Another Beautiful Island

 Posted by  Southern Trip 2012  1 Response »
Feb 192012
 

We have a day of transition before our next island destination but this, too, will be spent mostly in a swimsuit. Heading North from Trang to Krabi, our first stop was a small restaurant serving local-style dim sum. However, seeing that a tour bus had just dropped off passengers there, we drove another block to a second place. It had less selection, but it was okay. Those less than impressed would not have to wait long for another bite: we soon would be stopping at the Kook Ming cake factory! Continue reading »

Idyllic Islands

 Posted by  Southern Thailand, Southern Trip 2010  Comments Off on Idyllic Islands
Feb 022010
 

Krabi (January 30, 2010)

While the Maritime is lovely, its breakfast buffet has little Thai flavor. Eggs, hot dogs (“sausages”), potatoes, waffles, and porridge are available for the international traveler seeking the comforts of home. The porridge with a few pork meatballs and a soft-boiled egg was about as exotic as I could get.

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Traveling to Southern Thailand with Kasma Loha-Unchit: What to Expect on Trip “So”

 Posted by  Southern Thailand  Comments Off on Traveling to Southern Thailand with Kasma Loha-Unchit: What to Expect on Trip “So”
Dec 112009
 

Every year, Kasma Loha-Unchit leads groups of her cooking students and other fans of Thai cuisine on trips to Southern Thailand. Highlights include hours of snorkeling on the extensive reefs in the Andaman Sea; relaxing on beautiful beaches; visiting a batik workshop; shopping in vast markets featuring fresh fruit, vegetables and prepared foods; swimming in jungle pools and hot springs; and eating lots of delicious Thai food. For a general overview of the experience of traveling with Kasma, see Visiting Thailand with Kasma Loha-Unchit.

What to Expect on the Southern Trip (Trip “So”, formerly called Trip “C”)

Kasma offers a 28-day Southern trip that covers the Andaman (West) coast of the peninsula and selected destinations on the Gulf (East) coast; in 2010, she offered a shorter 20-day trip focused on snorkeling the Andaman Sea; current and future itineraries may vary. Here are a few notes about these trips, based on having taken the longer trip in 2006 (and updated following the shorter trip in 2010).
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Idyllic Island Home

 Posted by  Southern Thailand, Southern Trip 2006  Comments Off on Idyllic Island Home
Feb 122006
 

Krabi (Saturday, February 11, 2006)

Based on the 2005 trip, I was totally unprepared for the huge crowds at our various destinations today. It started with the breakfast buffet, when I could not find an empty table, and all of the tables for our party were full. I joined Kasma briefly, because she had persuaded the kitchen to make an omelet of our left over kua kling beef from the night before. (A spicy beef dish that starts off seeming medium hot and very flavorful, and builds to hot hot hot.) After a mad dash of packing, we were into our vans and off to the pier to catch our longtail boat to our idyllic island home Koh Poda (gaw po-DA). We would go by way of some of the more popular spots in the area. Continue reading »

Koh Poda (Poda Island)

 Posted by  Southern Thailand, Southern Trip 2005  Comments Off on Koh Poda (Poda Island)
Jan 312005
 

Krabi (Saturday January 29, 2005)

After an all-too-brief night at the Maritime Park & Spa Resort, and a quick run through the buffet, we loaded our island essentials and headed for a pier to catch a longtail boat to our first destination, the beaches of Krabi’s Laem Phra Nang peninsula, which has no access by road. Continue reading »