Exciting news!!!!!!!!!!!

Sudden change of itinerary! We’ve cancelled Vietnam…   …and we’re going to Burma!!!!!!!!!!!!   We’ve just booked our flights! We’ll be there during their historic elections! AHHHHHHH! I’m so excited!!!!!! (More on this later – just had to share!)    

Cutting corners in Thailand: Is everything ‘cheap-cheap’ and ‘same-same’?

When I think of ‘scams’, I remember my sour experience on my first day in Bali… when a uniformed man took my rucksack from the baggage claim at the airport… carrying it for ten meters to a currency exchange booth… and then demanding 50,000 rupiah ($5) for the ‘service’… or, I think of when I … Continue reading →

Dances with the King Cobra in Mae Rim, Chang Mai, Thailand

The problem with Chiang Mai is that there is SO much to do. I spent a fair bit of time reading about the various cities and countries we’ll be visiting for the rest of our travels in Southeast Asia whilst in Koh Phi Phi… writing lists of places I’d like to visit, activities I’d like … Continue reading →

Cooking lessons with Nok from Chang Chalaad in Chiang Mai, Thailand

We went for a Thai dinner at a small, cozy restaurant called Chang Chalaad in Chiang Mai on our first night. There were only 2 small tables outside and 3 inside, and we were lucky enough to secure 1 of the tables-for-two next to a quaint water fountain outdoors. Nico and I were each given … Continue reading →

Playing games with the Thai Mafia in Chang Chalaad restaurant, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Nico first spotted a small, wooden Chinese checkers game in Railay-Tonsai. He finally bought one in the Sunday Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai, where we then decided to play our first round in Chang Chalaad restaurant in Chiang Mai. Nico vs Lina. Who do you guys reckon won?     We befriended the owner, cook … Continue reading →

Getting a kick out of Muay Thai boxing in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Muay Thai boxing is a national sport… An ancient form of kick-boxing using 8 points of contact to engage in battle (including the arms, hips, knees and feet). I use ‘arms’ loosely, as fighting with the arms can include using one’s hands, elbows and shoulders to defeat the opponent. I say ‘battle’ (rather than ‘fight’) … Continue reading →

Lanna temples, night markets and Buddhist monks in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is particularly different to her sister towns in the Andaman coast. Apart from being a land-locked city, Chiang Mai is the home of everything Thai. It is a very ‘accessible’ city from the viewpoint that it captivates travellers of all ages and backgrounds… and it appears many … Continue reading →

Our ‘mid-trip crisis’ – The first taste of homesickness in Phuket

Phuket was a stopover. We booked domestic flights from Phuket to Chang Mai a few months back to avoid the long two-day bus journey overland through Bangkok to Chang Mai. Most travellers are familiar with Phuket…I suppose, in the same way most travellers are familiar with Koh Phi Phi…however, we loved Koh Phi Phi too … Continue reading →

Scuba-Diving and Crystal Blue Waters in Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

  I remember speaking with Isla about the famous islands off the Andaman Sea – specifically, Koh Phi Phi. (Just to trigger everyone’s memory, Koh Phi Phi includes Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh – the latter, being the setting of DiCaprio’s The Beach). Some long-term travellers skip Koh Phi Phi altogether. Mainly, because … Continue reading →

Tonsai in Krabi Province, Thailand: To go crazy or not to go crazy?

I don’t know whether you all remember Frank. I met Frank in Malacca… in Malaysia. He’s the lovely Argentinian traveller I was introduced to at Ringo’s Foyer by Howard… who’s been cycling around the world for 3 and a half years… and who says he has 7 or so years of travelling to go before … Continue reading →