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Notes on Luang Prabang in the new era of the train

I visited Luang Prabang by train from Vientiane shortly after Laos reopened in 2022. While Luang Prabang was abnormally quiet then, it was evident that Luang Prabang would be transformed by the Laos-China Railway. This is my trip report and general observations. Visiting Luang Prabang before the train My first visit to Luang Prabang was […]

50 years of Lonely Planet: Revisiting Across Asia on the cheap in Thailand

It’s been 50 years since the publication of the original guide book that launched Lonely Planet. Across Asia on the Cheap was published in 1973 by Tony and Maureen Wheeler after overlanding from London to Australia. The publication of the guide book has become the stuff of legend. They typed and stapled the guidebook on […]

Largest islands in Thailand

What are the largest islands in Thailand? This is a harder question to answer than I thought. Usually Wikipedia would have a list, but the Wiki list of islands of Thailand doesn’t show sizes. There are other lists online, but there are discrepancies between lists. This article attempts to rank the sizes, and in the […]

Best and worst border crossings in Southeast Asia (in my experience)

Southeast Asia comprises 11 countries, and there are land borders with China, India, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea. With so many land, sea, and air gates, there is a variety of border-crossing experiences to be had. I was thinking about border crossings while on the beach in Koh Lipe in Thailand, waiting for a ferry […]

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