Caught up w/ an old friend in Trang who's been working at a travel shop for 20+ years. She lamented how so many travelers are now buying tickets and transfers online for double or triple what she charges. Does my head in too.

Bangkok nails the 3 spot in this year's "52 Places" from The NY Times. Also on the list from SE Asia are Penang, Vietnam, and Camiguin in the Philippines. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

So weird how as a matter of reputation writers now consciously write in ways that don't sound AI-generated. It's changing the craft and prompting a prioritisation of something I never thought I'd need to affirm: a human voice.

please make it stop

First sundown of 26 in the bag

My wish for 2026 is lasting peace on the Thai-Cambodian border and a reopening of all border crossings and trade. Time to end the fighting and get the economy sailing again. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Fascinating look at the economics of sugarcane farming in Thailand: prachataienglish.com/node/11724

Tallied up all the Thai islands I've been to since my first (Samui) in 2007, and it's up to 96. Knew it was over 80 but didn't realise I'm so close to 100. Obv. there are sailors who've been to more, but not too shabby for not having my own boat. Should hit 100 next month!

A scoop of the mood in the far south of Ko Chang right now. As seen at Bang Bao Delight, a long-running favorite cafe on the pier.

Never ceases to amaze how many tourists motorbike around Ko Chang's steep challenging roads w/ no helmet. Been here a bunch of times and, without fail, I always see at least one skidded out bleeding on the roadside, if not worse.

At Khlong Prao beach I was about to hang my bag on this branch to go for a swim and then whoa sorry to disturb you lil fella

Thailand is more expensive than a few years ago but you can still rent a banged up car for 450 baht ($14 USD) on Ko Chang.

Some thoughts for anyone thinking of visting the Ko Chang Archipelago while Thailand and Cambodia battle over a border located less than 50 km away. thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/should-you...

Heading to Ko Chang and Chanthaburi for Christmas. Just bought bus tix at Ekkamai station with its perpetual and always delightful soundtrack of "You! Pattaya! Go now go now!"

From a tourist on Reddit calling Thailand a "war-torn country" with "mass refugee flows" to a so-called analyst on Xwitter asserting that Thailand is following Russia's playbook to seize territory, the amount of total nonsense about the Thai-Cambodian conflict now pouring online is surreal.

Stowaways detected

Nakhon Phanom, home to Thailand's best riverfront imo, has added a ferris wheel. www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Forget Miss Universe and Michelin Guide. The awards I care about are Outstanding Public Toilets of Thailand. Great to see the Rama 2 Rd PTT gas station just made it at #13. Congratulations to all winners. www.nationthailand.com/news/general...

Wrote an article mentioning 130 of Thailand's alternative destinations. Be warned, though, that once you fall down the alternative travel rabbit hole, it has no end. thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/to-make-th...

Done my best to summarise a tragic situation: thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/special-re...

Woke up at 04:45 to neighboring building ablaze here in Pinklao. Flames 7-10 metres from the wood house we're renting. Sprayed garden hose at it while wife called fire brigade, who arrived lightning fast and were amazing. No one hurt, our house undamaged. (Pics taken after fire crew took over.)

Foreign tourism in Thailand is trending towards predictable trips to established hotspots w/ all bookings online. Reinforced by chatbots, online echo chambers and govt requiring more info from travelers. More spontaneous travel is losing steam, as are small travel shops and others that rely on it.

"Cybercrime thrives because it serves political interests at home and because the global financial system enables it abroad." <- Excellent detailed explanation of the online scam industry. thediplomat.com/2025/11/crac...

Mother Chao Phraya is bulging in Bangkok. Further upstream the flood situation is quite serious in parts of Singburi and Ayutthaya provinces, among others.

NY Times typically publishes no more than one news article about Thailand every month or two. Out of all the pressing issues they could possibly cover, we get... www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/w...

I write elaborate replies on my phone to people seeking travel advice with ease, but writing a simple travel article on my laptop can feel like pulling teeth. Strange psychology at work there.

The most British gas station in Thailand is in Lang Suan.

This morning we're heading to some islands in Mu Ko Chumphon NP. Booked it yesterday when forecast said it'd be sunny all day w/ 3% chance of rain. Now says this drizzly blob might pass by late afternoon. Lmfao

Southern Thai family breakfast, starting at 1:00 then clockwise: pad dok hom, gaeng massaman neua, kung wan, pla tuu bai makham, gaeng luang tai, palo, & at center is pla luk prae tort. A wheel of flavor from our friends at Baan Suda Curry Paste in Huai Yot, Trang province.

A little something that might make you want to hit the islands... thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/mellow-bac...

Been poking around sub-Reddit "ThailandTourism" and seems 90% of tourists go only to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi, Samui, Phangan and/or Tao. Think I've never grasped how few ever go beyond these. Even places like Lanta and Hua Hin come across as alternative or unusual there.

10-15 years ago I barely questioned the stability of the US while fretting a lot about political violence in Thailand. Now that's completely reversed. Thailand, despite its problems, looks so stable now compared to the US.

Kuay chab yuan, the queen of breakfasts.

If you could use a laugh thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/strange-an...

How American does "full English breakfast": 1 Use only bacon we know. 2 Extra ketchup in baked beans. 3 Make mushrooms look like soccer balls. 4 Try frying tomatoes, feel dumb when they fall apart and burn. 5 Black Pudding? Is it a Bubonic Plague symptom? 6 Sloppy as all hell. 7 Super Size It.

This description of Doi Thu Le caught my eye while doing a little travel research for a northwestern Thailand trip later this year. Not perfectly written but does the trick.

"In short, since 1992, taxi fares have gone up by 55%, while the cost of living has jumped 118%." <- This is why I've always tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. Tough way to make a living and getting harder. www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin...

Political turmoil, protests, border closure, terrorism plot, floods, pollution, economic woes... Things couldn't get any worse for Thailand, could they? Marine expert: Hold my beer www.nationthailand.com/sustaination...

Rainy sunset casting everything with an orange glow here in Amherst, MA, just now.

Political uncertainty and a serious border dispute should do wonders for Thailand's struggling tourism industry and economy in general. 😔 www.coffeeparliament.com/p/prime-mini...

Good to see some real protests happening. These dots are all protest sites on June 14th, the current president's birthday and the day of his North Korean style military parade, aka No Kings Day. Viva la resistance. www.nokings.org

Good news. I've only flown direct once, in 2007, from New York to Bangkok with THAI. 16 hours in the air as I recall. www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Big exception not mentioned here is that honking is fine, expected even, when passing roadside shrines to show respect for spirits of the land. www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Finally watched The White Lotus Thailand. Entertaining but yikes, what a shoddy depiction of Thai Buddhism. 90% of what "Luang Por Tida" says sounds like it came from a 20 year old hippie on ecstasy or maybe a dodgy Ko Phangan yoga guru. "It's all about the one consciousness man" 🤔

👍

"Baan Wieng in Phrae province ended up receiving zero votes from one polling station. Out of 747 eligible voters, only 10 showed up to vote, and all chose the 'I do not wish to vote for any candidate' option." coffeeparliament.substack.com/p/highlights...

Wild story about a guy from Wisconsin who's hobby of letting cobras, mambas and other venomous snakes bite him might lead to a huge breakthrough. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/h...

"The White Lotus presents the Buddha’s solution as mere resigned acceptance of life as it is, a view sometimes heard in western pop Buddhism that is very far from the dharma I’ve heard from Thai ajaans." <- Not watched it yet but seems a big fail portraying Thai Buddhism. arcmag.org/the-buddha-i...

So angry my country is making life harder for people all around the world. That is the opposite of what I stand for personally.

Was worried sick about family and friends in Thailand, but man, poor Myanmar. War and floods and quakes, that country cannot catch a break. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/w...