Less than 10 minutes from where we are staying is the self titled "Amazon of Thailand" a waterway that winds through a rats nest maze of tangled roots dangling from giant trees. We hired a long tail boat driver who loudly drove us into this "wilderness". He was quicker than us to spot large snakes sleeping on branches overhanging the waterway. He explained they sleep on these overhanging branches to quickly feel any movement of predators crawling … [Read more...]
Island Hopping, Andaman Sea – Thailand
This week we have been exploring the warm clear waters of Southern Thailand. Our first stop was Ko Tah Chai - dubbed the "Maldives of Thailand" for its azure surrounding waters and the satin-like white sand beaches - which are so silky underfoot. Activities include: A Nature Hike - where you can spot a green pointy snail that lives and eats in certain trees and the pretty "chicken crab" which tends to hide during the heat of the day. The … [Read more...]
Playing with a new Drone
I had been researching various drones for the past few months and finally decided on the DJI Phantom I. I made a quick test in our house before we left for Thailand. That did not go very well at all. The drone took off by itself as I was unable to get it calibrated - it repeatedly banged into the ceiling and then got tangled in some wires. These soon snapped and shot across the room into the blinds and fell to the ground. Lucky it landed upside … [Read more...]
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka
Elephants are a significant animal in most Southeast Asian countries including India and Sri Lanka - the meaning of the word 'elephant' varies slightly but all comes down to some sort of Good Luck & Good Energy. Sri Lanka has held on to the love of elephants in Traditional & Religious Culture, dating back over 5000 years symbolizing Wisdom, Power & Wealth. It is estimated that Sri Lanka has the highest density of Elephants in Asia. … [Read more...]
Bang Khla Floating Market and Giant Fruit Bats, Thailand
Today we headed to the Bang Khla Floating Market - which is located on the outskirts of Chachaongsao (about an hour and 10 minutes from Bangkok). Last year we made the mistake of driving all the way out here on the weekday - for a market that is only open on the weekends and holidays. This market comes alive around the lunch time hour - with hundreds of families sitting around enjoying the variety of foods that makes the Thai cuisine so … [Read more...]
Back to Rural Eastern Thailand
After a few days in Bangkok we took a van to our village and our niece immediately ran up to us and gave us big hugs around the legs (she is only 6 years old). She proudly showed us her Thai/English language book she has been studying in school. One chapter quickly caught my eye, chapter 8 - "Language for Nightclubs". I spotted phrases such as "you have a nice dall face" - presumably supposed to say "doll face" and "can I have a cigarette", … [Read more...]
Travel Meetup Bangkok, In Search of Sanuk
Sitting in an apartment in some random location in Bangkok surrounded by a diversity of travelers listening to a Congolese refugee tell his riveting story and sad struggles of how he came to be in Thailand, I realized how an event such as this one can help enrich one's time on the road. The diversity of experiences in a single room from those who cumulatively spend some significant time traveling was certainly inspiring. It also felt very good to … [Read more...]
El Salvador Wedding and Lago De Coatepeque
I am sitting on the edge of Lago De Coatepeque in El Salvador on an early morning - wakened early by the suns first rays hitting my face from my cozy spot on the floor, wedged between two sofas. Last night I vaguely remembered stumbling in around 2am. Lacking in the sleep department and heavy in the alcohol recovery, I feel surprisingly well for just a few hours of sleep. Last night was a blur, it was my cousin's wedding and it was epic. The … [Read more...]
Touchdown at Sunset, Lets go Explore Manama, Bahrain
I touched down gently at the Manama airport just prior to sunset after making several short regional flights, glad to have arrived to some warm and humid weather after rain and cold temps came to California the prior week. The last time I was in this area it was 47 degrees when I landed, sometime in September. The heat can be brutal in the summer here but by this time of year the temperatures have subsided considerably. I soon found myself … [Read more...]
Backpackers – by Paul Bellamy
This is not just your ordinary tale of backpackers seeing the world. The scene is the late 1980's in South East Asia - before Internet, before cell phones, before instant communication around the world. Two budget backpackers (Andrew and Kirsten) are trying to see the world on the cheap - pinching pennies by staying in ratty cockroach infested hostel dorms and quickly running out of money. Then Andrew discovers a money belt full of money and … [Read more...]
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