All things Portuguese on Kenya's Indian Ocean by William Chamberlayne
Date: 11/01/2006
There is nothing like a dollop of old "Mr. Five Per Cent's" loot for sprucing up your ancient monuments. That's the lucky fate of Fort Jesus, the impressive 16th-century Portuguese fortress that guards the entrance to Mombasa harbor on Kenya's Indian Ocean coast, and which once symbolized Portugal's dominance over this region.
Read On
"Where the roads have no name"-motorcycle adventures in northern Thailand
Date: 10/01/2006
Leaning forward, my knees hugged the heavy, five-liter petrol tank. Downshifting the gears and feathering the front brakes, I felt the engine rev high as I worked my way down the mountain. The road, which wraps around the Thai-Myanmar border near Doi Laem and Nong Tao, was recently carved into the edge of the mountain, with a 500-foot drop off its side. An earlier rain had brought patches of slick, red clay spilling over the surface. They say that this road offers the best scenery in northern Thailand, but the road comes with a warning: "Experienced riders only. Do not ride alone or in wet season."
Read On
Visiting a Thai Village
Date: 08/30/2006Recently Aom invited me on an overnight visit to her natal rice-farming village, a three-hour drive northeast of Chiang Mai.
Read On
A Slice of Old, Quaint Thailand
Date: 08/21/2006Few foreign visitors know where Uthai Thani is, and guidebooks give it short shrift. Yet this sparsely inhabited region, 124 miles northwest of Bangkok, is a slice of old Thailand.
Read On
How to be a Good Guest in Thailand
Date: 07/20/2006Losing your temper and raising your voice is considered impolite anywhere in the world, but the Thai people find this behavior uncultured and degrading.
Read On
Thai etiquette--a little local knowledge goes a long way
Date: 03/01/2006
While many Thais are learning to speak English, some in the service industry--waiters, taxi drivers, hotel staff, and bartenders--are not fluent. As few foreign visitors can speak Thai, misunderstandings often occur. The traveler will repeat himself, raising his voice--and, in some situations, shouting. Losing your temper and raising your voice is considered impolite anywhere in the world, but the Thai people find this behavior uncultured and degrading. Instead, repeat yourself calmly and vary the sentence structure until understood.
Read On
Ringing in the New Year in Bangkok
Date: 01/01/2006
Mention to anyone that you are going to Bangkok and images of noisy, crowded streets, exotic foods, erotic nightclubs, and massage parlors pop into their minds. And for good reason: Bangkok offers all of this…and much more. In the last few years, Bangkok has fast reinvented itself. Having taken over from Hong Kong and Singapore as the reigning fashion capital of the Orient, Bangkok is also hailed as the crown jewel of fine dining in Asia.
Read On
Candlelight vigils on the tropical island of Phuket
Date: 12/01/2005
As a resident of Thailand, I often travel to Phuket, and this year I'll spend the holidays there among friends. But this Christmas will be different, with services devoted to the tragic losses suffered in the tsunami tragedy at Christmastime last year.
Read On