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Thailand

Thailand profile: Monarchy, the military and Buddhism in the 'land of smiles'
Peter Shadbolt and Dean Irvine, for CNN
Thailand's people are justifiably proud of their country, which, sandwiched as it is between historically powerful neighbors, has managed skillfully to play off its rivals and retain its independence.

bangkok death cafe thailand

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Wonderful guest room.

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Exploring Railay Beach, Thailand

Few bungalows in the middle of the green jungle of Nong Kiau village in northern Laos, Southeast Asia.

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Inspired by a bird's nest, obviously, this dish features potatoes in two forms -- liqud and crispy, accompanied by chutney and fennel. "Takes 30 mins to make one and 30 seconds to eat," says Gaggan.

Where to eat in Bangkok

Hidden away among silent woods and snow banks in the Swedish Lapland, Treehotel has an apartment-like cabin is built into the canopy, 32 feet above the ground.

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Photographer Mariette Pathy Allen has documented the lives of transgender spirit mediums in Myanmar and Thailand.

How spirit mediums blur gender lines in Southeast Asia

How transgender spirit mediums escape stigma in Myanmar and Thailand

Ancient City features dozens of scale versions of Thailand's most significant landmarks.

8 must-see Bangkok attractions

In this Feb. 28, 2018 photo, a police officer escorts Anastasia Vashukevich from a detention center in Pattaya, south of Bangkok, Thailand, after she was arrested Sunday in the Thai resort city of Pattaya while giving sex lessons to Russian tourists. Vashukevich told The Associated Press from a police van Wednesday that she fears for her life, and wants to exchange information on alleged Russian ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign for her own personal safety. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

Sex coach who claims to have US election dirt charged with prostitution

A Thai policeman stands guard next to seized drugs during a news conference in Bangkok, Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Thai authorities say they have seized drugs worth about $29 million and arrested 11 people in recent days as narcotics cases surge in the country. The drugs included amphetamine pills, marijuana, ketamine and ice seized in 11 unconnected cases. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai officials reveal largest ever crystal meth haul

Asia's 50 best restaurants in 2018

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Taj Exotica Maldives

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Anastasia Vashukevich, center, and Alexander Kirillov, left, arrive at the immigration detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, after being arrested Sunday in the Thai resort city of Pattaya. Vashukevich told The Associated Press from a police van Wednesday that she fears for her life, and wants to exchange information on alleged Russian ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign for her own personal safety.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

FBI tried to contact 'sex coaches' in Thai jail

Jailed seductress promises US-Russia secrets

Anastasia Vashukevich arrives at the immigration detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, after being arrested Sunday in the Thai resort city of Pattaya. Vashukevich told The Associated Press from a police van Wednesday that she fears for her life, and wants to exchange information on alleged Russian ties to U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign for her own personal safety.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Post-Soviet swingers versus the Kremlin

Anastasia Vashukevich, center, and Alexander Kirillov, left, arrive at the immigration detention center in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, after being arrested Sunday in the Thai resort city of Pattaya.

Jailed Russian 'sex coaches' offer to trade election info for US asylum

Russian model in Thai jail promises to spill Trump-Russia secrets

Bangkok Artist's House

Baan Silapin: Bangkok's hidden Artist's House

FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2014, file photo, the media attend a press briefing where Thai police display projected pictures of surrogate babies born to a Japanese man who is at the center of a surrogacy scandal during a press conference at the police headquarters in Chonburi, Thailand. Bangkok's Central Juvenile and Family Court on Tuesday gave Mitsutoki Shigeta sole legal custody of the children he fathered using Thai surrogate mothers, ruling that he's financially stable and showed his plans to care for them. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Wealthy Japanese man wins custody of 13 surrogate children

Six Senses Yao Noi

In Thailand's Phang Nga Bay, a luxury resort with a conscience

Six Senses Yao Noi

Six Senses Yao Noi: A Thailand resort with a conscience

Heli-picnic in New Zealand

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Performers dressed as imperial guards take part in a rehearsal of a sacrifice ceremony at the Altar of the Earth in Ditan park in Beijing on February 6, 2016. The ceremony is a re-enactment of sacrifices once made by China's emperors to the God of the Earth to guarantee good harvests in the new year, and will be stage on February 8 to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year. AFP PHOTO / GREG BAKER / AFP / GREG BAKER (Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)

14 best places to celebrate Lunar New Year

Abuse of migrant workers 'rampant' in Thai fishing fleets, rights group says

Morpheus City of Dreams

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Thailand's PM tells reporters to ask his cutout

View of Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in front of the beach of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, Mexico on November 5, 2017.
Around five million tourists visit Puerto Vallarta every year. / AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SLIM (Photo credit should read DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images)

5 places to visit in January

TOPSHOT - Rescue workers evacuate flood-affected residents in Davao on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao early on December 23, 2017, after Tropical Storm Tembin dumped torrential rains across the island.
The death toll from the tropical storm that struck the southern Philippines has risen to 30 with five others missing, officials said on December 23. / AFP PHOTO / MANMAN DEJETO (Photo credit should read MANMAN DEJETO/AFP/Getty Images)

Philippines: Storm brings flooding, landslides

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Inside Bangkok's Grand Palace

Thailand island hopping from Koh Rawi to Krabi

Sandport2

Thai brewing: Rebel microbreweries thirst for change in the law

7 best temples to visit in Bangkok

Sing Sing Theater
If one could go on a glamorous club night in ancient China, it might resemble a place like Sing Sing Theater (or just Sing Sing).
Drawing inspiration from an ancient Chinese courtyard theater and a high-end brothel for nobility or bourgeoisie, Sing Sing is characterized by its full-on Chinoiserie designs -- oil-paper umbrellas, lanterns and metal birdcages.
Secret passages, hidden speakeasies and the symmetrical staircases help foster a mysterious atmosphere.
Opened in 2015, it has become one of the hottest partying venues in town.
Illuminated by red lights, the club screens a movie from the 20th century on a metal screen every night.
Live performances -- from wondrous burlesque dances to comedy shows -- are frequent.

9 of Bangkok's most stunning bars

Michelin Guide Bangkok 2018 - Jay Fai

First Bangkok Michelin Guide recognizes Thailand's best restaurants

Elements

Bangkok's first Michelin Guide showcases the city's culinary stars

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 23: Fruit and vegetables are displayed for sale at a grocers shop on May 23, 2014 in London, United Kingdom. Researchers at University College London recently said that eating 'five-a-day' of fruit and vegetables should be increased to seven. The study involving 65,226 men and women concluded that lifestyles which included at least seven-a-day reduced the chances of serious health issues. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

10 of the world's best fresh markets

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Transgender women find work on Thailand's streets

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Meeting transportation needs in Vietnam and Thailand

Chang Mai Elephant Nature Park

Elephant Nature Park: Chiang Mai's most responsible animal sanctuary

Elephant Nature Park Chiang Mai

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Inside Chiang Mai's Elephant Nature Park

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Bangkok's classic breakfast experience

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CNN Business Traveller Thailand Trailer

The ceremonial urn of Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej arrives at the crematorium during the funeral procession as the royal crematorium is seen in the background in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)

Thailand's royal cremation ceremony caps year of mourning

BANGKOK, THAILAND - OCTOBER 24: People take cover from torrential rain as they begin to queue and sleep on the streets overnight to attend Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's cremation and funeral ceremony at the Royal Palace on October 24, 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand. The world's longest serving monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej died on October 13, 2016. Rehearsals for the five day funeral of the much loved king are taking place around Bangkok's Grand Palace. The ceremonies will take place over five days culminating in the cremation of the king's body in a grand Royal Crematorium on October 26th. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Thailand bids King Bhumibol Adulyadej a final farewell

The Royal Urn is carried in the Royal Chariot during the funeral procession for the late Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok on October 26, 2017.
A sea of black-clad mourners massed across Bangkok's historic heart early on October 26 as funeral rituals began for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a revered monarch whose passing after a seven-decade reign has left Thailand bereft of its only unifying figure. / AFP PHOTO / Anthony WALLACE (Photo credit should read ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)

Thai king's lavish cremation ceremony

A man cries during a dress rehearsal for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's funeral in Bangkok on October 21, 2017.
Gilded chariots, horses and columns of military men in bright costumes swept through Bangkok's old quarter on October 21 in a final dress rehearsal for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's funeral -- a meticulously-planned spectacle of devotion to a man known as the "soul of the nation". / AFP PHOTO / Roberto SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Bangkok prepares final goodbye for king

Inside the artisan workshops gearing up for the Thai King's funeral

In this photo taken on October 21, 2017 the royal pavilion where Thailand's late king Bhumibol Adulyadej will be cremated on October 26 is framed by the blue sky at dusk.
The kingdom has been prepping for the event since Bhumibol died at the age of 88 on October 13, 2016, triggering an outpouring of grief in a nation where the charismatic leader commanded a cult-like following. / AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

As Thailand says goodbye to its king, what can Bangkok travelers expect?

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Play with elephants at this treetop paradise

Top of the world: Drink at one of Asia's highest bars

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra signs a condolence book for Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at the Singapore embassy in Bangkok on March 25, 2015. Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, one of the towering figures of post-colonial Asian politics, died at the age of 91 on March 23. AFP PHOTO / Christophe ARCHAMBAULT (Photo credit should read CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Thai leader seeking asylum in UK, says party source

Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives at the Constitutional Court to stand trial for negligence over a rice pledging scheme in Bangkok on November 4, 2016.

Hundreds of people mobbed Yingluck as she arrived at court. / AFP / LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA (Photo credit should read LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Thai PM Yingluck sentenced to five years over rice scheme

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How 98 Wireless brought European living to the heart of Bangkok

How 98 Wireless brought a piece of European living to Bangkok

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Essential Bangkok cafes

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The European-inspired building in the heart of Bangkok

Thai police probe teen's claim that 40 men raped her

Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra speaks to the media as she arrives at the Supreme Court in Bangkok on July 21, 2017.
A final court hearing is expected in the negligence trial of ousted Yingluck, who faces up to a decade in jail in a case lambasted by her supporters as politically-motivated. / AFP PHOTO / LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA (Photo credit should read LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images)

Ex-Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra has fled to Dubai, source says

Former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets her supporters as she leaves the Supreme Court in Bangkok on July 21, 2017.
Toppled Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra was mobbed on July 21 by well-wishers, many bearing red roses, as she arrived for what could be the final hearing of a trial for criminal negligence that carries a 10-year jail term. / AFP PHOTO / LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA (Photo credit should read LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra has 'fled country' ahead of trial verdict

Soul Food's eggplant salad with duck egg, make with ingredients sourced from the Or Tor Kor Market in Bangkok.

Where do Asia's top chefs shop for ingredients?

Bangkok's abandoned 'ghost' towers still stand 20 years after crash

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Haunting photos of Bangkok's famous Sathorn Unique Tower

Alfresco 64 bar at Bangkok's Lebua hotel

In Bangkok, the world's highest outdoor whisky bar

In Bangkok, the world's highest outdoor whisky bar

Alfresco 64 bar at Bangkok's Lebua hotel

World's highest outdoor whisky bar

TOPSHOT - Migrants wait to be rescued as they drift in the Mediterranean Sea some 20 nautical miles north off the coast of Libya on October 3, 2016.
Italy coordinated the rescue of more than 5,600 migrants off Libya, three years to the day after 366 people died in a sinking that first alerted the world to the Mediterranean migrant crisis.

/ AFP / ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)

The risk of modern slavery is rising in the European Union

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The Architectural Wonders of Thailand's White Temple

Ancient City features dozens of scale versions of Thailand's most significant landmarks.

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Sitting in the crystal-clear waters of the Andaman Sea, about 60 kilometers off of the coast of Satun province, white-sand fringed Koh Lipe is in the Tarutao National Marine Park.

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There is no other fruit on earth quite like the durian.

Thailand's 6 most delicious-but-stinky dishes

Trip to Ayutthaya, Thailand, recalls glory days of old Siam

One of the many sea-huts is seen in the waters near Sipadan Island, 14 April 2001, in Malaysia's eastern Sabah state. The huts are inhabited by locals, many of whom have Filipino relatives, who harvest the abundance sea weed for a living.

20 idyllic beach getaways around Asia

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The beauty of Bangkok

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The paradise maker: Meet luxury resort designer Bill Bensley

OSAKA, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 06: General view at Dotonbori in Osaka on February 6, 2013 in Osaka, Japan. A recent servey shows Tokyo as the most expensive city in the world and Osaka ranked second. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

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Courtesy of Bill Bensley/Escapism book

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62 convicted in human-trafficking trial

Still taken from amateur footage posted on YouTube purportedly shows Luang Pu Nenkham (L) on a private jet.

High-flying Thai monk accused of child abuse extradited

Soldiers stand guard as rescue workers and forensic officials dig out skeletons from shallow graves covered by bamboo at the site of a mass grave at an abandoned jungle camp in the Sadao district of Thailand's southern Songkhla province bordering Malaysia on May 2, 2015. The badly decayed remains of at least three more migrants thought to be from Myanmar or Bangladesh were exhumed on May 2 from a mass grave in southern Thailand, as details emerged of the maltreatment endured at the remote people smugglers' camp. Authorities have found the remains of at least eight people since the grim discovery of the site on May 1, a find which has again laid bare Thailand's central role in a regional human trafficking trade. AFP PHOTO / Madaree TOHLALA (Photo credit should read MADAREE TOHLALA/AFP/Getty Images)

Thai court convicts dozens in large human-trafficking trial

Bangkok's new Mahanakhon Tower.

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An aerial view of The Siam

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