Travel, Shoot, Write
Koh Samui From Hanoi, we flew back to Bangkok, where we had a few hours to kill before taking a night train to Surat Thani. As it was very hot and rainy, we escaped to the air-conditioned Siem Place, a big, modern, fancy mall with lots of good eateries. Although there were so many tempting … Continue reading Thai Islands
If Bangkok is chaotic, I’m not sure what to call Hanoi. Scooters honking and running past everywhere from all directions. They will not stop for you, instead they blow their horns to let you know they’re coming so you better get out of the way. The problem is that the honking is constant and you … Continue reading Vietnam
Wat Pho, Bangkok At the end of the epic trip to SE Asia last year where I was blown away by the temples of northern Thailand, out-of-this-world Cambodia, and the paradise Thai islands of Phi Phi in the south, I left thinking that I’d like to go back to the Thai Islands possibly the following … Continue reading SE Asia: Here we go Again
Once again we had an early start and at this point I’d gotten pretty tired of waking up early but was looking forward to going to the Islands. We had saved the best for last! We woke up at 6:30 am and had a delicious American breakfast at the hotel coffee shop: omelet with toast, … Continue reading Phi Phi Islands
Walking down the plastic pathway that took us from the main road across the canal to the temple, I could hear the water swooshing underneath and see the first rays of daylight starting to peek behind the trees and this incredible, massive, ancient temple that we were about to visit. There was such silence and … Continue reading Siem Reap
After some rest, we took advantage of the famous Thai massages and got one on this relaxing stop. What better place to do it in? We walked around the Old Town center trying to decide on one out of the numerous ones to choose from. There was this one that seemed so inviting from … Continue reading Chiang Mai
From the outside it didn’t look like much. However, as soon as I stepped inside, I was drawn to the tranquil energy in the room. The room was very much blue with beautiful, intricate designs, few people, calm meditation music playing in the background, and an incredible peaceful atmosphere that immediately took me in. I … Continue reading Chiang Rai
In spite of having had a late night the previous one, we managed to wake up early and take a train to Ayutthaya. We were supposed to have gone the day before but having woken up late, we missed it. The local expats we were out with the night before recommended it saying that it … Continue reading Ayutthaya
I had heard a lot of bad things about Bangkok – smelly, dirty, polluted, chaotic, loud – so my expectations were low. It goes to show that expectations have a big effect on how we perceive things because I liked it more than I had thought I would. Sure, it is all those things: once … Continue reading Bangkok
Exploring new distant lands… Asia seemed like a dream that I hoped to one day get to. It was a place I didn’t feel like travelling to alone but no one I knew was willing to commit to this grand trip. Then, one day my friend from Miami says that she’s decided she’s not waiting … Continue reading Southeast Asia
Monica's Travels 