Despite my small role as a chaperone, the humidity, heat, and great fear of wild monkeys, I enjoyed our trip to Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO, includes rain and evergreen forests and grassland, and is home to “more than 800 fauna species, including 112 species of mammals, 392 species of birds and 200 reptiles and amphibians.”
It’s weird, you know, being back in Thailand. There are enough White men with Asian women around for you to you raise your chopsticks and your eyebrows. Sometimes it’s the age difference that’s startling. Sometimes though you can’t really tell, as some men look older than their age, and the women look (and dress) younger than they really are. Often foreigners are trying to guess if the woman is a ‘lady of the night’ or a proper girlfriend.
Thais couldn’t care less. They are so over it.
First of all, let me congratulate you on making a good choice. Going to Vientiane Laos for your Thai visa run is like competing in the Hunger Games. By contrast, heading to Kuala Lumpur is like taking your dog on a walk through the park, sometimes there are unsure moments, but overall, it’s a breeze.
Continue reading “Thai Visa Run to Kuala Lumpur: A Practical Guide”
I was quite ignorant about sickness and health when I first moved to SE Asia back in 2009. Yes, I had gotten a nasty bout of food poisoning when I traveled to Thailand when I was 16, but I didn’t know that getting sick is a regular thing for explorers and expats here. Yes, a regular thing.
Continue reading “What to do + what to buy when you get sick in SE Asia”
*updated 8 May 2018 (currently I live in Chiang Rai)
Folks have been asking for this one for a long time, but I never felt ready until my latest Thailand visit. Originally, I was going to do a Thailand versus Cambodia post, but then I realized both countries can be quite varied depending on where you are at. So, it made more sense to compare cities rather than countries.
Continue reading “Chiang Mai versus Siem Reap: an expat weighs in”
updated Nov 2018
Over a year ago, we moved to Chiang Rai and I started this “12 things” series because I wanted to be cool like Lani at Pointes of View. I love her lists on Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
It’s been a good challenge to write about Chiang Rai because CR is a small town that often gets overlooked for bigger brighter Chiang Mai. But now that I’m days away from leaving, I can reflect and appreciate that I’ve lived in both Northern cities, and say I lived here and it’s been a great experience.
Let’s toast to CR with a last “12 things” list.
Moving to Cambodia has gotten the blood flowing in both directions (is that good?) and it has gotten me thinking about other expat bloggers and the community we live in both on and off line. As a result, I’ve decided to do a carry-on size series on expats bloggers as a way to connect and because, honestly, who doesn’t love to be interviewed?
Continue reading “Fish out of water bloggers: expat interview series #1”
