11 Dec 2015   Ngapali Beach continues to lose one of its greatest assets, despite beach sand being unsuitable for construction and regulations banning its removal. By HANS HULST | FRONTIER Twenty years ago Ngapali Beach, on the Bay of Bengal in Rakhine State a short drive from Thandwe, was an unspoilt gem in the crown of Myanmar’s natural treasures. The local population, which had access to the beach, lived mainly from the sea. Every now and then a foreigner could be spotted at one of the few hotels along the foreshore. Times have changed. Tourism is modest but growing at Ngapali, with a limited number of mid-range and upscale hotels operating in the area. Nearly all the beachfront land has been sold and only a small strip of public beach remains. But the sand is disappearing. Normally, the sea removes and deposits sand in an everlasting cycle. A beach will gently slope upwards, until it runs into the natural barriers of plant growth and the roots of palm t...

Monday, October 13, 2014 2 WORST HOTEL IN THAILAND, RUDEST STAFF IN THE WORLD, ROOM SMELLED LIKE A DRUGS DEN -  GUESTS TOLD TO 'F! OFF!' WELCOME TO PARADISE RESORT ON KOH TAO! A resort on the Thai island where Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were brutally murdered has come in for a drubbing on tripadvisor. The resort , which appears to have had bad reviews even before the brutal murders,  has A revue saying ‘if you value your life don’t stay here’. Most of the complaints are about rude staff and general cleanliness. You couldn't make them up. One reviewer said he 'didn't find any, worst place in thailand'. And others warned people to stay away because the hotel is ‘mafia’ run,   One said he had to run out of the resort and staff laughed when he asked for money back. Reviewers complain of everything from pubic hairs in the bed to rude offensive and arrogant staff and another said: 'If you value your well being do...

BBC BBC 19 March 2012 | By Robert Reid In Mrauk U, goat herders and radish farmers still live and work amid the 700 historic temples. (Robert Reid) “Yo yo yo!” is the three-beat attention-getter touts across Southeast Asia use to get you to ride their taxi or buy their postcards. It comes in quick succession, lingers like a mosquito and usually gets what it seeks: a bit of your business. Related: Planning tips from Lonely Planet But in one of the most remote corners of Burma, it was the last thing I imagined I would hear. Burma (officially Myanmar) is the newest hotspot of Southeast Asia. Now that its military leaders have turned over the government to civilian hands (at least on paper) and the US has normalized its diplomatic relations, arrivals are expected to increase by 300% in 2012, reaching a total of one million tourists. This kite-shaped nation of rickshaws and ox carts remains, as Rudyar...