Pad Kra Pao (Holy Basil Stir Fry) Ever since learning about this dish a few years ago, I had been ordering it by default at Thai restaurants. While in Thailand on this trip, we had also eaten it from the very first lunch in centralwOrld to the very last dinner in Chiang Rai Night Bazaar.
SEA 2023 (12/17) – Wats in Thailand
Wats, or Buddhist temples, were as abundant in Thailand as Catholic churches were abundant in Spain. You couldn’t walk very far without running into one. The best of them topped the “things to do” list in just about every city. As a result, we visited at least one wat on most days of this trip.
SEA 2023 (11/17) – Chiang Rai: Itinerary
Chiang Rai was a small city northeast of Chiang Mai, with an ambiguous identity as far as tourism was concerned. Serious travelers who talked about spending time in Chiang Rai often referred to the rural regions such as Golden Triangle, hill tribe village, coffee farms, etc. instead of the city itself. Other people regarded it
SEA 2023 (10/17) – Chiang Mai: Elephants!!!
Some years back, Chiang Mai first appeared on our bucket list because of elephants. Hanging out with these giant creatures was central to our cancelled 2020 trip, and then central to this trip. This dream came true on day 8. There were no fewer than half a dozen elephant “sanctuaries” roughly an hour away either
SEA 2023 (9/17) – Chiang Mai: Itinerary
Nobody deplanes from a red-eye flight refreshed. The overnight train was a different story. When rolling into Chiang Mai Station at 7:15am, we were well rested and ready to go. Day 6 We hopped on our very first songthaew an headed to the hotel. We had contemplated a couple American chains, but ultimately decided to
SEA 2023 (8/17) – Overnight Train to Chiang Mai
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
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