What’s cheaper and easier, flying or taking the train to Malaysia? Decisions, decisions. I wanted to return to Malaysia as I had to leave a little to soon before. From Bangkok one would think that a short budget flight would be the answer. And it should have been. Only I wanted a last minute… Continue reading more »

Wat Arun is one of the nicer temples in Bangkok Granted I was having a bad day up until now. But things got better when I learned that the entry to Wat Arun was only about $1.50. Better yet, there was no one collecting tickets, so no charge. Late afternoon also meant that the heaving… Continue reading more »

What’s it like to have food poisoning in Asia? There’s a difference between “food poisoning” and “travelers diarrhea”. Quite a large one in my book. Yet the two ailments are often merged for sympathy’s sake when traveling. I myself have succumb to both. Travelers diarrhea is nothing new, and rarely gets me motivated to tell a soul. Food… Continue reading more »

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is a place for remembrance and reflection It’s not so often that a place will bring a person to stop. Tourist thrill seeker, family holidaymakers, package tourists or independent traveler, we should all reflect on the freedom we have to travel. This is not the freedom of breaking free of a cubicle, a lifestyle nor a cause.… Continue reading more »

More than a movie, the death railway that is the bridge on the River Kwai The Bridge on the River Kwai sits in infamy as a classic world war two movie. Based on a fictional book by French writer Pierre Boulle, it features the construction of the Burma Railway between 1942-43. Dig deeper into this… Continue reading more »

Pickpockets and scams: is it Bangkok, or are some tourists just asking for it? Has tourism changed in the past few years? Or have people gotten lazier? Or have tourist touts just been breeding and evolving more? Tourists with giant maps, cameras, and lost looks make for easy sources of legitimate and illegitimate cash. If you’ve never… Continue reading more »

First impressions of Bangkok city Bangkok has had an unwritten history with me. More than 15 years ago I first began reading about this destination X for all travelers and tourists. A hub of culture, shopping, history and everything in between. Bangkok was dubbed the mecca of backpacking and travel. Pundits escape sharp tongues by… Continue reading more »