A good way of getting away from the ordinary life, from all the trouble on the home front, from all the pressure, is to go away. Far away. Thailand is pretty far away from Europe. It strikes me as a good place to escape the western world; on a decent distance from all the worries at home, but yet with the comforts and safety of the civilized world we’re used to, and with an attractive level of prices and a beautiful climate. Koh Chang is surprisingly unexploited by westerners. The second largest island of Thailand meets most of the requirements for [View Full Entry]

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The distance between Siem Reap in Cambodia and the Thailand border is 150 km, give or take. On a standard freeway, this should take about 1.5 hours, allowing for some traffic. On a standard highway, going 80 km/hour, this should take no more than 2 hours. This particular journey takes 7 - 8 hours - on a good day. I happened to catch the bus on a not-so-good day. Although the concept of time and corresponding schedules and timetables appear to be a flexible matter in south-east Asia, the “air-conditioned minivan” - which turned out to be a small bus from [View Full Entry]

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What do you do when youre bored with Thailand? Take a little detour to Cambodia. The journey itself back and forth is all but relaxing, but in a way prepares you for what to expect in terms of comfort and standard of facilities and infrastructure in the country. Angkor Wat is allegedly the largest religious spot in the world with its palaces and temples. The tourist is offered to explore it for one, two, or three days. Having only one day to spend, the option is rather easy for me. A guy from the hotel offers to be my designated driver [View Full Entry]

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At first getting to a quiet and rather remote place seemed like a good idea. Kind of burned out at work, so the contrast between Amsterdam and the island of Koh Chang seemed like the perfect remedy to recharge my batteries. Sit on the beach, read a book, drink a beer, relax. Worked for about an hour before my restlessness took its tribute. Boring. Fortunately, Thailand is an ideal place for excursions and activities in the nature. So, a snorkel tour was booked. A full day of activities, snorkeling, four islands, beautiful scenery, food and drinks included, for about 10 Euros. [View Full Entry]

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After a long day of exploring the wonders of Thailand, it is quite natural for the traveler to sit down in a nice bar and have a drink. The second day of my Thai adventure was no exception to this behavior. Now, despite the popularity of Thailand among Westerners, as a European you quite stand out from the local crowd. For whatever reason - for your good looks, for your wallet, for your charisma, for your fertility - you attract attention from the locals. Walking past a bar in certain areas result in unison “Welcome!!!” from a number of girls sitting [View Full Entry]

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Paris is a great city in many ways. It is also a terrible city in other ways. One of the ways in which Paris is absolutely horrible is its traffic. Observing it from the sidewalk café is one thing. Observing the Paris traffic from a moving car which you are yourself responsible for the maneuvering of is a completely different ballpark. Paris may be the city personified, but the traffic is pure jungle. Going into close combat with the Parisians on wheels is one of those adventures you will look back at laughing one day, but once in the middle of [View Full Entry]

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To watch a good soccer game is undoubtedly on of my favorite past time activities. To watch my favorite team win a title gives a satisfaction that may not last for very long, but a memory that is inerasable from the mind. After many many years the time had come when my favorite team - Liverpool Football Club - had a shot at the biggest of European titles, Champion’s League. Unable to watch the game on site, the next best thing with some atmosphere was the local Irish pub. The British team/Irish pub combination appeared to be a good scene for [View Full Entry]

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The best way to meet extraordinary characters must be when traveling by train. Rarely do you encounter as many lost souls, in transit to wherever they think they need to go. Most people reach their destinations without any significant difficulties, but it puzzles me how this category of “extraordinary characters” are not stuck in transit for all eternity. Belgium is probably not populated by a higher ratio of “special characters” than any other country, but it is here this particular event takes place. Antwerp station in itself is a bottleneck for the transport betw [View Full Entry]

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New Year´s celebration in southern Spain. Every country has its own ways of celebrating. One of the beauties of travel is to come to different sites and take part of local customs and traditions. In many countries it is customary to make a pilgrimage just before the stroke of midnight to where everybody else is making the same pilgrimage. Usually it’s a natural gathering place, such as the main square. This is also the case in Fuengirola. People gather at Placa de la Constitution. They have brought the necessities, champagne and grapes. Champagne is a rather international occurrence. Th [View Full Entry]

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With all due respect to honest work, the profession as a toll booth collector must clearly be the least glamorous and rewarding imaginable. Seriously, what are the requirements for this position? The ability to sit and count to 1 (coin or token or bill). Although there is some interaction with people, it would be completely wrong to label it as a customer service job. There is some money involved - otherwise the whole concept with a toll road would defeat the purpose - but the bookkeeping cannot possibly be more advanced than the simplest calculus. The advancement opportunities also appear ver [View Full Entry]

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