by Scott Coates

Alexis de Suremain, a French native, first left his homeland to work with Pharmaciens Sans Frontières, a non-governmental organization (NGO), in a few of the former Soviet republics. Southeast Asia and former French colonies were on his mind and he asked for a transfer, landing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia back in 2001. With some schooling in graphic design and international business Suremain quickly set off into business and has never looked back, taking Phnom Penh by storm.

Many foreigners set up bars, restaurants and hotels in up-and-coming destinations like Phnom Penh, but few with as much style, enthusiasm and innovative zeal as Alexis.
I first met him back in 2005 while developing our Classic Cambodia adventure, having heard of his famous parties at Elsewhere on the last Friday of every month. Operated with his wife Elsewhere quickly hit a pulse with the city’s foreign residents who flocked to its pool and lush tropical environment. Alexis hasn’t looked back since, and in many ways has become Phnom Penh’s premier hotelier.

A city on the move and hitting travelers’ radar early in the millennia, he identified a number of critical travel needs in the city, coupled those with his love for colonial buildings that had fallen under disrepair, and opened his first hotel, the 25-room Pavilion. The concept was a quiet, easy-to-run, romantic place for adult travelers, all at a very reasonable price. A signature of his properties is large, lush public areas with a good-sized swimming pool. He also adopted a very visible policy against sex travelers, something the country was known for some years ago. Not to leave families out, he soon opened the Kabiki specifically for families with children. Business has been gangbusters and he’s gone on to open Blue Lime, The 240, set the bar for sipping cocktails with the very stylish Chinese House and is currently working on his biggest hotel to date, The Plantation, a 72-room colonial hotel in the heart of the city, set to open its doors in 2011. The Plantation will expand upon Alexis’ focus of eco-friendly and sensible practices.

Eco has always been at the top of his mandate. It’s not only good for the environment but a great way to save money according to Suremain. Things like open-air restaurants and lobbies greatly reduce electric bills while putting guests in touch with their environment, something that’s key to a rich travel experience. With an eye to the future and setting the bar even higher he’s ambitiously been working on a first-of-its-kind floating hotel.

“Floating structures are mobile, you can move them if the location turns out to be not efficient. Floating hotels are original, romantic, different, give an adventurous feeling, explains Suremain. “The idea was to setup a floating village half way between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and use existing mid-sized boats to shuttle between those two cities at half the price offered by the large cruise boats. One does not sleep in its cabin on board but gets a larger floating bungalow, with its own private pool.”

Perhaps the most innovative part of this project is that bungalows will be entirely powered by solar, which will in turn air condition only the bed.
“The solar panels feed an air-conditioning compressor when the sun is shining. The compressed gas is cooled by the river by a heat exchanger much more efficiently that with the traditional air cooled units. Compressed gas is then released in a heat exchanger inside an insulated tank located above the bed, cooling 1,500 liters of water. At night, a sliding door above the bed is opened, releasing the fresh air to the space contained by the mosquito net.”

While electricity is saved, the cost of this technology is far more than electric bills. Alexis looks at the real benefit being pushing the industry forward, setting trends and gaining good amounts of PR from doing so. Cambodia has the most expensive electricity in all of SE Asia, an important reason to reduce consumption he says.

While many hotels preach being green, while putting in large bathtubs and cooling rooms 24-hours per day whether you’re in them or not, Alexis is proving simple steps can not only save money, but create interest, spark innovation and drive sales. Next time you’re in Phnom Penh, ask us to put you at one of his hotels and see what the fuss is about.

by Scott Coates

When Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) officially opened on September 28, 2006, it replaced Don Muang as Bangkok’s main airport. Built in 1914, Don Muang was one of the world’s oldest operating airports, having commenced commercial service in 1924 with the arrival of a KLM flight. Suvarnabhumi promised not only a modern terminal but a high-speed train to whisk passengers to and from the city. Like many large-scale projects the rail link suffered setbacks almost from the start, but is now officially almost ready to go.

Phayathai Station

Construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport Link (SARL) started in July 2005 and test runs began in October 2009 with the latest round (July 2010) being open to the public. Smiling Albino was itching to try it out and took a ride on July 14.

Owned and operated by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the 28km, above-ground line has eight stations, including the terminus stop at BKK, one at Phayathai which will connect to the city’s Skytrain system and Makkasan, a central station where travelers will be able to check-in for flights and drop their bags before leaving the city. We boarded at Phayathai and were immediately impressed with the size of the station. The roof is long and domed, likely with an eye to its popularity growing in the future. The train, manufactured by Siemens rolled up and we hopped on.

Inside the train

The inside of the carriage looks much like those used on the Skytrain and Bangkok’s Underground system (also manufactured by Siemens), but with a bit of room for placing suitcases. Bit is the key word. On each car there is a space about 1m wide and ½ a meter deep, which seems like much less storage space than will be required by those using an airport train. Another missing item is the total absence of overhead storage of any kind. There’s lots of space above the seats, most travelers will likely have carry-on bags, but there’s no racks to place anything. I’m guessing they’re keeping the area open for advertising, a disappointment.

The speed of the train was impressive, seeing us cover the entire journey with stops at all stations in less than 30 minutes (Commuter Train). There will also be Express Trains which go directly to the city and take just 15 minutes, making the journey quick and manageable. With a top speed of 160km/hr (I don’t think we got near that on our trip) it’s pretty neat gazing down at old houses in the eastern end of the city as they whiz by and minutes later being amongst Bangkok’s modern skyscrapers – a wild contrast.

Seamlessness will be the telling tale of SARL and we’ll be revisiting the train once full passenger service commences to see how travelers manage moving bags on and off the trains, connect to Skytrain and Underground stations and check-in at Makkasan Station. Escalators in the stations are not oversized,

SARL route map

leaving us wondering if it will be tough to get on them, huge hard-shell suitcase in hand. Another question is the process of getting in/out of taxis at the Makkasan Station and the time required for an inner city journey to one’s hotel – the slowest part of any taxi ride in Bangkok.

Fares and operating times have yet to be announced but considering the great deal on Bangkok’s taxi fares we’re thinking train fares should be very reasonable. Opening dates for SARL have been announced, rescinded, and revised several times over the last year but it seems things will be fully functional starting August 23, coincidentally my birthday. I know what I’m doing this year!

Watch a video of our ride.

See some photos from our first trip.

by Scott Coates

In early June I was at a joint American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand – Thai Canadian Chamber of Commerce luncheon and heard an announcement for a Chili Contest as part of the American Independence Day Celebrations to be held on July 3, 2010 in Bangkok. Having made chili a few times, loving a bowl – a rarity when you live in Bangkok – Smiling Albino (SA) Board Member Derek Van Pelt mentioned that a mutual friend had a great recipe for chili and

Some friends at the SA Chili Booth

we should enter the contest. Always up for something fun and the chance to eat chili we signed-up, enlisted the assistance of our friend Phil, a Canadian resident in Bangkok, and Friday, July 2 met at his house to create a winning chili.

Early in the evening someone in the kitchen asked, “What does chili have to do with travel?” and chuckled. Everyone had a laugh, we talked about how funny it would be to beat all the major restaurants that would be in the contest, and continued designing our batch of bliss.

At the event site on July 3 while setting up our booth the owner of one of the city’s leading Mexican restaurants was setting up next to us. After introductions he asked about our restaurant wondering where SA was. After explaining that SA is a travel company and sharing a bit about what we do, it was obvious he was a bit perplexed. Throughout the afternoon as guests sampled our chili it was amazing how many people were surprised that a travel company was in a chili contest. A quick look around at the other booths revealed we were in fact the only non-restaurant in the contest of more than a dozen entrants. One feisty eater who’d clearly had a few too many bowls smartly remarked, “What does a travel company know about chili!” A lot it turns out as he returned shortly thereafter to give us his bean (each taster had one bean to vote for their favorite chili).

Serving it up

With our entire seven liters of chili consumed, the judges announced the winners of the Great American Chili Cook-off and we were delighted to win People’s Choice for Best Chili, no doubt surprising some of the other competitors. So, how did we win? We followed the judging criteria to a tee, nailing all five: Aroma (chili should smell good), Consistency (chili should be a good balance of meat and gravy – the meat should be tender, but not mushy), Color (chili should look good and the color should range from reddish to reddish brown), Taste (chili should taste good) and Aftertaste (chili should leave a pleasant taste after swallowing). Since the competition we’ve talked a fair bit about what a travel company knows about making chili and it turns out there are lots of similarities.

When designing a great trip there must be good aroma all the way through. Asia is one of the world’s most colorful and fragrant regions to travel. From flower markets to food vendors concocting culinary delights and world-class spas emanating sweet-smelling oils, great aromas abound and exposing our guests to them is key.

While good surprises are something we love to sprinkle liberally throughout our adventures, consistency is important. While exploring the unknown it’s vital for guests to feel comfortable and live up to the high expectations we’ve set for ourselves. This especially holds true when visitors return for multiple trips in the many countries travel. It’s all about consistency.

Color: markets, hilltribe communities in traditional costume, glittering temples, tuk-tuks, lush rice paddies, silky-soft beaches, azure seas and neon lights combine to form the colorful backdrop of all our adventures.

Food is a highlight of any trip to Asia and SA has always worked hard to introduce visitors to as many tasty dishes during their trip as possible. From fine dining to street-side fare and everything in between, exposing guests to the taste of the region is a highlight of prime importance.

A journey of a lifetime consists of much more than just the travel days

Accepting the People's Choice Award

themselves. Creating experiences that visitors remember for the rest of their lives is the goal. The joy of recalling a local’s smile as you rode by on a bicycle or watched the sunset from your mountain villa while sipping sparkling wine is an element we consider sacred. Creating a travel aftertaste so to speak is as important as the adventure itself.

With our trophy ladle for People’s Choice for Best Chili mounted on our office wall and thinking about all those people who didn’t understand what chili and travel had in common, I now think it’s rather obvious. We’re ready to make a batch for you. Check-out our Adventures and let us know when you’re hungry.

by Scott Coates

The good folks at Bangkok Podcast had us on their show on Sunday, July 11. We talked about the origins of Smiling Albino, our guiding principals, how we’ve expanded over the years and our community work.
Have a listen: http://www.bangkokpodcast.com/bangkok-interviews/smiling-albino/.

by Scott Coates

A recent story that runs in a similar form once-per-year in Thailand, quoted Bangkok Deputy Governor Theerachon Manomaipiboon, saying the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is imposing stiff measures against mahouts (elephant handlers) who bring elephants into the capital. This activity is common, with mahouts selling food for people to feed to their elephant. To date the BMA says they have confiscated 10 elephants and returned 80 to the forest this year. Those found violating the law will face a six-month jail term or a 10,000THB fine. This can also potentially be imposed against those buying food for elephants from their handlers.

John hard at work atop an elephant

The plight of elephants in Bangkok and Thai cities is a complicated one. While it might sound easy to relocate an elephant, there are much larger economic issues at stake. These beasts can eat more than 200kg of food per day, putting a large financial burden on a mahout and more importantly, these handlers have often spent their entire lives working with elephants, making it difficult to transition into another career. It’s also not easy to simply return an elephant to the jungle as remaining forests are shrinking dramatically and domestic elephants don’t integrate well back into the wild.

A friend of Smiling Albino (SA), John Roberts, Director of Elephants with the Anantara Resort at the Golden Triangle, was kind enough to treat me to a day with their elephants some time ago and since then we’ve spoken on several occasions about his work and the plight of Thailand’s elephants. This recent story led me to get his opinion on the issue.

Roberts, a native of England, first started working with elephants in Chitwan National Park, Nepal back in 1999 and they’ve been the focus of his work since moving to Thailand in 2003. He helped develop the Anantara’s Mahout Program, which is very unique. Rather than buying elephants and bringing them to the resort, they approach a mahout, pay them a salary, and move them, their elephant and family to the resort, where they live and work. This provides an ongoing steady salary and ensures a good quality of life for everyone.

Back in his early days Roberts spent most of his time working hands-on with pachyderms, but nowadays finds most of his time occupied by administration like promoting ideas on elephant welfare, developing a rescue/rental model and working hard to influence others on the subject. He still thrives on meeting as many guests as possible and is extremely proud of the solid local team that has been assembled who run the day-to-day operations.

Roberts explains how the phenomenon of bringing elephants into cities began, “It started as a way for unemployed mahouts to make money by giving local folks a chance to make merit and while it’s still seen as a desperate measure for a traditional mahout trying to feed his elephant, it’s developed somewhat to suit the tourist trade and the elephants that find themselves in town nowadays are more likely to be babies that are cuter and easier to transport.”

While it seems obvious that cities are not a good place for elephants, he says there are many adverse, long term problems that can result from elephants living and working in such environments, “Elephants end up walking all night on the roads and traffic accidents, while not too common, are a risk. They have to try to rest during the day and are often sleep-deprived and stressed, passed out under underpasses.”

The temptation to bring babies into the city results in them too often being separated from their mothers too early and having to eat fodder that’s not traditional, possibly leading to physical and mental development problems as they grow older. “Making elephants cute is a major problem with long term downsides according,” says Roberts, “to earn a living they often have to do tricks that may end up damaging them later in life. We have two rescued babies who seem to have premature arthritis, possibly coincidentally; they were initially introduced to me by doing a headstand. We have one who is stunted from drinking whisky on the streets. Her mahout used to share a bottle with her so she could do the drunken elephant dance. Both have since given up drinking.”

Using dirt to stay cool

A major challenge with moving elephants out of the city is where to take them and what to do with them. An elephant eats a lot of food, so without a good deal of money and/or access to fodder, one can quickly become financially strained. Roberts mentions that the BMA makes an annual push to move elephants out of the cities, but to date their efforts have not been terribly effective yet remains optimistic that things can improve, “Under the current Chang Yim scheme (Smiling Elephant), the elephants and their mahouts are sent back to their villages in Surin province and paid a small wage per month to stay there, as well as being given one Rai of land to grow elephant fodder.”

Certain organizations including Royal Foundations and Elephant Nature Foundation’s Surin Project are working hard to build tourism according to Roberts, “However, at the moment these schemes have limited capacity so many of the elephants are still playing the old trick of moving to provincial cities while the heat is on in Bangkok and moving back when the heat comes off again. Lets hope the BMA can keep the heat on.”

A major challenge is that working city streets is more lucrative than being a part of any elephant relocation program. Some mahouts talk of making up to 10,000THB/night but more commonly they can take in about 3,000THB/night. The Anantara’s program, while earning less money than working the streets, is a good option with other benefits explains Roberts, “We feel that if we are to persuade our mahouts to bring their elephants from the streets we have to offer them a comfortable lifestyle with their families, a much better rent, plus opportunities for overtime and tips. All the elephant food and other intangible benefits such as human and elephant insurance, permanent veterinary presence, a silk producing business for their wives, as we can’t possibly compete with the streets on purely financial terms.”

Roberts has learned much during his tenure in Thailand and an original scheme of buying elephants from their handlers ended up not working, hence the Anantara’s current program. “Some operators seek to persuade mahouts to sell their elephants and change their lifestyles as this would certainly be the easiest option, but we found early on that a traditional mahout with money in his pocket and no elephant just goes and buys another elephant. Increasingly these days, it seems, one smuggled in from Burma or Laos and goes back to the city streets.” “Buying a street elephant to rescue it almost always immediately puts another elephant in danger, so that’s not an option we encourage.”
“Being a mahout isn’t just a job but a sense of cultural identity for many, following in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers. It’s their skill and career.”

Riding at the Anantara

During his more than 10 years working with elephants, Roberts and his team have tried many different methods for rescuing elephants and caring for their handlers’ and families. While there’s still much to be done, he says the Anantara’s current efforts with 12 working elephants are yielding good results, “Our main activity is Mahout Training where over the course of one hour to three days, we give you a taster of what it’s like to be a mahout. We also have a foundation that looks after the remainder of the elephants, mainly babies, from the streets. While they are with us we work with the mahouts to develop handling methods and welfare regimes that will give the elephants as much freedom as possible and ensure the mahouts don’t resort to some of the crueler traditional methods of control. We feel that if we are to help all of Thailand’s elephants, not just those under our care, the methods we develop here not only have to be acceptable to us and our guests, they must be attractive enough to the mahouts to practice them should we not be around and to tell their friends about to practice elsewhere. In this way we hope we are able to help elephants everywhere and not just those we are directly responsible for.”

Smiling Albino is happy to arrange an elephant experience for you during your adventure that will not only be an amazing experience, but benefit the elephants and their human families. Just send us an email and check out our Customized Experiences and we’ll make it happen.
Another great way to help Thai elephants is to never buy food for them if on the streets. If you spot a rouge elephant in the city you can call the BMA Hotline at 1555 who will then address the problem. We’d like to see how that’s executed – getting an elephant on a truck is no doubt a precarious task!
You can also follow John’s Elephant Tails Blog too.

Smiling Albino entered the US Independence Day Chili Competition in Bangkok on July 3, 2010. We were the only non-restaurant to enter and won the People’s Choice Award for Best Chili! Enjoy these photos:

The Smiling Albino Chili Booth

A young girl enjoys her Smiling Albino Fan

Scott serves up some chili

Scott & Erika maning the booth

Fans of Smiling Albino Chili

Scott & Erika accept the People's Choice award for Best Chili

Scott enjoys a victory sip from the prize ladle

For Immediate lease

July 2, 2010

Tourism Authority of Thailand selects Smiling Albino to host media at tourism festival.

Read the entire release by clicking here.

Fah Thai, the inflight magazine for Bangkok Airways ran a photo essay about

Bangkok 1910 Photo Essay

Smiling Albino’s Bangkok 1910 adventure in their April 2010 issue.

Click here and have a look at the entire piece.

by Scott Coates

When I moved to Bangkok in 1999 to develop Smiling Albino I was an avid mountain biker having taken up the sport about two years previously in Calgary, AB. It’s easy to get into the forest there, hit dirt trails and get away from people very quickly. Taking up residence in bustling Bangkok, a city of 10 million, mostly covered in concrete, presented immediate challenges to

John crossing a canal in Bangkapi district

continue riding. Streets are crammed with traffic, there’s hardly any open space and concrete dominates. I was initially worried and even a bit sad to realize my days riding out the back door and shortly after that into the forest and on dirt were likely behind me. But after a month or so of exploring my area in the eastern part of the city I found new opportunities. While not the same type of mountain biking, what I discovered was equally challenging, extremely interesting for a foreign resident and very close to my apartment.

Khlongs (canals) once dominated all areas of Bangkok, many of which have been built over to create roads in modern times, but if you get out of the downtown core, into suburban areas like Bangkapi where I live, there’s still a lot of them. These canals not only serve as waterways for transport and fishing, but people also live along their banks in mostly ramshackle homes. Residents tend to be quite poor, canals dirty, but there are often concrete walkways built above and alongside canals for transport. Typically about 1m in width and about 2m above the water, they’re connected by funky wooden footbridges, sharp turns, low-lying roofs and all sorts of other obstacles to be negotiated. I was dazzled from my first visit. Over the years I got out as much as I could, was constantly on the hunt for new pathways and creating longer and more interesting rides. While I’m very happy to see Smiling Albino growing and spreading its trunk, the last few years have seen me have less and less time for riding, something I hope will change. In June 2010 a fellow Canadian resident, Greg, invited a few friends out for a bike ride through his end of the city, along the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok’s main waterway and alleyways near Yaowarat (Chinatown).

Sunday riders in front of Bangkok's old Customs House

On a Sunday morning eight of us met along Sukhumvit Road, one of the the city’s main thoroughfares and set out with the goal of taking as many quite roads, small alleys and passageways as possible to Khao Sarn Road, a haven for backpackers. At times we had to take major roads for a few kilometers, but were mostly able to weave together a quiet, interesting route from Greg’s years of riding around his stomping ground. Without realizing it I was entranced, taken back to that first year of living in Bangkok and riding canals in my end of the city. Life is different in these lanes. The sounds of a teeming city non-existent, smiles friendlier, goings on different and life of Bangkok past much easier to imagine. After more than 10 years living and exploring, I remembered why I love this city so much. There are few metropolises where turning a corner can change things so much. Wooden houses suddenly dominate, European-style buildings appear, people are working with their hands rather than machines and for all intensive purposes we were seeing another city entirely. A city you must bike or walk to get inside, through, up, over and into.

In a day and age where cars, subways and modern transport dominate, and certainly have a very useful purpose, the ride reaffirmed some of my personal beliefs and Smiling Albino’s founding principals. To really see and appreciate an area, you must dive in head first. Rely on your feet and bikes to get into its internal organs and by doing so, see a side to a city and country that few locals and even fewer visitors ever experience. Adventures like our Bangkok Headlights and Yaowarat have always relied on self-propelled

Scott & Erika crossing the Rama VIII Bridge

exploration and I remembered why – it’s the only way to see the spots we take our guests. You simply can’t get in small passageways in a car, train or into the ancient heart of Bangkok any other way.

In a day and age of bigger, faster and more comfortable, it’s important to remember that traveling is about exploring and experiencing other cultures, not rushing. New isn’t always better and in many respects new is making the world a blander more uniform place. The next time you travel I encourage you to get out of the car, get out of the train, walk down a quite street, go in the dark alley and have a look. On second thought, better to take a Smiling Albino adventure and let us share some of our favorite secret corners with you in safety and style. There are all kinds of untold stories and sites out there waiting to be discovered.

by Scott Coates

When traveling almost everyone stays in a hotel for most of their trip abroad. International hotel brands provide supreme comfort, all the services you could want but often lack local character. Small boutique hotels can be very neat and quirky but sometimes lack the quality and upkeep that one still expects from a hotel and the prices that go along with them. Then there’s the homestay where you bunk down with a local family, usually meaning facilities are very limited and perhaps not comfortable

Smiling Albino adventurers enjoying a break in the Newa Chen courtyard

enough for the average traveler. Enter something different and in between all of these – Newa Chen.

While developing the Nepal Trek & Trail adventure back in 2007, our Nepal Team leader Mads suggested we spend a couple nights in the old capital of Patan and really explore it. A former capital of the country, located in the Kathmandu Valley, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site where every street, alley, corner and building serves as a living museum. Patan was a center where artisans flourished, specializing in word work, smelting, bronze work and along with it, they spent a good deal of time creating intricate and beautiful homes.

Newa Chen is perhaps one of Patan’s best preserved traditional homes. Owned by the Shrestha family, it’s constructed of brick and timber in traditional Malla style, a period where great importance was placed on art and culture. With modern times many of Patan’s traditional homes and those in the greater Kathmandu Valley for that matter have and are being torn down in favor of modern concrete structures. If you’ve been around intricate wood carvings and wooden homes most of your life it seems concrete seems like progress.

An intricate window frame

With its heritage literally being torn down around them, the Patan Tourism Development Organization along with UNESCO set out to protect and promote historical homes and buildings before it was too late. Many Patan homes are in disrepair due to the passing of time, lack of funds to fix them and Kathmandu also lies on an earthquake fault and is prone to occasional tremors, causing damage to poorly built structures. Often tearing down old homes, subdividing the land and building modern concrete ones is a way to earn money. The two organizations approached local families with what they deemed to be heritage homes and proposed a plan: use a low interest loan to restore your home, then develop a way to showcase it to visitors. Rather than being a financial drain on a family, sometimes crumbling structures like Newa Chen were not only refurbished and preserved but quickly became a significant source of family income.

Opened in 1996 after a thorough restoration, Newa Chen welcomes visitors to stay in one of their eight guest rooms. Short doorways force one to bend over or bow when entering, making you pay respect to the home as you enter. Residents share communal spaces, courtyards, dining areas, an attic

Waving from their room

which serves as a lounge and you see family members come and go throughout the day. Gorgeous brickwork, intricate wooden window frames and doors, Patan art and traditional furnishings don’t just share the area’s feel but submerge you right into everyday life. Steep wooden staircases (ladders really) take you through Newa Chen’s three floors which surround the central courtyard which all rooms look out onto. While great attention and effort is put into the preserving the past, they’ve thoughtfully installed such modern amenities as sit down toilets and nice hot showers, ensuring you’ll want to come home at the end of a day exploring.

Newa Chen is one of the most interesting and enjoyable places I’ve ever stayed. I’ve brought my parents there for the experience and we’re thrilled to have it as part of our special Jazzmandu Grand Slam adventure starting on October 28, 2010. In a world cluttered with boring, overpriced, and soulless hotels, Newa Chen is successfully blazing new trails and setting a new standard.