Geo: 27.4426, 89.6673Took a flight with the Royal Bhutanese Airline DrukAir out of rainy Bangkok to a unsuspected stop at a dusty Indian military airstrip in Bagdogra. After taking on 50 more western tourists we headed for Paro, Bhutan. Landing there is rather adventurous. The plane has to fly an S-curve through the valleys while descending before quickly leveling for landing. Immediately upon arrival one realizes how remote this Himalayan kingdom is, with only two immigration officers needed.Got picked up by my guide and driver for the next 8 days and had lunch in Paro before we drove under blue skies to the capitol Timphu. Strolled around a bit and checked into the Riverview Hotel. I still can't believe I actually made it here to Bhutan, which by the way is also called the Land of ... read more

Geo: 13.7308, 100.521Took the morning bus heading for Bangkok. Once again I'm the only westerner aboard on this 10-hour rather uneventful journey. Except maybe for this little story...During my bus ride they were playing several movies and music shows. In the last two hours they were broadcasting what appeared to be some kind of variety show in front of a teenage audience. With funny games and dance performances which looked like a mix of MJ's "Thriller" and Freddy Kruger. One segment of the show was a WWII comedy act with an extensive set "Saving Private Ryan"-Style in which the Thai actors were mocking Allies and Nazi's alike. Including a sexy "Indiana Jones"-style Thai Nazi girl, 'friendly firing' American GI's and a Hitler performer with swastika smileys on his uniform and neon colored plastic weapons in the ... read more

Geo: 18.8, 98.98Today was TempleDay ;) Chiang Mai used to be the Capitol of the ancient Kingdom of Lanna Thai. So, naturally it is a feast for culture vultures ;)First i ventured through monk filled alleyways to the picturesque Wat Duang Di, followed by the age-old Wat Lok Molee and the cool kid among the temples: Wat Phra Singh, then to the ruins of Wat Chedi Luang and the teak-crafted Wat Phan Tao. After so much holiness I was ready for some down to earth secular fun at the massage parlors and bars along Loi Kroh Road... ;)Heute war TempelTag ;)Vor langer Zeit war Chiang Mai die Hauptstadt des alten Koenigreichs von Lanna Thai. Deshalb ist der Ort ein Traum fuer alle Kulturversessenen ;) Zuerst streifte ich durch die Hintergassen voller Moenche zum Bilderbuch-Tempel Wat Duang ... read more

Geo: 7.89072, 98.3988Carolina, her Mom Marie Anne and I met in the morning to share a ride back to Phuket Town for some sightseeing. We strolled through Old Town with its many historic buildings and arrays of shops, nice little cafes and antique stores. It was a lot more picturesque than we thought. And we had a lot of fun. Came back to Kata in the late afternoon to watch the sunset and had dinner by the beach before we said goodbye.Carolina, ihre Mom Marie Anne und ich trafen uns am Morgen wieder und teilten uns das Taxi zurrueck nach Phuket Town. Wir spazierten durch die Altstadt mit ihren vielen historischen Gebaeuden und verschiedenen Geschaeften, kleinen Cafes und Antiquitaetengeschaeften. Es gab eigentlich mehr zu sehen als wir alle dachten und wir hatten eine Menge Spass. Am ... read more

Geo: 7.7455, 98.7754Lindsey, Adam and I met for breakfast and we decided to hike up to the Ko Phi Phi viewpoint. Which was totally worth the blood, sweat and tears to get up there in this tropical heat ;)From there we went back to the other side of the island where we rented some kayaks and paddled around the cliff to a snorkeling point. There we saw a morel eel. After our return I got a massage and we met for our last dinner together. Afterwards we went to Woody's for drinks at the party beach. Lindsey, Adam und ich trafen uns heute zum Fruehstueck und beschlossen trotz tropischer Hitze zum Ko Phi Phi Aussichtspunkt hoch zu wandern. Der Blick von dort oben war dann aber jede Schweissperle wert ;)Von dort wanderten wir zur anderen Seite ... read more