Chiang Mai: Thailand’s Northern Capital Chiang Mai is not a city you pass through. It is a city you move to, or return to, or stay longer in than you planned. I first arrived with three days allocated and left after two weeks. Most people who have spent time here understand that dynamic. The old…
Sukhothai Historical Park: Thailand’s Ancient Capital The ruins of Sukhothai sit in a flat river valley in lower northern Thailand, surrounded by moats and trees, and the scale of what was once here is only apparent once you are cycling between the temples. This was the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom from the thirteenth to…
Ayutthaya: Thailand’s Ancient Royal Capital For 417 years, from 1351 to 1767, Ayutthaya was one of the wealthiest and most powerful cities in Asia. At its peak it had a population of one million — larger than contemporary London or Paris — and received merchants and diplomats from China, Japan, India, Persia, and the European…
Nong Khai: The Mekong Border Town Worth Slowing Down For Nong Khai sits on the Thai bank of the Mekong directly opposite Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Most people who come here are in transit, on their way to or from the border. They cross the Friendship Bridge, deal with the visa formalities, and move…
Luang Prabang: The Quiet Capital of Laos There is a version of Southeast Asia that existed before the guesthouses and the tuk-tuks and the pub streets, and it is remarkably well preserved in Luang Prabang. The city sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, surrounded on all sides by forested mountains,…
Five days, 749 photos, three cities – Kunming, Dali, Lijiang. After a decade away from China, the southwestern province of Yunnan is the version of China I would visit first again. Naxi culture, mountain food, and a UNESCO old town that still wakes up at dawn.
Palio Khao Yai Palio is an Italian style village located in Khao Yai. It’s about 10 km from the main gate to the park, or 25 km from Pak Chong. The parking isn’t very big and this village is located directly on the main road. You will find a lot of people taking…
Hoi An is one of the most beautiful small towns in Asia – in dry season. In wet season it floods. February to early May is the sweet spot. A 2014 dry-season visit, plus the food (cao lau, mi quang), the Marble Mountains, My Son ruins, and why timing matters more than the guidebook says.
I visited Angkor Wat five times between 2005 and 2013. The first time I was almost alone at sunrise. By 2012 there were five times as many tourists. See it before it changes further.
There is a daily bus from the main bus station in Korat (bus station #2 near Makro). It currently (2012) leaves at 9 am. Cost is 320 baht only. The bus stops 10 minutes at Ban Sida for toilet. Here’s the bus we took: Later, you stop after Khon Kaen about 30 minutes for eating….