I had a mate from Siem Reap visit me in Chiang Mai recently. He’s a guide, so knows Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom and so on inside out . His first comment on arriving was, “Oh, it’s got a city wall… and a moat, and it’s square shaped is it?!” “Well, yes,” I said. … read the full post

Looking around Chiang Mai’s accommodation offerings it’s clear that for anywhere with pretensions above standard Thai hotel style or backpacker guesthouse chic then Lanna style is flavour of the month — or decade. But what is it? Good question. Historically and culturally Lanna refers to the northern Thai kingdom, founded in Chiang Saen but for … read the full post

It might be kind of strange to imagine yourself craving Mexican food while in Bangkok, but let me tell you something — it happens… a lot. Oddly enough the Thai kitchen lends itself quite nicely to Mexican eats and the burrito options in Bangkok are far tastier than one would anticipate. In my opinion the … read the full post

Khlong San Pier along the Chao Phraya holds some fun and hidden secrets. Two restaurants with good music, cold beer, and great views of the boats passing by on the river flank the riverside on either side of the pier. Be My Guest and Id Beer Bar are both great spots to chill out; office … read the full post

One of the most common Thailand double-headers seems to be a stop in Bangkok and a visit to Chiang Mai. If you are heading to the north, you’ll run into the question of how best to make the journey from the capital. The roughly 600 km trip is pretty painless no matter how you break … read the full post

Recently a friend asked if I wanted to go watch Sunday afternoon muay Thai in a TV studio. I had visions of what that might mean, but none of them actually mirrored the words, “Sunday afternoon Muay Thai in a TV studio.” The event in fact proved to be exactly what she had described. Full … read the full post

Khao man gai, the Thai variant of the original Hainanese chicken rice, is hugely popular in Thailand and found just about anywhere you go in the kingdom. Known in China as wenchan chicken it was brought to Southeast Asia by Hainanese merchants and sailors, so presumably spread out from ports frequented by traders from the … read the full post

The Blue Diamond health-food cafe in Chiang Mai‘s old town is hugely popular with expats, locals and tourists and has a reputation for being perhaps the best Western breakfast spot in town. It is actually open all day — 07:00  to 21:00 — so it’s a lunch, afternoon tea or dinner option as well, with … read the full post

Immediately across from the amulet market at Wat Mahathat is Siriraj Hospital and the Wang Lang market. Thousands of students from Thammasat University cross the Chao Phraya here every day for cheap housing on the Thonburi side of the river, and Siriraj is one of the largest public hospitals in Thailand. Starving students plus hungry … read the full post

Snaking throughout Bangkok are the remnants of its pre-road days: the canals. Bangkok has a huge network of them, most of which are no longer used for transportation. The canals used to be Bangkok’s preferred mode of transportation. Before pavement, the tropical rains would transform footpaths into swamps, and any draft animal and cart would … read the full post