My time in Cambodia did involve more than just visiting temples 😃. I ventured off to visit areas around both Battambang and Siem Reap – with fabulous memories, videos and photos to share as evidence! The Bamboo Train Where to even start with this one…so back in the days when Cambodia was a French colony – the French built a limited, but functional...
I’m in Cambodia! Country #2! And believe it or not these are familiar surroundings. I visited Cambodia and Siem Reap (home of Angkor Wat and a collection of incredible temples and ancient cities) back in 2010. At that time I did a whirlwind tour of the temples over 2 days (to check it off the bucket list). This time I’m back in Siem Reap and the town of Battambang...
This blog goes out to my friends with whom I’ve spent time at the racetrack…betting on the ponies (you know who you are – I don’t need to name names). On Sunday I had the one & only opportunity to head to the racetrack (the one that I can see from my balcony) and bet on the horses. It was the only day of racing during my 4 weeks in Bangkok and yes…the date...
So this post captures the other side of my trip to Kanchanaburi…the Thai/Burmese Railway that was built during WWII to secure the movement of goods between Japan and Burma (now Myanmar). A sobering look back at history and the thousands of lives lost to build a railway linking Bangkok and Rangoon. The area I visited was particularly treacherous territory and POWs...
Cue the Guns N’ Roses classic as the theme song for this blog post…I left the chaos of Bangkok for 3 days and headed about 2 1/2 hours north west of the city to the Kanchanaburi region of the country. By the way, that is only 130 km (less than 100 miles for my US friends). Travel does not go quickly in these parts – so much traffic, so unless you are flying...
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go on a tour to a local orchid farm, zip along the back canals in a long tail boat and visit a floating market. All parts of the tour were amazing…but the orchids, they were the highlight of the day! I was shocked to find out that orchids take 3-4 years to grow to full maturity, and to be able to be sold at the markets. So my...
Lumphini Park I’m now a week and a half into my time in Bangkok and I have settled into a nice level of familiarity (and dare I say routine) amidst my new surroundings. I live a short walk from Lumphini Park, which is like Bangkok’s version of New York’s Central Park and makes for a great way to spend a few hours people watching. Late afternoon the locals take over a...
Ok, so I couldn’t resist the headline phrase 😂 For those of you new to Asian travel – a Wat is a type of Buddhist temple…and Bangkok has some very famous ones. On Wednesday (after a week of being in the city) I took to the streets of the old city and finally got to take a closer look at some of the most noteworthy Wat’s in town. The first temple is Wat Arun...
Bangkok is Foodie Heaven
Bangkok’s Grand Palace I made it! It feels great to be in this incredible city! It’s modern…yet steeped in incredible history – absolutely chaotic, but islands of tranquility and spiritual serenity. It’s a little bit of everything. My first few days have been focused on getting the basics nailed – settled into my airbnb (which is in a terrific...