Bangkok is truly one of the world's great cities - it is a thriving hub of activity both day and night. A world class airport connects to the city via a raised skytrain - which in turn connects to the metro. Bangkok is well known for its horrendous traffic - but with public transportation you can avoid a number of these traffic jams. Budget travelers can head straight to Sukhumvit Road on the skytrain - this is a central area from which to … [Read more...]
What to see in Bangkok
Bangkok is a vibrant city full of lively experiences, fascinating sightseeing and colourful culture that makes it a great place to visit for those heading to South East Asia. It is the capital city of Thailand, the most densely populated urban area in the country and the political and financial centre, which makes it an essential stop on the route for anyone visiting this part of the world. If you're planning a trip to the 'Furnace of the earth' … [Read more...]
Commercial Coffee Production in California?
Organic farmer, Jay Ruskey has been at the forefront in California of commercially growing exotic and rare fruit species at his farm perched on the side of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Goleta since the mid 1990's. The 42 acre farm is about 650 feet above sea level about two miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and on a clear day (of which there are many at this elevation) there are great views of the ocean and the Channel Islands. For … [Read more...]
Laulima Farms, Maui – May 2012
Laulima Farms is an organic farm located in the small rural outpost of Kipahulu about 10 miles south of Hana right on the main highway (about 1 mile past the Oheo Gulch National Park entrance). This is a fantastic find - everything is either freshly picked or freshly made. Their smoothies are a popular choice especially considering you can make them yourself just by pedaling a bicycle! The property has 13.5 planted acres and a plethora of … [Read more...]
Hana, Maui – Hawaii – January 2012
Hana is located on the Eastern side of Maui. The "Drive to Hana" is popularized on t-shirts and is often discussed among tourists. This "drive" usually takes about 2.5 to 3 hours although it can certainly be done in a shorter time if there is little or no traffic. Many tourists make this drive out and back in one day and as a result the morning can see quite a bit of traffic out and in the afternoon much of this traffic returns. If you can swing … [Read more...]
Visiting Male City, Maldives
It was hard leaving the resort today to start heading back to the "real world". Our sea plane took off in the early afternoon and dropped quickly from the sky to several also stunning resorts, picking up additional passengers who also looked somewhat depressed to be going home to cold weather countries this time of year. We spent the afternoon in Male (most of Male can be walked in merely several hours). This city is intruiging as is built on … [Read more...]
Greetings from Brunei
After using Bangkok as a base to visit all its neighboring countries and their neighboring countries I had run out of new countries to visit within say a three hour plane ride of Thailand (don't get me wrong, there are many places I haven't yet visited in the countries I've already been to). However I had not yet visited Brunei and with a non stop Royal Brunei flight from Bangkok lasting about 2.5 hours it was fairly easy to get here and spend a … [Read more...]
Festival of Fruit 2010, Los Angeles Chapter
I am a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers Society and have been off an on since college. This is a great organization that promotes and educates the public about growing tropical fruit, gardening and other outdoor activities related to agriculture. There are a number of regional chapters in the state, all of whom hold regular meetings. Every year there is a Festival of Fruit which rotates among the states' chapters. This year the … [Read more...]
Exploring the Diversity of Hawaii’s Big Island
We boarded the plane leaving for Kona behind a clean cut well-dressed businessman toting a RollAboard with a book tucked in tightly in the back. Only one word of the title showed, "sex" and this apparently caught the eye of a number of travelers as we heard hints of conversation and chuckles from behind us. But no one had the guts to actually ask this traveler for more details, juicy or otherwise. For those who know me, know the serious … [Read more...]
The “Big Island”
I'll be exploring the big island of Hawaii next week - will def be hitting some beaches, farmer's markets for tropical fruit and driving to the top of Maua Kea. Does anyone have any suggestions for what else to see - secluded beaches or other attractions. Thanks :) ~ Dave … [Read more...]