In case you didn’t know, today is Buddha’s birthday. Of course, it’s not always May 17 because his birthday follows the lunar calendar. Many countries in Southeast Asia celebrate this day as a national holiday. I’m really not sure what … Continue reading
Because it’s Mother’s Day, I think this picture from Thailand belongs here, even though I can’t explain it. I figure my mom will at least get a laugh out of it. My mother has encouraged my travels (and other endeavors), … Continue reading
It was our second day in Chiang Mai and we wanted to try something different. We spent the previous night discussing our plans—checking through Lonely Planet and the tourist maps. We decided to rent a motorbike and ride up to … Continue reading
After reading Unbrave Girl’s list of why she loves taking trains in the US, I thought about my own experiences on trains. As much as I like taking trains, they’re not exactly convenient or reasonably priced in the US. I … Continue reading
A clown can surprise you sometimes. In my first year and a half in China, my colleagues and I compared ourselves to clowns (or dancing monkeys in some cases) because that’s how we felt about our jobs. As foreign English … Continue reading
After walking across the train tracks in Ayutthaya, I waited for the boat to take the group across the river into the ancient capital of Thailand. It wasn’t a wide river, but it was the easiest way across as no … Continue reading
My companion and I walked around Chiang Mai on the first day off the overnight train from Bangkok. We were a little tired from the disrupted sleep of the previous evening, but excited to wander the streets of this northern … Continue reading
It was a pleasant coincidence that I booked my trip to Halifax during Canada Day celebrations. I also visited Montreal last year during a fireworks festival that I discovered while searching for things to add to my itinerary. Sometimes celebrations … Continue reading
The best vacation day trip I’ve ever taken was to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand that was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Today, most of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with tourists heading to the … Continue reading
This title isn’t quite correct. While my photo may be of a sunset over Wat Arun in Bangkok, it is known as the Temple of Dawn (I just don’t wake up early enough to catch sunrises). This Khmer-style temple across … Continue reading
We’ve had a few dreary days here. Fortunately, I started replanting my garden when we had those beautiful summer-like days. I still need to figure out what to plant in a few other pots, but I’m pretty well set so … Continue reading
I visited numerous temples in Thailand–so many that I can’t remember them all. I had a few tourist maps that I picked up at the airport and hotel lobbies, each with different wats labelled throughout Bangkok. For the first few … Continue reading
I arrived at the Bangkok airport on an afternoon in early August 2008. My parents and I took an Air Asia flight from Penang, Malaysia, to Kuala Lumpur before departing for a few days in Thailand. While most people have … Continue reading
I stayed near the backpacker haven of Khao San Road on the first journey through Bangkok–it was a two week trip during the Spring Festival holiday while living in China. The Khao San Road area is a lively backpacker haven … Continue reading
I traveled with my parents on my second trip to Bangkok–they wanted a few days in Thailand since it was a short flight from our stay in Kuala Lumpur. Our hotel was not in the most desirable location, as there … Continue reading