Popagandhi

So the Conde Naste, ExpatAsia, the New York Times et cetera might run these top 50 resorts in Asia articles, but can you really afford any of them, and how well do they really know Asia? Popagandhi’s done the work so you don’t have to — knocked on doors, slept in hard beds, trod on cow dung, subjected them to her rigorous Asian taste test (if it ain’t good enough to eat, it ain’t good enough to live) — and here’s a list of places you’ve probably never heard about. Here’s part one of two. She has lived in each and every one of these places for more than 3 nights, and receives no monetary compensation for writing about them (and in fact had to pay to stay!).

City of Stars
hated saying goodbye to a place like this

How much does it cost you a night to sleep somewhere with great mountain views and a big piece of the sky? In Chiang Dao,Thailand, just 500 to 700 baht (US$15) at the Nest, depending on when you go; but whenever you go you’ll still get the same cosy cottage with attached bathroom and hot water, and wonderfully warm, toasty beds. There isn’t any air-conditioning, but with weather like this (16 deg. Celsius/ 60F), who needs any? Don’t get a shock if, on your first night you walk out from your cottage after an afternoon nap, and walk out into perfect weather and a sky full of stars. The cosy little on-site restaurant does affordable and delicious gourmet contemporary European made from the freshest local ingredients (Wicha, who runs the Nest with her husband, used to work as a chef in England). Her starters and her desserts were outstanding, and the mains were pretty good too. The Nest has done so well that it’s expanded to include a Chiang Dao Nest 2, another collection of cottages in a similar vein to the first, with the same degree of cosy warmth. The Thai restaurant over at Nest 2 is out of this world. The more active may opt for one of the numerous trips out of the area. Whether you want to hike and climb the Doi Chiangdao for 3 days and 2 nights, visit hilltribes, ride elephants, go whitewater rafting or bamboo rafting; you can do them here, then come home to a toasty bed, romantic environs and some of the best food your backpacker’s budget will ever buy. But I’ll be sorry I ever told you about the place — Chiang Mai residents and expats have kept it as a “best kept secret” for long enough, and I’m beginning to regret ever mentioning this on the world wide web.

Top of the World, Looking
You can wake up to this view every morning, for the princely sum of… US$5.60! Those of you who have read this site long enough will know that one of my favourite places in the world is Darjeeling, India. Darjeeling is home not only to great tea, but also to a dominant Nepalese community and a fascinating blend of Nepalese culture, Buddhism, fused with the remnants of a heavily colonial, British past which refuses to go away. Built on ridges, this compact town reaches out towards the Kanchenjunga, third highest peak in the world, from every corner — locals say if you look carefully at the Kanchenjunga it looks like a supine Buddha. There is no better way to visit this historic town than to take the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, otherwise known as the Toy Train; a UNESCO World Heritage Site on its own. On the way up to the mountains, either by road or train from Siliguri or New Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling hits you with its rosy cheeked beautiful Nepalese children and with how different it feels from “India proper” — you pass exotic-sounding mountain town after another: Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik (Kalimpong, incidentally, was where the Man Booker Prize winning Inheritance of Loss was set). From the Hotel Aliment, one doesn’t even need to go to Tiger Hill to look at the mountains — just stare out of your window! It isn’t the most luxe place to live in, but at the Aliment we found a home away from home; a fatherly Gurkha who’d served in the British army in Singapore, and spoke nostalgically of places like Queenstown and Tanglin — in Malay. At 250 rupees a night, you can’t really complain. Any view of the Kanchenjunga is a great one, and on a clear day you might even see Everest peaking out from behind. Its proximity to Sikkim and Assam makes Darjeeling a fantastic spot from which to begin a journey into a little seen India. You can even take the bus into a neighbouring Bhutanese border town (without paying the USD200/day/person fee, but you can’t stay the night); a bus into Nepal, a jeep into the far reaches of Sikkim as far as the Nathu La (where the border with China was recently opened), and where Pelling, Phodong, and other parts of north Sikkim are just astoundingly beautiful.

House on the Water’s Edge
the author being paddled around, many light years ago

The issue of “which Thai island to go to” is one approaching near fanatical debate. While most people generally agree that Phuket and Koh Samui are out of the picture, you’ve only just narrowed down your focus to.. just a few hundred Thai islands. It’s not always an easy decision. I consider myself lucky that my first Thai island was the island of Koh Chang (Elephant Island), and mostly because of where I got to stay in. Some people deride Koh Chang for being “too developed”, but I’ve generally found that as long as you steer clear of ‘the main beach where the package tours go to’ (Haad Rin on Koh Phangan, White Sands on Koh Chang), you’ll do OK. On Koh Chang we lived at the Baan Rim Naam — house on the water’s edge, a set of three ensuite, airconditioned double rooms opening out into a deck on the water. We were literally walking out of our bedrooms, rubbing our eyes, and hopping into a canoe (see above). Baan Rim Naam is situated in a quieter part of the island, Klong Prao, sharing the premises with predominantly five star hotels. Instead of paying 5000-10 000 baht a night, like the Aana and Panviman across the stream, you pay just 900 baht for a charming little room. We only met a total of five other souls on the beach while we were there — another four if you add in the people cooking and making drinks in the wonderful Baracuda Beach Bar. Located a short distance from Bangkok, Koh Chang is easy to get to in comparison to the southern islands, and a great stop to take a break before heading east overland into Cambodia through Trat/Koh Kong.

How to Get There
For Chiang Dao, head for Chiang Mai by either flying there directly or taking the train from Bangkok. The Chiang Dao Nest can pick you up from Chiang Mai airport, for a fee, or you can take a morning bus from the Chiang Mai bus station into Chiang Dao for less than 15 baht. Upon reaching Chiang Dao town, you can hire a songthaew to take you to the Nest.

For Darjeeling, the nearest international gateway is at Kolkata. Either take the bus or train to Siliguri or New Jalpaiguri, then a jeep to Darjeeling, or take the toy train. Alternatively you can fly Air Deccan to Bagdogra, the nearest airport, then get on a jeep from there (there’s also a helicopter from Bagdogra to Gangtok, Sikkim, just five hours from Darjeeling!). If coming from the plains, trains from Uttar Pradesh and beyond (e.g. Delhi, Agra, Varanasi) run to the nearest railhead at New Jalpaiguri.

For Baan Rim Naam, take a bus from Ekkamai terminal in Bangkok to Trat (about five hours, around 150 baht). From Trat take a songthaew to the Laem Ngop pier, from which you can catch the ferry for Koh Chang. It is also possible to fly Bangkok-Trat.

Links
Chiang Dao Nest (email them)
Baan Rim Naam (email them)
Aliment Darjeeling (better to call but no reservations are taken)