Dates visited: January 3, 2015 – January 6, 2015 Chiang Mai (428 miles north of Bangkok) is the second largest city in Thailand but still manages to retain a small city’s charm and vibe. It’s not as terribly busy or densely populated as Bangkok so it’s a lot more fun to walk…
Dates visited: January 4, 2015 – January 5, 2015 We visited the Elephant Nature Park in Mae Tang (40 miles north of Chiang Mai) to volunteer and learn about Asian elephants. While it was exciting to spend two days with these magnificent gentle beasts, it was heartrending to learn about the atrocities…
Dates visited: January 3, 2015 Ayutthaya, 53 miles north of Bangkok, used to be the capital of Thailand when the Ayutthaya Kingdom flourished from 1351 until 1767. The city is named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama in the Indian epic “Ramayana”. This was a day trip…
Dates visited: January 3, 2015 We visited Ban Len (40 miles north of Bangkok) to see the Ban Pa-In Royal Palace on our way to Ayutthaya. This palace, built in 1632, was used as a Summer Palace by the Thai royal family. It has elements of European as well as Chinese…
Dates visited: December 31, 2014 Until this SE Asia vacation, I had no idea about the fascinating world of night markets so I was quite enthralled visiting these markets in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand… …the crowd, the food, the energy, the lights, the vibe, the smells, etc. etc.! But then, I…
Dates visited: December 31, 2014 We came here to see the legendary Maeklong Railway Market—a market through which a train (quite literally) plows through several times a day. The Thai refer to this market as Talad Rom Hoop which means the “Umbrella Pulldown Market”, and that’s exactly what it is. As…
Dates visited: December 30, 2014 – January 3, 2015 If you know Buddha like I know Buddha, then be prepared to be amazed and awed by what Bangkok has to offer in the “Know Your Buddha Basics” category! Prior to visiting Bangkok, if you had asked me to describe a Buddha…