Bangkok and Beyond
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My wife and kids recently had a long weekend. We took the opportunity to visit Khao Yai National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติเขาใหญ่). It was the first national park in Thailand and is just two hours away from where we live. The Khao Yai Visitor’s Center was probably the nicest national park visitor’s center we’ve been to so…
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The last stop on our 16 day family trip through Vietnam was Hồ Chí Minh City (a.k.a. Saigon, Sài Gòn). Our two main stops during our time in the area were: Even as residents of Bangkok, Hồ Chí Minh City felt very busy. The traffic was constant and dense. The traffic made getting around a…
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Our time in Hội An was a very chill time. Tailoring Our first evening in Hội An, after a quick stop at Bánh Mì Phượng for sandwiches, we went to find a tailor. It took us a few stops to find one with whom we felt comfortable. When we hired IZI, all we knew was…
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Leaving Huế we shifted gears from citadels and mausoleums to waterparks and fire breathing bridges. Mikazuki Water Park Our first day in Đà Nẵng we went to Mikazuki Water Park. The heated water in the indoor portion of the park was a nice change from the frigid temperatures of our hotel in Huế. Waterparks don’t…
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We spent a single night in Huế, but packed our time there. Day 1: Mausoleum Bicycle Tour Day 2: The Imperial City and a Scenic Train Ride We arrived in Huế on the train from Ninh Binh a little after 5:00 am (the train with better hours was already full). So we had plenty of…
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After our time in Hanoi, we spent two nights in Ninh Binh. While there we Chùa Bích Động Our host at Della Luna arranged bikes for us. Our first afternoon in Ninh Binh we biked from our lodgings to Chùa Bích Động. It was a fun mix of water, views, architecture, and cave. Hang Múa…
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The day after Christmas 2024, we flew to Hanoi to kick off our 16 days in Vietnam as a family. We spent three full days in Hanoi: Day 1: Day 2: Day 3: Day 1 Temple of Literature The Temple of Literature has a thousand year history as the center of higher education in Vietnam.…
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We swung by % Arabica in the Empire Tower to check out the coffee and the view. Neither disappointed. Our kids were glad for the croissant and (off-menu) babyccino options. Even the elevator was fancy. We also had a chance to swing by a market and try some fun snacks before my father-in-law left the…
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On our way back to Bangkok from Koh Chang, we spent two nights outside Pattaya visiting Nong Nooch, hanging out at a villa, and swung by the world’s largest 7 Eleven. Nong Nooch Nong Nooch bills itself as a botanical garden, but if you’re coming from the United States, that is going to give you…
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Before leaving Koh Chang we took some time to enjoy the pretty area surrounding our hotel (Marina Sands Resort). On the way back toward Bangkok from Koh Chang we stopped by Khai Noen Wong (ค่ายเนินวง) in Chanthaburi (จันทบุรี). It was fun to get out of the car and play around on the old fortifications.
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Our last full day on Koh Chang, we spent a day snorkeling around the smaller islands to the south with Sattra Tour (ศรัทธาทัวร์). We didn’t capture images of the fish this time, but you could read some prior posts to see some of what we saw under the water.
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Our first morning on Koh Chang (เกาะช้าง) we started with an early breakfast by the ocean before diving into our day. Our first day we packed pretty full. We went to Khlong Phlu Waterfall (น้ำตกคลองพลู), had lunch at Khao Kwan (ข้าวขวัญ), and wrapped up the day’s activities at Klong Son Elephant Camp (แคมป์ช้างคลองสน) (also called…