Ko Larn (or Ko Lan) is an island in the Bay of Bangkok off the coast of Pattaya. If you are familiar enough with Thailand then that geographical description alone would probably put you off visiting. If you aren’t familiar, the Bay of Bangkok is not famous for its water quality, and Pattaya is a […]
Notes on Manila: A tale of four cities
Metropolitan Manila refers to the 16 cities and one municipality that comprise the Manila National Capital Region (NCR). Metro Manila (as it is more commonly referred to) has a population of over 13 million, though some statistics also include surrounding provinces. As a visitor, that is an overwhelming amount of cities to choose from. The […]
Hanoi Airport Bus: Noi Bai International Airport to Hanoi Railway Station
How to get the bus from Hanoi Airport to the the Old City and Hoan Kiem Lake. Hanoi Airport (Noi Bai International Airport) is about 27 km from the city centre, and the cheapest way to travel to and from the airport is by local bus. Bus 84 departs from the international and domestic terminal […]
Notes on Vang Vieng: Trains and tubing in Laos
Vang Vieng became famous for being a big backpacker town, with people drawn to its karst topography and the river that runs through the landscape. I visited in 2010, and at its peak it was like a Wild West town for backpacker hedonism. The town was best known for tubing down the river and stopping […]
Defunct airports of Southeast Asia
A list of closed airports in Southeast Asia, and which airports you can still visit. Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport opened on 16 October 2023, replacing Siem Reap International Airport. This airport closure got me thinking about other airports in Southeast Asia that have closed and been replaced. This is a list of airport that have […]
Notes on Boten: The border station of the Laos-China Railway
Boten is a town in Laos on the China–Laos border and the most northern stop on the Laos-China Railway, which was what brought me there. Boten is a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that features in the news for all the wrong reasons. I have been keeping track of Boten news and construction projects at Future […]
Notes on Muang Xai: A stop on the Laos-China Railway
Muang Xai is the capital city of Oudomxai Province in Northern Laos. The city is one of the main stops of the Laos-China Railway, which was what brought me there. Muang Xai isn’t a touristy city, but I wanted to see what it was like and if the railway could change its fortunes. I also […]
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
A list of the largest islands in Thailand ranked by size. 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 […]
