One of the great things about travel is finding a jewel you didn't even know you were looking for. Case in point: Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon. Susan and I were returning from our trip to Thailand and Vietnam, had stopped...
[caption id="attachment_35910" align="alignright" width="300"] The Dance that is the Hue Morning Rush[/caption] Boots on the ground: nothing trumps local knowledge when we are planning an itinerary. The resounding success of our first trip to Thailand was thanks to help from our friends, Telluride locals who also live...
Chiang Dao: [caption id="attachment_35860" align="alignright" width="168"] Making Poopoo Paper[/caption] Sometimes it's not about turning caca into chocolate. Sometimes the caca is the chocolate – or in this case, the paper. Elephants consume, on average, 500 pounds of plant food and 42 gallons of water. Waste not. Want not. Heading...
Maesa Elephant Camp: Well-intentioned people will wag their index finger in your general direction when you tell them you are heading to a place like the Maesa Elephant Camp, which is southeast of Chiang Dao. They will say if you REALLY care about elephants, head for...
[caption id="attachment_35747" align="alignright" width="300"] Kachama[/caption] What, you may ask, is a wat? Thailand is the kingdom of wats or religious complexes. There about 30,000 in the country, which tend to serve a dual purpose: Buddhist monastery/temple and community center. The basic layout of most wats follows set principles...
[caption id="attachment_35659" align="alignright" width="240"] Lunch with Esther[/caption] It was a typical day about town with a friend: morning tea, a round of errands, a long lunch, a visit to a museum, shopping, and a massage. Typical if the friend is Esther White. And the town, Chiang Mai. Esther – ...
[caption id="attachment_35627" align="alignright" width="240"] Pasith[/caption] This time credit goes to our sometime Telluride neighbor Sunny Griffin, owner of Astara Cosmetics, also a resident of Chiang Mai, Thailand. She told us in no uncertain terms that we could not leave Bangkok without a day trip to Damnoen Saduak...
Day #2 began with a ride in a long-tailed boat along the canals of Chaophraya River, a rite of passage for Bangkok virgins. The tour guide representative at our hotel, again the Royal Orchid Sheraton, arranged the hour-long tour. Long-tailed boats or Ruea hang Yao are a...
First stop, Jim Thompson Museum and House. The story begins with a larger-than-life hero: handsome, rich, urbane, widely accomplished and a one-time CIA (actually OSS, the forerunner of the CIA) operative. Packed tight as it is with moral certainty and physical action, Ian Fleming could have...
Amanda Faison did a fine job, over 12 months, putting together a list of Denver's best chefs, restaurants and dining trends, her picks published in the October issue of 5280. Our "local," Twelve, made it on the list. Here's what Amanda said about the place: 15...
