Live music, killer Mai Tai's, two patios, and a happy hour with beer with 2-hour 499-baht beer buffets (not just Singha and Chang, but Leo, Heineken and Carlsberg too) make this Khao San Road establishment the best new bar in Bangkok. Khao San Road: a traveler's enclave in … [Read more...] about The Best New Bar on Bangkok’s Khao San Road: The Jappp
Everything Else
On the Man of Ton Sai, Little Thai Monsters, and Leaving
There’s a Thai man here in Ton Sai shrouded in mystery. He owns the Pyramid Café. He doesn’t do what the mafia tell him to do, which in Ton Sai, a mafia-owed area, means something. He stood on the stage during Ton Sai’s big clean-up weekend with the other business owners and … [Read more...] about On the Man of Ton Sai, Little Thai Monsters, and Leaving
How to Find the Best Food in Bangkok
I’m compiling a list of places to eat in Bangkok. Research is key. “Google-ability” is important. If a restaurant is written up in English, it’s already very popular. If it has a facebook page, it’s either new or very hip, though often not both. If a friend who has a brother who … [Read more...] about How to Find the Best Food in Bangkok
It’s a Miracle (Fruit)!
“It’s your lucky day, sir!” said the tour guide at the Tropical Fruit Farm in Penang, Malaysia. The organic farm grows over 250 varieties of fruit. And during a tour the guide spent most of the time berating us for having come during the wrong season. Not much in season now, he … [Read more...] about It’s a Miracle (Fruit)!
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Petronas Towers? Nope, I didn’t stand in line in the early morning waiting for free tickets and permission to ascend to its lofty heights. I don’t even think you’re allowed on the actual top of Malaysia’s Twin Towers. So it seemed like a much better idea to go to Skybar for a … [Read more...] about Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“Eating Daring” in Ao Nang and Krabi, Thailand and a Call for Help with WordPress Images
The Lonely Planet guide for Krabi Town's day market says that the vendors that set up at there offer a ridiculous array of street food. The actual description left something to be desired, but the statement to "eat daring" was enough to entice me into checking it out. But first … [Read more...] about “Eating Daring” in Ao Nang and Krabi, Thailand and a Call for Help with WordPress Images
Food in Ton Sai: Young Thai Coconuts, Soothing Rice Soup, Yellow Curry, and Sprite.
Breakfasts at my "resort" (rustic is being generous, but there was a pool) were a tropical fruit buffet—pineapple, watermelon, papaya, maybe cantaloupe. I skipped the bread, pastries, fried potatoes, breakfast meats that probably aren't all meat, and soy-soaked noodle stir-fries … [Read more...] about Food in Ton Sai: Young Thai Coconuts, Soothing Rice Soup, Yellow Curry, and Sprite.
And We Called Him Lumphini…
My boyfriend and I named the gecko: Lumphini—Lump for short. I don’t actually have a boyfriend, but to cancel my friend’s room reservation and share my room (cheaper), that's what he told the front desk staff at Dream Valley Resort in Ton Sai. He figured they’d be more … [Read more...] about And We Called Him Lumphini…
Deep Water Soloing: Rockclimbing above the Ocean
I’d heard there was a place in the world where you climb up giant overhanging walls with rocket-sized stalactites, and when you get to the top (or when you fall) there’s nothing but crystal-blue, warm water below. That's Deep Water Soloing, and it's a big reason I came here. … [Read more...] about Deep Water Soloing: Rockclimbing above the Ocean
Geckos, Monkeys, and Smiling Faces
It’s been a long time since my computer scanned for a wifi network and found nothing—either locked or unlocked. My pastel green curtains are suspended from a lopsided metal bar. The paint is chipping off the white plaster wall. I have a pet gecko, not by choice. Mosquitos own … [Read more...] about Geckos, Monkeys, and Smiling Faces