A very traditional little shopping spot, Somphet market is just off Moonmuang Road, right in the heart of Chiang Mai’s Guesthouse-land (see map). In fact we can only assume that most customers in the market these days are guesthouse cooks, since there really aren’t many private houses in this part of town anymore. Now there’s … read the full post

One of the joys of visiting a big city in Southeast Asia like Bangkok is a splurge now and then on the things  you can’t always find on the rest of the travelling trail. In my case, these splurges are often edible. While Thai food is undeniably divine, it is also great to take advantage … read the full post

Sometimes you need to get out of Bangkok for a minute, to some place that is a bit quieter, and preferably cooler. Mahachai is a port town about 45 kilometres southwest of Bangkok. It squats on a bend of the Chao Phraya river as it heads out into the Gulf of Thailand, divided up into … read the full post

Some may say that pad Thai takes the international title of Thailand’s premiere dish, but if you’re surveying at the local level many would likely insist that  som tam should take the prize. Som tam, otherwise known as papaya salad and best eaten with a side of sticky rice, can be found on most Thai … read the full post

A few people had recommended the Doi Kham shop to me and it sounded interesting, but could I find it? Could I (deleted)! In my defense when I did eventually stumble upon it, it looked like this: That is, it looked just like a small, unassuming government office not unlike several dozen other small, unassuming … read the full post

You know those days when leaving the house for any reason feels tragically impossible? Maybe the day’s low temperature is 41 or it’s been pouring since lunchtime and you’ve just set your perm. In comes the too-good-to-be-true reality of delivery in Bangkok. Many of the tastiest restaurants in the city do have delivery service with … read the full post

Any self-respecting country laying claim to ‘wilderness areas’ has to have them! Reports of large ape-like creatures emanate from remote mountain and forest areas of every continent bar Antarctica: the Sasquatch or Bigfoot of Canada and the United States, the yetis of Siberia, yowies of Australia and abominable snowmen of Tibet — and Southeast Asia, … read the full post

Enter: Hat Man. He’s a man who used to wear a hat and serve the best noodle soup (gwuay tiow naam) I’ve ever had. Hat Man used to set up in the alley behind the apartment I was temporarily renting to see if it was possible for me to learn any Thai at all before … read the full post

One of Northern Thailand’s most distinctive and colourful ‘hill-tribes’ and one of the ethnic groups you’re most likely to come across in that part of the kingdom are the Lisu, or Lisaw in Thai. They inhabit a wide swathe of the mountainous northwest and are most populous in Mae Hong Song province, but also well … read the full post

One of the joys of visiting (or living in) Thailand is the food. Some people come for the weather or the scenery or the exoticism; I came for the food. And stayed for the food. And continue staying for the food. Did I mention the food? The food. Food is so central to Thai culture … read the full post