I have only been studying the Thai language for a few weeks, but already the rewards are huge. For example, during our short stay in Bangkok, we had great fun engaging with the two non-English speaking taxi drivers we met. They were both delightful, but the last experience was exceptionally good! En route to the airport earlier today, our hip young driver uses Siri to translate his Thai questions to English, which I then try answer in Thai, with much assistance from him. This actually is very effective. Then he hands me his phone and asks me to find a Canadian artist on YouTube. Of course I could not resist bringing up my own music, so the next thing we know we are cruising down a freeway in Bangkok listening to Bev Zizzy Woman in Black ... read more

If not wanting to leave is an indication of having had a good time, then Koh Phangan definitely meets the criteria. Leaving on such a note is quite effective at getting you back, as this is now our 3rd annual return to this laid back island in Southern Thailand. Each year presents different experiences, and each year we extend our time here. Our first visit was 2 weeks, last year 1 month, this year 6 weeks, and we are planning 2 months next year. We‘ve always stayed at the same small resort, having lucked out right from the get-go with a place that we love, and have now begun to feel a bit like family as well. Our initial motivation for coming here was to find somewhere warm and dry in Thailand, where we could wait ... read more

Our Air Asia tickets from Bangkok, to the island of Koh Phangan in Southern Thailand included a two hour bus transport from Nakon Si Thammarat airport to Donsak Pier, where we would board a ferry for the three hour transit to our island destination. Its a pretty sweet service that Air Asia offers. However, in the aftermath of tropical storm Pebuk, the ferries were still not running the day prior to our departure, although we were told by Air Asia that they believed they would be running the next day. We decided to risk it, the worst case scenario being that we would be spending the night somewhere near the ferry terminal if the ferries weren’t running. We wanted to get to KP and begin our yoga studies, not put in another day of waiting in ... read more

You definitely have your beautiful moments, Saskatchewan, Canada, and there is something very peaceful and restful about your winter months, which allow us to slow down a bit, watch movies, read books, and me, perhaps play a little more guitar, as there are no lawns to cut, no gardens to tend to, and no compelling urge to be outside every day just to enjoy your beautiful Saskatchewan sunshine and extensive “living skies”. The vast spaciousness of this province alone is a thing of beauty. We have tried and failed on many occasions to convey to our Asian friends the possibility of driving down a country road in our province for twenty minutes without seeing another vehicle or any sign of human habitation - an incomprehensible concept in Asia, where in Indonesia alone, 260 million people live. ... read more

DIVING IN BEAUTY happens along a seemingly endless, bottomless, 200 metre deep underwater wall that is home to hard and soft coral gardens of sparkling, vibrant colours; where nature’s artistry is displayed in an unimaginable array of shapes, designs, and textures, inhabited by an equally diverse population of large and small marine animal life. The beauty of it all is astounding. This is wall diving amidst the astounding seascapes of Bunaken Marine Park in Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. This is diving in beauty. We returned again this year to The Happy Gecko / Cicak Senang family run resort we have come to love, where our mornings are spent completing two relaxed, personalized wall dives, followed by an excellent home cooked lunch. Afternoons are spent relaxing in our hammocks, overlooking the ocean bay, napping, reading, and just relishing ... read more