Blogs from North-East Thailand, Thailand, Asia

After checking into our hotel in Surin we set out to explore the nearby market area. It was very busy - in fact much busier then we have usually seen at markets later in the day, with no sign that the stalls would close down at all that day. In the centre of the market was a tall concrete gilt trimmed clock tower which was a great reference location point amidst the canvas and corrugated iron of the market area. Leaving the market area we were thrilled to discover a Pizza Express - great pizzas and an even better enormous green salad. I admit we even had another meal there before we left Surin... Surin is surrounded by dozens of silk weaving villages and next morning we planned on visiting one of them. The province is ... read more

Our next destination was That Phanom, another small town on the Mekong River which was a days bus travel from Nong Khai. We first caught a bus to the city of Nakon Phanom and then a mini bus for the further 45 kilometers to That Phanom. The bus trip seemed to take forever - the driver literally hugged the side of the road the whole way, slowing down every time he saw a person - hopeful that they would wave down his bus. We never thought we would arrive - and though we did enjoy segments of the passing scenery for the most part it was flat, dry and not particularly interesting. We arrived in Nakon Phanom at 4.30pmand were tempted just to find a hotel for the night but decided to continue. Thankfully we were ... read more

Gathered around a cornucopia of delectable Vietnamese dishes on what appears to be “the last supper”, a retrospective feeling of satisfaction fills the air. I’m not sure if I’m more cognizant of this collective appreciation or rather of my anticipation for yet another memorable culinary experience… I have a weakness for Vietnamese food… My love for this complex cuisine knows no bounds! Today, however, the meal is even more special. It marks the close of our first field visit – a week long journey in and around Ubon Ratchathani and Sisaket to investigate issues of the Khao Phra Viharn (Phrea Vihear) temple on the Thai/Cambodia border, the Pak Moon Dam, land use, development, urban poor development, and community based initiatives and action... As I look around the table, I detect a combined sentiment of weariness and ... read more

When I first arrived in Thailand I never thought that leaving would be so hard to do, but now that I am nearing the end of my time here and I have to say goodbye, it’s really sad. This past 5 months has literally flown by but now it is my final week of teaching before next week’s exams and then I leave the school and Mukdahan forever to start my 7 week travelling adventure. While I am very excited to be off travelling around and not having to go to work anymore, I am really going to miss the kids. It’s all very bitter sweet. Apart from the boring task of having to go through what was on the final tests and giving out revision, my final week included very little teaching. Instead we played ... read more

It was our Californian girls birthday this weekend and so of course we celebrated in true ‘han’ style, which involved, stuffing our faces with pizza, chips and cheesy garlic bread whilst stocking up on whiskey for our pre-party! It is actually ridiculous just how cheap whiskey is to buy over here, therefore I take absolutely no blame for my drunken state and blame it all on Thailand’s stupidly cheap alcohol prices! Seriously, it is 199baht for 1 litre of whiskey (and Thai whiskey is strong!) which is about 4 English pound, mental! so after getting ready and making ourselves look beautiful we started our pre-party, drinking whiskey, listening to music, doing dances and playing drinking games before heading out. We went onto a bar with live music first where you are actually allowed to take your ... read more