Most people come to Krabi to transit to the various beach paradises nearby. We came to Krabi and stayed for two weeks. Though it doesn’t have any particularly amazing sites, the town and its people impressed us as friendly, approachable, and authentic. But as our days in Thailand came to an end, we opted to rejoin the tourist route to explore nearby beaches and take in some excellent diving. Continue Reading »

Thailand, known as the Land of Smiles, is a beautiful and easy place to travel. In addition to the endless options of postcard white-sand beaches, trekking and elephant ride adventures, the country goes out of its way to welcome tourists and help them enjoy a relaxing holiday. Sure, they know it’s good for business – tourism brings in about 6% of the country’s GDP – but the Thai laid back and genuinely sunny demeanor seems a natural match for the tourism industry. Continue Reading »

We travel with laptops and we work on the road. For us, that means a constant search for internet connections, and when available, free wifi (wireless internet). Wifi is a much better alternative to being squished into an internet café, surrounded by hyper kids amped up with violent video games. Here are some of the wifi alternatives that we’ve stumbled upon while bouncing around Southeast Asia: Continue Reading »

When we told Audrey’s mother we were going to Myanmar to extend our Thai visa, her anxiety level began to rise. “Don’t worry. Hundreds of British and Scandinavian men do it each week. If they can do it, we’ll have no problem.” Continue Reading »

Most people come to Phang Nga to visit the dramatic limestone cliffs, islands and sparkling waters of Ao Phang Nga National Marine Park. We were no different.

Tour operators swamped us from the moment we got off the bus at Phang Nga bus station to the moment we entered our guest house, some 200 meters away. A note to tour operators: hard sells are irritating; find a new strategy. Our reaction to the hard sell is instant rejection. Continue Reading »

After hearing about the tree houses and monkeys in Khao Sok National Park, we were intrigued. We decided to make a stop there on the way back from our visa run in Ranong.

We followed a recommendation and stayed at Art’s Riverview Lodge. The lodge is built at the end of the road, on the bend of a river. We passed by banana flowers and brightly colored flowers along the dirt road and were serenaded by the wail of insects that had taken over the forest. Rainforests, limestone mountains and cliffs were a welcome change of scenery from the beaches we’d become accustomed to. Continue Reading »

Patong’s charm?
Patong is not a place we would choose for a vacation - its main attraction is the beach, but sex tourism comes in a close second. We chose it deliberately as a place to get some things accomplished with ADSL internet in our room, few sites to distract us, and a beach within ten minutes walk when we needed a break.

We were surprised by Patong’s overdevelopment. Many areas had been rebuilt bigger and “better” after the tsunami (2004), as if no one learned any lessons about responsible planning and building. It looked more like the New Jersey shore than Thailand, save the tsunami evacuation sign on every corner. Continue Reading »