A longtail dive boat, on the way to the dive site.
We had planned our trip to Thailand to end with a few days of fun in the sun and and some well needed time under the ocean. The scuba diving hot spots in Thailand are too numerous to count, spanning both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, and are home to some of the world’s most famous dive destinations. Continue reading
Creating the perfect bite of food in Chiang Mai, Thailand
The more time we spent in Thailand, the more obvious it became that the best way to find a great place to eat was to follow your nose, and look for the red and blue plastic chairs. Seemingly synonymous with ‘delicious’ all across the country, it took us little time to figure out that where we found the chairs, we would find Continue reading
A few dozen food stalls clustered together on the north side of Chiang Mai, whisking up delicious Thai food to order?! We wouldn’t dream of missing out…
Chang Phuaek Market in Chiang Mai, commonly referred to as the North Gate Market, is a wonderful place Continue reading
The smell of fresh lime filling the air. The rhythmic motions of the mortar and pestle smooshing and mixing, smooshing and mixing. Continue reading
A plethora of beautiful temples. Night markets filled with delicious selections of the local cuisine. Waterfalls, mountains… It is easy to understand why Chiang Mai is a hugely popular stop on any traveler’s Thailand itinerary. Mix in the more adventurous options like zip lining, jungle trekking, and off-track dirt bike expeditions and there is surely something for everyone. Oh, and let’s not forget the elephants…oh, the elephants! Continue reading
view of Huang Tung Tao from our beach hut
It was a meltingly hot day, and there was no way that we were ever going to entertain thoughts -no matter how fleeting- of doing anything that required any sort of exertion. Just stepping out of the cool oasis of our hotel seemed daunting. Continue reading
Tucked away on a side street just a few minutes walk from the south gate of Chiang Mai’s Old Town is the Thannatee Boutique Hotel. Step out of the heat and away from the rattling motors of the motorbikes, tuk tuks, and songathew that characterize the city and walk straight into a little slice of paradise.
In my head I had been imagining a single lane road on the outskirts of town. A winding road, possibly dirt, flanked with lush greenery, and lined with small booths where local artisans were selling their wares. Little open air shops stocked with lacquerware, silk, Celadon pottery, and ornate silver- all with nearby workshops allowing one to peer in at master artists in the midst of their works. I am not really sure where my vividly detailed visions of San Kamphaeng Road had originated, but Continue reading
up, up, up the mountain…
I love coffee. I love the moments of contemplation found between sips of a deliciously dark brew. I love magic spots in foreign places, suddenly made familiar with a single cup. It’s powerful stuff. A fuel. It generates, and it brings together. So when I got wind of a Hmong Village somewhere way up and into the wilds of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep where there was locally grown coffee to be had, I knew that we had to venture out to find it. Continue reading
Chiang Mai, founded in 1296, and the one time capital of the Kingdom of Lanna (currently the capital of Chiang Mai Province) is home to a mind boggling number of Buddhist temples. Over 300, to be vaguely exact. Each wat is unique, and many are easily accessible by foot, located within the moated confines of Old Town, while others are tucked away off winding roads (or on mountaintops) on the outskirts of the city. Continue reading