April 7, 2008
The morning brought indifference and a lack of motivation. Embarking upon a day of travel requires more than knowledge of bus stops and schedules but an accessible brain ready for the challenge. Energy both physical and mental. A good breakfast helped and I marched out of my room determined and Read more…
April 6, 2008
Wanting to make the most of a day here in Kanchanaburi (or getting lazy?), I booked a leisure day tour to hit a variety of sights in the area. My air-conditioned mini-van brought me to Sai Yok National Park, a 500 square-km park that includes the Sai Yok Noi waterfall Read more…
April 4, 2008
Parade for the novice monks. My view of the Hilton. Sofitel’s very worthy topiary garden: Little Thai guy who played peek-a-boo with me the whole bus ride North.
April 1, 2008
With mixed emotions, I headed towards the Donsak pier in Surat Thani to catch a boat to Ko Samui. Surat Thani is the gateway to this heavily developed and very expensive island and my home last night, the slick dealings and price of my room clearly foreshadowing the hell that Read more…
March 31, 2008
I toured the beautiful Phang Nga Bay by longtail boat with the aforementioned American couple and a previously unmentioned German couple. (I’m the fifth wheel!) The Americans had recently moved from Seattle to India where wife just got a 2-year teaching contract at a primary school and is now on Read more…
March 30, 2008
After a good deal of time in Phuket Town, it was time to change home base. Being as far South as I’d get in Thailand, I headed North to Phang Nga Town. Phang Nga hosts a nice variety of attractions, the most famous being Khao Ping Kan, often referred to Read more…
March 29, 2008
My trip to the Similan Islands, a cluster of 9 remote islands within the Andaman Sea, is a marked departure from my budget-savvy habits. Their inaccessibility and price steering most backpackers to other more developed islands (and those with reputations for the “party hardy”), I couldn’t resist the opportunity to Read more…
March 28, 2008
di·chot·o·my division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups Bangkok Guest house cell, Sweety Guesthouse Vegan chocolate cake, Ethos Restaurant Beached “Bitch face”, Thai restaurant by Sea Gypsy village, Phuket “Lil Miss Sunshine”, Nature Beach Resort, Ko Chang Beached, Part II Non-seclusion, Ko Phi Phi Don, Phuket Seclusion, Cape Read more…
March 27, 2008
Today I spent the day within the organized itinerary of a tour excursion to the islands Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley. Phi Phi Don serves as means to get to the very remote Phi Phi Ley, the title beach from The Beach. My experiences are far-better described through Read more…
March 26, 2008
Waking up determined to sustain positivity, I took a shower, partly blaming yesterday’s perils on my absence of a morning shower. I paid for another night at On On and booked a full day tour to Ko Phi Phi Don & Ko Phi Phi Ley for the next day. So Read more…
March 25, 2008
Today marked a milestone in my trip, the flight to the Southern island of Phuket. Gateway to Thailand’s most visited outer islands and beaches, Phuket is the largest island in the country at 570 sq. km. But Phuket is a destination all its own, home to many beautiful beaches, many Read more…
March 22, 2008
After an unforseen overnight stop in the large city of Khorat due to bus snafus, I woke and quickly boarded a bus to the sleepy town of Phimai. Originally planning this visit to be another day trip, I regretfully checked into a dorm just to be able to explore without Read more…
March 20, 2008
Meet Michael. I spent the afternoon with him, by chance, and learned a good deal about this Buddha fellow I’ve been photographing. After returning to my guest house from the historical park with the remainder of the afternoon at my disposal, I decided to carry on with plans I had Read more…
I spent the day in Old Sukhothai. Wandering around the lush grounds of Sukhothai Historical Park by rented bicycle, I left with my clothing a shade darker and soaked in sweat. It is very, very hot here in Sukhothai. Actually, the country’s highest temperatures are here: currently 36.2 C at Read more…
March 18, 2008
Getting way too comfortable in Chiang Mai, it was time to move on. I headed further North to Chiang Rai via 3rd class bus along with the locals. After a few hours uphill, I was at Chiang Rai. Along the way I had devoured the my 5 large greasy spring Read more…
March 17, 2008
Cooking a four-course Thai meal with ingredients picked from the local market and from the grounds of an organic farm, I brought my appetite and anticipation from the night before. The full day class, offered by the Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School, gave me yet another escape from the Read more…
March 16, 2008
I knew Elephant Nature Park would be an amazing experience when I booked a full-day tour… back in August of 2007. The 50-acres of jungle, mountains and river about an hour North of Chiang Mai is a sanctuary for 31 elephants, ages 4 to 76, rescued from illegal logging companies, Read more…
March 11, 2008
After a layover in Bangkok, I headed up to Chiang Mai, the tourist epicenter of the North and gateway to hill tribe villages and treks, the Golden Triangle (more on this next week) and a variety of National Parks, including one boasting the highest peak in Thailand. Although the variety Read more…
March 9, 2008
Quick note: I am very happy that I altered my plans to include runs to Ubon, Udon and Nong Khai. These cities have fully immersed me in daily Thai life and some very worthwhile attractions. On my bicycle tour of Nong Khai, I visited the well-known sculpture garden of Sala Read more…
March 8, 2008
From Udon Thani, I headed to the border town of Nong Khai. Situated on the Mekong River right smack dab across from Laos (The two countries are connected by the Friendship Bridge, built in 1994 with American and Australian funding), Nong Khai draws many travelers, as was indicative by my Read more…
March 6, 2008
Heading to Kaeng Tana National Park from Ubon Rathathani proved to be yet another adventure exploring Thailand’s circuit of buses. One with new lessons to be learned, like finding out how far the bus stop is from the park entrance, how frequently said bus makes return trips and how late Read more…
March 3, 2008
This morning had me up early and ready to finally hit a proper beach. After waiting for the songthauw to fill up (and snapping silly self-portraits in the mirrored ceiling), I headed to Trat’s pier to continue my journey by slow-boat. Staying true to its name, the rusted ferry delivered Read more…
March 2, 2008
Warning: The images contained in this post are not suitable for children. That means you Ashley & Kayla! As I planned this trip, there was one attraction I knew I couldn’t leave without seeing. Out of all the scenic wonderment of this foreign land, it was the Wat Saen Suk, Read more…
February 29, 2008
Most of the adults in this town work in the many area factories. What a better treat then to be delivered to those factories, by law far from the main highway roads, via colorful tour buses with strobe lights and blasting music? Huge “disco” buses, often covered in unlicensed Western Read more…
February 28, 2008
The first grade boys get a bit zany as the morning progresses. Experimenting with different means of grabbing their waning attention, I have found they love to be photographed… that the mere act of taking out my camera congregates them in a excited but orderly line in front of me. Read more…
February 26, 2008
I’ll be teaching at Wat Kanham School, in the Uthai district, all week. Like the name implies, the school is on the grounds of a Buddhist monastery. It is also located next to a factory where most of the students’ parents work. Without the Buddhist monastery providing space and resources Read more…