Around 15:30 today (Friday the 13th no less) the US Embassy in Bangkok sent out an email alert warning of a potential terrorist threat in Bangkok. The email was shortly after retracted, then, we’ve just learned, re-issued. ABC has a story on it here. As is typical of this style of warning, it is frustratingly … read the full post

Peace and relaxation await you on any of Southeast Asia’s islands, but the boat ride to get there is often an unexpected dose of adventure. While many of the more popular islands rely mainly on large passenger speedboats and ferries for transport, many islands — such as Ko Libong, Ko Sukorn, Ko Adang, and Ko … read the full post

Our How to Eat series explores popular street food in Thailand and explains the how-and-what of ordering. Ready, set, EAT. The sun rises high and hot in Bangkok; monks pad up and down the streets begging for alms, motorcycle taxis cruise alleys for fares, soi dogs sniff at offerings left roadside, and coiffed bank tellers, … read the full post

Sometimes we long for the discomfort of travel – overnight train rides squashed next to a family of 10 in Kuala Lumpur, holes in the ground as toilets in Ban Lung, food so fresh off the street a piece of the vendor’s hair is tangled into the noodles (well, maybe not that last bit). But … read the full post

We’re covering a very different kind of market compared to our last post’s one on Prathu Chiang Puaka though it’s certainly another of our faves in Chiang Mai. Kamthieng market is what in the West we might call a garden centre, as it sells flowers, plants, trees, garden equipment, furniture, decorations and so on. This … read the full post

The bowling alley that I grew up going to was dark and cheap and rank: dented lanes, wheezing ball machines, worn furniture, and the smell of warm beer and cigarettes. The alley was inhabited by my middle class neighbours: secretaries, builders, teachers blowing off steam, chain-smoking cougars on the prowl, college kids lured in by … read the full post

Little visited Ko Kut (also spelt Ko Kud and Ko Kood) sits a little to the southeast of the far better known Ko Chang. The island used to mainly only offer homestays for accommodation, or you could head there on an organised trip, but these days the scene is better developed. Choose from a range … read the full post

Headed off to Chiang Mai in Thailand’s north or the beaches down south (or to Penang, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore)? Want to explore Isaan by motorbike or strike out east into Cambodia? Who’s your best friend for all these long sojourns? The train. Taking the train is how lots of Thais travel; you’ll notice that … read the full post

Although not far from the main tourist drags, Plai Laem just past Big Buddha is often devoid of tourists who seem oblivious to its existence and quaint charm. Slightly better known is Choeng Mon, which consists of a main beach as well as several intimate coves often only accessible via resorts, or dirt paths that … read the full post

As we all know some of the best Thai food can be found in markets and street stalls. In Chiang Mai, the night market at Prathu Chang Puak or Chang Puak Gate market, is one of the best food markets we know of in town. It’s located on the exterior side of the northern moat … read the full post