19 years ago, Hong and I began our relationship on a series of overnight trains in China. Packing 60 people to a car in rows of triple bunk beds with linen last washed in the 20th century, peeing down to the track through a slippery squatty potty, and making instant noodles from a gigantic cauldron
Vacation
SEA 2023 (7/17) – Bangkok: Malls
Malls were a big part of our daily itinerary in Bangkok. First reason was that, like in many other Asian cities, there were these gigantic and ritzy shopping complexes worthy to be tourist destinations. Second reason was that we needed air-conditioned hideout from the tropical Southeast Asian climate. centralwOrld Yeah, I hate the spelling, too,
SEA 2023 (6/17) – Bangkok: Itinerary 2
Day 4 Having only ever been to Yaowarat for dinner, we wanted to explore that neighborhood during the day. Between several options to get there, the kids really preferred to take Chao Phraya Express again. We spent the rest of the morning leisurely strolling through the backstreets, shopping for knickknacks while dodging cargo traffic in
SEA 2023 (5/17) – Bangkok: Itinerary 1
Day 1 The first leg of our EVA flight landed bright and early in Taiwan, where we enjoyed a very nice lounge and ate a full day’s worth of calories. I didn’t even like tea eggs! And ate two! Another flight later, we arrived at Bangkok just before noon. Despite it being hours early, we
SEA 2023 (4/17) – Bangkok: Grand Hyatt Erawan
Park Hyatt Bangkok had been one of our favorite hotels in the world. It wasn’t an option for this trip because its standard room could accommodate at most one child. Looking into the next best option down the street, we realized that perhaps Grand Hyatt Erawan was even better. Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok was located
SEA 2023 (3/17) – Modes of Transportation
A neat thing about this trip was that we took many modes of transportation. They weren’t merely means to get around, either. They were a lens into the local way of life, a cultural experience, and often incredibly fun. Airplanes Couldn’t have crossed the Pacific otherwise. But from the bare-bone AirAsia flight to 15.5 hours
SEA 2023 (2/17) – Attempting the Thai Language
I was so excited about this trip, that I decided to learn some Thai. The Initiative Since I started traveling, one of my favorite things about being in a foreign place was precisely not knowing the local language. I fondly remember our honeymoon in Japan, where conversations of the masses were just white noise to
SEA 2023 (1/17) – Kicking Off 15 Intensely Fun Days in Thailand and Singapore
Summer vacation of 2023 took place in Southeast Asia and it went well. In fact, if there was an objective way to compare vacations, this was possibly the best trip our family has ever taken. Trip Overview We flew into Bangkok and stayed there for four days. Then we took an overnight train to Chiang
PF 2023 (10/10) – Bora Bora: The Ocean
I don’t care much for vacationing in Hawaii, and destinations such as Cancun are lower on my bucket list than many people’s. And yet, I much looked forward to Bora Bora. What’s the difference? A coworker asked when I mentioned our spring break plans. I thought it should’ve been obvious, but started second guessing when
PF 2023 (9/10) – Bora Bora: Bora Bora Water World
When planning our trip to Bora Bora, a few businesses were constantly in our face on Google Maps. Among them were several excursions, of which the Bora Bora Water World seemed feasible for the family. To be clear, we weren’t looking for excursions and would have been perfectly fine just hanging out at the resort.