I believe it’s  safe to say that Bangkok comes with a bit of a reputation. You tell someone you live in Bangkok and their immediate follow-up questions involve ping pong shows, ladyboys and the red light district. The truth of the matter is these after-dark attractions do not factor into my daily life here — … read the full post

Where, exactly, should we find dinner? Well, everywhere in Bangkok — street carts, shophouse restaurants, tables set out underneath an expressway flyover – the strangest locations can yield some amazing flavours. But what about that just-right Italian place? Or a wine bar? Or fancy Chinese food? Travelfish.org loves to drink a bottle of beer under … read the full post

Anybody residing in or spending any length of time in Chiang Mai will know of the famous Kasem store, a genuine Chiang Mai city institution. It’s an old-fashioned style, family-run grocery store rather than supermarket as per Bangkok’s glitzy offers or Chiang Mai’s own Rimping supermarket chain, but still specialises in mostly imported products catering … read the full post

Navigating the shopping maze of Chatuchak Weekend Market can be an entirely overwhelming experience. Without any purpose or sense of direction your big shopping extravaganza can quickly devolve into doing anything possible to find your way out. While it may not seem it at first glance, the market is broken down into highly thematic sections … read the full post

Daydreaming of Thailand involves images of mountains and elephants and beaches. No one loses their train of thought in a business meeting imagining lugging their bag into Bangkok from the airport on a local bus. In the words of a Friend-of-Travelfish who lives in Shanghai, “Yes, yes, cultural melange and city-in-transition and all that — … read the full post

Before starting our brief description of this little known ethnic group, a word on their name. Ethnologists usually refer to them as Mabri (or Mlabri), whilst to the Thais they are the Pee Tong Luang people – which roughly translates as ‘spirit of the yellow leaves’ tribe. The Mabri people themselves apparently prefer to drop … read the full post

It is not terribly hard to wander through Bangkok and stumble upon a restaurant serving some mangled variation of the non-Thai food of your choice, but at the end of the day there is comfort in knowing where the Western food meccas are when you need them. Villa Market Villa Market, a Western-style supermarket chain … read the full post

Ever feel like not having a night in Southeast Asia? No really, I love it here and all, but every once in a while I want something that doesn’t involve fish sauce or karaoke or being sweaty. Whether you have been travelling for awhile and need a break from beer and buckets, or are just … read the full post

Any expat or visitor to Chiang Mai will quickly become familiar with the town’s main drags. You’ll have strolled along Ratchadamnoen running through the centre of the old town, tuk-tuked down Tha Pae Rd on your way to or from the night bazaar and of course eaten, drank, hired a motorbike and bought a Bangkok … read the full post

In 1951, the West was introduced to a fictional version of Siam (Thailand’s name until 1939) through the mega-success of the Rogers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. Based on the 1944 Magaret Landon novel Anna and the King of Siam, the story follows Anna, an English teacher from London, as she makes her … read the full post