Yesterday I braved the weekly Anjuna beach market and I have to admit that it was quite an experience. I should begin by stating that I am not much of a shopper, and I don’t like crowds. When I go shopping, I go with a purpose, and I will employ any reasonable means necessary to […]
Did you ever see that Monty Python sketch about the restaurant where every menu item had spam in it about six or seven times? It’s one of my favorites. While essentially harmless, blog spam is not my favorite, and I’ve been getting some persistent comment posts from some nice folks who think I might be […]
So last night I returned to Bangkok, partly happy to meet up travel friends but also bracing myself for the grungy, sprawling chaos of the city. But I was feeling good and it was the third time I had to do the airport-to-city routine, so I was starting to feel like I knew what I […]
This morning (evening of Thanksgiving Day in Seattle), I had a great IM conversation with my family and the family of friends with whom we traditionally enjoy Thanksgiving Day festivities. They are some of my favorite people and it was a real joy to catch up with them for a few minutes. So thanks: Mom, […]
The fourth Thursday in November (also my fourth Thursday in Thailand) makes it U.S. Thanksgiving Day. I’ve yet to indulge in the traditional poultry eat-off, but I’m hopeful that I’ll find something appropriate to gnaw on to commemorate the holiday. I’m thinking phad thai with chicken, some Thai iced tea, a coconut beverage (or two), […]
Last night I elected not to chill my toe in the minibar, but I did find some Mexican food (though refried beans were a no-show) and pineapple juice, which I devoured while watching Scooby Doo (overdubbed in Thai) on the TV in my bungalow. The only complaint I have of the place is that the […]
Ah, Koh Samui. Koh is the Thai word for “island”, and Samui comes from a Chinese word meaning “safe haven”. It’s worth noting that ethnic Chinese make up a substantial part of the local population in this part of Thailand; in fact, the local dialect of Thai (at least from what I’ve read) is distinctly […]
This morning I woke up at 6am (early, even by my standards). Maybe it was the heat (I can’t seem to get away from east-facing apartments…the curse of the Commodore follows me even in Thailand). Or maybe it was the knowledge that I was about to hop on a plane for several days of doing […]
I didn’t actually bite a tuktuk driver in the neck, but the guy who drove me to jazz venue #1 on Saturday night had it coming. After trying to take me to a jewelry store (he promised me a “very good price”) and then he tried to stiff me on making change when we got […]
This morning I saddled up (with a slightly less hefty payload) and made my way back to Bangkok. The airport (BKK) in Bangkok was crowded as usual and it took a bit longer for the baggage to roll out than it did last time I arrived there. But without incident I collected my backpack and […]