A splendid horticultural experience
A day out at one of Chiang Mai's finest horticultural expositions
This blog is about a beautiful and enjoyable day I recently spent at the Royal Flora Ratchaphreuk horticultural exposition in Chiang Mai. It's a mix of pavilions, gardens, events and activities all nestled into a small valley off the irrigation road around 15km south of the city.
The foreign cemetery
Off the beaten track in Chiang Mai
The remains of missionaries, teak company employees, diplomats, soldiers, children, adventurers, teachers and assorted expats from a wide range of countries lie side by side neatly arranged to follow the borders of this small plot of Thai soil that is ‘forever England’.
The Golden Land
A regional sight-seeing trip to Myanmar
Myanmar doesn’t welcome a great many visitors these days, so the country isn’t geared towards tourism like its Thai neighbour. Although people won’t exactly stare at you, you’ll generally have little interaction with locals, apart from hotel and restaurant staff.
Isaan insights
Some background on this fascinating area of Thailand
Isaan folk are by far the easiest to get along with in Thailand. In four years of living here I have only had two of those encounters where a local that you know, for no apparent reason, suddenly starts ignoring you. And even those exceptions went away quickly.
Vietnam: failed, Cambodia: passed
Travels in two SE Asian countries
This column will mainly focus on Vietnam. Would I ever want to work in Vietnam? Absolutely not. There is no way whatsoever anyone could convince me to work in Vietnam. Although the country has a lot of beautiful sights, many interesting tourist destinations and is relatively cheap to live and travel in, not once did I feel the urge to inquire about job opportunities or settle down there.
Bangkok getaways - Petchburi
An historical park on a hill, lots of temples and some monkeys thrown in
I went on this overnight trip to the scenic town of Petburi a few months ago. Tourist maps and road signs often refer to this city as Petchburi or Petchaburi but the believe me, the correct way to pronounce it is definitely Petburi. Unfortunately, transliteration of Thai script into the Roman alphabet is often neither clear-cut nor logical
Bangkok getaways - Lopburi
This month it's Thailand's monkey capital
A town located just a few hours from Bangkok that's worth definitely worth a visit. Lopburi, famous for its ruins and monkeys, lies some 150 kilometres north of the capital and can easily be reached by either bus or train.
Bangkok getaways - Kanchanaburi
An idea tourist destination that's not far from the capital
Although I stayed 4 days/3 nights, Kanchanaburi can be visited in just a day or two if time is scarce. It's definitely worth it if you're in dire need of some low-cost rest and relaxation in unspoilt green surroundings.
Land of a million elephants
A recent trip to landlocked Laos
Contrary to visiting Thailand, which is only a package tour away for most international tourists, holidaying in Laos takes some more time and planning. Also, it isn’t (and will hopefully never be) the ideal destination for tourists seeking to stay exclusively in four or five star hotels.
Sightseeing in Bangkok
Ideas on places to go in the capital
I'm going to put my tour guide hat on this month and let you in on some well-known tourist attractions and some that are a little more off the beaten track. There has to also be a mention of the dreaded double-pricing system.
