Teerayut Chaisarn : The Sufis of Gujarat

Photo © Teerayut Chaisarn-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Teerayut Chaisarn-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Teerayut Chaisarn-All Rights Reserved

Teerayut Chaisarn is a young emerging photojournalist/photographer and Photoshop artist from Chiang Mai in Thailand.  He was one of the 6 participants in my In Search of the Sufis of Gujarat Photo Expedition™ a few weeks ago, and featured a number of galleries on his personal website. Some of the photographs in his The Religion of Islamic Sufis In Gujarat gallery are toned, while others are not. The photographs are also less portrait-biased than those in his first gallery, which he titled Faces of India.

You'll find some brilliant images in Teerayut's galleries...I haven't put it in this post, but the one of the elderly man in a mosque with the sun filtering through the intricately-worked jalis is a beauty...so look it up. I'm sure you'll agree.

Teerayut started photographing about 4 years ago, and is largely self-taught. He started work as a photographer on the magazine staff of his hometown, but preferred to become a freelance photographer. He also applied his Photoshop post processing expertise to assist various Thai professional photographers, and processes their portfolios. He worked on various occasions with Steve McCurry in Thailand.

Most of his galleries in his portfolio are post-processed, and while some may find these over-worked, it's a style which finds favor amongst many in Asia.

Katharina Hesse: Human Negotiations (& Interview)

Katharina Hesse is a photographer who currently works in China and Asia, and has been based in Beijing for the past 17 years. She graduated in Chinese and Japanese studies from the Institut National des Langues et Civilizations Orientales (INALCO) in Paris.

She has recently uploaded some of her gripping photographs of Bangkok's sex industry unto a 6 minutes-movie which she titled Human Negotiations (above), and during which she also talks about her project in a Skype-interview with Elisabetta Tripodi, and which appeared on the blog e-photoreview.

Human Negotiations is an experimental two-year collaboration between Katharina and writer Lara Day, using images and text to explore the lives of a community of Bangkok sex workers. I cannot begin to fathom how Katharina managed to gain the trust and confidence of her subjects to such a degree...and she says as such in her interview, and that the most important task in her project was to gain the trust of the sex workers and their clients. All serious photographers agree with her advice, since only full and complete mutual trust gained over months and months can make such intimate projects possible.

Katharina's has an impressive background. Not only is she a self-taught photographer (always a huge plus for me), but she initially worked as an assistant for German TV (ZDF) and then freelanced for Newsweek from 1996 to 2002. In 2003 and 2004 she covered China for Getty’s news service. Her images were featured in numerous publications such as Courrier International, Der Spiegel, D della Repubblica, EYEmazing, Zeit Magazin, Glamour (Germany), IO Donna, Die Zeit, Marie-Claire, Le Monde, Le Monde Diplomatique, Neon, Newsweek, 100Eyes.org , Reporters without borders(yearbook 2010, Germany), Stern, Time Asia, Vanity Fair (Italy/Germany), and Wired (Italy) among others.

Katharina's photographs of Xinjiang, Kashgar and Urumqi are probably the best I've seen of that region....so go to her website after you watch the above movie.

Hotel Booking in Thailand

Every vacation beginns with the thoughts about how to reach and where to sleep. I told about How To Find Good Flight And Hotel Solutions in different posts in my new travel blog The Marvelous World Of Travel where I described my odeal because I was very worried this booking willnot be valid when we arrive or the hotel will be so bad that it will be not possible to stay there.

The hotel was excellent at the end, nobody drove us out, everything was in the best conditions. The full reports in the mentioned blog.

Now I read an other intersting opinion of a family that dreamed to pass the vacation in Thailand. To book their hotel they decided to contact the hotel directly. Because they do not understand English (and the other side was not better probably) they decided first to call the hotel but it was unpossible. Than, they wrote e-mail and received very fast answer. As a result, they had a special price (12 nights for 9), than 10% discount because the hotel decided they bargain the price. There are some countries, where persons that bargain the price are more respected, you know. Maybe it's valid for Thailand too?

At the end, when this family came in the hotel they received a room of the higher category than they paid.

This story learns -and I just understood it before-, it's necessary to try all the possible ways when you plan your vacation. To see what they offer to you. There are sites that offer very good prices -as it happend to us in Milan, sometimes you have to write to the owners -as in this last case, sometimes it's useful to speak in the hotel -it works here, in our zone, for example. I went personally to speak with the owners of the hotel for my friends and they offered me a special prise.

So, be patient when you want to book your hotel -and you will have what is good for YOU.

The developed world's worst city airports?

What are the developed world's worst city airports? And what makes an airport bad for you? I'm convinced Melbourne and Perth's airports must be somewhere on a worst airport list. Due to bad plane and bus connections, I spent a fair bit of time at both of these Australian airports this past week, and it was painful. Perth's domestic airport seems to work 9-5 despite flights arriving and departing at midnight. It's small, has few shops, fewer eating options, and needs a good scrub. But because Perth is a city with a small population, I'm going to be a bit more forgiving. Melbourne on the other hand has no excuse. It's Australia's second largest city, a busy business/finance hub, and a major tourist destination. There's no excuse for Melbourne's Tullamarine airport to be so appalling. So what makes it so dreadful?
* Opening hours - nothing was open when my flight arrived at 5.30am, and most cafes and shops didn't open until 8.30-9am despite the airport being busy with commuters; if there are flights coming and going, then the whole airport should be open for business.
* No public lounges and few seating options – apart from the departure gates, there are few places to sit other than the airport's dismal cafes; there's not a single comfortable seat, only wooden benches and hard plastic café chairs, so plan your connections carefully or you'll have a sore bottom before you've even boarded the plane.
* No decent business facilities – can't get comfy and want to work instead? Forget about it. At Milan's Malpensa we can at least pay to work in a business lounge for the day with free internet, lots of desks, soft sofas, and complimentary refreshments. Nothing of the kind in Melbourne. Not only could I not access the expensive wireless internet service (and airport staff members had no clue either), I couldn't find any space to work and nowhere to plug in my laptop, apart from a dirty cafe. As I had a three hour wait I was prepared to pay for it too, but no such luck.
* Few enticing shops - nowhere to relax, no place to work, so you want to browse? Get that idea out of your head too. I found one average bookstore, an okay newsagent, three luggage shops, a music store that was closing down, an overpriced L'Occitane store, and a cheap fashion accessories shop (everything was going for $10). The only decent place worth killing some time was the Gourmet Traveller store.
* No appetizing places to eat or drink – of the four café/bars I found, one didn't have any food (“Saturdays are quiet” the guy said), the other had muffins and soggy white-bread sandwiches that looked like they had been made when I passed through the week before ("You're probably right!" laughed the girl when I told her), and who really wants to hang out at Gloria Jeans or Subway for godsake? And everything was expensive, from $7 sandwiches to $5 coffees.
* It’s dirty, stinky and tatty – Melbourne airport needs a good bath! From the food crumbs, hair and cigarette butts on the floors of the cafés (I thought it was non-smoking?!) to filthy, smelly lavatories with clogged toilets and dirty washbasins, this is one grotty airport. I finally found another bar just before I was about to board my plane - "Yes, this is the airport’s best bar" the bartender assured me - yet the furniture was dirty, scuffed and ripped (no, it wasn't shabby chic), the tables were sticky, drinks that had been spilled on the floor hadn't been mopped up, and there was that lovely all-pervading stench of beer.
I'm not looking forward to returning next week. So, do you have a city airport you hate? And if so, what are the factors that make it so bad in your eyes?

Pictured? Not Melbourne or Perth - that's Koh Samui's airport in Thailand, which is actually pretty darn cute.

Top 10 Spas in Thailand

Now that I've convinced you that Thai spas offer the most sublime experience of any spas in the world, here's a list of my top ten favorite Thai spas and treatments, to help you select one for your own indulgent spa getaway:
1. Six Senses Earth Spa at Six Senses Hideaway Hua Hin - be massaged by the vibrations of Tibetan Singing Bowls; trust me, there's nothing like it!
2. Anantara Resort & Spa, Koh Samui - elevate yourself to another level with the three-hour Anantara Body Extreme beginning with an Ayurvedic clay mud treatment followed by a steam bath, rain shower, and rejuvenating facial.
3. Four Seasons Hotel Koh Samui - the jungle setting is soothing enough but try the Siam Fusion, an East-meets-West treatment based on pressure-point manipulation enhanced with a warm lemongrass, ginger and camphor compress and deep tissue massage with essential oils.
4. Banyan Tree Spa Phuket - lie back in your own beautiful private pavillion (pictured) and enjoy the famous four-hand Harmony Banyan treatment where two therapists work on you simultaneously!
5. Four Seasons Tented Camp at the Golden Triangle - mellow out with a Mandalay Magical Cleanse, including a Burmese body polish, facial and hair mask, and tangerine and sandalwood foot massage.
6. Rayavadee Spa, Ao-Nang, Krabi - the aromatic Royal Siam massage is a must, combining reinvigorating Thai and Asian massage techniques using a stimulating blend of essential oils.
7. Evason Phuket Resort & Six Senses Spa - the sensuous Spa Journey is the treatment to try here, another indulgent four-hand full-body massage, gentle facial, and sleep-inducing foot massage by two therapists.
8. Anantara Resort & Spa Hua Hin - the three hour Culture of Anantara treatment begins with a Shirodhara massage (the 'massage of the third eye'), followed by a deep back massage and a soothing honey and milk bath.
9. Spa Ten at Siam@Siam, Bangkok - this beautiful contemporary designed spa is a real oasis in bustling Bangkok so the calming Urban Escape package is the one to try; guys should go for the rejuvenating '10 out of 10', which includes a comprehensive range of treatments of three hours.
10. AKA Spa, Chiang Mai - one of the few day spas in Thailand that even comes close to comparing with the resort spas; exfoliate with a Lanna Scrub (Sea Salt or Coffee perhaps?) then luxuriate in a Lanna Wrap (Papaya and Coconut Butter are both moisturizing). Heavenly.

The sublime Thai spa experience

Thai spas offer the most sublime spa experiences in the world. Trust me. I got to experience enough exfoliating body scrubs, deep tissue massages, luxuriating body wraps, and revitalizing facials to last me a lifetime while in Thailand last October researching a new spa section (and updating hotels and restaurants) for the DK Eyewitness Guide to Thailand, released this month. We visited a number of spas in Italy recently and none offered the same sensuous surroundings nor relaxing rituals of the Thai spas - they were sterile, lacked atmosphere, were often tucked away in a hotel basement, accessed via the gym, added almost as an after-thought. In Thailand, the spa takes centre stage and a spa experience is something else. There, the spas are situated in stunning settings, overlooking sultry jungles or tranquil ponds, and the spa experience begins from the moment you set foot in the spa: the fragrant aromas of incense and scented candles waft through the air, you're enveloped in the darkness of dim candle light, you're calmed by soft background music (the crashing of waves on a beach perhaps), and voices are hushed to a whisper. The decor is always exotic, whether traditional Thai style or sleek and contemporary. The masseurs are nearly always brilliant, gentle Thai women mostly, who skilfully work your body in silence. Treatments always begin with a foot bath and massage and at the end of whatever wonderful treatment you've had, you're left to relax even further with a herbal tea or zingy drink. If you haven't been to a Thai spa before, then grab a copy of the new DK Thailand guide and go indulge yourself!

10 things that annoy us about hotels: oh, yes, there's more...

We hope you enjoyed our series '10 things that annoy us about hotels'. If you missed it, you can read all 10 posts here. A big thank you to the hoteliers who responded to our gripes with some explanation as to why hotels do the things they do, and in some cases, how their hotels do things differently. They were very enlightening. Do take a read of the comments too, which have been appreciated. We're relieved to know it's not just us who are driven crazy by this stuff. I've also received some comments by email, including one from Guido, the Happy Hotelier, which was hilarious: "Plastic under sheets. As if we are babies without diapers. Its the first thing we check after we check into a hotel and we take them off and replace them with towels......usually many towels because in many hotels the towels are like handkerchiefs." Travel writer David Whitley stays in as many hotels as we do and he had some really insightful comments. David wrote a superb piece on his 'Top 10 hotel bugbears' for Ninemsn Travel. David's gripes include: twin beds passed off as a double, key cards, keycard light slots, 1001 lights, environmental pretense, no toilet brush, shower heads, tiny towels, and ambiguous mini-bar items. Interestingly, David says "It got the most comments I've ever had there. Some of them are priceless - but there are a few interesting points from the hotel industry too." Do take a read for yourself. As for us, you can expect another series of '10 things...' on a different travel topic soon.

Pictured? The divine swimming pool and courtyard at boutique hotel Tri Yaan Na Ros at Chiang Mai, Thailand. A charming hotel with delicious local Thai specialties from the market served for breakfast, but unfortunately rooms are tiny; you can read our full review here at i-escape.

Guides: how to pick them

If you must hire a guide (well, you know how I feel about guides), whether it's simply to show you around a city you're a first-time visitor to, escort you on a day-trip, or lead you on a longer trek or journey, here are a few tips:
1) do your research: start with the guide, agency or tour company's website. Are the services, options and prices described? Is there a bio? Are there testimonials? Compare the offerings with that of other guides and companies.
2) go with a recommended guide: nothing beats a recommendation based on first-hand experience. Read testimonials - and read between the lines. Google the guide's name. Consult traveller forums.
3) opt for a specialist: look at the guide's bio. Does the guide have relevant qualifications, skills, experience? If you're looking at art, architecture or archaeological sites you want an archaeologist, artist, teacher, curator, gallery owner, architect, or masters or PhD student. Not just someone who has an interest. If you're doing a cooking or wine course, opt for a chef, caterer, sommelier or wine-maker over a foodie or wine-lover. If it's a bush-walk or trek, has the guide had years of experience in the area and survival and first-aid skills? Are language skills required?
4) go for a local: was the guide born in the place, was his/her family/tribe from the area, or is the guide a long-term resident? You want someone with a connection to the place and is passionate about the destination. For me, the guide's first-hand experience, personal insight, and opinions and feelings can really make the experience special.
5) look for imagination: are any itineraries for walks, day-trips and excursions offered well thought-out, themed and focused? Has some creativity gone into their creation? Are they inspired and unique? If they're the same as other offerings and just like the one in your guidebook, give it a miss. You want to have a reason to pay for something that you could otherwise manage yourself.
6) consider the fee: remember, cheaper isn't necessarily better (you get what you pay for) while expensive doesn't necessarily mean 'best' (some guides over-charge because they know some travellers won't quibble over the price). Look for guides who charge a fee that seems fair for what's offered.
7) meet the guide beforehand: this isn't always possible, but try to meet before you agree to use the guide's services. You want someone who has personality, confidence, social skills, and can communicate well. Does the guide speak your language as well as you'd like? Does the person listen to what you want rather than simply telling you what they think you should do? Does the guide seem like a genuinely nice person? Is this someone you want to spend a day (or longer) with?
A guide can make or break an experience of a place, so make sure you choose well.

Good guides, bad guides: the good guides

While most of our experiences with guides have been terrible (see my last post), we've had a few great guides who've restored our faith in the human guide (sorry!). One worked for the same tour company our socially inept hill tribe guide did (last post again), but this guy was affable, full of energy, obviously loved his job, and his enthusiasm was infectious. His English wasn't great and we didn't leave his biking tour of local market towns feeling enlightened. But we did pick up a few interesting tidbits, got to try some tasty food, and his social skills and good relationships with the market stall-holders meant we were well-received wherever we went. And we had fun. As we were reviewing a few Four Seasons properties as part of our Thailand research (and paying media rates, I might add), we did the activities available to all guests, including a tour taking in the Mekong River, a local village, market and temple from the Four Seasons Golden Triangle Tented Camp, and in preparation for a Thai cooking course, a trip to the market from the Four Seasons Chiang Mai. Both guides were brilliant, which says a lot about training. They were friendly, charming, knowledgeable, smart, and sociable, and once again, had excellent relationships with the locals, opening doors for us in so many ways. Our first guide went in for the touristic experiences a tad too much for our liking, setting up cheesy photo ops, including an uncomfortable performance by a group of local kids in colorful costumes in front of a Mekong River vista, and - worse - corny ops where she could point the camera at us. She did this with such sweetness of spirit and charm, and with such good intentions - most people would love these souvenirs we imagined - that we forgave her. We also came away learning something about the local cuisine, culture and spirituality of the people. The Chiang Mai guide was even better, with a deeper knowledge of ingredients, dishes and eating habits of the locals, and she even revealed a few secrets we'd always been curious about. As our trip was partly in preparation for a cooking course, it was also knowledge that would soon be put to use. Better again. Although we couldn't help but feel we might have enjoyed the tour even more had it have been led by a chef or culinary expert. Still, we got to try lots more tasty stuff, and you can't go wrong with that.

Good guides, bad guides: the bad guides

There are good guides and there are bad guides. We've had varying degrees of experience with guides we've used (see this post), but on the most part they've been bad. So bad, I've sworn never to use a guide again. Until the next time, when we've had no choice, and a positive experience has made me re-think my policy. In Thailand last year we used several guides. One was particularly dreadful and all the more disappointing because he worked for an award-winning company that's acclaimed for its culturally sensitive hill tribe treks. Our guide was late to meet us, tripped over at the market, and took way longer than necessary to shop for a few things (and coming from me that's saying something). Not good signs. He turned out to be socially inept, continually behind schedule (largely due to his need to change his clothes three times a day) and spoke disparagingly and condescendingly about the villagers. The only stories he told us about the hill tribes related to their greed or laziness and the human trafficking, prostitution and drug dealing they resorted to over hard work. We were poorly received at villages despite the company claiming their guides were from the area, knew the tribes, and we'd be welcomed with open arms. Instead, the reception was hostile and we only ever communicated with villagers when we made the effort ourselves. Our walks through the jungle involved our guide telling us little other than pointing out poisonous mushrooms, plants and insects, none of which he could name. So when a red stain suddenly appeared on my wrist after I'd inadvertently brushed against something poisonous - and with it came piercing pain, followed by throbbing, then aching for 24 hours - our guide panicked, not knowing the cause or what to do. When he calmed down, he consoled me with: "at least it isn't close to your heart". He did give me his tiger balm, which soothed the pain, yet despite telling us we were an hour away from our destination, he continued to dawdle, muttering that we had plenty of time - as the sun rapidly sunk behind the hills. We arrived in the dark. It turned out our guide was from the south, not from the area at all, and years before had attempted to 'rescue' a young village girl from prostitution. She subsequently ran off to work as a prostitute in Bangkok anyway. That could explain the poor reception.

A Whistle as Security Weapon

I wanted to finish this internet-day this evening, but suddenly found an incredibly article in Mail.ru. It's a little but very significant notice. I laugh else after I read it. So, decided to share it -to know if it's true too, because I have some friends-bloggers from Thailand.

Yes, it's about Thailand.

They say, the very popular beaches and places of interest in Thailand are dangerous for tourists, specially if they, tourists, are women, and more if they are women that travel alown. Not only because criminal situation in these places is not good, but all types of criminal organizations and their bosses like to relax there too. Mail.ru writes about too many tragic incidents with tourists in the last period (about a year).

After the next case on the island Phuket (Map from Wikipedia) when a Swede woman was killed, authorities decided to adopt resolute solution. Now every tourist-women visiting the Island Phuket will receive a whistle. The notice has to come from Thailand Tourist Ministry. I don't know to say you precisely when begins this security action. You have to inform before you leave.

Read what say about it
PK from Thailand: Phuket Advice in the comment to this post and here:

Hello! Not sure if the site could deliver message in russian. It's true about Sweden woman killed on beach recently. Anyway Phuket is one of the safest places on Earth because it's about 1 from a million chance to die there for tourist (4 deaths in this season: this poor woman + 3 men).

Thank you, Pavel for your collaboration!

«Ладно, Катюшка, согласен зонтик твой! Свисток хоть, подари! :-)))» на Яндекс.Фотках

New penality for smokers in Thailand

This map you can find here
I wrote about Thailand some days ago and here is
an other interesting notice from this country.

Specially interesting for smokers.
Don't smoke in bars, open markets and nights from 17 of February! It will cost you 68 dollars of penality. It will be valid for all closed places too.
This is the difference: befor smoking was forbidden in closed places where persons eat only. The health minister of Thailand said: it will be very healthy for all visitors of all these places and for those who works there.

This country is a very interesting for tourists from all the world in the last period but sometimes happen bad surprises to unprepared persons. There are notices that some tourists finished in a prison in Thailand. So be carful to respect new laws too.

The King of Thailand

I could never imagin the citizens of Thailand love their king sooo much.
These are notices about the events of december, when the king has his birthday.

First of all who is he?
King Bhumibol (Phumiphon) Adulyadej, Rama IX of the Chakri Dynasty, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America on 5 december 1927, is on the thron from 1946 and with 60 years of this work (in 2006) is the longest serving monarch in the world. In this period there were 21 prime-ministers and 15 constitutions in Thailand.
This year was his 80 birthday.
He has no constitutional power but is the most powerful person in the country.
His "names" are The Father of the Nation, The National Godhead, The Lord of the Lands, The Soul of the Nation, The Possessor of the Four and Twenty Golden Umbrellas.

In october the king was ill and passed 3 weeks in a hospital. When he went out he weared rose clothes because astrologists said to him this colour is the best for his health in this period. From that day there is a stock-jobbing in the country. Everybody wants to wear rose shirt.

From 2006s many persons wear yellow clothes mondays because the king's birthday was monday and yellow was his colour of that year.

The birthday of the king (December 5th) is national feast. On this days all shops, bars, places for entertainment and massage are clothed. Sex and alcohol are forbidden. There were many interesting manifestations like Festival of sand sculpturs and Pattaya International Balloon Fiesta 2007 where one of the presents for king was a fantastic Cake Balloon, Elephant balloon ecc.

Sources:
BBC News (photo)
http://www.soravij.com/rama9.html
Новости туризма
Pattaya International Balloon Fiesta 2007 (photo)

Tourism and 'hospitality': the little extras

How is this for an appetizing image? This delectable little morsel of spicy deep fried chicken, served with sweet Thai chilli sauce, was delivered to the door of our room (more like an apartment) at the sublime Aleenta by three of the resort's restaurant chefs. In full chef's kit, they brandished big trays of tiny shot glasses holding these tasty teasers. And with enormous smiles they handed me a couple of the aromatic tidbits with some crisp white napkins and silver cutlery. "A taster of our food in restaurant tonight," one chef smiled. What a an idea! Not only was this another display of that terrific hospitality the Thais are so famous for, but it whetted our appetite and give us a hint of what was to come that night. It also came at a perfect time - sunset - and made me immediately want to crack open a bottle of white.

The Welcome Drink

What's so special about the welcome drink? What does it really mean? I recently wrote about welcome drinks on Grantourismo: "Immediately after your arrival at a hotel in Thailand – after you’ve been greeted with a “sawadee-kaa” from all the hotel staff accompanied by the traditional ‘wai’ gesture (hands shaped as if ready for prayer) – you’re ushered to a comfy seat and offered an icy cold face towel, usually scented with aromatic lemongrass, along with a welcome drink. While the icy face towels are particularly welcomed in Thailand’s sultry heat, it’s the welcome drinks we really enjoyed. We love the variety, from the Four Season Koh Samui’s frothy pink cocktail of guava, mango juice and sparkling ginger ale, to the Muang Kulaypan’s whole coconut filled with fresh sweet coconut juice (pictured)..." So what is it really about welcome drinks that we love? Apart from how refreshing they might be? Do we really place that much importance on them? Would we really care if we weren't offered one? And what do they mean? They're a gesture of hospitality, it goes without saying. And hotels are in the business of 'tourism and hospitality' so it's a gesture we should expect. Then why are we so delighted to be handed a glass of water and damp face cloth? Is it because someone has shown us that they care? Some cultures place more emphasis on these gestures of goodwill than others. We've lived in the Middle East for ten years and everything that's said about Arab hospitality is true. You can't enter a carpet shop in Dubai, Cairo, Damascus, or Marrakesh without being offered tea. Water is brought automatically without asking. It goes without saying you can expect the same in most shops and businesses, in banks even, and, naturally, in people's (even stranger's) homes. Is it that in 'the West' we appreciate the hotel welcome drink so much more because these gestures of hospitality are missing from our everyday life?

Liquid Travels: coffee, tea or chai?

While I love lingering over some exotic local liquor at a rickety table on a sunny square somewhere, and taking 'home' those liquid travel memories to recollect later (note: they can especially come in handy on a wintery day in a dreary office when you're feeling a little down - so store them up!), I equally enjoy trying tea and coffee in other countries. Tea, generally being called chai or chay everywhere in the world except where I come from, is a favourite. While coffee can be terribly disappointing - especially when the 'premium' coffee on offer is Nescafe, as it is many simple coffee shops in South American and Middle Eastern countries - tea, at its worst, is at least interesting. This tea we tried at a small market in a tiny village near Phrao in Thailand's north was subtle in its sweetness and strength, and while it wasn't unique or unusual, it was, to me, just right - it was pretty close to being the perfect glass of tea. That's a flavour that I won't easily forget. And with that memory comes (like a series of email attachments) images of the table we sat at, the people we were with, the woman who served the tea who was lovely (albeit tired - she'd been up all night serving tea to late workers and early risers), the market stalls and their produce, the surrounding countryside (rice paddies), and the weather on that day (fortunately the rain held off until we were nearly 'home'. But the wonderful thing about liquid (and culinary) memories is the additional rememberance of 'taste'. Don't you think?

Travelling inspirations: liquid travels

Mojitos in Havana, Caiparinhas in Rio, Pisco in Chile, Arak in Beirut, Lychee Martinis in Thailand... I find memories of exotic cocktails and local liquors, generally sipped in equally exotic locations - an atmospheric fort in old Havana, a beachside cafe on Copacabana Beach, sunset over a dramatic Atacama desert landscape, a nightclub on New Years Eve in Jounieh, and a bar overlooking Burma (in that order) - to be almost as inspiring as foreign food experiences. Admittedly the liquid memories are more hazy. For obvious reasons. Are there 'booze blogs' out there that might inspire me to travel as much as those mouthwatering food blogs I wrote about, I wonder? We recently drank shots of sweet, strong Thai whiskey with a Shaman's father in a hill tribe village in Thailand (the Shaman was at work in the fields), and the warmth that dashed through my body, and the smile that darted to my lips, after a sip of the potent brew is something I won't forget easily. Do I long to return to the Shaman's hut to share some more shots? Probably not. But it's the opportunity to have similar kinds of heady experiences that inspires me to travel. What about you?

Nostalgic Journeys: part 1, the Travelling Lunchbox

There's something about a lunch box that's so endearing. As a child, I loved my lunch box and eagerly looked forward to discovering its contents each day - the greater the variety of edible goodies (a sandwich, fruit, a piece of cake, a 'Popper' - that's packaged juice Down Under) the more I relished 'little lunch' and 'big lunch'. Unlike my playmates who delighted in the days to come when our mothers got too busy to prepare our lunches and we could spend our cents at the tuck shop (a 'canteen' in Australia) on meat pies, sausage rolls, cream buns, chocolate eclairs, and Sunny Boys (I'll let you look that one up), I missed the lunch box days. As an adult I've enjoyed prepping for long journeys on the road, whether it was stashing away a bottle of Pisco and local snacks from the market for long South American bus rides as a backpacker, or more recently on road trips with my husband, making a thermos of tea in the morning and stocking up on muesli bars for the car. One of the things I most enjoyed about skiing (before my husband took up snowboarding and I dedicated myself to imbibing mulled wine by fireplaces in grand old European hotels) was prepping little bags of chocolates, nuts and dried fruit that we'd nibble on while savoring spectacular mountain vistas. And while I'm increasingly disappointed by airline food, I must admit I enjoy opening the little containers and checking everything out. So I was delighted to receive not one but two lunch boxes on our recent trek in Thailand, the first of which I showed you yesterday, and the second pictured today. While it seemed odd eating the contents of this one, cross-legged on the bamboo floor of a hut in a hill tribe village, with its white bread ham sandwich (with the crusts cut off!), chicken drumstick, fruit, and chocolate cake, for a few moments there it transported me back to my childhood and suburban Australia in the 70s. Who ever could have thought a lunch box could take me travelling?

Travelling Inspirations: food blogs, part 1

Food blogs inspire me to travel. Especially those by globetrotting foodies blogging about their eating experiences around the world, and expats who blog about their culinary discoveries in their adopted cities. As I’ve been blogging about our Thailand travels, it’s apt that I share some of my favourite Asian-focused blogs: Bangkok-born San Franciscan Pim blogs on Chez Pim about her global culinary adventures, reviewing everything from Asian street food to European Michelin star restaurants; she has scrumptious guides to eating in San Francisco, London, New York, Paris, and Spain, and her Bangkok guide includes blogs on my favorite Thai snacks, pork crackling and Kanom Krok. Singaporean ‘Chubby Hubby’ blogs equally deliciously about his gourmet globetrotting experiences with his wife, with mouth-watering photography; his recent blogs on Bhutan will have you adding that destination to your list. Asian-based blogs with food photography to make me hungry include the scrummy-looking Real Thai by Bangkok-based Austin Bush who blogs about his best eating experiences in Bangkok and other places; the appetizing Eating Asia by a Malaysian-based food writer-photographer team, which includes especially luscious photography; the ravenous-making Rambling Spoon by Karen Coates, an Asia-based correspondent for Gourmet magazine, who is ‘traveling the world by mouth’ (Karen also has a long list of food blogs I’m going to have to check out!); and Hanoi-based blog Sticky Rice about yummy eating experiences in Vietnam. Take a read and see if they don't make you want to buy a plane ticket somewhere. (This pic is mine, of our typically scrumptious, congee-like breakfasts while in Thailand.)

Travelling Inspirations: food

Food inspires me to travel. No doubt about it. Does it do that for you? Whether I’m flicking through a food and travel magazine, drooling over my husband’s food photography, or just taking a look at my own food snaps from our travels, mouthwatering images just make me want to go! Take this pic of Mieng Kham, a deliciously tangy Thai appetiser made with betel leaves, dried shrimps, limes, peanuts, palm sugar, coconut, and birds-eye chillies (hope I’ve got that right!). It’s not something you’ll typically see at your neighbourhood Thai restaurant in Dubai, London, Sydney, San Francisco, or wherever, as Betel leaves can be hard to find. Therefore it’s always the first dish we’ll order our first meal in Bangkok. It’s the dish we most reminisce about. It's the one we most look forward to. And it's the dish that inspires me to find an excuse to return to Thailand.