Where To Go Instead: 5 Awesome Places in Thailand That Aren’t Dual-Priced

In case you’re wondering about the focus of this post, Thailand has recently made it clear it’s interested in collecting as much money as it can from tourists. The dual-pricing scheme — charging tourists anywhere from 2 to 10 times more — has only become more...

Destination: Wat Tha Meru — a creepier-than-usual hell temple (NSFW) (Thailand)

Hell temples are almost always by definition creepy. Some are creepier than others, of course, and this took the cake in my wife’s mind. Presenting Wat Tha Meru (also spelled Wat Thamen, Wat Thamain, and Wat Thamen). If this is the first hell temple post you’ve come...

Destination: the Institute for Southern Thai Studies / Folklore Museum (Songkhla, Thailand)

I wasn’t sure what to make of this place at first. It was billed as a chance to take in the history and culture of southern Thailand, officially opened in 1991. What I didn’t expect was a few weird places in an otherwise interesting (but mostly mainstream) place. A...

Where the fish get freaky — Destination: Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre (Thailand)

Call it a breeding place or development center if you like — we know what’s really going on under the water. A few minutes away from the Ao Nam Mao pier is Nemo. No, really — that’s the landmark to look for when finding the place. Nemo, the orange clownfish made...

Destination: the Ko Lanta four island tour — Ko Ngai, Ko Maa, Ko Chuek, and Ko Mook (Thailand)

There’s nothing weird or offbeat about these beaches and islands, but they’re still lovely. Ko Lanta (Lanta island) is already a heck of a place to come. It has the aforementioned center full of cats and dogs, at least nine named beaches, and plenty of room to...

A clowder of cats and a pack of dogs — Destination: Ko Lanta Animal Welfare Centre (Thailand)

Whether you’re a cat or dog fan, there’s plenty of four-legged friends around to enjoy. Ko Lanta is best known for its idyllic beaches, a casual low-key atmosphere, and a place to get away from it all. The island also hosts a site that’s unique to Thailand — an animal...

Sai Ngam — the creepiest-looking forest with 10,000 trees — Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Called sai yoi (‘Sweeping Banyans’), this creepy-looking forest of 10,000 trees has almost no beginning — and no end. Also called the Sai Ngam Spirit House or spelled as Sai Ngarm. The pronunciation is a little tricky — merge the two words into one if that helps...

The Phallic Shrine and Phra Nang Beach — phalluses only accessible by boat (Krabi, Thailand)

The side attraction for most was our main destination today. The beach is a nice bonus, though. So it’s clear, you’ll arrive at the same place to reach Railay Beach West or East — in fact, just off to the right of this picture is the East beach. The bouncy floating...

My new favorite, secret beach — Ao Nam Mao (southern Thailand)

I didn’t really want to write this post. I don’t want to see this magical place change one single iota. In fact, I’d rather you stop reading this post right now. Go on, read about some other touristy places around Krabi. I want to keep this one to myself. Still with...

Destination: Wat Tham Sua — 1,237 steps to the top of the Tiger Cave (Krabi, Thailand)

If you came to a beautiful beach-side town to hike an exhausting set of steps, you need to get your head examined. Wat Tham Sua (also spelled Wat Thumsua, Wat Tham Suea, and also called the Tiger Cave Temple) is the home to one of Krabi’s most famous tourist...