Most of the more vibrant nightlife can be found in Bangkok, but there are also colourful options in Pattaya, Phuket, Chiang Mai and large towns. On the islands, wild beach parties and bar hopping form the main types of entertainment. It is worth remembering that most bars, restaurants and clubs have a 1 am curfew. However, there are usually one or two places around where you can continue drinking if you want.

Here is a run down on some of the types of entertainment available.

Cabaret Shows can be found in the cities and large tourist areas. This is an extremely colourful affair where dozens of stunning women dance on stage in dazzling sequin covered outfits. Thailand also offers Tiffany Shows, a own unique twist on the traditional cabaret show. Now world famous, these transvestite or ‘lady boy’ shows are extremely entertaining. The performers are stunning and the shows contain comedy and dramatic displays as well as singing and dancing.

Bangkok is by far the best place to go clubbing in Thailand. There is an incredible variety of clubs where you can dance the night away, from the classy Bed Supperclub in Sukhumvit, to the male-orientated DJ Station in Silom. Another great option is Royal City Avenue (RCA), where there are dozens of clubs and bars playing everything from Thai disco music to hardcore Drum and Bass, Hip Hop and Techno. Expect to pay a cover charge at most clubs (300 baht+) and take a photocopy of your passport for identification.

Go-Go bars can be found in most cities and large towns, especially Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. They are generally located in special areas and can be easily identified by the flashy neon signs and scantily dressed women in the doorways. In Bangkok, head for Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza or Patpong.

Karaoke Bars can be found all over Thailand. Imported from Isaan, these bars specialise in loud Isaan music, flashing coloured lights and sexily dressed women crooning on stage. Many bars also have a selection of Western songs and Westerners are welcome to sing, although be aware that a charge for this is often included in your bill.

Full Moon Parties are another Thai speciality. The most famous of these can be found on Koh Phangan, where is it so popular that they now hold a half moon party as well. Other good places to party on the beach include Koh Phi Phi and Raleigh beach. Bars usually play loud music until dawn and you can expect a selection of DJs, spectacular decorations and fire shows.

Alternatively, if you just want to take it easy, there are movie theatres all over Thailand. All show movies in English with Thai subtitles, even in small villages. When booking, make sure you ask for the ‘subtitle’ movie. A tribute to the king is played at the start of the movie, and you are expected to stand and show respect along with everyone else. The movie theatres are highly air conditioned and can be a bit chilly, so it is a good idea to take along a light jumper or jacket.

Tourists in Thailand during this period will have the time of their lives and the traditional April waterfight will be indelibly etched in their memories for years to come. In Bangkok, the Songkran Grand Celebration is being held around “Old Bangkok” or the around the Rattanakosin Island district from April 10 to 15 April.

The capital’s main celebrations focus on the bathing rites of revered Buddha image replicas coming from the different provinces in the north, east and south of the country. Phra Chetupon Wimol Manklaram (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) will host the important opening celebration next week and then the party will spread to the four corners of the city.

Ayutthaya is having a massive festival in the Old City while Chon Buri, Suphan Buri and Chiang Mai all have massive events planned including food, drink, music and of course plenty of water being hurled around. Phuket and Koh Samui are also great places to get into the swing of things with plenty of tourist-orientated events being planned.

The event opened with a blessing ceremony where monks sprinkle holy water over players and animals to help ensure a successful and healthy tournament. There was also a parade of traditional northern dancers and hill-tribe villagers dressed up in costume. Elephant spirit men (Khru Ba Yai), decorated pachyderms with colourful patterns and the teams held up their national flags.

The tournament was not originally held in the Golden Triangle, but was first introduced to Thailand in the Royal town of Hua Hin just south of Bangkok. But in 2001 Anantara Resorts took over the event and transformed it into it’s present charitable guise which raises cash for the Kingdom’s National Elephant Institute in Lampang.

And everyone who chose to travel to this year’s event was certain it would continue to go from strength to strength with a dozen teams comprising 40 players from 15 countries in four continents demonstrating in what high regard it is held.

According to the Energy Ministry, solar farms to be built on the elevated plateau of Isaan in the northeast of the country, as this flat, rice-growing land receives the majority of Thailand’s sunshine.

Both coastlines and mountainous areas tend to bring with them a higher chance of cloud coverage and Thailand is apparently leading the South-East Asian pack when it comes to the use of solar energy.

Most of the South-East Asian countries have a couple of things in common. The first is that they have very minimal budgets when it comes to promoting green technologies, and the second is that they are blessed with more than their fair share of sunshine.

And while I am certainly not one for breaking age-old traditions and modernising the few authentic parts of Thai life that remain, this one strikes me as a fool proof idea, as sometimes things have to change in order for them to stay the same.

Various Asian nations, including Thailand, have this week promised to make a special effort to paws for thought and pander to the needs of our stripy friends.

 And no, this doesn’t been more of the likes of the sleepy cats at Chiang Mai’s Tiger Sanctuary, we’re talking real wild animals here.

 By prohibiting the building of bridges, roads and infrastructure that could put their noses out of joint, these nations are hoping to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.

 As one who greatly appreciates the King of the Jungle and all his big cat cousins, this is great news to me, and having never seen a tiger in the wild, perhaps now one day I will.

 What seems rather backwards, however, is that the declaration is not accompanied by any money to help finance the vital conservation efforts that need to go hand-in-hand with a project like this.

 I just hope that this current quest to save our feline friends is more than just a tiger token.

Firstly, I’m of course going to enjoy seeing my friend again after so long out of the country. It’s always appreciated when people make the effort to include me in their holiday plans.

Secondly, I’ve very much looking forward to using him as an excuse to indulge in all the touristy activities that I do secretly want to do but can’t bring myself to as a dedicated expat. From cuddling tigers to elephant trekking, temple touring to white water rafting, I’ve promised him it all. It’s been so long since I did any of this stuff that I’m going to enjoy remembering why people flock to this country in the first place.

 Thirdly, and most importantly, however, I’m really anticipating what goodies he will bring me from the UK. Last time I was there I remember buying sun cream out of season for £1 (50 baht) a bottle. This is first on my list, and yes, I do still need it for a delicate English skin.

A big block of cheddar cheese is next on my wish list, along with as much wine as he can carry. As while Thailand has almost everything you could possibly desire, it’s the little things you miss the most.

The increase in refugees is expected to exasperate the strain of both Thailand and China, who are also baring the brunt of the exodus. Of more concern, however, is the overcrowding effect this will in turn have on those already living in squalid conditions among mounds of stinky garbage.

While many may say that life on the rubbish dump beats that of back home, I dread to think what 2010 will bring for them. An even larger army of barefoot children to greet the rubbish trucks each week, looking for broken toys and anything that can keep them distracted from the reality of both their new and old surroundings.

The devout Christian settlement, of people originally descending from Vietnam, celebrate the day vehemently. An estimated 50,000 Catholics will parade through the village for the Stars of David festivities with nativity scenes put on in a genuine context rather than a tourist attraction.

Carol singers and line-up of star performers then descend for an evening concert that adds to the unique Christmas atmosphere with stalls and booths in the street-sides and open-air dining. Villagers all decorate their houses with stars to symbolise the reason behind the festival, and these stay up for the entire season.

Home to a Catholic Seminary, where priests are trained and ordained, the village is filled with Vietnamese Diaspora who settling here after a hurried migration west away from troubled times and persecution. St Michael the Archangel Cathedral is the focal point for religious leaders who guide a flock which extends past Sakhon Nakhon to neighbouring Mukdahan, Kalasin and Nakhon Phanom provinces.

Many people will visit Tha Rae to witness the Star of David festivities. Tha Rae, on the northern shore of Nong Han lake, is just off highway 22 and a popular spot for fishing.

The event celebrates the UN World Heritage Committee’s decision to designate the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Historical Park a Cultural World Heritage Site in 1991.

Chao Sam Phraya National Museum’s Lord Buddha relics will be put on display for the public to pay their respects. Plus booths and exhibitions will have will sell sell-known goods and OTOP products sourced from all 16 districts.

There will be an agricultural exhibition with decorative and flowering plants plus a food fair with local specialities.

And a country singing contest, cultural performances, floating market activities, Red Cross stand, Thida Krungkao Contest, will keep those in attendance entertained.

Visitors can experience the ancient atmosphere and peace of the way of life during the Ayutthaya Period at the imitation marketplace.

A performance of Krung Si Ayutthaya : The Great Kings will be put on for the crowds as well. Tours are being offered from Bangkok for the event which costs from 200 baht.

The northeastern Thai town of Udon Thani is the main transport hub for those wanting to get into Laos, and is a 12-hour coach from Chiang Mai or eight hours from Bangkok by bus or train. Alternatively there is an airport here with Nokair connections to many destinations including Pattaya.

Undon Thani is around 50km from the Thai border town of Nong Khai and taxis cost around 600 baht, so you may want to buddy up with some fellow passengers and share the cost. Alternatively mini-buses wait to collect you at the bus station and will carry you direct to Thai immigration for around 200 baht per person.

Once you’ve stamped out of Thailand (don’t forget your exit card folks!) you pay the 20 baht toll across the Friendship Bridge and cross over to the Laos side. There (if you are clever and arranged your visa beforehand) you get stamped straight in at the ‘arrivals’ window.

However, if you haven’t anything pre-organised you go to the ‘visa on arrival’ window on the left hand side and had over your passport, one photograph and your visa fee (35$US for most nationalities). You can pay 1,500 baht if that’s all you’ve got but obviously it is more economical to arrange dollars beforehand.

Once over the border minibuses wait and offer to take you to the Thai consulate (providing its still early enough – we got through at about 9.30am), wait for you to hand in your visa forms and then take you to the hotel of your choice. All this costs 150 baht but, in my experience, is well worth is for the saved headache and to be sure that you get your application in straight away.

The Thai consulate has lots of people hanging around outside trying to persuade you to let them fill out your form for you for a 40 baht fee. The form is in English, however, and so you’re better off heading straight in, collecting a ticket from the machine on the right hand side of the windows and doing it yourself.

There are pens and tables there plus little pots of glue for pasting your two passport-sized photographs to the form. Once you’ve handed in your completed paperwork (there is no fee until March , 2010, for tourist visas) then your driver will take you to your hotel.

We were in town last week which corresponded with the start of the 25^th Sea Games so the whole place was packed with Thai coach tours and there were few bargains to be found. Nevertheless, we managed to get a nice ‘VIP suit’ with TrueVisions cable TV, air conditioning, bathroom and minibar for 1,200 baht per night.

After that a pleasant evening was spent wandering the French colonial promenades and feasting on baguettes and apple croissants plus gallons of dark, delicious Beer Lao. The next afternoon our driver picked us up from the hotel for the reverse of the journey of the previous morning.

The embassy opens its doors at 1.15pm (already with a huge queue by then) but people moved fairly quickly through as various nationalities picked up their passports complete with double-entry tourist visas. I did enquire about the possibility of a triple-entry but my request was politely declined.

Then it was back across the border and to Udon Thani for the bus home. Generally Vientiane is a lovely, if sleepy, town well worth staying around for a couple of nights next time you need to nip over a border. The food was delicious and the booze certainly superior to Chang or Leo. And at the end of the day what more matters.