Mari Nicholson's Blog

Posted by Mari Nicholson

Good news for tourists to Thailand. An overhaul is underway at the main airport of Suvarnabhumi Airport where passenger complaints continue to pile up. The rash of bad publicity that the airport, and Thailand, has acquired this last year may have prompted the authorities to take another look at their flagship airport and try to answer some of the many complaints that they have received since its opening - not least complaints of passengers being falsely accused of shoplifting and then having money extorted by police interpreters. And the authorities are finally taking steps to prevent the pilfering that has been rife in the airport. An amazing 327 new security cameras are being installed in the luggage-sorting zone and baggage handlers will now sport uniforms with pockets sewn shut to prevent petty, and not so petty, pilfering.

Illegal taxi touts in the main hall of the airport are also being moved, as are unauthorised tour guides who are being charged with creating a public nuisance, and here again, security cameras are being installed in the arrival zone to collect evidence against them.

On the positive side, free wifi will be in place very soon and internet terminals will be installed for those without laptops. Another much needed improvement will be extra restrooms and cushions to cover the cold metallic seats in the departure lounges, an innovation that has won praise from prospective passengers, in letters to the Bangkok Post.

The tourism industry is desperately trying to recover from last year's bad PR disaster at the main gateway to the country, Suvarnabhumi, when anti-government protesters managed to shut the airport for a week stranding over 300,000 passengers in disgraceful conditions while the world stood by and wondered why the government did nothing to move the yellow shirted protesters from the surrounding area.

Hotels, restaurants and retail businesses are suffering badly at the moment. It behoves the government to pull out all the stops to make the main airport a more welcoming gateway for incoming visitors, and to ensure their safety and enjoyment in what should be one of the world's most popular airports. Instead, it is ranked 28th in the Airport Council International annual list based on passenger surveys of 120 airports. The top 3 spots are held by Singapore, Seoul and Hong Kong.

Posted by Mari Nicholson

It’s been a long time since my last boat trip and once again I have to ask myself why I don’t spend more time afloat and in France. Passing through rural landscapes dotted with the famous white Charolais cattle of the region, majestic willow trees dipping their branches as though in homage as we passed, and sighting ancient chateaus and castles all from the decks of our barge, would have been a delight at any time. This was August, and the weather was superb.

What is Life Like Aboard a Barge in France

GoBarging.com is the luxury barging company for cruising the waterways of Europe, France, Ireland, Scotland, and Italy. Their barges are equipped to take between nine and thirteen people in well appointed cabins, complete with shower rooms (some even with bath), spacious lounges and plenty of seating on deck. It is even possible to hire the boat exclusively if family or friends want to have the barge just for themselves. GoBarging.com will accommodate any reasonable idea. The chef prepares superb food which is accompanied by specially chosen regional wines and cheeses which makes for a true gourmet experience.

How to Get There

I took the Eurostar to Paris where I spent the first night, choosing this time to stay in the Hôtel Ampèrre which is in a residential district within a 20 minute walk of the Arc de Triomphe and with a fine view of the Eiffel Tower from my room. I love Montmartre and the Left Bank area but it was a delightful change to walk in quiet streets and check out bistros and restaurants in this sophisticated area. I enjoyed the stay so much I stayed there for another couple of nights when I returned from La Belle Epoque.

Taxis from both major stations are around €10 (unless you arrive during rush hour when, like any major city, hold-ups are the norm).

When to Go to Paris

Paris always charms, but August is the perfect month for the city as the Parisians desert it in droves, leaving the streets and the shops empty – except for tourists. I loved the atmosphere and the quietness of the streets.

But it is the green countryside and the quiet canals that will live in my memory. Paris will always delight but for now it is the abundant charms of rural France that have captured my imagination. My photographs of the ancient towns of Auxerre, Chablis, Noyers-sur-Terrin and Clamency hardly do them justice, but they do serve to remind me of an exquisite few days on the barge La Belle Epoque on the Canal Nivernais in France

Posted by Mari Nicholson

Once again Thailand’s elephants are in the news. The Bangkok authorities want to send the current roaming pachyderms back to the jungle but it is proving a somewhat difficult task.

These elephants that the visitors see idling outside shopping malls, lumbering through Bangkok’s traffic, and being fed too many bananas, too much sugar-cane, and touched for good luck (and as a way of their owner making a living) were once proud animals working in the northern forests. A logging ban in the late 1980’s made them redundant in forestry work and their owners have made the trek south to Bangkok to try and eek out a living for themselves, their families and their elephants.

They have been trafficked into the city from the northern states, and even from neighbouring Burma, sometimes by their owners who themselves are redundant, and sometimes by gangs who see another way of making a living in the city. Walking underneath an elephant is supposed to bring good luck and many people on their way to or from work at night at happy to pay a few coins to change their fortune. As well as this, the gangs sell supposedly ivory trinkets, but these are more likely to be made from elephant bone or even plastic.

It is sad to see these huge beasts lumbering through the grid-locked traffic, an environment guaranteed to affect their health. The traffic police wear masks in the city as do many of the workers, small protection against the pollution, but the elephants have no such defense. To be fair, neither do their mahouts, poverty stricken villagers to a man – and woman.

Roaming elephants cause accidents, especially at night, not only to cars, trucks and pedestrians, but to themselves. Bangkok’s notorious pot-holes cause many a broken leg to the huge beasts.

But in March last, the authorities came up with a plan. They are hoping that groups will adopt an elephant and relocate it to the countryside. Estimated at 500,000 baht (£10,000 or $14,600 at current rates) several groups have already stepped up and paid to have at least half of the city’s 200 elephants returned to a better life.

The owners are encouraged to start a business with the money and they must accept any reasonable offer. Bangkok Governor Khun Sukhumphan Boriphat has promised that the rest will be returned within a year.

Microchips have been inserted into the elephants so that their whereabouts can be tracked and so that they cannot be returned to the city. It is hoped they can be taught to search the forests (or what is left of them) for their food, but whether this will succeed or not is a moot point – decades of being fed sugar cane and bananas without any struggle to obtain it may have made the elephants lazy.

The Thai elephant is the symbol of the country and should be treated with respect. Visitors should remember that these animals should be sleeping at night, not parading down Sukhamvit for the amusement of tourists.

Posted by Mari Nicholson

Just back from The New Forest at Beaulieu in Hampshire, S.E. England, I have decided that it must be one of the loveliest parts of the UK. Certainly for walking, relaxing, communing with nature, there can be fewer parts of the world where all these elements of the good life come together.

Although called The New Forest it is, in fact, the UK's oldest surviving forest and the largest tract of semi-natural woodland in Western Europe. It dates back to 1079 when it was established as a hunting ground for William the Conqueror. Today it is still administered under ancient laws set up to protect the woodland and wilderness run by Vederers, Commoners and Agisters who are judges, police and land users. There are more than 3,000 wild ponies and donkeys runing free, red and sika deer can be spied through the trees in the morning mist, and docile highland cattle graze the grasses of the village greenss.

The villages are typically English with half-timbered and thatched cottages, and old pubs, some gabled, many with climbing roses and honeysuckle round their doors. Many of the old Inns and Manor Houses are now hotels, like the one I stayed in this week, The Montagu Arms, a 5* oasis of relaxation and luxury in the heart of Beaulieu Village.

Small by modern standards, The Montagu Arms offers quality hospitality in a delightful setting on the Beaulieu River. Its gardens are magnificent, so well tended to that they produce flowers and colour throughout the year. The Terrace Restaurant (for which it holds a Michelin Star) looks on to these gardens and to a decked area on which pre- and after dinner drinks can be enjoyed, and the public bar and lounge are quiet and comfortable with books, newspapers and magazines on hand for the guests.

Hard though it was to tear myself away from the comforts of the hotel, I did manage to visit Beaulieu's other great attractions, the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu Palace and the Abbey ruins. The National Motor Museum is always an enjoyable place, and although I love the vintage and antique cars on display, the old Mercedes, Bentleys, Bugattis, Rolls Royce's etc., the current James Bond Exhibition was fun to visit, as was the Top Gear marquee. Wandering around the enormous display in the main area of the Museum, peeking into old garages and shops from the early days of the last century, can be a trip down memory lane for some people and a view into a world we have lost touch with for others, a slower, more relaxed way of life, when speed wasn't everything.

Beaulieu Palace offers a peek into another world also, with a Victorian kitchen and pantry, and the great state dining-hall in all its glory. Not to be missed.

Walking through the forest, along paths well signposted, looking out for the newly born ponies that kept close to their mothers, their gangly legs barely holding them up, was something that I am sure is good for the soul. At anyt rate, I've returned with a new energy to re-engage with life. Or at leas with the tennis at Eastbourne next week where I shall be for the AEGON International Championships.

Posted by Mari Nicholson

I might even join them!

Despite the lure of favourite European cities and coastal areas, the cost of travelling in Europe is a drawback. I've recently returned from Cyprus and before that Spain and Italy, and I am still reeling from the shock of the prices. Mind you, there are still bargains to be had if one does one's research well enough, especially if self-catering is undertaken rather than staying in hotels, or the newest alternative, the all-in holiday. At least with the latter you know exactly how much the holiday is going to cost and it can be paid up front.

Limassol, Cyprus

The weather in Limassol in Cyprus was just perfect in May, cloudless, blue skies and calm seas, and as the waters around the cost of Cyprus are crystal clear, swimming was a delight - even if a little cold. My gorgeous hotel, the Amathus Beach & Spa at Limassol had a superb indoor pool however, and evening swims after a hard day's sightseeing were delightful.

Salamanca, Spain

Before that, Salamanca in Spain was equally good for weather, the sunny skies reflecting off the yellow-stone buildings to warm the narrow streets. Sitting at sidewalk restaurants dipping hot freshly made churros into our hot chocolate was a pleasant mid-morning break (the chocolate in Spain is thick and heavy, churros are doughy sticks sometimes dipped in sugar) while evenings spent people watching in the Plaza Mayor over coffee and brandy made a satisfactory ending to the evening.

Madrid and Toledo, Spain

My time in Madrid was spent tracking down favourite paintings in The Prado and Reina Sofia and the trip to Toledo was mainly to catch the new El Greco exhibition and visit his house, now a Museum. I hadn't been there for about 15 years. I'd forgotten how charming the place was, how beautiful the old train station was and how stunning the vista of Toledo on the approach from town. I only had a couple of days there, but I want to go back and spend some time walking along the river bank and imagining life in the time of El Greco.

New Forest, UK

But I'm staying in the UK, for a while at least. Next week I'm off to the New Forest where wild ponies and donkeys trot up to be fed and patted and beautiful highland cattle sit placidly on the greens - it's one of my favourite places in S.E. England.

After that I have a sneaking feeling I'm heading off to Belgium to meet up with some friends. It's only across the water, so it's almost like home - isn't it?