Driving from Mumbai to Nashik we passed road construction chaos. If I had to guess I would say completion on this project will be sometime between 550 and 750 years from now. It had the appearance of having been worked on for decades with little progress to show for the effort. What appeared to be total chaos for kilometers included piles of rotting garbage, lengthy sections of broken pavement, stones everywhere, partially paved sections covered … [Read more...]
Getting Acquainted with Tashkent & Vicinity
I landed in Tashkent late in the evening and made it to my hotel just in time to drop off my bags and get dinner at a nearby restaurant. My room was directly across from reception, there were no shades on the windows which had openings looking out onto the nearby street and a street lamp. It was a rough night of sleeping between light all night and the noise off and on from the reception. On a whim the next morning I signed up online for a … [Read more...]
A Visit to Khujand in Tajikistan
Trying to find a shared taxi in Tashkent for the ride to Oybek on the Tajikistan border turned into an effort in futility. After getting directions where to go from my hotel and after a 35-minute drive I arrived at the provided destination to discover an empty parking lot. Walking over to one of the nearby metro stops I asked one of the officers in Russian using Google translate and she then directed me to another metro stop another 30+ minutes … [Read more...]
Road Trip, Thailand
Out of the blue, a friend sent me a Whatsapp note asking where I was. Knowing his proclivity for international travels and knowing my schedule, we both could have been just about anywhere on the planet. "Thailand", was my reply. I had recently arrived in the Kingdom, immediately following three months in the Caribbean and Colombia. Remarkably, he said he was in Khorat which was only about 2 hours north of where I staying. It had been years since … [Read more...]
Notes from the latest trip to Bangkok from an Intrepid Traveler
I landed at Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) in Bangkok before the sun had even risen. I first landed here in 1996, the first of what would be many trips to the Kingdom over the past few decades. I lingered in the arrival's hall soaking in the nostalgia. New Year’s morning: the roads were empty, and I arrived at my guesthouse just after the sun came up. The always felt excitement of returning to Bangkok had been replaced by the … [Read more...]
Set me Free, Koh Tao Island, Thailand
One of Thailand's more beautiful islands is located about 1:15 minutes from the pier in Chumphon by water taxi. This is the shortest distance from the mainland although ferries also run from Surathani, further to the south. All tickets can be purchased online. This island offers an ideal balance between tourist infrastructure and natural beauty. Normally Koh Tao would be crowded with both Thai tourists as well those visiting primarily from … [Read more...]
Mongolian Homestay & Other Adventures
We left Ulaanbaatar in the early morning under the gloomy grey skies with a persistent drizzle. Depressing weather, but certainly not unexpected. Could be worse. Could be the -30 they often experience here in the winter months. There is a reason I am not here in winter. We stayed with nomads - spending our nights in Mongolian gers - round accommodations that apparently can take only several hours to setup but seem very sturdy. These nomads … [Read more...]
Dalat, Vietnam, City of Flowers and Fun
We drove up from Mui Ne to Dalat - beginning at the coast with hot and humid temperatures passing by fields of dragon fruit plants. As we drove we began to climb into the mountains, leaving the dragon fruit farms behind, replaced by coffee trees growing on steep hillsides. It is refreshing to be in the mountains with the cleaner air and crystal clear skies. We arrived during the week of Tet, the Vietnamese and Chinese New Year and the city … [Read more...]
This is one way to travel: My trip to Koh Jum, Thailand!
I was having sangria drinks at Bar 1881, tucked away in one of the corners of the Artbox night market in Bangkok with Ric, founder of Global Gaz and Ian, founder of Travel Massive and another traveler who I had corresponded with multiple times but did not know his name until we actually met - when I decided to leave for a minute and find some food. I stopped to order some Larb Gai at one of the stalls when a lady approached me and instructed me … [Read more...]
Letting it all out at Inle Lake, Myanmar
Stumbling into an outdoor night market after strolling through the dimly lit streets of Nyaungshe we spotted a number of food vendors. One caught our eye - vividly so with the disco ball throwing orbs of bright light in all directions and the nearly blown out speaker playing everything from American folk songs to Myanmar pop songs. Oh and the smells coming from the BBQ including a number of intestinal products, locally caught fish and a variety … [Read more...]
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