Unknown to many, the small island of Ko Ra off Thailand‘s west coast offers a unique nature oriented experience for environmentally conscious travellers who don’t mind roughing it a bit. The one place to stay, Koh Ra Eco Lodge, began as a base for the non-profit Reef Check Thailand some years ago and continues to … read the full post

Many who come to Thailand are still looking for one thing and one thing only: that idyllic, isolated, unspoilt island. I’ve been to more than a few of Southeast Asia’s pristine islands, but none have quite had the sparkle of Ko Surin. While it lacks the creature comforts of more developed islands, Ko Surin, which … read the full post

In typical travel-hipster fashion, I covet my little-known, off-the-map, you-probably-haven’t-heard-of-it finds: the sidewalk bar that serves Isaan-style pork croquettes, vintage clothing on the abandoned floor of Union Mall, the, um, Japanese toilets at Terminal 21. My latest find? 1001 Nights Gallery, which is on the other side of the Chao Phraya River in Thonburi. Conceptually, … read the full post

Things change the minute you get into Malaysia. For one thing, most of the roadside food stalls disappear, as do the paved verges. In Thailand, almost every road we were on had at least half a metre of paved verge — a sensible road building policy in Southeast Asia, where many of the vehicles are … read the full post

Ang Thong (Golden Bowl) National Marine Park is located north and west of Ko Samui, and is within sight of Samui on clear days. The park, which includes 42 islands and limestone massifs, was once a hide out for pirates but these days gets patrolled by the Thai navy. The islands of the park are … read the full post

As Gaby and I were planning this trip we knew that we would have to transit the south of Thailand, which has suffered from an on-again, off-again insurgency for almost a decade. Like most insurgencies, this one doesn’t have much to do with outsiders, and foreigners haven’t been targets specifically because they are foreigners. That … read the full post

We’ve covered the excellent Chiang Mai Aquarium and Nakorn Ping Aviary but haven’t yet given you an overall rundown on the city’s famous zoo; so, it’s about time! Chiang Mai Zoo is situated at the foot of Doi Suthep, just behind Chiang Mai University, and covers a large area of secondary forest, foothills and stream … read the full post

Our days cycling from Bangkok to Singapore developed into a routine. Awaken early (which proved to be easy, as most evenings we were in bed and unconscious by 22:00) and take ibuprofen. This trip has taught me what it will be like for me when I am very old and the simple act of getting … read the full post

As far as countries go, Thailand is known to be an especially laidback one, and some of the Thai language’s most frequently used phrases express this. There’s sabai sabai, which most phrasebooks translate simply as “relax”, but to me it’s more like “chill chill” or better yet, “just kick back and relax because everything is … read the full post

Packing for a 2000 kilometre cycle journey is an interesting proposition, especially if you’ve never done a long distance cycle tour before. I had no idea what would be necessary, really, so it was all educated guesses and asking advice that helped us create our packing list. And by packing list, I mean stuff we … read the full post