I initially came to the "City of Angels" in 1996. It was my first big trip outside of the United States - to a country that was so different compared to the lifestyle I was used to. I was in my early 20's; everything about the city was new, exiting and unfamiliar. Mundane things I take for granted when traveling in Asia now - made a huge impression on me at the time. Writing these words while sitting under part of the Sirat Expressway near … [Read more...]
Exploring near Khao Yai National Park, Thailand
Our winemaker friend was in town, visiting from the Napa Valley in California. Immediately we thought of taking him to the Khao Yai Wine Trail - which features a number of wineries located near this National Park. Our destination was Granmonte Vineyards an established winery in Asoke Valley - about 3 hours from where we live. Along with the winery, they also run the Vincotto Restaurant (delicious Mediterranean cuisine) and a guesthouse. The … [Read more...]
Grand Mum
I don't know her name but we visit with her every year we are in Thailand. She is always referred to as 'grand mum'. She is family. She doesn't know when she was born and lost her birth certificate somewhere along the way. She knows she is somewhere around 90 years old and certainly looks to be in that age range. Her son says she is somewhere in her 90th year. This year she consulted a fortune teller - he told her she has one more year to live … [Read more...]
Exploring Chachangsao Thailand
Driving by the signs for the Bang Khla floating market many times over the years finally we decided to go. On a Wednesday. File this decision in the "stupid" category. All the floating markets we have gone to in and around Bangkok have always been held on the weekends only. So to was the case here. We drove 90 mins to the river in Chachangsao and lo and behold we arrived to a bunch of empty buildings and no one floating on the river. Making … [Read more...]
Visa run to Cambodia
My visa within Thailand was expiring in 2 days. Time to make another run for the border. Usually we are off in another country at some point during our time in Thailand so this is not an issue. But this year we just stayed domestic. Poipet on the Cambodia border is the closest border crossing to our village so we headed out that way. We reached this dusty chaotic border town in 2 hours. As is always the case we were met with enterprising men … [Read more...]
A night of fun in Bangkok
We started the evening meeting up with the engaging and very accomplished @somcity for a tour of Lebua State Tower Hotel. Lebua made appearances in the movies, Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicholas Cage and the crazy Hangover II. As a result a visit here is also popular with tourists. Lebua tried to maintain strict standards of dress but when Hangover II came out, tourists started showing up in shorts and t shirts and flip flops and during our … [Read more...]
A relaxing day in Fiji
After the stresses of non stop travel the past month I was ready for some serious R&R. Seashell Momi is a Diver's and Surfer's hangout about 45 minutes south of the capital Nadi. Arriving in the dark after passing through beautiful green hills as far as the eye could see, I simply crashed. It was 8pm. I awoke the next morning, 14 hours later at 10am - still tired but certainly more refreshed. Apparently there are only 5 people staying here out of … [Read more...]
Odd and Unusual Bangkok
So, where do you go when you have seen most of the major attractions in Bangkok and you have a friend in town visiting for the first time? You seek out the odd and unusual. First we jumped on the Skytrain, got off at Chitlom, wandered for a bit until we reached the luxury Swissotel Nai Lert. We were not coming specifically to see the hotel, rather we were after the Tubtim Shrine on the grounds of the hotel. This is a fertility shrine … [Read more...]
Arriving on a little piece of Paradise, Ko Yao Noi Island
A power boat in southern Thailand greeted us as we arrived by taxi from the Phuket Airport. The blue waters beckoned and invited us along for the journey. Boats in this part of the country are great melting pots. Europeans, Americans (north and south) and plenty of folks from all parts of Asia were coming to Ko Yao Noi for a variety of reasons - to get away budget style, to park it at one of the small luxury properties, for honeymoon or ferrying … [Read more...]
A Thai New Years in our Village
As with most New Years Eve days we spend much of the day shopping for our big meal in the evening - where family and friends gather - pulling into one of the nearby village houses on motorbikes, walking or by car. First we stop at the huge Tesco Lotus that popped up near the Industrial park several years ago. Employees are stationed out front wrapping hundreds of packages from shoppers. Our budget has gone up this year - instead of 200 baht we … [Read more...]
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