There are many many restaurants in this town - most catering to the backpackers. One restaurant I found serves only authentic Lao food and is not known by the tourists at all. I had about 6 meals here and never once saw another tourist. Not having been able to determine the name of this restaurant a location description will have to do. From the Bus station located along the gravel airstrip walk west toward the town of Vang Vieng. Almost … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Markets
ARTBOX Night Market is a trendy easy to access space, and outdoor market featuring numerous vendors including a strong food presence. originally opened a few years ago as a popup market without any permanent location. Now, open daily from 4pm until midnight at its current permanent home, Chuvit Garden, Sukhumvit 10 Alley. Located a short walk from the closest Skytrain stop of Nana. Popular with youngsters, but not to young - also well frequented … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Districts
Bangkok features some 50 districts - with 35 being located east of the Chao Praya River and the other 15 on the other side of the river (called the Thonburi side). We highlight only a select few major parts of town, some of these encompass several districts. The regions below are among the most visited by tourists in Bangkok and contain a majority of the city's attractions and activities. CHAO PRAYA RIVER is the lifeblood of Bangkok. It is a … [Read more...]
Bangkok, Thailand – Food
Thai food is incredible in it's flavors and diversity. Street vendors are everywhere in Bangkok. Depending where you are in this city, you can eat at most any hour of the day or night. Most of these food vendors setup shop on a street sidewalk - they have a small glass container for displaying the food, maybe a few plastic chairs/tables and they will have a small stall for cooking the actual food - which is done by using a stove hooked into a … [Read more...]
Los Angeles, CA – More Information
Discover Los Angeles, official tourism site: www.discoverlosangeles.com Los Angeles is an expansive city spread out over many miles. With good traffic you can drive over an hour and still be in the greater Los Angeles area. Due to its size, there are many visitor centers and small cities contained within the greater LA area. Click on the Chamber/Visitor Centers link below. In addition we also provide links for general Los Angeles … [Read more...]
Colima, Mexico – Side Trips
Part of the experience of staying in Colima City is being able to explore the surrounding regions through a variety of day trips. It is the friendliness and simplicity of the locals that has always attracted me to this part of Mexico - along with the fact this is not a heavily touristed part of the country. I love walking through some of the small villages, where the local people rarely if ever see tourists. On warm days in the afternoon sun, I … [Read more...]
Chamonix, France – Calling
SIM Cards Prior to sim cards, phone cards were what locals and travelers purchased to make phone calls both in and outside of the country. These days sim cards can be purchased at any "tabacs" store, or most supermarches (super markets). The "tabac" is a store that sells a variety of things such as newspapers, cigarettes, books, gum, and phone cards. They are a very common store in towns. Old French phone cards are now collectibles. Many … [Read more...]
Europe – Phones
SIM Cards Roaming charges on cell phones abroad can be exorbitant if using a home network. One may find a very high cell phone bill after a trip - even just for sending and receiving SMS text messages. Even if you visit a website for just a brief period your provider often charges you the maximum megabyte usage which can be very pricey. Be sure to disable "data roaming" on your phone. The way to avoid these roaming charges is to unlock your … [Read more...]
Guadalajara, Mexico – Attractions
Barranca and Zoologico Guadalajara . Both attractions are located about a 20 minute ride from the center of the city. Zoologico Guadalajara is located on the edge of the Barranca - a 2000+ foot gorge cut deep into the heart of the earth by centuries of river erosion. Slightly similar looking to parts of the Grand Canyon in the United States, minus the bold colors. As one descends to the bottom, the climate becomes more tropical and fruits such … [Read more...]
Oaxaca, Mexico
We first visited the city of Oaxaca in December, during the dry season so some of our mentions in this article may be seasonally related. For example, some of the fruits we saw in the markets are only ripe during that time of year, and some of the festivals we experienced certainly only occur during December. Oaxaca (elevation 5,084 feet, population 265,000) is located in the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The Oaxaca airport offers … [Read more...]