Doi Suthep-Pui National Park is a wonderful place to get into nature and find some of the best that Chiang Mai Thailand has to offer. One of our favorite sites is only possible to experience on foot on a Doi Suthep (meaning Suthep Mountain) hike. Along the way you will find sacred trees with orange sashes, a mysterious …
We only had three days in Hong Kong. It seemed like a very short time to experience this diverse and fascinating place. But honestly, for this brief visit we were really only after one thing: eating traditional Cantonese dim sum. These little bite-sized snacks became a favorite treat that we frequently shared with a large group …
Exploring Halong Bay (or Ha Long Bay, depending on who’s spelling it) by junk boat is an experience that shouldn’t be missed during a visit to Vietnam. How often do you get the chance to float around in an UNESCO world heritage site sipping a glass wine? For me, this was a first. Cruising along …
When you have limited time each year for a vacation, it can be difficult to choose where to go. But if you love the beach, crave exotic food, or want to get off the beaten track and experience some up-close and intimate animal encounters, Thailand is your solution. You can do it all and spend less …
We recently had the opportunity to stay at the Panviman Spa in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Here we were in the midst of the kind of luxury that honeymooners dream about. But who knew that while in these beautiful surroundings, we would also find a cooking class where we were able to cook with a Thai …
The Mai Chau Valley in northern Vietnam is a beautiful and serene place to visit. It has all of the picturesque elements that you think of when images of Vietnam come to mind. But what we didn’t expect during our visit was to have the opportunity to spend most of the day with a local …
This was the Vietnam I had dreamed about seeing – only just a little bit better. Mai Chau Valley is in the Northern providence of Vietnam, about a three-hour van ride from where we were staying in Hanoi. Most of the people who traveled with us in the van were doing a day trip to the …
Hanoi is a jolt to the senses. It welcomes you in with its intoxicating smells, exotic and strange sights. At the same time warning signals go off, cautioning you to hold the place at a distance. There are the dense traffic with an endless sea of motorbikes seeming to follow absolutely no observable rules and …
Some cooking classes that I’ve attended are memorable because of the food. Others linger in my mind because of the giant personality of the chef. This particular class at the Silom Cooking School in Bangkok, Thailand stands out because it had a large, delicious serving of both. If you are looking for something memorable and fun …
As a preamble, and like in so many stories that are predicated by sound decision making, I need to explain the Chang Rating System that was devised by my husband and me during our trip to Thailand. As anyone who has traveled to Thailand will explain, one of the many wonders of the area is …