A Photo Essay As most anyone who can read knows, Thailand has recently ended a one year period of mourning for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the universally loved and revered ‘father and heart’ of all Thai people for the last seven decades. In fact, there are few Thais alive today who personally know […]
Yesterday I received an honor which I am told is a first for a farang (the Thai word for foreigner) and even rare for a Thai citizen. But first, a little background is in order. Wat Phra That Phanom (all three “h” are silent) is a sacred Buddhist temple complex located about an hour from […]
Every year during the ninth Chinese lunar month, Thailand’s Chinese community celebrates the Tesagin Kin Pak vegetarian festival. The festival began in Phuket over 150 years ago; however, it is celebrated in Krabi as well by the numerous generations of Chinese who grew up in Thailand but still observe Chinese customs. During Tesagin Kin Pak, the faithful […]
Is Khao Sok Thailand’s Jurassic Park? I have been wanting to visit south Thailand’s Khao Sok National Park for about two years now. Since we are currently based in Krabi, Thailand which is only a two hour drive and we have the use of a nice car for the duration of our stay, I was […]
Sad Times for Tonsai Beach Unlike the superbly performed Ellen Burstyn film, this tragedy is a real life event. Finding an unspoiled beach in Thailand becomes increasingly rare as the years go by. Former unspoiled Eden’s along the Andaman Sea such as Phuket and Koh Phi Phi are now overrun and overbuilt with overpriced condos, […]
A Brief Appeal In May, we spent 11 days and nights in Siem Reap and Angkor Wat immersing ourselves in the history and culture of all things Khmer. A true highlight of our time there was experiencing a performance of Phare, the Cambodian Circus. Phare is the world-class circus arts performing arm of Phare Ponleu […]
If Phnom Penh was my least favorite place in Cambodia (it was), then lovely Kampot was by many measurements my favorite destination. Yes Siem Reap was amazing and fun, but Kampot is a place to which I can see myself returning many times. Kampot is seriously chill. There are surprisingly several activities available nearby or you […]
EXPERIENCING ONE OF THE GREAT HIGHS AND ONE OF THE MOST DEPRAVED LOWS OF HUMAN HISTORY–ALL IN A DAY! Warning: Some photographs in this post and inclusive photo links are of a disturbing and graphic nature. It is not my intention to disturb you; however, they are essential to the understanding of this story. […]
There are many ways to see the Temples of Angkor. A little research before hand goes a long way toward saving you from “Temple Burnout,” heat stroke and exhaustion. Far too often we have seen the telltale signs of overwhelm in tourists who try to see it all in two or three short days. Sadly, they […]
Note: The actual sunrise was covered in part 1 of this story. In case you missed it, you can view it here. Leaving Angkor Wat, we had four temples remaining on our must see list. At Kimseng’s suggestion, we made a short fifth stop along the way at East Mebon, constructed in the 10th century and […]