Travel Writing
An account of Thailand’s efforts to move away from its image as a place tourist scams, sex tours and sleazy bars. It includes an interview with Mechai Viravaidhya, then minister to the Prime Minister’s office and chairman of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Mechai said the Thai government wanted to meet market interest in cleaner and greener tourism. This article was published in Asia Travel Trade magazine in 1991.
Cleaning up the Image (1991)
- Paul and Yuangrat Wedel
Rescuing Pattaya (1991)
- Paul Wedel
This article describes the problems faced by the resort city of Pattaya. Boom years in the 1970s and 80s had led to overbuilding without concern for the environment. The beach was filthy and water of Pattaya Bay was polluted due to the failure to provide a sewage system. Tourist arrivals were down and hotel occupancy slumped to 30 percent in the off season. Pattaya acquired a reputation for prostitution, international murder gangs and a police force on the take. All this motivated business owners to try to make a change.
Bangkok’s New Meeting Place (1991)
- Paul Wedel
In this article I describe the architecture and speedy construction of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in time to host the IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting. The modern style Thai architecture remains unique 27 years later as the center is scheduled to undergo redevelopment and expansion. This was one of a series of travel articles I wrote for Asia Travel Trade, most of which have now been lost.
This article describes climbing volcanoes in Indonesia and relates some of the legends that have grown up around some of the best known. Written in 1982, the article provides some practical advice on the climbs at the time.
Climbing Legendary Volcanoes in Indonesia (1982)
- Paul Wedel
Burmese Tapestry (1983)
- Paul Wedel
This picture essay, published in newspapers in 1983, shows some of the sights that made Burma such a fascinating place to visit even though its citizens suffered under an oppressive and incompetent government.
This article, written for UPI in 1985, describes a visit to Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Located on the border between the Tamil-dominated north and the Sinhalese-dominated south, Anuradhapura was strangely peaceful amid the ethnic violence plaguing Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura, normally crowded with tourists, was nearly empty when I visited. Fears of the violence had led to a dramatic drop in visitors. I had 4th century ruins, amazing temples, shrines and old palaces virtually to myself. There was an air of serenity that seemed to fit the Buddhist history of the city. A stay at the most elegant of the old British hotels in the city cost all of $17.
Tragically, only a few months after this article was published, The Tamil Tigers hijacked a bus and drove into the city firing automatic weapons, killing and wounding many civilians. They then drove to the shrines in town and gunned down nuns, monks and civilians as they were worshipping. A total of 146 people were reported killed in the attack.
Sri Lanka’s Ancient Capital - Short-lived Serenity Amid Ethnic Violence (1985)
- Paul Wedel
In the early years of my work with UPI Yuangrat was sometimes able to join me on my reporting trips. We especially enjoyed visits to Burma. On one trip we toured Mandalay and then took a riverboat south on the Irrawaddy River to Pagan where we explored the stunning array of Buddhist temples that date back to the 12th century. The riverboat, leisurely chugging down the muddy river, making stops to unload cargo and pickup passengers along the way, was a unique pleasure. Most people on board lounged and later slept on the deck. Soldiers played dice, farmers chatted about the weather, elderly folk puffed on their big cheroots. The tattooed captain steered cautiously to avoid tangles and mud banks.
