The monk sat crossed legged behind me. The quick thrust of his bamboo needle repeatedly poked into my flesh as my tattoo began to take shape. I was being blessed with a Sak Yant, a magic tattoo and an ancient tradition in Thailand. Moments before the monk and I had been having a deep conversation....

When it comes to the ways of love and romance, no aphrodisiac is quite so potent as travel. On the road -- freed from the dull routines and restrictions of home -- you become more open, more daring, more willing to seize the moment. Away from home, the people you meet (be they locals or...

A few months ago you may have noticed something on Facebook or Google+ called the Black and White Challenge . It was a challenge started by photographers to post a black and white photo every day for five days. Typically someone would nominate you and you could then nominate someone else. Challenges like this can...

Traveling often implies a few things about food. In Thailand, for example, it's assumed that visitors are interested in diversifying their palates and will order Thai iced tea, pad see ew or panang curry , eschewing plain old burgers and pizza. And so, it is a given that most meals will be eaten at a...

Learning to dive was in the front of my mind when I started planning my trip to southeast Asia. Friends had learned in Thailand and I had heard that it was one of the cheapest places to get certified. After some research, we headed towards Koh Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. I...

Many people head to southern Thailand for beaches, islands, and the relaxed vibe of coastal life. Ao Nang is a bit more relaxed than larger cities like Phuket but still has a vibrant tourist draw and is an easy jumping-off point for many activities like rock climbing, island tours, beach lounging, hiking, and diving. Cost...

Traveling slowly with my husband across Southeast Asia has been a great way to leave our jobs and lives in Canada behind to explore the world on a small budget. It also means we spend a lot of time together. Every meal, every walk, every bus ride to a new city, is together. Where once...

Stroll past the dozens of stalls serving food to the fascinated tourists excitedly pointing at giant, steaming woks of noodles, dried sticks of skewered insects and whirring blenders filled with local fruits, and you'll find the experience to be an exquisite assault on the senses. Bright lights above each stall harshly illuminate the menus, which...

I take this week's chance to announce the release of the second issue of Wicked World , a digital magazine project that dares to be different. Unrestricted by commercial considerations, it remains free to challenge, question, and tell the truth about the business of international travel. We’re not here to sell expensive guided tours, round-the-world...

A jungle night is not quiet and the grey dawn was a rude awakening after a night of laying, late, beneath an ebony sky, drowning in the silver specks that pepper the universe. I wonder what we look like from light years away? We lay on the dock and watched for the last remnants of...

The 10 day silent meditation retreat I attended last July in Wat Khao Tham , a monastery in Ko Phangan, Thailand, was my 4th experience of this sort, all but one of them in the land of smiles, each of them in a different temple. In this website there is already a guide to Meditation...

Chiang Khong, Thailand It was seven years ago this week that a Honda dealership in Mae Sai , the northernmost town in Thailand, begrudgingly rented me a motorbike for the day. “We don’t want to do this,” the woman at the counter said, since it wasn’t profitable for them, but she also said that thanks...

Hat Yai, Thailand Hat Yai is known as southern Thailand's transportation hub and sex capital. But too few know it has the West Side Saloon , where bartenders and waitstaff are dressed in cowboy gear, serving jovial customers -- mostly Malaysians who've hopped across the border for a short holiday -- as a band plays...

Since the glory days of Ernst Hemingway and Gertrude Stein in Paris, there's been a certain glamor about being a writer while living abroad. CNNgo had an article about the expat writer scene in Bangkok . The piece quickly bursts the bubble of starry-eyed dreamers. The writers interviewed were frank about the state of the...

As readers may remember from July, I was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand for their “Thailand Today” Mega Familiarization Trip , celebrating TAT and Thai Airways 50th anniversary. One of over 500 travel industry professionals, we were given the opportunity to experience several activities in and around Bangkok and Chiang Mai ....

After 12 days of traveling, I am back home from exploring Thailand. While the surety and comfort of staying in luxury rooms and participating in organized tours isn't the typical life of a vagabonder, one of the best parts of the trip wasn't on the itinerary. Late one morning after rising with the dawn and...

For the past three days, I've been in Bangkok as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, taking part in their 50th anniversary celebrations. The weather has been warm, the food amazing, and the people friendly and welcoming. My introduction to the city has only wet my appetite for exploring more of this beautiful...

Ko Phangan, Thailand Seldom is there just one reason why a person travels, a point Colin Thubron eloquently makes in the opening pages of his Shadow of the Silk Road : Sometimes a journey arises out of hope and instinct, the heady conviction, as your finger travels along the map: Yes, here and here…and here....

Some travelers go to a place that seems wonderful. They think, "Wow, I want to live here." But after they move, they realize that living somewhere is a much different situation than simply passing through as a traveler. As a traveler, you see the wonderful sights. As an expat, you get an up-close look at...

Gulf of Thailand There are no icebergs in the Gulf of Thailand, but at any given moment there is, in this and many other seas, someone thinking about the Titanic—or at least about Leonardo Dicaprio. I almost didn’t take this photograph. For most of three hours I had been lying on a bench on deck,...