8,471 miles and Counting

"Koh" means island in Thai, and they've got heaps of them here. Koh Phagnan hosts 20,000 each full moon for its famous beach party; Koh Tao offers world famous scuba diving, cheaper than anywhere else in the world; Phuket and the Phi Phi Islands are party central. All of these host beautiful, and often crowded, beaches, but I was after something different. My first stop was Koh Samui-well developed but a bit calmer than the other big ones. I stayed at a chill place right on the beach, run by an Irish/Thai couple, and extended family lives and works onsite. They knew everyone's name and were hospitable but not overbearing. Every evening the owner gathered new guests around a map for an introduction to the island. This place had pretty much everything you need: they served up good food steps away from the sand, and you eat looking out onto the ocean; comfortable beds in cool air con; spotless grounds with someone always cleaning; bamboo lounges on the deck that are...

Elephants are the most revered animal in Thai culture. They are found at temples, the namesake of the national beer, shirts, tourist pants, and just about any form of art work-yet they generally don't get treated with any bit of respect. There's as many tourist shops as 7/11s offering to take you elephant riding or to "sanctuaries." I've heard and read stories of people checking these out for the thrill of seeing/riding elephants only to be disappointed by the way they're treated. But with a steady flow of tourists, they continue to thrive. After some research and recommendations from other travellers, I decided to spend a week at Elephant Nature Park, a 1.5hr bus ride into the mountains north of Chiang Mai. Elephants are a big part of the tourism industry in Thailand: baby elephants beg for money on city streets; colorfully decorated elephants perform at circuses and festivals; elephant painters are carefully controlled with a nail dug into their ear...

Anyone who goes to Chiang Mai typically makes it 150km northwest to Pai as well. The journey was just over three hours, two of which were filled with 762 curves. Here's a piece of the route: It wasn't as bad as expected; the worst part was the sound of three others in the van getting sick...that's not uncommon and the driver was well prepared with car sick bags. Thankfully my stomach did fine. There were non-stop scenic views along the way; this ranks up there with driving Big Sur, Copper Harbor, and Texas Hill Country. The guesthouse I found was situated a few blocks off of the main drag, on the river with views of the foothills where cattle grazed. It's an open air bungalow with no AC, mosquito nets, and hammocks on the shaded deck. It's quiet here with just a few other guests from America, Germany, Austria, Australia, England. All for just $3.14. That's right, a night in Pai for $pi. Pai is a much sleepier town than Chiang Mai with lots of ba...

When it comes to food, Thailand doesn't mess around. And sometimes the street vendors or motorbike-sidecar-turned-kitchen or halfway restaurants with plastic tables and chairs setup under an awning have the best meals. For just $1.50 or so, too. I haven't always known exactly what I've been eating (nothing too extreme), but it's been delicious. Except some grilled meat on a stick-I got chicken breast and some other chicken part I didn't understand....I couldn't handle that mystery meat. After some research I believe it was heart or liver. Would not recommend. Here's a sampling of some better stuff: Nothing like a cool mango smoothie to cool off. They do like their sugar added to just about everything here, unless you specify "no sugar," BUT Americans on average consume 4.3 times the amount of sugar as Thais.... They'll typically double check or hide a laugh if you order an Americano (black) coffee on ice, no sugar. B...