Umphang - Mae Hong Son

Tee Lor Su Waterfall is the largest in Thailand and very popular among Thais (although not a major destination for foreigners). I’ve been always interested in checking it out. The opportunity eventually comes and I decided to extend the trip to Mae Hong Son as well.

Aug. 8, 2009
Umphang

Central Asia

Bangkok is indeed a transportation hub for Asia. There are even direct flights to a few Central Asian countries. Although April is not the best time to visit Central Asia (especially for the Pamirs), I still decided to take the Thai New Year holiday period to visit this “forgotten” part of the planet.

Apr. 7, 2009
Tashkent

Palawan - Papua New Guinea

Having checked out most of the countries around Thailand, I started to explore farther destinations recently, notably the Middle East and North Africa. This holiday season I have a very strong desire to set my foot in Oceania. A friend of mine working in Papua New Guinea (PNG) invited me to see him and I made the decision quickly. The only airlines getting into the country is Air Niugini. They seem to have only one aircraft flying Asian destinations so frequency is a big issue. For me, transit in Manila is the cheapest and shortest route. Because of the frequency issue, I have 3 days to spend in the Philippines. I decided to check out Palawan, the so-called last frontier, on the way.

Dec. 28, 2008
Sabang

Ko Sichang

Having not traveled in more than 2 months, I decided to have a short break to Si Racha and Ko Sichang, perhaps the closest spots of interest to tourists from Bangkok.

Oct. 25, 2008
Si Racha

Okinawa

A few days ago, I almost fainted and went to hospital for a thorough check-up. They didn't find anything and sent me home. I figured it's probably due to too much hard work and time for some relaxation. Looking at the map, most places around Thailand where I live have been visited in the last few years. A news report that a China Airlines airplane had an emergency landing at Naha Airport reminded me of this part of Japan. Seeing the ancient Ryukyu kingdom has always fascinated me. Decision was made.

Aug. 10, 2008
Bangkok to  Naha

Middle East

Mediterranean Sea, Dead Sea, Jordan River, Suez Canal, the Pyramids, the mummies, Nile River, Sahara Desert… All the names sounded that familiar in the geography and history textbooks but in the mean time so remote, until this April when I had a chance to experience them all.

Apr. 6, 2008
Beirut

Phu Kradueng

Issan has always been my favorite destination in Thailand simply because of its people. My previous trips to Issan were mostly passing-bys on the way to Laos and Cambodia. This time I decided to use the newly introduced company holiday to visit Phu Kradueng National Park, perhaps the best in the region.

Mar. 9, 2008
Phu Kradueng National Park

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