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 19, 2008
Discovering there are no real redeeming attractions in the Golden Triangle area, I decided to begin heading South to Sukhothai, a 7 hour bus ride from the very enjoyable Chiang Rai. Although the meeting point of the Thai, Myanmar & Laos borders within the river appealed to me, this was 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
With travelers passing through Chiang Mai from all over the world, the city caters to their bellies with care. Vegetarians also get special treatment, as every restaurant and food stall offer us options, often very easily veganized. Here is a sampling of some of the goodies I’ve tried here in Read more…
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…
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
From the far Northeast corner of Thailand, sitting atop Cambodia and under the knee of Laos’s long leg, I am venturing North to Udon Thani, still hugging the Laos border. From here I am situated to travel further up her center with ease as I begin to hit Thailand’s North Read more…
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 5, 2008
I would be fibbing if I told that my visit to Ubon Rathcthani was not somewhat influenced by Uthayam Booniyom, a vegetarian restaurant run by some pretty amazing women affiliated with the nearby Buddhist temple. The huge open-air space is part fruit/vegetable market and part delectable, totally vegan buffet. The Read more…
I’ve always wanted to be a red-nosed alcoholic hobo riding the rail cars in the early 20th century. In fact, my entire adulthood of expeditious wandering has been an attempt to skim the unknown, to embrace the time before G.P.S., maps and the pages of legal fine print that now 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…
After all day on buses and a hectic night prior under the heavy burden of my backpack, I was looking forward to laying low in Trat for the day, getting a good night’s sleep and an adequate vegetarian meal. All were accomplished here in Trat, a stop-over for many travelers Read more…
March 2, 2008
After leaving the the bizarre temple’s grounds and embarking upon the dirt road path back to Bang Saen’s main road, I walked passed a pack of stray dogs basking in the hazy sun. Most ignored me but one of them must have read what I said in my previous post Read more…
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…
March 1, 2008
Today starts my independent travels. After a few errands in Bangkok, I am eastward-bound towards the Chonburi province to the secluded beach of Bang Saen, home of the Wat Saen Suk, before settling somewhere for the night in the thriving beach town of Pattaya. Looking onward, my plans are very 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…
February 24, 2008
According to Wiki, Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend market is the largest market in the world. That certainly seemed to be the case. I only perused a small portion of its 15,000 stalls and was completely overwhelmed. It is estimated that between 2-300,000 people visit the market each day. If you wanted Read more…
February 23, 2008
Urai went out of her way to make sure I was properly nourished. She took great care in learning my taste preferences and dietary restrictions. Below is a partial list of some of the delicious food I’ve tasted in Bangsai: My first lunch: Fresh spring rolls (tarot root, glass noodle Read more…
After a long first day at Bangsai, I wake up to the sound of raucous birds conversing, crowing roosters in the distance and an army of crickets. The village of Bangsai is alive in a way that compliments these noises, even amplifies them. The sun has not yet risen but Read more…