PHOTO GALLERY: I Love Coconut Trees! From the moment I first laid eyes on them so many years ago, I’ve always loved coconut trees. They are an integral part of my vision of paradise, and that is a sunny tropical island with long empty beaches backed by palms. a sparkling blue sea and a coral …
Langkawi Reviews: Ishan Spa
Langkawi Reviews: Ishan Spa Umi, my petite massage therapist, was awaiting me on Ishan Spa’s leafy veranda with a cold mint-scented face towel in hand. As I stepped up onto the wooden deck and slipped off my shoes, she stood up, greeted me warmly and gently offered me the precisely rolled towel. In such hot …
Travel Tips: Downsides of Visiting Myanmar
Travel Tips: Downsides of Visiting Myanmar Myanmar is a noticeably more tiring and difficult country to travel through than most of its neighboring SE Asian countries. Most of the issues are due to poor infrastructure. Myanmar is just catching up to the modern world, and albeit quite rapidly, it still suffers from many difficulties of …
Travel Tales: Stories from the People of Myanmar
Travel Tales: Stories from the People of Myanmar During my recent 2013 trip to Myanmar I discovered that Myanmar is actually a huge melting pot of more than a dozen different nationalities, including various tribal people, Indian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Thai, Chinese and Burmese. Although I’d visited Myanmar once before and had noticed Indian and Chinese …
PHOTO GALLERY: Pictures of Sunsets and Sunrises in Southern Thailand
PHOTO GALLERY: Pictures of Sunsets and Sunrises in Southern Thailand In March and April, 2013, I enjoyed island hopping through the small tropical islands of Southern Thailand’s Trang & Satun Provinces. I often woke at dawn in order to marvel at nature’s beautiful day greetings – amazing colors and cloud patterns slowly transforming until a …
Langkawi Hotel Review: Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat
Langkawi Hotel Review: Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat Fancy your own private condo in the jungle? That’s exactly what you’ll book yourself into at Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat. ‘Retreat’ is the perfect name for this Langkawi get-away in the jungle. It’s not at all like a hotel or resort. There’s no lobby, no reception, no common sitting areas, no …
Guide to Tropical Islands of Trang Province – Thailand
Guide to Tropical Islands of Trang Province – Thailand Trang Province lies in southern Thailand along the Andaman Sea on Thailand’s west coast. Trang is directly south of Krabi Province (think Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta) and north of Satun Province, Thailand’s southernmost province. Like all of Thailand’s southern provinces, Trang’s interior is mountainous …
My Own Portable Internet Cafe
My Own Portable Internet Cafe As a professional travel blogger & writer, I need good internet access wherever I go. I must get online to work nearly every day for anywhere from 4-10 hours. Without internet access, I’d have to say goodbye to my career & livelihood as well as interactions with friends, fans and …
PHOTO GALLERY: Market Scenes in Myanmar
PHOTO GALLERY: Market Scenes in Myanmar Myanmar’s traditional open-air markets are very colorful, bustling chaotic affairs. Vendors sell everything from fresh fruits & vegetables to meats & seafood to household goods to cooked meals. Market sellers, delivery men and rickshaw taxis bustle about, trying to earn a daily living. This gallery presents 18 Burmese market …
Geopark Day Cruise in Langkawi Island – A Tour Review
Geopark Day Cruise in Langkawi Island – A Tour Review All the cruise guests were picked up at our respective hotels or resorts and shuttled over to the boat marina. Once there we were ferried out to a tall twin-mast sailing ship, a schooner named Tiki. A jovial Malay crew greeted us warmly and offered …