Of the cities I visited throughout Thailand, Chiang Mai is the one where I wish I spent more time.  It’s name means New City as it was created in 1296 to become the new capital, taking the title away from the sister city, Chiang Rai that was founded just over 30 years earlier.  Located in the northwest section of the country, surrounded by fields and mountains, it’s a favorite of both ex-pats and locals. My friends and I rented scooters to get out of the downtown area and explore some of the local temples.  Sadly, I forgot to make a note of which ones we stopped at on this particular day, but can’t emphasize how important scooters are in this city.  Do not take the red covered cars or tuk-tuks!  Scooter rental will average about $6usd for 24 hours and is not only the most efficient way to get around, it’s the most fun. On this particular day the sky was changing quickly, and the last 4 photos were all taken within a few minutes; Endlessly fascinated with how the light played off the gold domes and white facades of the temples. Traditional Bamboo Tattoos In the planning stages of […]

In the northwest of Thailand far away from the postcard picture beaches is Chaing Mai.  The city is huge, bustling, packed densely with scooters and has a large ex-pat community of westerners.  We left downtown via scooter, dodging and weaving traffic for the 15km ride up the side of a mountain to the 14th century temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Riding to the temple is a blast, and I can’t stress renting scooters enough.  Do not take a tuk tuk or cab.  At the base of the temple are a plethora of small shop and vendors selling everything from food to clothing and scarves. What follows next isn’t fun, but well worth it.  Climb 309 stairs (or take a tram if you’re lazy) and lay your eyes on one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand.  It’s also one of the most popular and heavily packed with tourists, so be patient. Given the number of people flowing through the temple, I remember being in awe of how quiet it was there.  This is a place to really reflect, even if you’re not religious. Matt found himself the subject of some photos by Japanese tourists, who were impressed with his […]

On the strong recommendation of a close friend, Khao Yai National Park was added to the destinations while in Thailand.  Situated approximately 3-hours east of Bangkok, a rental car was chosen as the most efficient way to get there, although a longer and cheaper bus also runs twice a day.  Over 2,000 square kilometers in size it boasts trails for days and more wildlife than I even knew existed but the main attraction is to see elephants in the wild; A guided tour was suggested as to see and be able to identify more of the wildlife, opposed to just winging it and getting lost. Having the same friend also suggest the Greenleaf Guesthouse & Tour, rooms and tour were booked prior to leaving.  Some of the nicest and knowledgeable people work here, which more than compensates for the mediocre sleeping accommodations.  Spend the extra couple of baht on a room with an air conditioner, if for no other reason than to help reduce the humidity. The selection of photos I have from the 7-8 hours spent hiking through the trails is extremely limited because heavy rains started about two hours into the day.  I also didn’t pack a longer […]

After a few days in Phuket for the Kin Jeh Festival some R&R was much needed.  Through the whole two weeks in Southeast Asia the only time we booked an Airbnb was on the island of Ko Yao Noi, in the Phang Nga Bay half way between Phuket and Krabi.  The low cost and flexibility of hotels throughout the region made it more appealing but in this case, a really well equiped home with salt water infinity pool and just a short stroll to the beach was in order. The weather was very mixed and the morning was a bit overcast but we hired a local longboat to take us around to a half dozen or so islands.  Probably one of the nicest experiences of the trip, as the captain and his daughter seemed to know where all the hidden beaches were on these small islands and kept us far away from the larger tour boats and crowds. A Thai longboat experience is an absolute must when visiting.

One of the main reasons I went to Thailand was to see The Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which is one of the unofficial names for the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.  The linked Wikipedia article will allow you to read more about the festival, but in short, participants enter a trance like state and perform self mutilation to show their devoutness to their beliefs. This particular day it poured rain, the festival procession is not on closed roads, rather traffic weaves in and out and the entire time loud music is played, fireworks are setup of with plumes of smoke and the devotees walk barefoot through the streets. Unlike parades in America, these do not have official barricades and only occupy one side of the street, so oncoming traffic is still an issue.  For about 45 minutes I walked among the parade, shooting photos from the sideline and at times, directly in the middle.  The rain poured, the sounds were unbelievable and the emotions ran high; All positive. And just like that, what felt like a few minutes at best, the majority of the procession that I had been running back and forth between had passed. The photos are a decent representation […]

Angkor Thom Ta prohm Banteay srei

While in the planning stage of a two week trip to Thailand with friends, Cambodia came up in conversation.  Had you asked me the week before if I ever had intentions of going to Cambodia I would have likely told you no.  My opinion changed, quickly. Angkor Wat was to be the highlight of the two and a half days spent in Cambodia.  The beautiful, thousand year old, 400-acre Temple is almost too large to take in at first sight.  Tucked into the jungle this magnificent structure has immense power. We arrived pre-dawn in hopes to see the sun rise above the Temple, what we got were dark gloomy clouds that opened their arms and rained upon us, essentially trapping us in one of the outlying buildings for a brief moment of time.  Wet, without a care, this place made me feel grounded.  While I’m not a very religious person, it’s hard not to feel everything here, as if time stops, and everything seems connected. Sunset Return for sunset photos

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Not more than 12 hours after landing in Thailand I left the back entrance of the hotel and was immediately met with the humidity I had heard so much about in Southeast Asia.  Having only slept a few hours, it was great to see the sun and proved to be a great time to see the famous Khao San Road wake up.  Street food vendors and those selling trinkets and t-shirts had started to assemble and open their booths and carts to start their day and for me, it was one of the most memorable breakfast experiences ever. Khao San Road is in the heart of downtown Bangkok where food, spirits and people seem to run wild.  The night before it was nearly impossible to get a tuk tuk down the street due to the street carts, was sleepy and calm first thing this morning.  Breakfast consisted of khanom krok, a rice-flour and coconut milk batter, mango sticky rice, and grilled bananas in a sweet sauce.  Fresh juices were all readily available and typically made while I waited. Any trip to Bangkok should include a trip to Khao San Road, my suggestion is to look at it from the opposite […]