If I told you that I thought I might have come down with dengue fever, you could be forgiven for considering that diagnosis over-the-top. Still, since we are so far away from home, and I just spent three days and nights alternating between sweats and chills, and drifting in and out of sleep for 20 … More From hell to heaven: benediction at Chiang Rai.
You may wonder if you’re still in Thailand when you pop into a store on Pai’s main walking street, and see a Frida Kahlo bag for sale. And the food…if you’re looking for a burger or an Irish breakfast, or a brownie (chocolate and otherwise), there are no end of food stalls and restaurants catering … More West invades East; but you can’t beat the scenery
Pai is a sweet little town in the northern mountains of Thailand, accessible by a three-hour minibus ride from Chiang Mai that warns you ahead of time of the 762 hairpin turns it takes to get there. Gravol is recommended. After miming driving a bus, swaying back and forth and then throwing up, the laughing … More Geezers in Pai-radise
There is no shortage of temples in Chiang Mai, and you can feel duty-bound to visit them all. Mainly, they look the same – pagoda roofs, dragons, Buddhas – but each one has its own distinct features. They are interesting until they’re not, and at that point, you call it a day and go for … More Chiang Mai – just a few temples (I promise)
You know how you imagine a place you’ve never visited before, and then, when you arrive, it is nothing like the pictures you had in your head? Thailand has been like that for us. It has been very different from anything we’ve seen before. However, as soon as we drove into Chiang Mai, the images … More Chiang Mai: How I Imagined Thailand
Sukhothai is a small city divided into two zones – the riverside New City, where the bulk of guesthouses, shops and restaurants are located, and Old City; the site of Sukhothai Historical Park, formerly known as Dawn of Happiness. New City is rather charmless; there would be no reason to visit if not for the … More Sukhothai: Dawn of Happiness
This posting is dedicated to my dad, Keith Miller. Dad, you fought in Europe, not SEAsia and thankfully you were not a POW. But you experienced war and hunger and fear, and those experiences were life-changing for you. I have never known hunger and fear and war, and I owe that and my ability to … More The Bridge on the River Kwai
Just three hours south of Bangkok, Hua Hin has been the resort residence of Thai royalty for decades. With the arrival of the Hilton in the 90s, Hua Hin began to attract mass tourism from Europe and China, and with it, the inevitable building boom dedicated to bringing in package tours. Condos, high-rise hotels and … More Hua Hin: from Royal resort town to Scandinavian getaway.
Since we had just four days in Bangkok, we decided to stay in the historic area and concentrate on seeing the temples, the old shopfronts and the river and canals. Travelling by boat in Bangkok is highly entertaining, and in some cases, the only way to arrive at a destination. The Chao Phraya river is … More From riverboats to back alleys – discovering old Bangkok
We’ve been in Thailand for three days and are just surfacing from our fog of jet lag, culture shock and temperature change. On the advice of friends who have been to Thailand many times, we booked a hotel close to the Bangkok airport for two nights before tackling the city. It was a sound plan … More The beauty and the beast of Bangkok
Leaving Ourselves Behind 