One of the things that I wanted to see on this visit to Thailand was the silk factories. In northern Thailand the silk makers tend to be clustered around the village of San Kamphaeng, on Route 1006, past the traditional umbrella makers of Bo Sang village. Every taxi, tuk-tuk and songthaew driver in Chiang Mai will offer to take you to Bo Sang and San Kamphaeng. If you are a farang (foreigner) walking down the street, every idle tuk-tuk driver will bombard you with offers to take you to the craft villages. It’s an easy fare for them, and generally they will take you to the places where they get a kick-back if you buy something. Make no mistake, these workrooms are set up for tourists, and the exit is through the gift shop. Still, it’s ... read more

I don’t know if anyone has every counted the number of wats (Buddhist temples) in this city. There are wats next to other wats, and wats next to motorcycle shops, and wats next to bars, and wats next to shops. They are all beautiful, but except for a few – like Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Phra Singh – they pretty much all ran together. The main temple hall in each wat is open to the public, and I confess that my motivation for visiting some of them was to find a spot in the shade where I could take shelter from the sun. As long as you were dressed modestly, took your shoes off, and never, ever pointed the soles of your feet to any depiction of Buddha, you could pretty much stay as long ... read more

I like markets, especially in other countries, though to call Wororot a market is a little like calling New York City a neighborhood. This marketplace covers a huge area, roughly square, about half a kilometer per side. Into this sector are crammed about half a million little shops, stalls, and sidewalk vendors. Like many places in hot climates, vendors take full advantage of the five-foot way, making walking a challenge and avoiding the ubiquitous scooters a necessity. But the fun part is just wading through the sheer volume of stuff that’s on offer – and trying to figure out what it is. I could identify the dried chrysanthemum blossoms, and I think those things over there are crispy fried pig intestines, but is that larvae? And what I thought might be dried fish turned ... read more

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the land, Not a tourist was stirring, child, woman, nor man. The beaches were sunny, the water was warm, “But where are the visitors?” locals cried with alarm. “It’s the economy,” they whispered, “and no one has money. Can’t pay the mortgage, can’t go where it’s sunny.” OK, I’m not going to be named Poet Laureate anytime soon, but you get the idea. Barbados is my favorite winter vacation spot, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this empty. The global economic meltdown has, sadly, spread to Barbados as well. A number of decent, mid-range hotels have closed. Some are closed under the mantel of “refurbishment” (In the middle of high season? With no visible workers?), some are actively being demolished, and some are just shuttered and ... read more

One often overlooked export from the US to the rest of the world is old TV game shows. I have seen the Singaporean version of Deal or No Deal, country-specific versions of The Amazing Race and Idol (which itself is an import to the US from England.) But perhaps my favorite is the Indonesian version of Let’s Make a Deal, complete with a slick TV host, contestants in wacky costumes, and the excitement of finding out what is behind Door Number Three. Interestingly enough, you do not have to speak one word of Indonesian to follow the action, but it is a fun and easy way to learn numbers. After hearing the countdown “Tiga, DUA, SATU! a couple of dozen times during the course of every show, you will forever after know how to count backwards ... read more