Basic principles of supply and demand dictates that as the price of an elastic product or service decreases in value the demand would increase. So with fuel prices dropping why do we still see fuel surcharges which are absolutely ridiculous? According to USA Today, the cheapest ticket from LA to Bangkok, Thailand had an added surcharge of $525 a week ago. This is $352 more than it used to be one year ago. The price of oil, by the way, is the same now as it was last year - check out the chart.


Half a month out before a major holiday season and it would seem like a good move for airlines to cut some of those extra charges down and drive revenue for a final push to make up for some lost ground. Chances are they are thinking, "perhaps we keep the surcharges at the current levels and buy up lots of jet fuel now so we can stabilize our costs in the future?" It is a good move assuming people are going to be willing to travel at the same level that they are now.

Imagine swimming through the depth of the sea to find one of the greatest cities of the Ancient World. The United Nations has agreed to help the Egyptian government make that possible. Ancient Alexandria lies at the bottom of the sea and with it the largest library built at the time and Cleopatra's palace. The UN and Egypt will be working on a way to create an underwater museum which will showcase this ancient city.

Above the water, the main structure of the museum will showcase several collections and some of the sculptures which have already been pulled out of the water. The images included are the architectural drawings for the museum and an image of one of the fallen structures that belonged to the once 'hottest' of Roman getaways.

I love Thailand. I've loved it ever since my family arrived there in the mid 90's and even now years and years after I have left, I feel that my memory of life in Krung Thep (Bangkok) is the closest thing I have to a memory of a home. That being said, embracing everything that is Thai, is embracing all of its contradictions. The hot atmosphere and freezing air conditioning, the painfully spicy food and its unmatched flavors - despite how spicy it is you just can't bring yourself to stop eating it.

Things are not good in Thailand at the moment, and don't let the tourism office tell you otherwise. A former classmate of mine took the picture you see to the right of the front page of a local newspaper. If you decide to go to Thailand for vacation this year, just be mindful of the way things work, the sky could be falling but the attitude will still be the same - the ever famous Mai Pehn Rai ("Nevermind" or "no worries").

I'm sure the islands are unaffected, and Thailand as a whole is as safe as it as always been (use your judgment when you read the last part of that statement) - this probably the basis of the government's rational for lifting the state of emergency, well, that and the potential negative impact on tourism revenue.

If you are still all about immersing yourself in Thai culture,think of a coup as a tradition in Thailand. Know it is going on and remember that you are a traveler not a war correspondent.

Official statement from the ministry of tourism in Thailand.