Buddha’s Giant Feet at Wat Pho
Some sights are awe inspiring. And standing in admiration of the reclining Buddha at Bangkok’s Wat Pho is an experience worth seeing.
Thailand
Opening Doors to Travel
In the process of planning a potentially long-term trip through Asia with a lot of uncertainty. There are a lot of options on the table.
Guarding the Journey
I admit it, I’m terrible at making travel plans. Between searching for alternatives and second-guessing my choices, I miss out on some deals and end up paying more than I really should. It’s why I’ll be taking the bus instead of the train to Boston in a couple weeks. I’m planning ahead for the fall …
Happy Birthday, Buddha
Today is Buddha’s birthday. This photo is of Buddha’s head surrounded by a bodhi tree in Ayutthaya, Thailand.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Because it’s Mother’s Day, I think this picture from Thailand belongs here, even though I can’t explain it. I figure my mom will at least get a laugh out of it. My mother has encouraged my travels (and other endeavors), even if she doesn’t quite understand why I make my travel choices. It’s an appropriate …
A Ride with Mr. Beer in Chiang Mai
It was our second day in Chiang Mai and we wanted to try something different. We spent the previous night discussing our plans — checking through Lonely Planet and the tourist maps. We decided to rent a motorbike and ride up to Doi Suthep. It sounded like a beautiful day trip with the royal palace, …
Train Travel Adventures
I’ve taken quite a few trains around the world. Unfortunately, trains in the US lag behind those of other countries in terms of convenience and cost.
Respectable Clowns
A clown can surprise you sometimes. In my first year and a half in China, my colleagues and I compared ourselves to clowns (or dancing monkeys in some cases) because that’s how we felt about our jobs. As foreign English teachers in China, we were entertainment rather than educators, and our evaluations reinforced that point. …
Contemplating Ayutthaya
After walking across the train tracks in Ayutthaya, I waited for the boat to take the group across the river into the ancient capital of Thailand.
Chatting with Monks
My companion and I walked around Chiang Mai on the first day off the overnight train from Bangkok. We were a little tired from the disrupted sleep of the previous evening, but excited to wander the streets of this northern Thai city. We stopped at numerous wats inside the city walls—many more than were on …
Party Crashing
It was a pleasant coincidence that I booked my trip to Halifax during Canada Day celebrations. I also visited Montreal last year during a fireworks festival that I discovered while searching for things to add to my itinerary. Sometimes celebrations are more of a surprise on trips. In 2008, I went with my parents for …
In Ancient Capitals
The best vacation day trip I’ve ever taken was to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand that was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Today, most of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with tourists heading to the ruins of the temples and the Khmer-style architecture that remains. It was a short train …
Sunset Temple
Wat Arun, the Khmer-style temple across the Chao Praya River from the Grand Palace, is my favorite tourist destination in Bangkok.
In an Octopus’ Garden
We’ve had a few dreary days here. Fortunately, I started replanting my garden when we had those beautiful summer-like days. I still need to figure out what to plant in a few other pots, but I’m pretty well set so far. There’s not a lot of space here, but it’s enough for herbs and such …
Warding off Solicitors
I visited numerous temples in Thailand–so many that I can’t remember them all. I had a few tourist maps that I picked up at the airport and hotel lobbies, each with different wats labelled throughout Bangkok. For the first few days I stopped at almost every one I passed. After awhile it took effort to …