Southeast Asia

Book reviews
Books

Great books about regions

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 countries and places they cover. If any of you have any […]

Read More
Thailand travel
Travel

Visiting southern Thailand’s Krabi

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 of those other places. Being on the coast, Krabi also has beaches, […]

Read More
Hikes
Thailand travel
Travel

Hiking Krabi’s Khao Ngon Nak

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 rock-climbers. The best place to hike is Khao Ngon Nak or Dragon’s Crest, […]

Read More
Bangkok, Thailand
Cities
Southeast Asia travel
Thailand travel
Travel

Bangkok photo roundup

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 grand palace and temples and sleek skyscrapers, a thriving river and smelly klong canals (on […]

Read More
Sukhothai, Thailand
Southeast Asia travel
Thailand travel
Travel

Exploring Thailand’s first capital Sukothai’s West zone

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. It’s divided into several zones with the Central zone being the largest, and the North zone […]

Read More
Penang, Malaysia
Malaysia travel
Southeast Asia travel
Travel

Exploring George Town, Penang’s historic capital

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, and a small but pleasant national park on its northwestern coast. Penang was one of the British […]

Read More
Sukhothai, Thailand
Southeast Asia travel
Thailand travel
Travel

Visiting Thailand’s ancient capital Sukothai

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 Sukhothai kingdom, the first Thai state, from the mid-13th century to the mid-15th century. It was then absorbed by […]

Read More