Destination: Baan Tawai Handicrafts Center — your home for kitschy wooden crafts (Thailand)

Claiming to be the largest handicraft village in Thailand, Ban Tawai (also spelled Baan Tawai) falls under the mainstream-but-kitschy category — worth visiting for serious shopping, passive browsing, and plenty of picture-taking. It’s big enough to fill a day, but the...

Destination: Hug You Sheep Farm — a haven for selfie-takers! (Lampang, Thailand)

Go on, you know you want to. Sheep farms are great for selfies, those cutsie shots for your Facebook profile, and so on. There are real sheep around, naturally, but unlike the Swiss sheep farm near Hua Hin, the sheep are far from the main attraction. Bring your...

Destination: Dhanabadee Ceramic Museum — where the… chicken bowls are made? (Northern Thailand)

Every so often, I come across a place that promises an interesting story — a ceramic museum that makes chicken bowls. Wait, what? Just what is a chicken bowl? To find out, we had to head to Lampang in northern Thailand. Originally from the Canton region in China, a...

Destination: Maya shopping mall’s grand opening (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

It’s not every day a brand new shopping mall opens in your backyard. Since we moved to Chiang Mai about four months ago, we’ve been watching the construction of a mall just a stone’s throw away. Yesterday, it finally opened after months of delay. Consider this the...

Destination: Wat Ket — the temple where the bizarre museum tells the history (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

Wats (Buddhist temples) are a dime a dozen here in Chiang Mai, and most of Thailand for that matter. At Wat Ket (also spelled Wat Kate and Wat Gate), the museum is far more interesting than the temple it’s a part of. Perhaps this is one reason why the museum is more...

Destination: Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

As oddball museums go, the Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders offers a diverse variety of both. The owner, a quirky and extremely well-educated lady in her own right, adds a little religion to an otherwise scientifically focused museum. Meet Dr. Rampa...

Destination: Ganesh Himal Museum — thousands of images themed around the elephant god (Chiang Mai…

The first time I heard of Ganesh, I was in a Buddhist temple somewhere in Korea wondering why there was an elephant-shaped statue. In my ignorance, I shrugged, snapped a couple of pictures, and moved on — never really learned the back story behind one of the widely...

Destination: Chiang Rai’s Hilltribe Museum (Chiang Rai, Thailand)

After the White Temple and the Black House, you may find yourself wondering what else there is to see in Chiang Rai. Make sure this is one of them to really appreciate the hill tribes and other communities in northern Thailand. Officially, it’s the Hilltribe Museum...

Destination: the White Temple — a shiny, artistic take on Buddhist beliefs

Lest you think every Buddhist temple looks the same, the White Temple in Chiang Rai is here to make you think otherwise. It’s perhaps the most touristed destination in Chiang Rai, and a few looks at the pictures alone will tell you why. Don’t let the occasionally...

Destination: the park where paper is made from elephant poo

So many jokes, so little time. What might have been funny in high school is now a tourist attraction — and a full-fledged eco-friendly business. Yes, there is indeed poo, and paper — and both are surprisingly touchable. Opened in early 2013, the park isn’t likely to...