If we had it to do over again, we would likely skip Koh Phi Phi. It is an island exclusively for tourists, with the corresponding lack of authenticity and affordability. (There’s a cost just to step foot on the island!) That said, here’s what we saw during our day and a half there: Fire Show: Not…
Railay Beach is technically in the town of Krabi, but it’s cut off from the rest of the city by jungle and cliffs, so the only way to get there is by boat. We were here for two days, and here’s what we did: Sa Phra Nang (Hidden Lagoon) [link has good photos]: This is a hike…
Lots of massage parlors around the world advertise their “Thai massages.” Not surprisingly, these massages sometimes have little in common with the real deal. Here’s what I experienced over the course of ten massages: Places in Thailand usually advertise multiple styles of massage: Thai, oil, foot, aloe vera (oil), milky (oil), relaxation (oil), aromatherapy (oil),…
These twelve things surprised us generally about Thailand: Pictures of the king are everywhere, not unlike in Cambodia. However, in Thailand, there is also a formal law that prohibits any negative speech about the king! It is called lèse majesté, and violating it carries a hefty prison sentence. The law was recently reinterpreted by the Thai…
Here are a few of the things that surprised us about Bangkok: Many of the cabs are hot pink in color; it’s a bit like Barbie’s dream-taxi! It turns out that (a) they are also hot pink on the inside and (b) the color represents what taxi company the driver works for. So, there are also yellow,…
Of the Thai islands and beaches, this was our favorite (so far). We were here for three days. Temple between Paradise Waterfall and Slip ‘N Fly: This temple looked interesting from the road, so we stopped in. It had some fun features, like a ‘No Sex’ sign on a tree, and an open square-like area with…
Neighborhood: Sukhumvit Also Called: Nana Pros: There are always people out, so it feels quite safe. There are both a regular subway (MRT) stop and Skytrain (BTS) stops nearby, making transit easier. (That said, neither of those goes everywhere you’d want to go as a tourist.) Cons: We had trouble finding local food. The variety was great:…
We were in Singapore for two weeks and a few days. Most people were shocked that we were staying so long, but we found plenty to do, and we thought we got a good feel for the city. Haw Par Villa: I don’t know why Wikipedia calls this a theme park, since there are no…
I am not a fan of modern art. One of my earlier experiences with it was going to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago at the age of twelve. I recall walking into one museum room and seeing a faded orange rag. This was the sort of cloth we might put in a rag pile and use for cleaning, and here…
It seems like we ate all the food in the world in Singapore. All the Hawker Centres: Described elsewhere, this is where we ate the majority of our meals. Everything was cheap, with one full meal and one drink coming to $4-$5 together. The selection is broad, though it does skew to being ‘fast food lite,’…