![A Boutique Cruise on the Yangtze [not my image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/450674112_40925e7544.jpg)
That’s the subject of my latest Globorati post.
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Tag: Travel
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The Revival of Bangkok’s Shophouses
![Shophouses in Bangkok [not my image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/252/444849445_2eccab9c6b_m.jpg)
Jenn Chen recently had a great story in the IHT about how a growing number of people are renovating Bangkok’s once-neglected shophouses.
Here’s more info on shophouses. (I was lucky enough, last year, to check out a number of particularly well-maintained examples in Penang, Malaysia. And when I ventured further south, I stayed in a converted shophouse in Kuala Lumpur.)
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Five Mistakes Tourists Make in Bangkok
The fine folks at Jaunted asked me to write a brief post about mistakes that tourists make in Bangkok. Here’s what I said.
Previously, Phil Lees — the author of the excellent blog Phnomenon — wrote about what not to do in Phnom Penh.
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A Concierge to End All Concierges
That’s the subject of my first Globorati post. Go and check it out.
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Welcome Back, Don Muang!
Bangkok’s old airport, Don Muang, was set to reopen Sunday to help ease congestion at the city’s troubled new international airport as its taxiways and main terminal undergo repairs, officials said.
They said Don Muang will handle some Thai Airways domestic flights and all routes for domestic budget carriers Nok Air and One-Two-Go.
“During the initial period of service resumption, Don Muang will handle about 140 flights daily,” said Kulya Pakakrong, acting president of Airports of Thailand, which runs both airports.
Bangkok’s new US$3.8 billion (€2.9 billion) Suvarnabhumi Airport was intended to be Southeast Asia’s leading air transportation hub. But it has been plagued by a host of widely publicized problems, including cracks in taxiways, a shortage of toilets, dozens of design flaws and a long list of corruption allegations.
(Thanks for the link, Khun B.)
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A Long Weekend in Udon Thani
A and I recently spent a long weekend near the town of Udon Thani, in northeast Thailand. Here’re some pics.
The countryside.
The house and pool.
A with the friendly ladies who cooked our meals. Cuisine from Isan — this region of Thailand — is particularly flavorful and spicy, so every meal was an absolute delight.
Whole fried fish and som tam.
A with lunch — krapow.
Khao pad — fried rice.
Stir-fried morning glory.
Larb.
One afternoon we took a small motorbike — a 100-cc, four-stroke Honda — out for a spin. A filmed this three-minute video, and I polished it up and added a soundtrack.
Click on the image above or go watch it on YouTube.
For additional pics, check out the whole photoset.
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Asia’s Top Five Craziest Buildings
![The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, N. Korea [not my image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/428776769_1c6bf808ec_m.jpg)
Hi, all. I’m back.
I have a story at Tripmaster Monkey today about Asia’s craziest buildings. Enjoy (and leave a comment at the bottom of the article, if you like).
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“50 States in a Week’s Vacation”
Barry Stiefel visited all 50 U.S. states in a week’s vacation. Wow.
(Via.)
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Overland from Laos to Vienam — By Vespa
![Vespa [Not My Image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/414608710_cd96eeb024_m.jpg)
Great story — and images — from New Mandala (which, by the way, is an excellent blog about Southeast Asia):
The Vientiane Scooter Club recently conducted its annual rally from Laos to Vietnam, a journey which saw many of its members rediscover their origins. A group of urban middle class Lao nationals of Vietnamese and Chinese descent, the club members are driven by a desire to find their own authentic place in Lao society.
The club is one of a few new social groups to have emerged in recent years along with greater economic and cultural liberalization in Laos. On their rallies through the countryside they spread a road safety message and donate equipment to rural schools on a painstakingly restored fleet of forty-year-old Italian Piaggio Vespa motor scooters.
(Emphasis mine.)
(Related: the Vespa rickshaw.)
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Austin’s Bird Nest Gathering Expedition
![Southern Thailand [not my image]](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/380106212_b17edf0926_m.jpg)
My pal Austin — who you’ll remember from our street food expedition last month — has just posted some spectacular images from another adventure: he accompanied photographer Eric Valli on a journey gathering bird nests inside caves in southern Thailand. Don’t miss it.