Khon Kaen is the capital of Khon Kaen province in the Northeast region (Isaan) of Thailand. It is one of the “big four of Isan” (along with Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Ubon Ratchathani). My interest in visiting Khon Kaen was to see how it is progressing as a transport hub, and to see some […]
Notes on Ko Mook – A fishing village on an island paradise
Ko Mook (or Koh Muk) is an island in the Andaman Sea in Trang Province, Southern Thailand. I didn’t know about Ko Mook until I went to Ko Kradan and the boat stopped there en route. I was intrigued by its shape, with its long sandy beach and jungle interior, so I filed it away […]
Notes on Ko Ngai – The Thai paradise island that’s not just for honeymooners
Koh Ngai is an island in the Andaman Sea in Southern Thailand. The island is part of Krabi province, but it is easier to get to from Trang. You are more likely to arrive here from another island than from a mainland port, so mainland provincial locations don’t matter once you are there. Koh Ngai […]
Notes on Koh Lanta
Riding from the port to my hotel I couldn’t help but smile as I sat in the back of the motorbike-tuk-tuk. It felt good to be back in Koh Lanta. I had just arrived from the tiny island of Phi Phi, and I was in Phuket before that. Phi Phi feels claustrophobic if you don’t […]
Notes on Koh Phi Phi – Backpackers return, and the rehabilitation of Maya Bay
The Phi Phi Islands (Koh Phi Phi) are an island group in Southern Thailand in the Andaman Sea, in Krabi Province. The two biggest islands in the group are Ko Phi Phi Don and Ko Phi Phi Le. At the height of the tourism boom in 2019 they had become more famous for overtourism. Phi […]
Notes on Phuket – There are worse places to be in quarantine
The “Phuket Sandbox” was a program to let international visitors back into Thailand after the country had been closed for international travel during the pandemic. Instead of being locked in a hotel room for a week, you could stay on the island of Phuket for a week before being allowed to travel anywhere else in […]
Notes on Kep – Fake beaches, ruined villas, crabs (of course), and a cool cafe of Cambodia
Kep is a province in Southern Cambodia, facing the Gulf of Thailand and surrounded by Kampot Province. It was actually part of Kampot Province up until 2008 when this little corner of Kampot was carved out to become the smallest province in Cambodia. [Kep Province, shown within Kampot and Cambodia (map via Wikimedia.)] I’ve not […]
Notes on Kampot – There’s been a vibe shift
Kampot is the capital city of Kampot Province in southern Cambodia. The city title doesn’t seem fitting for a place that is often described as sleepy. In Australia we would call it a big country town. It has a population of over 30,000 people, so it does earn its city status, and it feels more […]
Notes on Koh Rong – An island in transition
Koh Rong is an island off the coast of Sihanoukville in Cambodia. Its undeveloped beaches have been a backpacker favourite for years, offering an unvarnished island travel experience that is slowly disappearing in Southeast Asia. Despite a few previous visits to Sihanoukville, I had never been. I was in Sihanoukville at the start of 2022 […]
Notes on Sihanoukville – After the gold rush
Sihanoukville is a beach/port city on the coast of Cambodia. From an international tourism perspective, it was known as a backpacker haven and for retired expats drinking in girlie bars. In the space of about five years, Sihanoukville was transformed almost entirely into a Chinese casino resort destination. I was last in Sihanoukville in January […]
