Thailand Stories

Imprinted Candles as Candle Parade In remote Ubon, Thailand’s eastern most province, tourists are usually rarer than a vote for the Democrat Party and the laid back locals seems to like it this way. The wilderness province even boasts Thailand’s most spectacular natural site yet is happy not …

One of the biggest and most beautiful festivals in Thailand is the Candle Procession which marks the start of the Buddhist Lent. In Thai this is called Khao Phansa which is the day after the full moon in July.  Traditionally during this…

When I set out to explore Isan I looked for a guide book, but found none. The few mainstream ones had a remarkably short section on the place, missing out half the provinces and barely covering the others. It was as if they were acknowledging that it wasn’t a place for tourists. After a month here…

A main road, taken this year, not 15 years ago, honest! Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Twelve I’ve been in Isan a month now and sadly it’s time to leave. My trip had taken a definite downturn, the last three places I visited didn’t over impress me, Nong Khai, Udon and Khon Kaen were everything I came…

Songkran is the start of the traditional Thai new year. It also marks the height of the hot season. A good way to cool off is to join in with the many water fights that are just starting in Thailand. Traditionally, you are supposed to splash your elders with a little rose scented water. But, these …

There are many floating markets and riverside markets around Bangkok. Some of these are new and others have been revitalized. This is part one of my comprehensive list of Thai floating markets that you can easily do as a day trip from Bangkok. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market The most famous floating market for…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Eleven For some people a holiday means laying on white sand beaches, sipping umbrellared cocktails and ogling bronze flesh. For others it means being bounced to death in a suspension-less bus…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Ten. The only backpacker town in the whole of Isan, Nong Khai is ideal for those who want to getaway from Thailand a bit and  experience guest house life, tuk tuks on hand to ferry you to sightseeing locations…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Nine For the Americans reading is this blog, Ho Chi Minh is that damn pinko “grrr!” who as TV and Hollywood have proven on celluloid really didn’t kick the arse of the…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Eight This sleepy little provincial town was once part of the Lan Xang Kingdom of Lao and later a picturesque retreat for French colonists. A mix of the old and new, or perhaps I should say old and new money as the …

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Seven If I had a baht for every time, back home and in the far east, I’ve been told or read how Buddhism is different, it’s a religion of tolerance and enlightenment…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Six I first hit Mukdahan 12 years ago, arrived at the bus station, took a tuk tuk through the town along Mekong road past the Indo-Chinese market, thought this looks interesting I must really visit this place someday, arrived at the ferry port …

Shwedagon lit up at Twilight  The highlight on any visit to Myanmar will most likely be Shwedagon Paya. Billed as just a stupa, but with the maze of surrounding structures it is more resembles a miniature city or a Buddhist Disneyland. Shwedagon is the most sacred site in Myanmar and the …

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Four. Once upon a time people came to Thailand because it was off the beaten track, later people came because it was on the beaten track, nowadays it’s so easy to travel Thailand makes the beaten…

It’s a Nun’s Life. Thailand and Myanmar, a comparison “Buddhism’s not really for Women…………. they can’t make merit.” As Lo Win my Burmese Buddhism sceptical motorcycle taxi driver I hired for the day in Mandalay put it, while I snapped the…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Five Leaving Buriram and southern Isan it was time to head north towards the centre of the region and Dinosaur country. Kalasin is famous for having not only the most Dinosaurs in…

With daily return flights starting at just £48 (2400 baht, low season, booked well in advance) from Air Asia, Yangon now counts as a viable excursion/visa run from Bangkok. This fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by locals either; I met dozens of Thais…

There are dozens of hot springs around Chiang Mai, some are well-known and extensively developed like Sankamphaeng, others are only just more than small pools of water in the forest. Pong Dueat is on route 1095, one of the attractions we visited when we …

(no, that is not me!) Some people say they admire my adventures – but there is nothing adventurous about me, I am just a lazy traveller. I first went rafting on the Pai river in May or early June in 2002, when I had …

I had not been to Pai since my second Thailand holiday in 2002. It doesn’t really make a convenient weekend getaway if you rely on public transport or your two wheels. However, it was the perfect thing to do in my friend’s car. Riding up and down hills smoothly, speaking my mother tongue for the first time…