We knew from past experience that touring the ruins at the Ayutthaya Historical Park was a hot experience, and we’d need to find a heavenly stop to decompress at the end of the day. Luckily, during some random scrolling online, I came across the Baan Thai House, which looked appealing and became our choice of lodging for the night.
Some years ask questions, while other years answer them~ My question to you: Did you enjoy your story?
You may be thinking, “But my story isn’t over yet”. We get it, neither is ours, and yet in our pursuit of a life less ordinary, we spend hours each year discussing where we want this road to take us. And those answers help direct us along the right path.
Continue readingIt wasn’t the plan. The plan was to take the night train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai, so how did we end up in Phitsanulok?
We were so excited to go searching for history in Ayutthaya. We had only visited this former capital on our first trip to Thailand way back in 2001, so with Dave & Anne in tow, we made a point to head a couple of hours outside of Bangkok.
Although only 81 km from our stay at New Siam II, as with all things involving Bangkok traffic, the 1-hour trip took closer to 2 hours +. Once we got out of the traffic jam of the big city, it was an enjoyable ride heading out into the plains north of town.
Continue readingIn the past, all of our trips to Bangkok were for two nights, so with an extra couple of days, the obvious question was: what to do in Bangkok after you’ve seen the Grand Palace?
With three weeks available, we purposefully added an extra couple of nights in Bangkok. It was a more relaxed entry into the country after a very long flight, and a chance for Dave & Anne to see a bit more of the capital. And, hey, I have long wanted to see Wat Arun lit up across the river after dark, so the extra time was a win-win on all accounts.
Continue readingAs we headed to Thailand for the fourth time, the question was where to stay in Bangkok? You want to start your vacation off on the right foot, right? Since Dave and Anne had never been to SE Asia before, we wanted it to be decent, clean, and mostly centrally located to the things we wanted to see in the city.
I researched a few different options online, a bit overwhelmed by SO many choices.
I read reviews on Travelfish.org, one of my go-to’s for all things Asia.
At the end of the day, we ended up where we’ve stayed before; New Siam II. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! And Travelfish’s recent report on the property sealed the deal. It didn’t hurt that the price was $27/night, only $3/ more per night than we last stayed in 2008!
Continue readingWe just headed back to Thailand for the first time in years ~ what’s changed you ask?
Well, the short answer is a lot….and almost nothing.
One of our prime reasons for choosing Costa Rica is because it’s one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and spotting wildlife at Manual Antonio National Park was high on our to-do list.
We’d already hit the Caribbean at Tortuguero, and the highlands of Orosi, but we had high hopes for spotting even more species as we headed to Manual Antonio National Park on the Pacific side, one of the country’s premier parks. Camera in hand, we drove an hour or so south of our AirBnB to reach the park right as it opened in a mostly failed attempt to avoid the crowds.
Continue readingI’ve always been drawn to natural flora and fauna so it was an easy yes to admiring nature at Lankester Botanical Gardens on our Orosi Loop.
When planning our trip to Costa Rica, I knew one highlight for me would be a couple of days touring the Orosi Valley. This lush valley set only two hours from the capital features a small town surrounded by adventure.
