My last sunny, warm, beautiful day in Lisbon started with a dose of high culture: I took the metro to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, an art museum formed around an oil tycoon’s private art collection. It occupies two buildings surrounded by gardens, and a single €10 ticket gives you access to both.The first building, called… Continue reading Bairro Alto, Principe Real
Ajuda, Belém
After spending most of yesterday in and around central Lisbon, today I took it upon myself to visit the Western side of the city, namely the neighborhood of Belém, home to quintessential Portuguese landmarks like the Tower of Belém or the Monument to Discovery.Belém isn’t really served by the metro, so it’s best to go… Continue reading Ajuda, Belém
Baixa, Castelo de são Jorge, Fado
This is going to be a closer, shorter adventure than others in this blog: I’m in Lisbon for a long weekend! I’d been meaning to come for ages so I’m super excited!I flew in last night from Paris, so I had all day today to discover the city. (Quick tips: I took the metro from… Continue reading Baixa, Castelo de são Jorge, Fado
Chatuchak Weekend Market, the Sky Bar
I got up bright and early today to be driven aaaaaaaall the way back to Krabi, to then be flown aaaaaaaall the way back to Bangkok, where I’m spending one last night in order to board my plane to Paris tomorrow morning. To make my life easier tomorrow, I’m staying at a hotel near the airport… Continue reading Chatuchak Weekend Market, the Sky Bar
Four Islands
My plan for today had been to go to Ko Phi Phi, but to my dismay Maya Bay (the beach from The Beach) is closed! Thailand had closed that and several other areas for around six months earlier in the year, to allow the environment to regenerate after the damage done by excessive tourism, and… Continue reading Four Islands
Ko Rok, Ko Ha
First day of the island! Today I was booked on a snorkeling tour of two nearby islands, Ko Rok and Ko Ha. I got up bright and early for my pickup at 8:00, only to be told that (despite what my voucher said) pickup actually started at 9:00, and by the way, we’re still setting… Continue reading Ko Rok, Ko Ha
Arrival in Ko Lanta
It is on for the last leg of my Thailand trip! This is the “beach paradise” part. I am not a big fan of beaches (I grew up on a beach town so maybe the novelty just wore off) but I figured it was worth checking out the turquoise-water-white-sand experience at least once, and this… Continue reading Arrival in Ko Lanta
Doi Inthanon National Park
If you remember, I wasn’t sure whether I was up for a full hike, but I also wanted to get out of the city a bit, so I booked myself a tour of Doi Inthanon National Park. The van was supposed to pick me up “between 8:00 and 8:30”, so of course I was waiting… Continue reading Doi Inthanon National Park
Temple-hopping in Chiang Mai
Today was my first acquaintance with Chiang Mai! I had originally planned to take the bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai early yesterday morning, but all tickets were sold out and I could only book the 16:15 bus; so I took the chance to do my laundry, hung out at a café, then hung… Continue reading Temple-hopping in Chiang Mai
Chiang Rai (all of it)
This was the day where I had to see Chiang Rai province... all of it! I was signed on to the tour that I found yesterday, if you were reading, which was officially called “Popular Sightseeing Tour” but which I refer to as the See Everything Tour because it’s absolutely packed with Chiang Rai highlights!So… Continue reading Chiang Rai (all of it)