Southeast Asia

As a follow-up to my post a while ago on the best books about entire countries, here’s a list of great books about regions and continents that I’ve read. I really enjoy these kinds of books for their epic scale and the variety of...

The first and only place in Thailand’s south I’ve visited is the coastal town of Krabi. While I’d briefly considered Phuket or Koh Samui, I chose Krabi because of its nearby mountains as I’m not a beach person, which ruled out the appeal...

In the south of Thailand, there is a coastal town called Krabi which is surrounded by mountains and beautiful limestone peaks. While it’s also got fine beaches like other places in the region, Krabi’s mountains make it a good place for hikers and...

Bangkok is a city I’ve been to numerous times, but which I actually disliked on my first visit. Since then, I’ve grown to enjoy this noisy, modern, scruffy, shiny metropolis. Bangkok is full of history and modern consumption with its...

Sukothai is Thailand’s first capital, having been the seat of the Sukothai kingdom from the mid-13th century to the mid-15th century. While it is no longer a major urban centre, Sukothai is still a fascinating ancient city to explore....

Penang might be a small island* off the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, but it is probably the country’s most popular destination to visit. Penang boasts entire streets packed with heritage architecture, great street food, a sprawling hill,...

Thailand has had three main capitals. Before its current capital Bangkok, there was Ayutthaya; before Ayutthaya, there was Sukhothai. Located in central Thailand, about midway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Sukhothai was the capital of the...