Category: Misc.

Misc.

49 Photos from Chiang Mai and Pai

Post author By Newley
Post date March 15, 2006
1 Comment on 49 Photos from Chiang Mai and Pai

I’m back in The Big Mango (Bangkok) after the return 15-hour overnight train ride from Chiang Mai; I’m sleep-deprived and disoriented, but because I love you all so much, I’ve uploaded a bunch of new images for your enjoyment.

A few of my faves:

Wats in Chiang Mai:

A bridge near my guest house in Pai:

The train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai:

A couple of self-portraits taken from between cars:

My friend Somchai, a monk I met at a wat in Chiang Mai. He’s 26 years old and speaks excellent English; he has a B.A. in languages and an M.A. in political science. We had a chat about the controversy currently swirling around Thailand’s president, Thaksin Shiniwatra. Somchai took quite an interest in my journal, as you can see:

And, finally, three simple words to live by:

That’s all I’ve got for now, folks. I’ve received some emails asking questions about my travels, itinerary, and other stuff. Bring it on — just leave a comment on this post and I’ll try to address your query or observation in my upcoming dispatches.

Tags Photos, Thailand, Travel

Misc.

Back in Chiang Mai

I’m back in Chiang Mai after five days in the sleepy, beautiful, farang-inundated town of Pai. Here’re some pics. I’m off to Bangkok tomorrow night, and have many more images I’ll be posting then.

Self-portrait on my rented 125cc Honda Dream motorbike:

Two sunsets:

One of Pai’s main streets:

Tags SE Asia, Thailand, Travel

Misc.

Pai, Thailand

I’m in Pai, a small town north of Chiang Mai, close to the Thailand-Burma border. Here’s the view from my room:

I made my way up here on Tuesday (at least I think it was Tuesday — the days have been running together in my head) after three or four days in Chiang Mai. The weather’s really forgiving here; it’s still very warm during the day, but at night you almost need long sleeves.

I’ll be heading back to Chiang Mai and then Bangkok next week; expect more photos and stories then.

Tags Photos, Thailand, Travel

Misc.

Hello from Chiang Mai

I made it to Chiang Mai yesterday. Here’s a pic of me with a buddy. More images and text soon.

Tags Photos, SE Asia, Thailand, Travel

Misc.

Off to Chiang Mai

I’m leaving on the night train this evening for Chiang Mai, in the northwest of Thailand. Never been up that way before, so I’m excited.

I’ll try to post from there, but can’t promise anything. I’ll likely be in Chiang Mai and surrounding areas for several days or week (though if I really like it, of course, I’ll stay longer).

In the meantime, check out a couple of Bangkok-related Gridskipper posts I’ve made this week — one’s about Saxophone Pub, and the other’s on the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

(And by the way, for those of you who’re into RSS, there’s now a feed available for all of my Gridskipper dispatches.)

Tags Thailand, Travel

Misc.

A Week in Bangkok

A few observations after being in Bangkok for a week (my first lengthy return to the city since 2002):

1. Thai cowboys rule:

I spotted this dude at the Chatuchak Weekend Market yesterday (where, incidentally, there appears to be a thriving market for apparel from small, private universities who most people outside of the American southeast have never heard of; i.e. my alma mater).

2. Elephants are fun to feed:

This precocious pachyderm and his handler came up to the restaurant where I was eating. I paid 20 Baht (about US $.50) to feed him some fruit.

3. Siam Square, the neighborhood where I’m staying, is a satisfying mix of commercial and residential districts with a small tourist-related street (hotels, guest houses, restaurants) set off to the side. The place is buzzing with activity; here’s a shot I took from an elevated Sky Train platform one night:

4. On my previous Bangkok visits, I’d never been to Jim Thompson’s House; it’s well worth a peek. Though photography isn’t allowed inside, I snapped this pic outside the gates, along the banks of one of the city’s many khlongs (canals); for some reason I really like it:

5. The food. My God, where do I start? I haven’t taken many pics of the gustatory sensations I’ve been sampling simply because they seem too myriad to document. I’ve been eating most of my lunches and dinners at street-side food stalls, which are cheaper and tastier than the foreigner-oriented joints, and I can only say this: I am in culinary heaven.

The rest of my pics so far are in my newly-created Thailand photoset.

Tags Thailand, Travel

Misc.

Notes from My Week in Taiwan

Post author By Newley
Post date February 22, 2006
5 Comments on Notes from My Week in Taiwan

2015-11-28KHH

Okay, so here’re some notes from my week in Taiwan:

1. I flew (four hours) from Seoul to Taipei and spent the night there. The next day I took a bus (four-and-a-half hours) down to Kaohsiung. (For those of you who don’t know, I taught English there last year.)

2. I took a cab to my friends Mammoth (seen here with our pal Dong) and Crystal’s (also pictured with Dong) apartment, where I’d stay for most of the week.

3. The photos I’ve linked to above were taken at a restaurant at which I spent a lot of time during my year in Taiwan: a joint near our apartments run by the husband-wife duo of Gin-long and Mama.

Not long after I left Kaohsiung, Gin-long had a massive stroke and nearly died. He’s no longer able to do the cooking, his vision is impaired, and he doesn’t move with his former grace. (He also no longer drinks whiskey, smokes Mild 7 cigarettes, and chews betel nut.)

We all went to the restaurant one night, and when Gin-long arrived, I was afraid he wouldn’t recognize me. But he did, immediately. And after talking for a while (we communicate with a combination of my very poor Chinese and his decent English) and posing for silly photographs, he headed for the door to go back home. As he did so, he put his hand on my shoulder and said “you come, me happy.”

4. I was delighted to have a chance to catch up with my friends from my old soccer team, the 100 Pacers. In fact, I stayed a few night with my buddy Rob Jr. in Pingdong, a town not far from Kaohsiung. We ate some excellent night market food, came across a poster featuring some fantastic Chinglish, and met Guy, a fellow Pacer, for more delicious food. (For more Taiwan pics, here’s my photoset for my week there.)

5. And now I’m in Thailand. And we’re all caught up. Next up: I’ll detail just what, exactly, I’ve been up to here in Bangkok for the past few days.

Misc.

Greetings from the Land of Smiles

Post author By Newley
Post date February 21, 2006
4 Comments on Greetings from the Land of Smiles

I’m writing this from Bangkok. Arrived here yesterday on a direct flight from Kaohsiung. I’m staying near Siam Square. My belly is full of red curry with pork. I can taste Singha beer on my lips. The high was 92 degrees today. I can smell exhaust fumes from the tuk-tuks buzzing by outside. The air is dense and thick and sticky.

I absolutely love Thailand.

Anyway, I’m long overdue on some updates.

First: the conclusion of my Korea trip.

2015-11-28_SEOUL

The photo above should explain the madness of my last evening on the town in Seoul. Went out to a bar in the Shinchon area with my brother and his friend John. And, among other things, the guy above was dancing with his head stuck in a lampshade. Other photos from the night can be seen at the end of my Korea photoset.

Best small world moment of my trip so far: Yesterday I received an email from a woman named Aly — she teaches English in Seoul and I met her that evening. Turns out she read a post Rolf Potts made in which he pointed to my blog; she checked out my site and hey, turns out she recognized me. She, too, knows Rolf and was inspired by his travel manifesto “Vagabonding,” and reads his site. And, interestingly enough, I’d seen and bookmarked her blog after Rolf linked to it last month. So I sat there that evening not knowing that I’d read her site before; she sat there and then ended up reading mine later inadvertantly after seeing it’s on Rolf’s blog. It’s enough to make your head spin, I tell ya.

Anyway, I’m pressed for time, so in my next post I’ll relate some tales from my splendid week in Taiwan. Bye for now.

Tags Books, Korea, Travel

Misc.

Still in Taiwan

Sorry for the silence that’s descended upon Newley.com of late. I’ve been largely away from the Internet, but that’ll change soon. Will be in Taiwan a few more days. After that, well…like I said before, that’s for me to know and you to find out. Having a great time here catching up with friends from last year.

In the meantime, check out a couple of Gridskipper dispatches I penned from Seoul.

Tags Travel