20 years, I’ve rarely visited our southern neighbor, other than for brief border crossings. In fact, the only vacation I had taken there was to Mexico City … in 1991.

I happily corrected that lapse this past December with a weeklong trip to the Yucatán, where I spent as little time as possible in Cancun and instead focused on the southern coast and inland regions of the peninsula.

Being a nature lover, one of my favorite spots was the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve—which means “where the sky is born.” The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest protected area on the Mexican Caribbean, with 1.3 million acres of jungle, mangroves, marshes, lakes, estuaries, ruins, and, of course, plenty of animal and bird life. Trails in the reserve follow ancient Mayan trade routes.

Sian Ka’an is located just south of Tulum, and exploring the reserve on your own can be rewarding—especially if you’re an experienced kayaker—but there also are guided tours to choose from as well, which I recommend of you’re traveling solo or have time constraints. I opted for the canal tour offered by the Centro Ecologico Sian Ka’an (CESiaK), an ecotourism and education center, mostly because it had an office next door to my hotel, the El Crucero. (There’ll be more on this fine, fun establishment in a later post.)

Miguel  Amer, our excellent guide, was a font of information, not just about the reserve and ecosystems—pointing out an array of flora and fauna, including gorgeous orchid plants, vermillion, raccoons, and nearly two-dozen bird species (notably a green heron, tropical kingbirds and white terns, yet, alas, I did not capture any with my camera)—but also the history of the Yucatán, art and architecture, the Mayans, and the region’s economics. He even had available a sample of chicle—natural chewing gum—a which comes from the bark of a local tree and used to be one of the main industries on the peninsula, before it was replaced with synthetic rubber, now used for most gum products. (The brown chunks are hard and crumbly at first, but then readily soften into a tasteless blob.)

We spent a good part of the day riding through various types of waterways—fresh, salt and brackish—made stops to explore partially hidden Mayan temple ruins (complete with resident bats), cooled off with a relaxing slow float down one of the mangrove-lined canals, and snorkeled in the crystal-clear, open-air Ben-Ha cenote, which I had hoped would have housed more fish than it did.

The tour cost $75 and included ground transportation to and from Tulum, park entrance fees, snacks, water, use of snorkeling gear, and lunch, served at the CESiaK headquarters in the park. The pork chop meal was passable, but the view, overlooking a beach for swimming and relaxing before heading back out onto the boats for the afternoon part of the tour, was spectacular. Guests can also rent bungalows for overnight stays. Funds support research, conservation and education programs in the reserve.

While CESiaK offers excellent tours  (in both English and Spanish), Community Tours is the only group offering a tour that includes a guided walk through the Muyil archaeological site just south of Sian Ka’an.

The effect of gentrification on nightlife isn’t limited to the club scene either. In recent years we’ve lost the storied Cedar Tavern to condominium development; and Marion’s Continental, with its perfect martinis and long-standing Pontani Sisters burlesque show, has been replaced by Hecho en Dumbo, which serves a drink rimmed with worm salt (yes, you read that correctly, real crushed worms).

Freddy's, courtesy of The Local

Tomorrow we lose another classic, Freddy’s Bar & Backroom, a fun and funky dive bar in Prospect Heights that was the anchor for many Brooklyn sots and aging punk rockers. I’ve spend many a night there fighting my way through the crowded bar, listening to avant garde and punk bands in the back room, cozying up in one of its tired leather booths with a group of friends. One night we even made its sidewalk our dinner table, spreading out around a box of pizza and forcing passersby to move aside or chip in.

We have the Atlantic Yards project to thank for this latest closure. Sure, the owners are looking to relocate on Fourth Avenue, the increasingly popular corridor between Gowanus and Park Slope, but just like when Siberia Bar vacated its 50th Street subway haunt for bigger digs off Ninth Avenue, it won’t be the same.

The bar’s website says today is the final day for paying respects to this Dean Street holdout, however I have it on good word that there will still be some drinking, dancing and memorializing going on tomorrow night, with a special appearance by The Spunk Lads—as close to a house band as you’ll get for Freddy’s. They take the stage at midnight.

I know I’ll be there, in my Docs, kicking back the chairs and several Jameson’s, one last time.

During the next two weekends—March 25-28 (that’s right, just two days from now) and April 1-4—the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld is offering up some holiday savings for kids and parents alike.

For the kids, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld is hosting an Easter Egg-Stravaganza, featuring a visit from none other than the Easter Bunny himself (or herself, if you prefer); that above-mentioned egg hunt, with treats for the kids; and family games on the lawn, including a water balloon toss, hula hoop contests and ping-pong races.

For parents in need of more adult entertainment options (no, not that kind), there will be live music and extended hours at the Poolside Bar & Grill, and a per night $25 resort credit for use at the Nèu Lotus Spa or at any of the hotel’s five restaurants.

Rates start at $149 per night. To get this deal, visit www.reanaissanceseaworld.com or call (407) 351-5555 and be sure to use the code EAP. The booking must include a Friday or Saturday night stay.

The hotel is conveniently located next to the additional family attractions Discovery Cove and Aquatica. And with 781 rooms, there’s bound to be availability.