Traveling in Thailand

My friend Greg just posted some really cool photos of Bangkok today versus in 1970. Click on over to his blog, Greg to Differ, to have a look and read his entertaining post.

Many people who haven’t visited Bangkok assume it isn’t very developed, including my dad, who until last year was convinced there were no highways and elephants roamed the streets. The last time he visited, in the 1980s, it was like that, but a lot has changed in the past twenty years. There are still plenty of pockets where the city is probably just like it was decades ago, but overall it is a very modern city and it’s this very natural, organic combination of old and new is one of the many reasons to love Thailand’s capital city.

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

The first post in an occasional series on how hotel websites can give you an impression that doesn’t quite match up with reality.

Since this is my first post on the topic, I’ll spend a little time explaining what I’m doing here. Savvy travelers spend lots of time on the internet researching destinations, accommodations, food and activities and we often trust whatever we read as truth. We look at the pictures on hotel websites and think – This must be accurate, it’s a picture afterall. But the real truth is that a lot of stuff on the internet, especially when it comes to hotel websites, is meant to be persuasive, to get you to book. It’s more like the advertising pages in a newspaper than the news itself, though it’s never marked “advertorial.” read more »

Phang Nga Bay

Here’s the rundown on our sailing trip off Phuket. We just got back last night, I’m a little sunburned and, I have to admit, more than a little sad to be back on dry land. Our trip was fantastic. Spectacular. Wonderful. Fun. Actually, there really aren’t enough words to describe how great it was, so I’ll just leave it at that and let you decide once you’ve seen the photos and read about it. read more »