Traveling in Thailand

you don't even have to eat it on the street if you don't want to

In most parts of Thailand, you can’t walk 100 meters without stumbling upon a humble looking merchant cooking up something, often using just a small pushcart as a kitchen. Around lunch or dinner time, crowds of people often stand in line or sit at the impromptu tables often set up nearby. If you grew up, as I did, in a city where street food was limited to hot dogs, sausage sandwiches and pretzels around Fenway Park, it would seem a little strange that everyone, from all levels of society and all walks of life, would be waiting in line in the hot sun to sit on a plastic stool and eat food cooked out on the sidewalk. There’s an air-conditioned restaurant across the street! The food’s not even expensive. Come now. read more »

Using some of my favorite photos from all over the region to experiment with this slideshow format.

Nomadic Matt sent me some questions via email through Moon’s publicists, here’s what he has to say about Moon Thailand (I thought it was more than a little strange that he compared it to Lonely Planet). Here’s an excerpt of the interview:

When writing the Thailand books, how do you decide what goes in and what doesn’t go in?
All travelers are different. What one person thinks is the perfect vacation another might not like at all. Things I enjoy or think are really cool might not appeal to every reader. And people have different budgets and time constraints. So I try to include destinations, sights, food, accommodations across a very broad spectrum, so everyone finds things they are happy with. But whatever I include, it has to be the best option available, whether it’s a five star resort or a $15 bungalow, street food or a fancy restaurant. The only rule is nothing mediocre or disappointing unless I’ve warned the reader in advance and there’s a really compelling reason to include it.

Before I tell you about our recent experience rock climbing, be assured that almost anyone in reasonable shape can do it. You do not need any previous experience, you do not need to be super buff or thin or young. Trust me. I had never rock climbed before last year (hadn’t even considered it) but some friends had done it and raved and something about living in Thailand makes me want to try new things so I figured what the heck, right?

Plenty of climbers but plenty of secluded routes, too

Railey Beach in Krabi is surrounded by amazing karst rock formations and, over the years, has become a rock climbing destination. There are hundreds of routes already bolted (plenty for beginners but also plenty for experienced climbers), and a couple of rock climbing shops where you can buy or rent gear. Better yet, if you are beginner, you can hire a guide who’ll bring you out and teach you everything you need to know.

The first time I tried rock climbing, I went to a shop called Hot Rock in Railey with a group of friends. We happened to get an instructor named Khun Pboo (which, fittingly, means crab) and he set us up with gear, gave us a safety briefing and then took us out to some of the routes on Railey East. I will not lie, it was a little scary but there was plenty of instruction and Pboo was great. I basically failed at my second climb but he made me get back on the rock and finish with an easier climb, telling me – if you don’t finish one you’ll never come back. Thanks for caring. ☺

So this time around I was happy that we had Khun Pboo again. He took us to some cliffs near Phra Nang beach and the routes were definitely harder than the ones we did last year but we all completed at least one climb. He was great with my sister C, who had never climbed before, and the view from the cliffs was amazing!

nice job sis!

But the best part of the day was when he led us through some of the caves, into one of the large cliffs. I’m not going to lie – there were bats, rickety bamboo ladders, rope pulls and, at times, absolutely no natural light. We loved it; I can see why some would find it miserable or scary.

We emerged through a cave some 45 feet from the ground.  When I saw what we had to do to get down, I thought – oh no. But the only other option was climbing back down through the bat caves with my head hung in shame so it had to happen.

from that angle, it looked a lot higher than it actually was, not that that made me feel any better since i couldn't see the ground

And it did.

Experienced rock climbers don’t need to be reading this because you probably already know a lot more than I do, but if you’re a beginner and interested in trying, here’s some helpful information.

Most of the rock climbing schools in Krabi offer half day guided climbs, and will give you everything you need to climb. Expect to pay anywhere from 800B to 1,200B.

Even if you’re in great shape, you’ll definitely feel it the next day. If you’re a beginner and interested in climbing more than one day, leave a day in between to recover.

see the rope attached to J and Khun Pboo?

As a beginner, you will always be belayed by your instructor or partner. That means there is a rope looped through an anchor at the top of the route. You are attached to one end of the rope and the belayer has the other end and controls the amount of slack. If you fall, the belayer will lock off the rope and act as a counterbalance so you do not fall far (at least I think that’s how it works). It’s meant to be as safe as possible, but rock climbing is an inherently dangerous activity. People hurt themselves. All of us got banged up and bruised, worse could happen.

I asked Khun Pboo what types of folks generally want to try climbing in Krabi. He says he’s seen everything, including people in their late sixties (who, he says, had a lot of fun).

As part of C’s trip to Thailand, we planned a 3 night/4 day trip to the beach. She lives in Southern California and the coastline is certainly beautiful there, but let’s be honest, nothing can really compare to the beaches and islands of Thailand (not to mention that the Pacific Ocean is *&#$*! freezing!).

and the winner is...

You’d think it would be easy to pick the destination, since I know the beaches so well, but every traveler is different and what one person thinks is perfect might be boring, crowded, too young, too old or otherwise not right for another.  Fortunately, there really is something for everyone when it comes to the beaches in Thailand. read more »