Destination: Ao Nang — the beach with massages, monkeys and another secret beach (Thailand)

On its own, Ao Nang is the most developed beach in the Krabi area of southern Thailand. It’s easy to reach, has plenty of restaurants and accommodation around, and for that reason gets plenty of tourists. You can also look at any map of the area to discover the...

Where To Go Instead: 9 Famous Places and their Better Alternatives

Some well-known places are genuinely wonderful. Some just have a good marketing team. Here are nine lesser-known places to check out and have a better time for less money or hassle. Go on, admit it — part of the reason you might travel to a place is to say you’ve been...

Destination: the Thai temple with the bizarre illustrations (Khon Kaen, Thailand)

You can thank Thong Thipcha, a folk artist from Maha Sarakham, for this one. Probably built before 1917, the sim (chapel) was influenced by Vietnamese craftsmanship. It was officially proclaimed as an Ancient Monument by HM the King on December 21st, 2001. With the...

Destination: an afternoon in old town Phuket (Thailand)

Wrapping up a trip to Phuket can mean one of two things: go out with a blast along the island’s many beaches, or take it down a notch and take in some of the lesser-seen sights. I love the beaches, but a walk around Phuket’s Old Town was in the cards. To be clear,...

Destination: Phuket Mining Museum — a curious case of pink buildings (Thailand)

If your time machine can send you back to Phuket from a few centuries ago, you wouldn’t have found any tourists. There was no bridge to this island, and the main industry was tin mining courtesy of Chinese laborers. Today’s tourists may easily pass by this history...

Destination: Dino Park Mini-golf — one of the most fun courses I’ve ever played (Phuket, Thailand)

If we’ve met in person, there’s a fair chance you’ve seen the playful, sometimes silly side of me. I’m the sort that when I see someone taking a picture of someone else, I sneak up behind the picture-taker and give them bunny ears. I then sneak away while they have a...

Destination: Wat Lan Kuad – the temple made from a million glass bottles (Sisaket, Thailand)

Call it the ultimate recycling program — over a million beer, soda, water, and other glass bottles have been used in constructing this temple’s buildings. Call it Wat Pa Maha Kaew if you prefer the official name, or Wat Lan Kuad as the Thai nickname reflecting the...

Destination: Wat Prathong and the quirky temple museum (Phuket, Thailand)

Wat Prathong’s main claim to fame is a golden Buddha that dates back centuries. The golden image, Luang Pho Phra Phut, was buried in an area where villagers raised cows and buffaloes. One day, a kid tied his buffalo to what he thought was a stone covered in mud. He...

Destination: Thavorn Hotel Lobby Museum — two steps to go decades back in time (Phuket, Thailand)

Phuket has no shortage of strange attractions. Today, we set off to explore one of the stranger ones. Don’t confuse this Thavorn Hotel with a beach villa or grander resort of the same name. The vintage hotel dates back to 1960, when the Thavornwongwongse family opted...

Saving money in Thailand: 8 ways to do it

One great thing about coming to Thailand, especially from the Western world: everything (or almost everything) is cheaper. That said, you’d be amazed to hear the stories of how tourists manage to pay far more than they expected. Pick a few Western luxuries you can...