Category Archives: travel

Lipa Lodge~ The Perfect Spot to Stay on the Quiet Side of Koh Samui

Posted on by
Reply

I turned the corner and immediately knew I was in heaven. This was it. This was the reason I love the tropics so much. Well, at least one of them!

Fresh fruit juice

We wandered to the breakfast buffet to find the most stunning display of freshly squeezed juice. Their colors were a reflection of the stunning scene awaiting us on the deck. The bright yellow sunlight glistened on the turquoise water in the bay. Soft green palm trees swayed in the breeze above the white sand beach. The orange shades promises of the sunset to come.

Orange. Pineapple. Guava. Mango. Which juice would accompany breakfast this morning?

Continue reading →

The Quiet Side of Koh Samui

Posted on by

The birds rustled in the trees as the water lapped quietly along the shore. Life was good on the quiet side of Koh Samui.

Lipa Noi Koh Samui

Our last trip to the island found us staying on the very busy and chaotic Chewang Beach, absolutely the party side of the island.

With our return to Thailand, we were researching islands, and we originally looked in another direction. Koh Chang. Koh Lanta. Koh Lipe. So.Many.Options.

Continue reading →

The Magic & Color of Chiang Mai Street Life in Photos

Posted on by

Chiang Mai is undoubtedly one of our favorite spots in the country, in part because of the vibrancy and color of her markets and day-to-day life lived in the streets.

Thai street vendor

Here are some of our favorite scenes discovered on our latest trip to whet your appetite for a Thai adventure of your own.

Continue reading →

Hiking the Monk’s Trail

Posted on by

Having been to Chiang Mai several times, we were eager to try some new activities and hiking the Monk’s Trail was high on our list.

Monks Trail

Wat Phrae That Doi Suthep is always a must visit when we go to Chiang Mai, but this time we wanted to start our day with the hike to Wat Pha Lat to get some steps in nature before heading further up the hill.

Continue reading →

Awana House ~ Chiang Mai

Posted on by

Awww, Chiang Mai’s Awana House Guest House. What a find. When we were plotting and planning our Thailand trip, we considered heading back to Lai Thai House, where we have stayed several times in the past. Although Lai Thai is a lovely option, this time around we wanted a fresh stay within the old city walls for our time in Chiang Mai.

Awana House

We wanted something in a great location, with comfortable guest rooms and places to lounge, with a lot of local Thai charm. We found it in spades at Awana House.

Continue reading →

Finding a Heavenly Stop in Ayutthaya

Posted on by

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.

Thai villa
Continue reading →

Did You Enjoy Your Story?

Posted on by

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 reading →

Searching for History in Ayutthaya

Posted on by

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.

Ayutthaya ruins

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 reading →