If I were ever tortured, my captors would break me by playing the morning music from the elementary school next door.
– Dan, after the fifth straight day of waking up at 7:15 AM to enjoy a 45-minute syrupy Thai musical loop resembling “It’s a Small World After All” followed by a live, 15-minute booming drum and bass cadence used to drive a herd of students to their seats. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 20 February 2008
We’ve often been asked “What’s the best food you’ve had in mainland Southeast Asia?” If forced to choose, we’d opt for an easy way out and vote Thai food as the king of cuisines in the region. And after eating our way through Bangkok, Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and Krabi in the south, our vote more specifically goes to Krabi. Continue Reading »
Filed Under: Food, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
3 Comments | 27 May 2007
Most people visit 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 »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
2 Comments | 25 April 2007
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 »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 5 April 2007
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 »
Filed Under: Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
No Comments | 5 April 2007
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 »
Filed Under: Food, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel, Videos by: Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott
6 Comments | 2 April 2007
