September 1, 2008
11. Be a Great Lake Swimmer. South Milwaukee’s Grant Park has beach access to the surprisingly crystal clear and deliciously refreshing waters of the great Lake Michigan. The waters also cure compounded alcohol hangovers of liquor+beer+wine. Check that off my bucket list! 12. Bike the Oak Leaf Trail. Milwaukee’s Oak Read more…
August 9, 2008
This weekend marked Wok Man’s 1-year anniversary here in New York City. In light of the milestone, the events planner within grabbed the reigns for a fitting commemoration: A New York City Staycation. The celebration began with a New York food staple: the bagel. Although many states and locales attempt Read more…
July 6, 2008
The Wonder Wheel, Coney Island, Brooklyn Tangled up in blue, File under: Frankenstein’s strange sleeping habits Red and blue and yellow, Sedona, Arizona Cuteness in a pile of balls, little K.Z. in Merrick, Long Island Frittata Alla Fiorentina, Counter, East Village, N.Y.C. Brunch perfection. Olive, Teachers College bathroom, Morningside Heights, Read more…
April 23, 2008
Without having a job, each day back home is still an extention of my trip. Now more accustomed to seeking the beauty of my surroundings, the other side of Brooklyn offered me plenty, albeit less exotic than the other side of the world. Once upon a time, not so long Read more…
April 10, 2008
Elephant Krall Pavillion in Ayutthaya Evening Wat tour
April 9, 2008
After a day of bus travel, I arrived in Chanthaburi, the City of the Moon. Contrary to the name’s translation, the city’s main draw is gem stones. As the hub of the global gem stone trade, visitors can ooh and aah at piles of gems being inspected and purchased at Read more…
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 5, 2008
Last night I awoke to the pounding of the tin roofs around my guesthouse. Startled and helpless,I thought the worst. Transient looters? Back-alley bandits preying on the seclusion of my rented room? Drunken tourists? Emerging in the morning, the noisy culprit was clear. Mangoes. They were all over the place Read more…
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 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 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 21, 2008
Saying goodbye to Sukhothai, I traveled East just about an hour to Phitsanulok. I planned just a quick day trip and boarded a bus further East after my sightseeing was through. Michael, the German cycler, and the woman who ran the guest house in Sukhothai both gave high praises to 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 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…
I am getting used to sordid guest house conditions. My room at the King Hotel in Udon Thani is a step above the spider/roach/dog-infested New Nakornhuang Hotel of Ubon Ratchathani, as I share it with no vermin and it is pretty clean, but they both have dismal light, obscenely stained 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…
