The last two weeks have been a blur of islands, temples, mountains, markets, motorbike rides, boat trips and festivals… Having visitors always gives you the opportunity to show off your favorite spots and do things you wouldn’t do otherwise, like spend a week in nice hotels, go on impractical day trips instead of working and […]

I’m not a very particular packer.  I don’t use packing wedges, I don’t obsess about forgetting things and often I don’t even make lists of what to bring.  However, whether I’m backpacking around Southeast Asia, going away for the weekend or heading out on a road trip, there are a handful of random of things […]

For the final installment of the Chiang Mai Market Guide (don’t miss Part I and Part II) here are three more markets to explore. Saturday-Sunday Flea Market I actually don’t know what this is called, but every Saturday and Sunday in the morning  to early afternoon this is the place to be for second hand […]

While I’m not a big shopper, I do enjoy meandering through the Chiang Mai market streets taking in all the lights and colors and doing a bit of people-watching.  It never fails to amaze me how much stuff is available and how  everything is completely set up and taken down whenever the markets runs, whether […]

Everyone knows the Land of Smiles is filled with sunshine, lady boys, cheap eats and tuk tuks…but there are several things, especially when it comes to what is actually legal or illegal, that may surprise you.  Here’s what you don’t know about Thailand:

Last week I wrote about how much money I made teaching in Thailand and monthly break down of my expenses here.  Today, I want to call out some money sucks of living and traveling in Thailand. While it’s incredibly affordable to live and travel here, I’ve still heard many people complain that they’re spending a […]

So doing my taxes, I realized how much money I actually made teaching in Thailand for 2012…it’s laughable.  Ready? $6,000 After I had a minor freak out (I made more money when I was a teenager!) I took a step back to look at how I could still be so comfortable after making such a […]

I could go on all day about how beautiful Northern Thailand is.  Lakes, mountains, rivers, caves, waterfalls and jungles are everywhere just asking to be explored and the weather is usually some of the best in the country – cooler, yet still clear and sunny. That is, until February and March. While November, December and […]

Last month I wrote about the Saturday Walking Street in Chiang Mai and am currently working on a round up of all the Chiang Mai markets – there’s a lot!  There are different types of markets in different parts of town opening up and shutting down throughout the day and night.  A few are well […]

Traveling around countries where English is not spoken, you often see various signs, information pamphlets and menus employing some interesting uses of the English language.  Sometimes silly, sometimes poetic, sometimes confusing and sometimes downright nonsense – funny English signs in Asia rarely fail to amuse. My favorite menu item that I’ve seen so far was […]