Category: South East Asia

Asian backpacker - Chiang Mai Wat Phrathat 0

Chiang Mai in the magical north of Thailand

Another year and yes, another trip to Thailand! At this point I’m just gonna stop counting the times I’ve been here. But each time, I do try to explore some new places. This time it was Chiang Mai (North of Thailand) and Koh Chang (South East – Island). Chiang Mai I’ve actually been in Chiang Mai before during my first visit ever to Thailand about 11 years ago! But I wasn’t the “experienced” traveler as I am now. I didn’t plan much or remember much any more either from the trip. 2 years ago I passed by Chiang Mai as...

Asian backpacker - Thailand motorbike accident 0

My motorbike accident in Thailand

The accident Yes, the accident. I spoiled the ending already, but that’s ok. Not a lot of people know that I had my first motorcycle accident. Not even my mom! Didn’t wanna worry her for nothing. The entire story is rather long so be warned. During my many visits I’ve seen numerous young folks walking around with bandages and scars from motorcycle accidents. Each time I would shrug and laugh a bit, but I guess karma finally got to me as it feels like I’ve finally been baptized as a wreckless backpacker. 🙂 So we met up with Sander the next...

Asian backpacker - Koh Larn Buddha statue 0

Visiting Pattaya and Koh Larn daytrip

This will be my second time in Pattaya. The first time everything was still new and I was still eager to discover and go sightseeing. I even went diving during my first visit! This time it was all about chilling and relaxing. I didn’t plan anything and just went with the flow of things. One of the reasons I keep coming back is because Pattaya is so close to Bangkok and you have the water and beach right near the hotel. Everything is in walking distance and if you want to escape the heat you can just go hide in...

Asian Backpacker - Phuket island hopping 0

Tourist spotting in Phuket and Koh Phi Phi

My buddy Greg joined me after my visit to Vietnam. He only managed to take 2 weeks off for this trip so we decided he meet me back in Thailand after my short trip. Last year he joined me as well for the first time and this time around we went around Thailand again. First stop was Phuket! It was my first time in Phuket and eventhough I read that it’s one of the more expensive places to visit due to tourism, I wanted to check out the “nature” and islands in the area. I love diving and that was...

Asian Backpacker - Vung Tau bay 0

Revisiting Hanoi and venturing out to Vung Tau

Seems like I’m pretty hooked on Thailand and Asia in general. Last year around the same time I was in the area as well but I stuck to Thailand. Each time I tend to visit familiar places but try to add in a new place to discover as well. I had some spare time before my friend met up with me so I flew to Hanoi for a couple of days and went down to Vung Tau as well. Hanoi was nothing new as I’ve visited the place during my year off trip. I did come back to catch up...

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Riding the Circle Line in order to escape bustling Yangon

23-25 March 2014 I wish I could say that I saved the best for the end, but unfortunately Yangon was not my most favorite place. Maybe because it was freaking hot when I was there, which made me very loom the whole day long! Yangon was the only city during my whole trip where I felt the need of taking a shower after I just had one! With some effort I managened to convince myself for a walking tour of Yangon. I did not expect this city to have some of the grandest colonial-era buildings in all of South East...

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‘By the old Moulmein pagoda lookin’ lazy at the sea…’

19-22 March 2014 Instead of taking another boring busride to Mawlamyine (Molmein), I chose for the ferry option. A bit more expensive and double the time to get to my destination, but it’s a relaxing and scenic way to travel! A tuktuk picked us up at the guesthouse and drove us to the jetty where we jumped on board a small long tailed boat. There were only 2 of us that were taking this trip so plenty of place in the boat. There are no build in seats, but they provide plastic chairs to sit on (actually quite comfortable!) and...

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A quick visit to Pattaya – Sin city of Thailand

In 2014 I gave myself a trip to Thailand as a birthday gift. The difference this time is that I won’t be traveling as a backpacker, but rather a “flashpacker”. I didnt even bring a backpack but a trolley that I borrowed. The goal this time was also to kick back and relax rather than going on the road everyday and sightseeing everyday. This time I also brought my buddy Greg with me as he hasn’t been to Thailand before but if you remember he did travel to Japan with me. He’s not so much an adventurous traveler, but more...

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Winding down with the hippies in Northern Thailand: Pai

So after some intense partying in Pattaya, I felt I needed to relax and get away from all the busy and hectic life down south. So I made my way up to Pai, a small town north of Chiang Mai. From Pattaya it was a loooong day of traveling. First I took the taxi from Pattaya to Bangkok DongMuang airport, then took an AirAsia flight to Chiang Mai. Once I arrived in Chiang Mai airport, I took a taxi to bus station. There are several buses you can take depending on your budget and your taste for adventure. You could...

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Spelunking in Hpa-An

17-19 March 2014 The bus journey from Bago to Hpa-An was ‘just’ a little more than 4 hours. A fairly short trip compared to other bus rides I’ve taken. This little riverside town in the southeast part of Burma has not that much to offer itselves. On my first evening, I did went for a wander. Afterwards I positioned myself at the riverbanks reading a bit, doing some diary, watching the local farmers offloading veggies, watching the sunset…in 1 word ENJOYING it all! 🙂 But the real hightlights of Hpa-An are to be found in the surrounding lush countryside and...