In SE Asia, and no doubt elsewhere in the world, there is a growing trend for tourists to visit ‘tribal villages’. These are marketed as communities of people living in accordance with their ancient traditions. By inference, we are encouraged to believe that the state provides protection for these minority groups and that we, as […]
Using Bangkok purely as an entry-exit point to SE Asia, we ended up with three nights and only one day in the city. It was our final day, and we were relaxed at the fact that we would do little more than scratch the surface of this giant city. We have so many plans to […]
It’s hard to walk down a street in the big cities of SE Asia without seeing a huge number of massage establishments. In some places massages are even available in the public squares or in the doorways of buildings. I’m not talking about the seedy image of massage parlours, but regular places where both tourists […]
Dec 5th is a very important day in Thailand. It is the day on which this nation celebrates the birthday of its beloved king. As well as being a public holiday, it is a time of national celebration. We flew on the morning of the 5th from Bangkok to Chiang Rai. Travelling to the airport […]
It might be the noise and smells on the streets. It might be the signs written in an unfamiliar script. A part of it is almost certainly the change in heat and humidity. Whatever it is, there is something exhilarating about arriving in a new city, in a new country, at the start of another […]
