On my most recent journey on the long and well-worn path between Chiang Mai and Bangkok, I decided to pay a visit to Thailand’s first ancient capital city. Last year, on the same route, I stopped in the charming cities of Ayutthaya and Lopburi. Those remain cherished memories for me and I hoped to be similarly…

If you asked me friends to describe me I would like to think they might mention my fierce loyalty, or my thoughtful gift giving skills. But in reality, they probably get in a jab about my creative driving or, more infamously, my total lack of skill when it comes to matters of the kitchen. This reputation…

Two days of rafting through the jungle spit us out into the remote provincial capital of Mae Hong Son. This scenic town is nestled in Northwest Thailand, just miles from the Burmese border. I’ve had Mae Hong Son on my travel wish list ever since I first saw photos of the Shan-style temples ringing the lake…

Has it only been a week since I last checked in? I’m traveling through the Philippines in a manner I’m not really accustomed to — at lightening speed. Generally I’m a slow, lazy traveler. I like it that way. But with only a three-week visa and so much I wanted to see, I thought I’d give…

Since before Northern Thailand was just a twinkle in my eye dog-eared Lonely Planet, I knew I wanted to do the two-day rafting trip between Pai and Mae Hong Son. I’d last white water rafted in Honduras two years ago, and I was itching to get my hands back on a paddle. So despite the fact…