Arriving in a foreign country can be somewhat of daunting experience as one is often confronted by a culture, way of life and language that is very foreign and different than one is accustomed to. To many travelers, including yours truly, our attitude about a new destination is often shaped by the first several encounters we have with some of the native people.

Case in point - I arrived in Malaysia with no real advance preparation for my visit, other than planning my itinerary and booking my hotels for the duration of my 13-day stay. I admit that I really didn’t know much Malaysia other than it was a Islamic State and former British crown colony in addition to being considerably more tropical and biodiverse than Thailand, Malaysia’s well-known neighbor to the north. I was also familiar with the story of the legendary Jim Thompson, a legend of sorts in Thailand and former WW2 pilot, who mysteriously disappeared in Malaysia’s Cameron highlands in 1967.

Getting back to my story - shortly after landing in KLIA, the international airport located just outside of Kuala Lumpur, I proceeded to the currency exchange booth to change some monies. The gentleman who worked behind the counter, Mr. Kamarozaman B Abdul Rahim, was tremendously helpful and informative about the ins and outs of currency exchange. At the airport he explained, there is a small service fee of $4.00USD for cashing traveler’s checks up to $500, however at any of the currency exchange outlets in town, the rate of exchange would be more or less the same, but there would be no service fee. I went ahead and cashed $300USD in travelers checks anyhow (the rate of exchange being 3.55RM for 1.00USD). He volunteered this information freely without me having to extract it from him. I commended the young man for being so honest and forthright. Thanks to this goodwill ambassador, my initial impression about Malaysia was a good one - he definitely made this traveler feel at ease.

Next up is a story about Eddie, the best airport taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur and another fine ambassador for Malaysia.

Tourism is a dual edged sword – there is a delicate balance between development and environmental integrity. Once the line is crossed, tourism will often kill the goose that laid the golden egg. I’ve seen (and have read about) too many “so-called eco-destinations” that went downhill very fast because the tourism development got out of hand. Call it human greed - it happens all the time. Take a destination with considerable natural beauty like Galapagos Islands, Kenya’s Serengeti, Negril, Jamaica as an example – the big developers and resort conglomerates rush to the scene to get a lion’s share of the action. Soon they are followed by many small entrepreneurs, tourism concessionaires and the like who also would like to make some monies. I liken this phenomenon to “a shark feeding frenzy”.

Before you know it, the place becomes overrun with too many camera toting, cigar smoking, trash talking tourists who don’t have any respect for the locals or the indigenous populations, neither do they have any self-respect. This leads to even more development to meet the demand and before you know it, this once idyllic place of considerable natural beauty is ruined for good - the delicate ecological balance of an area degrades severely leading to declines (and extinctions) of native animal, insect and plant species (replaced by invasive species) and coral reefs dying. Let’s not forgot how rampant tourism development can have a negative impact on the cultural traditions & lifestyles of indigenous peoples.

In time, the beauty and uniqueness that people paid monies to see is no more, replaced by an excess of commercialism. Such is the way of the world - what we need in the tourism business and in the world in general is a real effort towards sustainable development and lifestyles. Human greed as well as the Evils of Tourism will bring this planet down unless we have a global revolution. The time to start is now!

Conde Nast Traveler is a wonderful magazine. In every monthly edition, I usually find at least a couple of articles that I enjoying reading and which are also good material for a blog. The latest edition’s focus is on ASIA; not only do they have a profile on the exotic and relatively unknown “Stan countries” of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgzstan, and Tajikistan - all of which were former republics of the now defunct Soviet Union but there is an interesting foldout section called “Occidental Tourists”. This article features a short bio on the 16 most popular Asian destinations for the American traveler. As part of the bio for each country, they list the total number of U.S. visitors for 2007, the number of daily nonstop flights from the U.S. and the cost of a Big Mac (with the percentage difference from the U.S. price of $3.57), which I have coined the McDonald’s Index.

Funny thing, I never have eaten a Big Mac in my entire life, and when I see a McDonald’s in a foreign country, my stomach gets a little queasy. Fortunately not all of the countries on Conde Nast’s popularity list have been infiltrated by the ‘King of Fast Foods’. Curiously enough, India, the 3rd most popular country with 697,000 US visitors (2006), has the least inexpensive Big Macs at $1.31, which is 63% less than a Big Mac in the USA. Being #1 on the McDonald’s index may be a general indicator of the buying power of the US dollar. You may be wondering, what was the most popular Asian country for Americans? The answer is China with 1,710,300 US visitors (these figures are tabulated from 2006).

The complete list (based on number of American visitors in 2007 unless as noted):

#1 China (1,710,300)* #2 Japan (815,900) #3 India (696,739) * #4 Thailand (682,000) #5 Philippines (679,000) #6 Vietnam (412,301) #7 Singapore (409,000) #8 Malaysia (205,000) #9 Cambodia (137,539), #10 Indonesia (131,000) #11 Pakistan (126,168) * #12 Nepal (19,925)* #13 Bangladesh (13,422)* #14 Mongolia (9,649)** #15 Myanmar (6,309) * and #16 Bhutan (5018)*

*Figures are based on US visitors in 2006
** Figures based on US visitor in 2004

A couple of observations - China by far was the most popular Asian destination for Americans with Japan a distant 2nd; India, Thailand, Philippines were closely bunched together at 3, 4 and 5 respectively; Vietnam is rapidly becoming a favorite destination with Americans and note the steep drop-off for those countries that were in the 12-16 positions. A glaring omission from the list was Laos, Thailand’s neighbor to the Northeast.

I would like to institute “a Starbucks Index” – for each country in a geographical area (Asia as an example), I would like to do an inventory of the total number of Starbuck stores and the average price for a cup of joe (coffee). In Bangkok, Thailand, there are numerous Starbucks scattered around the city. Anybody know how many?

I came across some very disturbing news the other day that caused me to shed a tear or two – I discovered that the Casuarina Beach Club in Barbados had ceased operations in Spring 2005 due to financial problems and the property had been sold to Almond Resorts, a large resort management company headquartered in the Caribbean. With the management’s dedication to conservation and environmental issues not to mention the magnificent rainforest-like gardens that enveloped the hotel, the Casuarina Beach Club wasn’t just any hotel - it was both a sanctuary and a very special institution.

I first discovered Casuarina Beach Club on my first trip to Barbados in 1985 when it only had 45 units or so. Of all the hotels I visited, the Casuarina, while definitely not the most luxurious hotel on this small island, was by far my favorite. In the ensuing years, I sent a number of clients to this fine property including my parents, and I had the opportunity to stay there myself in late 2003. When I returned, I really didn’t recognize the Casuarina as it had grown quite larger (but in a very environmentally friendly way). The showpiece of the hotel was the magnificent rainforest gardens - so very lush and green.

The philosophy of the Casuarina Beach Club was grounded in a very strong environmental ethos - they implemented a number of environmentally friendly practices – including composting, recycling as well as actively promoting local Bajan culture and community tourism. Eclectic paintings by some of Barbados’s premier artists were often on display throughout the hotel amidst plantings of lush tropical foliage and flowers. Over the years, the Casuarina had received numerous awards for their Green Philosophy and Conservation ethos.

After a significant expansion and thorough remodeling of the existing facilities over the last three years, the new resort renamed The Almond Casuarina was scheduled to reopen in May 2008. Among the major changes, the new hotel will have added 100 more guestrooms - bringing the room count up to 267 - two more swimming pools, a fitness center and like all Almond Resorts, it will be all-inclusive.

I can only imagine that in order to accommodate the expansion, a good chunk of the rainforest gardens was removed and many trees in the immediate area were destroyed in the process. The additional facilities and rooms can only have a negative impact on the environment in the already resort saturated area known as St. Lawrence Gap. I really can’t say whether Almond Resorts will continue all the environmentally friendly practices of the former management - my gut feeling says no, but I guess the new Almond Casuarina will be profitable, hence sustainable.

Goodbye Casuarina Beach Club; I will miss you dearly!

Costa Rica is one my favorite places in the world. It is so green and lush and the tropical landscapes are simply marvelous. In addition, the ticos have such an even temperament and are so cordial to the tourists. What a wonderful place to be!

The worst thing I can say about Costa Rica are the roads. I have driven a number of times in Costa Rica, and let me tell you thing - outside of the Pan American Highway and the scenic thoroughfare which passes through Braulio Carillo National Park to the Caribbean Coast, the roads are abysmal. There are potholes (in Spanish, huecas) of every size and shape imaginable - in general, they are somewhat circular in shape and range in size from 1 - 10 feet in diameter or more. I have heard of small cars been swallowed by huge crater size huecas.

Driving at night in a tropical downpour, while dodging huecas of every size and shape can be especially treacherous – all I can say, been there, done that! I remember very distinctly driving from Poas in the mountains just outside of San Jose on a fogged-in evening to the lowlands of San Carlos Valley. The visibility factor was next to zero! Descending from 9000 feet or so to the lowlands, the heavy mist gradually morphed into a steady rainfall, and I remember dodging pothole after pothole in my 4WD drive car rental with the hi-beams on. What a harrowing adventure that was. Thank G_D, I didn’t have a backseat driver accompanying me or that would have definitely been my last ride! My recommendation is to refrain driving at night on secondary roads and in the countryside. Better be safe then sorry!

Born in June 2005, the travel blog known as Calypso Island Chronicles has now reached the very significant plateau of 400 posts. In my book, that is a lot of writing. A variety of topics have been covered in our blog since its inception - from travel reviews and tips, nature tourism, travel anecdotes and commentary to a special plant-of-the week feature as well as some very humorous travel stories, and we have featured a variety of tropical destinations - Thailand, Costa Rica, Barbados, Peru, Mexico and West Africa. To commemorate this very auspicious achievement of our 400th post, I bring you the Best of Calypso Island Chronicles.

Turtle Watching in Costa Rica - a memorable nature story

The most bizarre landscape in Thailand – a journey to Lalu, the miniature Grand Canyon of Thailand

Abducted by rogue taxi in Mali - a frightening adventure in Africa

Thai dogs that I have known – profile of some of my favorite Thai dogs

Story of Sa, an orphan in Vientiane - profile of an orphan in Vientiane, Laos

Every day is Sunday in Vientiane - Travel Commentary

The abomination of Manuel Antonio - a warplane stirs up big controversy in a popular Costa Rican resort

Teatime in Thailand – History of Tea in Mae Salong, a small village located in the mountains of Northern Thailand

Butterfly Festival in Thailand – A look at the annual butterfly Festival in Sakaeo

Hike Barbados hike – a story about nature tourism in Barbados

A fishy tale about human sacrifice in Africa - Black humor

Fortune teller – a fortune teller in Bangkok predicts my future

Bosque de Paz – A review of my favorite nature lodge in Costa Rica

Phranakorn Nornlen hotel – Breath of fresh air in Bangkok

Every picture tells a story – the importance of photography in our travels

Mexican Sunflower – Plant of the week feature

With such great stories, insights and commentary in Calypso Island Chronicles,
I am waiting to be contacted by a major publishing company for a book contract. Any takers?

Have you ever totaled up the number of countries that you have visited in your lifetime? Furthermore, how many times have you traveled to each particular country? Breaking it down even further, what places/cities have you visited (with at least one overnight stay) in each destination/country? If you answer all these questions carefully, you’ll have put together your own TRAVELER’S RESUME.

Let’s start out with yours truly. My inaugural trip as a traveler happened in Dec. 1973 when I went to Mexico for 3 weeks. Over the ensuing 35 years, I have traveled to 25 different countries. If you look at my RESUME, you will see that I’m very partial to the tropics. Call me the tropical traveler if you may.

NORTH AMERICA:

• Mexico (18)

Puerto Vallarta (3), Mexico City (3), Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Merida,
Mexican Caribbean – Cancun (4), Playa del Carmen (2) and Tulum; Oaxaca (5),
Puerto Escondido (5), San Blas(2) Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo,
Baja California - Cabo San Lucas (4), La Paz and Loreto,
Costa Alegre - La Manzanilla (2) and Bahia de Navidad

CARIBBEAN:

• Jamaica (30+)

Kingston, Blue Mountains, Port Antonio, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril,
South Coast - Black River, Treasure Beach and Milk River Bath; Cockpit Country,
Mandeville and Christiana

• Barbados (6)
• St. Lucia (2)
• Antigua
• Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo and Sosua Beach

• Cuba

Havana and Varadero Beach

• St. Vincent
• Trinidad
• St. Maarten/St. Marten
• Bahamas

Nassau and Eleuthera

• Caribbean/Panama Canal Cruise

SOUTH AMERICA:

• Colombia

Bogota, Cartagena and San Andres Island

• Peru

Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley including Machu Picchu, Amazon basin

• Ecuador

Quito, Otavalo and Mindo

CENTRAL AMERICA:

• Costa Rica (6)

San Jose (6), Heredia (2), Sarapiqui (2), Manuel Antonio (3), Dominical,
Pacific Lowlands – Carara ; Guanacaste – Canas and Palo Verdes NP (2), Tamarindo Beach (2), Ocotal and Los Innocentes; Jaco, Tortugero, Monteverde (2), Osa Peninsula, La Fortuna and Arenal (4),
Caribbean Coast- Cahuita (2) and Puerto Viejo; Wilson Botanical Gardens
(San Vito), San Gerardo de Dota and Nicoya Peninsula - Playa Samara

• Guatemala (2)

Guatemala City (2), Antigua (2) and Lake Atitlan

WEST AFRICA:

• Ghana

Accra, Gold Coast, Kumasi

• Togo

Lome

• Mali

Bamako and Mopti

• Ivory Coast

Abidjan

SOUTHEAST ASIA:

• Thailand (7)

Bangkok (7), Chiang Mai (5), Mae Sa Valley (2), Phuket (3), Koh Lanta, Koh Jum,
Koh Samui (2), Koh Chang (5), Pattaya (3), Khao Sok National Park, Chiang Rai Province – Doi Tung (2), Mae Salong (2) and Chiang Kong; Kanchanaburi (2),
Sangkhlaburi, Sakaeo, Sukhothai (2), Ayutthaya and Mae Hong Son Province-Pai (2), Soppong and Mae Hong Son (2)

• Laos

Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Mekong River Cruise

• Cambodia

Siem Reap(Angkor Wat)

EUROPE

• England

London Area

Please note: Number in Parentheses () indicates the number of visits

Feel free to submit your Travel Resume here!

On my recent trip to Mexico’s Costa Alegre, I had a very interesting experience on my final night in Barra de Navidad. Located just down the coast from La Manzanilla, ‘Barra’ is a small picturesque beach town, very popular with ‘spring breakers’ and families. Looking for a nice wholesome meal for dinner, I went to Casa Sol, a small garden café that I read about on the Internet. Some previous visitors gave this place some very favorable reviews - according to the press clippings, the small cafe featured live music nightly by some of the local musicians in the area. In addition, there was a hint of some vegetarian entrees being available. Just what the doctor ordered!

Walking into the café, I was given a friendly welcome by the proprietor, a middle aged lady who was stationed in the small kitchen. With a variety of colorful indigenous arts and crafts decorating the place, the small restaurant had a lot of ambiance. The place was virtually deserted and I was the only customer for the night. I asked the proprietor who was doubling as chef and waitress, if she could prepare me a nice vegetarian dinner? No problem she said, suggesting a Mediterranean salad and a spicy vegetarian pasta dish (not on the menu). Situating myself at the best table in the house, I began chatting with the proprietor whose name was Olga as she began preparing my meal. It’s always interesting to hear the stories of expatriates from North America, Europe and other ‘first world countries” who have relocated to the tropics to developing third world countries like Mexico.

Olga was born in Holland, but moved to the California during her ‘free wheeling hippie days” sometime in the mid 1970’s. She eventually settled down in Mendocino, a small coastal town in Northern California. Sometime in the late 1990’s, she bolted to Barra de Navidad after the dissolution of her marriage to start a new life. A light bulb went off in my head when she mentioned she had lived in Mendocino. I passed thru the area with a friend sometime in summer of 1998, staying overnight at a beautiful private home in the forested hills overlooking the coast. The house was owned by a client of mine by the name of Richard Redfern, who worked as a medical doctor in nearby hospital. Almost everybody in the area knew Dr. Redfern, who had the deserved reputation of being a very friendly and hospitable fellow, who often invited musicians of touring bands to crash at his place when they passed through the area. Of course, Olga, having lived in Mendocino for so many years, also knew the good Doctor fairly well, having visited him at his home on a number of occasions. What a coincidence!

Continuing with the story - Before heading to Richard’s house, my friend and I had an early dinner at the Mendocino Café and Grill. Shaking her head in disbelief, she related to me that during the 1990’s she was part owner (and a chef) at this very same establishment, before bolting to Mexico sometime after the summer of 1998. I distinctly remember my dinner there - I had one of the best salads that I’ve ever had, all the produce was organic and locally grown.

It is definitely a small world after all!

As a sidenote - there was no live entertainment that night, as the musicians pulled a no show. Boo…..

Has anybody had the experience of unexpectedly running into a friend or somebody you know during your travels overseas? Well, I ‘m sure it’s happened to many people. It’s a small world after all! (an expression popularized by the Disney attraction in Anaheim) Let me tell you about a couple of my unusual encounters.

It was shortly before the Christmas Holidays in 1973, when I treated myself to a 3-week trip to Mexico as a gift to myself for graduating UC Berkeley. For the first week of my trip, I stayed in the ‘up and coming resort’ of Puerto Vallarta. My hotel, the Marsol was located at the beginning of the popular Playa de los Muertos on the southern end of the strip. Sauntering along the beach, I ran into David Whitehurst, a college roommate of mine during my senior year in college. He was vacationing with his father, a medical doctor and his younger brother. After graduating from college, Dave moved back to Chicago to live with his peeps. I spent over an hour chatting with Dave, mostly reminiscing about the wild times we had during our final year at college. Shortly before he returned to his hotel, I invited him to a party at the Marsol that I was involved in. That’s another story in its own right.

Well, after that one hour on the beach with ole Dave in Vallarta, I never saw him again. I’m guessing he’s either practicing medicine or ODed on drugs… oh well!

The next unusual story involves my parents, who were vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico sometime in the early 1980s. While walking around town, they were approached by a young American fellow who was aggressively hawking condo timeshares. Sizing up my parents, he was able to gather a lot of background information on them. Upon learning my parent’s last name and where they currently lived, a light bulb went off in the guy’s head. Apparently the young man grew up very in the same general vicinity (in the adjoining town). Chatting with my parents some more, the young man, asked my parents if they had a son about his age, to which they replied yes. Aha, the young man replied - “I think I know your son, Is his name Hanumann?” My parents nodded. The young man continued, “Believe it or not, I attended the same Junior High School, 1962-1965 with your son.” It’s definitely a small world after all!

One of the great things about traveling to Thailand is the affordability of getting a decent massage. Whether you’re in Bangkok, Chiang Mai or any of the more popular tourist spots, there is an abundance of experienced masseuses available to work their magic on you. Most of the masseuses work in storefront operations or at one of the major hotels. In popular beach resorts like Phuket, Koh Samui or Koh Chang, there are masseuses who work for licensed concessions on the beach as well as freelancers who roam up and down the beach looking for customers.

There are three primary types of massages offered by the various massage salons in Thailand - Traditional Thai Massage (TTM), an oil fullbody massage and the foot-reflexology massage. Most of the gals who work in the salons are licensed or trained masseuses and utilize a variety of techniques especially when providing an oil and foot massage. As they say, no two massages are alike. On the other hand, the techniques used in Traditional Thai Massage are relatively uniform. In TTM, be prepared to have your body bent and stretched in every way imaginable; a very hard massage, almost all the muscles in the legs, arms, back and neck are kneaded and all the major the joints in the body are manipulated or cracked. At the end of the massage, as you lie on your stomach, the masseuse usually folds the legs and presses them against your back while she pulls your arms up and above. In wrestling parlance, this move is known as a surfboard. It can be somewhat uncomfortable, but the masseuse usually knows how far she can bend you without causing serious injury; if for some reason, you find this maneuver too painful, you can let her know by “Crying Uncle” and she’ll release you from the hold.

In contrast, the oil fullbody massage is a considerably more gentle procedure than TTM; some of the masseuses have been trained in Swedish massage techniques, which is a real bonus. With the oil massage, lot of options can be added including different types of aromatherapy. The foot -reflexology massage by far is probably the most popular type of massage and there are some large salons especially in Bangkok and Pattaya, which provide only this type of service. I admit that the foot massage is one my favorites, as I don’t have to take off my clothes and it is very therapeutic. Usually the whole procedure takes place while you’re sitting on a comfortable chair with your shoes off of course. After your feet are soaked in some lukewarm water, the masseuse applies pressure to the different pressure points on the soles of your feet while working slowly up to your calves. Typically the end of the session involves a massage of the shoulder muscles and the head in addition to a cracking of the neck. After good foot massage session, I feel like a million baht!

The going rate for a one hour foot massage is about 200 baht ($5.00USD), for a one hour Thai traditional massage, I believe the going rate is also 200 baht ($5.00USD) and for the one-hour oil massage (without any extras), the average rate is 250-300 baht ($6.00-7.500USD). If you go to fancy spa or to a massage salon at a luxury hotel, be prepared to pay 25%-50% higher for the same services. The extra expense is for the higher overhead and for the ambiance of the facilities. Usually in the deluxe spa facility, you can add some additional options to the basic massage treatment including aromatherapy, facial exfoliation and massage, foot scrub and peel, all for extra monies of course.

To me, there is nothing more relaxing than being on the receiving end of a gentle oil massage on the beach while lying underneath a palapa (a large umbrella) or in the cool shade of a large coconut palm tree while downing a nice cold Singha beer. Such is the feeling of being in paradise! And at 250 baht a day (6.00USD), I would be a fool not to have a massage on the beach every single day!

Note- In this discussion of massages, I have invented a new term, Massage Salon, for those establishments whose primary business is offering legitimate massage treatments as opposed to Massage Parlor, where a variety of sexual services are the main course and the actual massage is just the entrée. Hence Massage Salon= Legitimate Massages Services and Massage Parlor= Hanky Panky