Tag: Thailand
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Koh Lipe
Tucked away in the very southern portion of Thailand, near the border with Malaysia, lies Koh Lipe, a formerly hidden gem among Thailand’s world-famous islands. The island has seen an increase in development and tourism in recent years, but still retains its raw nature if you can get away from the tourist areas. Though the island is small, it still has all the things you’d expect from a Thai island getaway: gorgeous turquoise waters, long-tail boats with dark-skinned captains, pretty beaches with sunburnt tourists, plenty of water activities, fresh seafood, stray dogs, and beach bars along multiple coasts. The proximity…
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Singapore, Koh Lipe, and Bangkok
Singapore The plan with Lummi was that I would go to Singapore a few days before her, so I flew across the Pacific, arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and subsequently had a Welcome to Singapore, bitch moment when I got trapped in the local grocery store by a sudden downpour. I took my bags and waited it out at the neighboring coffee shop, then went back to the Airbnb, made instant noodles for dinner, watched the thunderstorm from the patio, and passed out from exhaustion. On Sunday, I worked on my blog in the morning, then met my friend Laurie –…
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Goodbye Again
Another year, another trip to Southeast Asia, another NYE weekend in Bangkok. Unfortunately for us, both Nock and I came down with colds after leaving the island, so the weekend was a bit more sedate than I’m used to. The one thing that made us feel actually better was Feuang Nara, a restaurant around the corner from our Airbnb. We ate there twice in two days, so I feel confident in saying that the service is terrible, but the food is incredible. I ate so much at dinner on Saturday that I barely ate for the next twenty-four hours. On Sunday,…
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Koh Phi-Phi
Throughout 2017, I had occasionally kept in touch with my friend Nock, who I had met last year while I was in Vientiane. Once I knew I was definitely going back to Southeast Asia for this trip, I told her and we made plans to go on holiday at the end of the year. She works long hours – too long, if you ask me – and was feeling a bit burnt out, so I suggested we find a relaxing island to go to. She had already been to all of the places I suggested, so I offered up Koh Phi-Phi. I…
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Chiang Mai
My two weeks in Chiang Mai were very much a continuation of the working holiday that had started in Bangkok the week prior. I found a nice guesthouse in the north-eastern corner of old city that I’ve walked past for years but never patronized; I derived a strange, satisfying closure that after all these years, I finally stayed there. I stuck to the same early morning routine as the previous week, again mainly because my guesthouse room was bathed in sunlight at 7:00 in the morning. There was never any question that I would go back to Punspace, my favorite…
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Ekkamai
You know how’s a good way to start a 39-day, trans-Pacific trip? As you’re settling into your tiny economy seat and mentally preparing for a long and uncomfortable flight, the lead flight attendant announces to everyone that the cabin doors have been closed and you realize that the plane is only one-third full. Sofas for everyone! Armed with sleeping pills, earplugs, a sleep mask, and a row of seats all to myself, I had the easiest 14-hour flight ever. Dinner, sleep, breakfast, movie, done. Hello Asia! After a short layover in Taipei and a (relatively) short flight to Bangkok, I…
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Southeast Asia Part Oh Who’s Counting Anymore
Another December, another trip to Southeast Asia! Shocker, right? Having used only two weeks of vacation the entire year, I decided in September – while in Beirut, actually – to embark on another winter adventure. If you’re wondering why I keep doing this, see my post from last year because the reasons are just as relevant today. Given the success of working remotely last year and the appeal of being able to extend the trip, I pushed my luck a bit with my manager and told him I’d be gone for five weeks: three weeks of working remotely and two weeks…
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Bangkok
After a lazy morning in Vientiane and a pretty standard travel day, I found myself back in Bangkok, the chaotic, frustrating, perplexing city that I have such a soft spot for. The last three days of my vacation fell on a weekend – New Year’s weekend at that – and I can’t think of a better place in the whole world to celebrate the end of an amazing trip and ring in the new year. Once I was on the ground, I got a taxi to my Airbnb in Sukhumvit, dropped my things on the floor, and was immediately enchanted…
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Pattaya and Chiang Mai
The specific travel dates for my winter holiday were mostly dictated by my vacation time balance and the expense of traveling during the holiday season. To keep costs reasonable, it was necessary to find a round-trip flight to Asia – as opposed to two separate one-way flights – so I opted for Bangkok. Don’t let the above photo fool you; December 8th was not a fun travel day. To begin with, I had a very full day at home: working, packing, cleaning, preparing my apartment for my Airbnb guest, and trying to fight off a cold. After going to a friend’s…
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Goodbye to 2016, Hello to 35
Welcome to my new site! I’ve been working on a new personal site for quite some time now and I’m happy to announce that it’s finally live! As you can see, it’s part resume, part portfolio, and part blog. The resume and portfolio are a pretty good representation of me, but I’m still trying to figure out what I’ll be writing about. I’m sure I’ll blog about my travels, but since I’m working full-time and no longer on a sabbatical, I’ll have much less travel content than before. Maybe I’ll write about tech or San Francisco or photography. We’ll see.…
