Colloquially known as the Black Temple, today we headed out to the Baan Dam (translates to “Dark House”) museum. This is another “temple” from the imagination of a Chang Rai artist, in this case, a private art museum comprising a mixture of traditional northern Thai buildings with unconventional and contemporary architecture, designed by Thawan Duchanee. […]
Sunday was a rest day. We took off Monday not know what to expect. First stop La Lalitta for a coffee and some orchids. La Lalitta Not knowing what to expect, imagine our surprise when we walked into garlands of orchids and mist blowing all over the place. The coffee was good too. Bodacious Temple […]
The last day of our magical mystery tour of Northern Thailand. In hindsight, we wish we’d planned a few more days in Chang Mai. It has a nice vibe, and when one discovers a great breakfast place, one doesn’t want to let it go. We opted for VIP tickets in the “Green Bus.” $11 each. […]
I must admit, elephants make good photo models. There are probably too many photos here, but I already deleted several hundred. Ethical Elephant Tours There is a great deal of debate about which tour is the most ethical. From a Western perspective, we can rule out riding of elephants for sure. Many tourist don’t care. […]
Pai Canyon We decided to take a look at the Pai Canyon on our way out of Pai. Though it was a bit of a climb up, we’re glad we did. The Drive Down In a previous post, we mentioned the curves on the road. It was almost a work of art watching a semi […]
Day 5 was the vaunted trip to Pai. Vaunted because there are over 762 curves–most of them hairpin and switchback. Apparently it was built by the Japanese during the 2nd World War. However, we needed to start with a stop for morning – Coffee There are tourist traps, and there are tourist traps. I think […]
We left the hotel for a day trip up to the Choi Phu Ka National Park. On our way to find coffee, we stopped off at Wat Du Tai. Wat Du Tai I was particularly taken by the roosters. But there was other good stuff, including a great view of Nan. Erabica Coffee We were […]
After a fairly mediocre breakfast at our hotel, we headed off to Nan, in Eastern Thailand near the border to Laos. It was progressively hillier as we made our way toward mountains. Gone were the rice paddies and now we were surrounded by, I kid you not, corn fields. Sometimes there would be a few […]
Here are some random shots of Bangkok. It is a huge city, 270 square miles. With a population of over 17 million, it is also the most visited city in the world. Feung Nakorn Balcony Rooms and Cafe Nestled in an alley in the old part of Bangkok, this hotel was once an elementary school. […]
From the handout we received when we bought our tickets: You are now in the Thai home of Jim Thompson, an American who was born in Greenville, Delaware, in 1906. A practicing architect prior to World War II, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Army, campaigned in Europe and was later sent to Asia. […]
H A P P Y Holidays & 2025 Ellen and Steve: (...)
H A P P Y Holidays & 2025 Ellen and Steve: (...)
What a trip you guys. If you are still in Luang Prabang (...)
I would have enjoyed this day with you! Thanks for updates (...)
You guys really are troopers! Thanks for continuing to (...)