Destination: the Yi Pang Lantern Ceremony (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

This is the festival to attend if you enjoy all the pictures of the pretty lanterns. Held at Mae Jo University north of Chiang Mai, it’s put on not by the local government, but a Buddhist organization called the Duang Tawan Santiparb Foundation. Plenty of food and...

Destination: Wat Kai — the only hell temple with monkeys around – Ayutthaya, Thailand (NSFW)

So we’ve been to a few hell temples in our time in Thailand. They’re a fun, if somewhat gruesome, look at what awaits in the Buddhist afterlife if your sins demand. Wat Kai, however, gets a special nudge towards being one of the best we’ve seen.  Originally...

Destination: Bangkok’s snake farm — watch them, pose with them, and don’t get bit by them.

Those with ophidiophobia or ophiophobia (take one guess) should look away or skip to another post. Thailand’s history with using animals as tourist attractions notwithstanding, Bangkok’s snake farm is perhaps one of the best places to get up close with the formerly...

Destination: Wat Mae Kaet Noi — the creepiest, scariest Buddhist hell temple around (VERY NSFW) (Thailand)

This post is rated NSFW for very graphic violence and copious amounts of nudity. PLEASE put the kids and the squeamish away for this one. Welcome to a special Halloween-themed post. I had no idea this place would turn out to be as WTF weird as it did, but the timing...

Destination: Wat Chedi Hoi — the temple with oyster shells and a packrat tendency (Central Thailand)

Quite literally millions of fossilized oyster shells are here for your photographic pleasure. Wait, what? Meet Luang Por Thong Gleung Soontharo. Ordained as a monk in 1969, he went deep into the jungles of Myanmar for several years, eventually returning to...

Destination: Arunyik sword village — buy a machete or sharp edge at below wholesale prices (Ayutthaya, Thailand)

This village was the home of sword and weapon-making of a kingdom for centuries. This was the village that made the weapons when Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand. Today, the Arunyik village is still the source for knives, machetes, and plenty of other traditional...

Destination: the House of Museums — a look back to Thailand’s yesteryear (outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand)

Offering displays of yesteryear usually comes with a pair of rose-colored glasses and a thin film of dust. In the House of Museums, ‘yesteryear’ is a range from the 60’s to the 80’s, with more than a few pieces dating even further back. To be clear, arriving here is...

On the ‘farang tax’ — eight ways to avoid paying more in a country that treats foreigners like walking ATM’s

It’s not a pretty sight. Getting into a tuk-tuk almost anywhere around Bangkok ensures you will pay more than a bus ride, a metered taxi ride, or a ride on the trains. It doesn’t get any better when your taxi driver insists, ‘no meter!’ It’s enough to make any farang...

Destination: Thai Human Imagery Museum — the off-the-beaten-path wax museum (Nakhon Pathom, Thailand)

Lesser known than the more mainstream wax museum in central Bangkok, the Thai Human Imagery Museum (พิพิธภัณฑ์หุ่นขี้ผึ้งไทย) also requires a bit more effort to reach. Your reward is getting away from the tourist trap and some eerily realistic-looking sculptures — and...

Destination: Thai Film Museum – a glimpse back in time, through movies (Nakhon Pathom)

Just across Bangkok’s western border is a surprise – presenting the Thai Film Museum (พิพิธภัณฑ์ภาพยนตร์ไทย), complete with free admission and a guided tour to help you learn about Thai’s film industry. While the museum dates back to 1984 as part of the National Film...