Bahrain - Yemen - Oman

After checking out UAE in September 2007, I am ready to explore a little bit deeper into the Arabian Peninsula. The new highway linking eastern Yemen and western Oman makes it easy for overland travel between San’a and Muscat. I therefore set my feet on this piece of land again during the New Year break - one of the best times to visit the desert.

Dec 29, 2007
Bangkok to Bahrain

UAE - Caucasus - Iran

Iran is a mysterious destination I had always imagined to visit. The difficulty in getting a visa stopped me until recently I learned on TV that a Chinese guy visited Iran to check out the historical sites before a possible damage by war. Since there are some diplomatic issues between Canada and Iran at the moment, I used iranianvisa.com visa service to apply for my visa. I eventually got a 7 day visa (enough for me) 3 months after I started the process. The Caucasus is also a destination with rare visitors. Because of its proximity to Iran, I decided to check it out as well. Using overland to cross borders has always been my favorite. Living in Bangkok, Dubai seems to be a reasonable stopover since it has fights to both the Caucasus and Iran.

Sep. 1, 2007
Dubai

Koh Tao - Koh Phangan

My sister Mandy came to Thailand for holiday and would like to check out some famous islands in Thailand. I looked at the map and identified Koh Tao and Koh Phangna which are relatively suitable to visit in August.

Aug. 12, 2007
Koh Tao

Nan

Nan has always been a destination I fascinated to see. The Amazing Thailand just surprisingly gave me another long weekend, and I made the decision to visit the province in less than one day.

Jul. 29, 2007
Sao Din

Langkawi - Thale Ban

Having been living in Thailand for 5 years now, I have visited most parts of Thailand and Malaysia. Where can I go for a weekend break? While checking the map, the Thai-Malaysia sea border grabbed my attention.

Jul. 14, 2007
Bangkok to Langkawi

Laos

Although I had been to Southern Laos 3 times since I came to Thailand - mainly to avoid the so-called 90 day stay report to the Thai Immigration, I had never been to the major destinations in Northern Laos. It’s time to check out these places to complete my experience in Laos.

Apr. 12, 2007
Bangkok to Chiang Khong

Myanmar

Although Myanmar is just next to Thailand and I knew there were a lot to see in the country, I somehow didn’t visit Myanmar (except for some daytrips to the border) until I almost visited all the Southeast Asian countries. This was partially because there was no way to enter the main sites in Myanmar from Thailand overland and I was hoping it would be one soon. The recent political developments in both Myanmar and Thailand proved it’s just a dream. So I booked the air tickets and visited this neighbor during the New Year break.

Dec. 30, 2006
Bangkok to Nyaungshwe

Shanxi

I was called to handle some family matters in Beijing. My 5 days stay in China happened to include a weekend. I used this opportunity to travel to Shanxi province with my sister Mandy.

Nov. 18, 2006
Datong, Yingxian and Taiyuan

Pakistan - Xinjiang

I was always amazed by the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in the Pamir Range. Being in Thailand gave me an excellent opportunity to explore both the Karakoram Highway and Xinjiang of China. I planned such a trip 2 years ago but couldn’t implement it due to some unexpected circumstances. This year something suddenly happened to my company and that gave me a chance to travel for 10 days. I made my decision right away and started the trip 2 weeks later.

July 8, 2006
Pakistan

Philippines

The Philippines is usually ignored by most travelers to Southeast Asia due to its relatively isolated location and to certain extent the news coverage of the international networks. Not surprisingly, it’s the last Southeast Asian country (except East Timor) I visited but the charm of the country is definitely not the last.

April 13, 2006
Bangkok to Manila