CHIANG KHONG, Thailand—I could say the day started bright and early, but that would be a lie. It started at a reasonable 10 a.m. with a pickup by the tour company I’d contracted to take me to Chiang Khong on the border with Laos, where tomorrow I will cross over and take a “slow, Read More
So I’m back in Chiang Mai, the charming little town that anchors northern Thailand, but tomorrow I head further north, past Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong/Huay Xai, where I’ll catch a “slow boat” down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Laos until the communists swept through in 1975 and renamed the whole country the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. I confess, I know next to nothing about Laos, but everyone says the place is beautiful and laid back. I do know they make a tasty beer there, and that the country’s short name, “Lao PDR” generally means “Laos, Please Don’t Rush.”
You ever write something you wish you could take back? Or at least edit? A poorly-worded email, or text message that went out before you meant to hit send? The previous entry is solidly in that category.
When crossing the border to Cambodia on a visa run, I’m reminded that things are nebulous in the frontier regions.
CHIANG MAI, Thailand—To say the north of Thailand differs from the south is one of the most obvious observations you can make about this country. And by “south,” I mean Bangkok and the surrounding plains and the close-by islands. I’ve not had the pleasure of going to the Deep South of Thailand. Chiang Mai,, Read More