Travel photos and journals from across Asia [1997-2025]
Thailand travel
Ban Rai is a quaint little town in the hills in western Uthai Thani province and this was to be our next location. Named after the owner’s pet, the Owl Yard campsite was a pristinely kept spot, clearly aimed at Bangkok glampers with power sockets at each pitch, trolleys available to cart the gear from…
It was time to turn south, so we headed for Khlong Wang Chao National Park, an hour south of Tak. This quiet park had a picturesque camping spot right on the river, and being a weekday was very quiet. We also had the waterfall to ourselves (again) so I took advantage to get some shots. …
Mark and JJ wanted to head back south, but Pat decided to venture north a little more, so we headed to our sixth campsite at the Lang Sang National Park near Tak. This place was very quiet, and we had the waterfalls to ourselves. Managed to catch a glimpse of a snake catching a fish…
The five of us motored north to the Khlong Lan Waterfall National Park in Kamphaeng Phet province. I have tended to avoid national parks in Thailand over the years due to the dual pricing principle, but when camping in them, it can often work out cheaper even with the ‘farang tax’ since they charge a…
A tricky offroad drive was in store today as we ventured further into the wilderness, heading to the peak of Khao Tevada in Phu Toei National Park. The tiny remote hill village consisted of a few ramshackle sheds and a handful of campsites. We picked one near the start of the climb, where the friendly…
Camping season had arrived, that small window of great weather in Thailand when it isn’t hotter than the surface of Mercury or wetter than the Amazon rainforest, and overnight temperatures are conducive to sleeping in a tent, especially up north! We decided to take advantage of it before smog season kicked in with a two-week…
We opted for some luxury after a week in a tent and stayed in a decent hotel on the lakefront. Phayao has a very laid-back feel to it and a marvelous lakeside boulevard with seating, flowerbeds, and plenty of shade trees. By late afternoon the locals gathered there to flirt, fish, or exercise and we…
From here it was a drive west out of Nan province and into Phayao province to the picturesque Phu Langka viewpoint. This is another spot that has become wildly popular with Thai weekend warriors and hi-sos so there was a lot of pricey accommodation up on the mountain. The reason for the popularity is the…
The ‘Pua Nam Sai’ campsite on the Pua River is also a very popular weekend spot, but as has been the norm for this trip, we were the only couple there during the week. The owner was nice enough to keep the kitchen open so we had enough to eat for the two-night stay. Additionally,…
This was when the trip started to get interesting with a drive on the now famous 1081 mountain road to Sapun, a quaint mountain town also growing in popularity after featuring on Thai TV and social media. The road, which was pristine and would have been awesome on a motorcycle, had several designated areas for…
We only had one night at the ‘Rai Pah Suk’ campsite due to the lack of food and power (we’d assumed there would be something going on at this otherwise popular spot) and drove down to visit the Sao Din Na Noi paleolithic rock formations the next morning. After a night near Wiang Sa at…
After a few perfectly relaxing days (aside from the all-morning roosters) we drove north again to Phrae for a hotel stay, a decent shower, some laundry, and to restock on camping supplies. Most Thai provincial towns are homogenous, once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all, and Phrae was no different. By 8pm everything was…
The following day we drove to Chainat to visit family but ended up staying across the river in Uthai Thani province. Both areas are very rural with very little to see or do but we did visit the most blinged-up temple I have ever seen – Wat Tha Sung, otherwise known as the ‘Crystal Sanctuary’….
The climate in Thailand has become progressively worse in recent years with hotter, longer dry seasons and wetter drawn-out rainy seasons often lasting months on end, not to mention the new smog season when air pollution is hazardous across most of the country from February to May. For that reason, we decided on a road…
The New Year camping session was the perfect escape for a few days. No phone signal or WiFi which meant no Covid news or conversation which was pure bliss after having it rammed down our throats for the past two years. Unfortunately, Thailand’s draconian lockdown measures did not seem to have any end in sight…