Checking in at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport is about to get a bit weirder, not mention more unlucky. How is this possible, you ask? Well, airport management has decided to move twelve "demon statues" from the arrivals area to the check-in area.

Officially, the airport says they are moving the statues so that passengers can "appreciate the statues' beauty". But the real reason behind the move—which will cost them around $50,000 and take three months—is that shopkeepers in the arrivals area blame the statues for the bad luck which has plagued them since the airport opened, including the protests which closed the airport for more than a week last year.

So if you end up unlucky at the check-in counter, like with no good seats left on the plane or an excess baggage charge, then at least you will know that you can blame those demon statues for it.

Related Stories:
· Bangkok Airport Moves 'Unlucky' Demon Statues [The Age]
· Thai Airport Standoff Proves World Is Indeed Flat [Jaunted]
· Bangkok Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: antwerpenR]]]> amandak 2009-11-19T10:34:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/8/125154/4822

Most travelers accept that low-level graft, bribery, and off-the-books transactions are an unavoidable part of visiting certain foreign countries. Sure, the security guard in Zambia might suggest you give him a few kwacha to "buy a beer" if you want to gain access to a government ministry, or the border agent in Latvia may hint that a ten-euro note folded into your passport might help you make your ferry in Tallinn on time, but rarely does this chicanery rise to the level encountered by a number of tourists in Thailand recently. As the AP points out, the governments of several European countries have put out warnings to their nationals to be wary of a scam in Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport in which tourists browsing in the duty-free shop are falsely accused of shoplifting, and then shaken down by seedy intermediaries for sums of up to $10,000 or more to win their freedom. ]]> Victor Ozols 2009-08-08T12:51:54-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/21/14356/0559

Don't touch that duty-free bottle of scotch just yet; you better intend to buy it lest airport security at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport catch you browsing and nab you for shoplifting. This is what happend to two UK travelers, who, shopping at the airport before their flight back to London, were hauled in by airport police and held in the jail until they withdrew and handed over £7,500 (approx $12,250) to clear their charges of stealing a wallet.

The details of their ordeal are the stuff of travel nightmares, as the couple, speaking to the BBC, said they were kept in "a hot, humid, smelly cell with graffiti and blood on the walls" with their passports taken away from them. After they withdrew all they could on one day for "bail," handed over to sketch interpreter working with the police, the couple was allowed to sleep in a motel while the police threatened to imprison them in the "infamous Bangkok Hilton prison" should they get any ideas. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-07-21T08:59:21-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/9/85717/55971

The very happy nation of Thailand joined the panda-monium craze this week as the Chiang Mai Zoo in Bangkok introduced the country’s first every baby panda. After six years of feverish attempts to mate their two adult pandas, including a mock wedding and widely circulated “panda porns” of the pair attempting to reproduce, the country finally became just the fourth in the world to ever breed a panda cub in captivity.

Eager Thais finally got to see the six-week-old cub this week, and the cuddly critter has proved so popular that there were more than 500,000 entries in a contest to name it, and the zoo is building a pricey new snow house for the happy new family.

But not everyone is psyched about the panda craze. Zookeepers in the elephant kraal have grown incensed that no one is stopping by to see their pachyderms—Thailand’s national animal—and in protest this week they took to watercolors and painted the elephants in panda garb. Hilarious, until Peta hears about it. Maybe they’d have more luck if they made some elephant porn?

Related Stories:
· Will this stop the pandamonium? [Daily Mail]
· Thai zoo's 1st baby panda goes on display [AP]
· How To Cuddle a Baby Panda [Jaunted]

[Photo: Reuters] ]]> BS 2009-07-09T12:24:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/13/2423/71775

Thailand, Thailand. You're so beautiful, so why do we have to keep writing these bad news stories? Unfortunately it looks like the internal political problems, while completely unrelated to travelers and the tourism industry, are going to stop thousands of visitors to Bangkok and Thai islands again.

While last week it sounded like even the ASEAN meeting of regional leaders might still go ahead, it's now been canceled and protests have become violent. Despite the government declaring a state of emergency, protesters have continued to gather in Bangkok and there are now armed soldiers on the streets.

Countries including Britain, Canada and Australia have already issued travel warnings advising its citizens to review their travel plans to Bangkok and to avoid the area if they are already in Thailand. At this stage the airports are still open, but remembering last year's chaos would definitely make us think twice about assuming it'll stay that way. Can we suggest neighbors Vietnam or Cambodia instead, as long as your flights don't connect in Bangkok?

Related Stories:
· Thai Protesters Clash With Police [NY Times]
· Travel Warnings For Thailand After Weekend Mayhem [Reuters]
· Thai Travel Might Be Tied Up Again [Jaunted]
· Thai Airport Standoff Proves World Is Indeed Flat [Jaunted]

[Photo: Y Not ?] ]]> amandak 2009-04-13T14:26:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/12/223748/680

Chasing Racers is back, with a brand new Amazing Race 14 mashup. This map will update the morning after every new episode. Send along tips, rumors, gossip, locations and spoilers to our map editors, become a member and comment on the stories below and add to the Jaunted-Flickr photo pool to get in on the fray.

Remember to zoom in, out and around on the map --with so much happening in each episode, it's easy to miss a map point.

This week, the Racers take off from Phuket, Thailand, the seventh Pit Stop in this race around the globe. The competition is really heating up, and with only five teams remaining, sights are set on the final legs of the race and the one million dollar prize. Who has the skills, smarts and strength to make it all the way to the finish mat?

LET'S FIND OUT!]]> Todd 2009-04-13T09:01:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/9/766/23861

Just when we were thinking it must be safe to go back to Thailand after last year's airport closures, we're starting to wonder again.

This week there were anti-government protests in Bangkok, with 100,000 gathering near the Prime Minister's office and taxi drivers intentionally blocking traffic in the city. With the ASEAN summit being held over the weekend, some authorities are getting a bit worried about security for all those VIPs.

Whether this is the precursor to another airport lockdown to strand thousands of tourists or just a small political glitch remains to be seen but we'd be checking the latest news carefully before booking our Thai flights.

Related Stories:
· Thai PM Says Peaceful Protest OK [Reuters]
· Thais Trying To Turn Tourism Tide [Jaunted]
· Thailand Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Yan Pritzker] ]]> amandak 2009-04-09T10:01:35-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/