After a wonderful week in Pai, I knew the time had come to head south and spend some time on the islands in the Gulf of Thailand. The decision of which islands in particular was a frustrating 2-day process where I weighed pros and cons as well as the affordability of plane, train and bus tickets. Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi on the west coast came highly recommended, but I really had a good vibe about Koh Tao and wanted to check that out. So, that finally decided I …

Not a lot happened in Pai, which was just the way I wanted it! While in Chiang Mai, Laura and I decided to go north to Pai and chill for a while. We were both Activitied Out, and just wanted somewhere to sit, have some drinks, read a few books. Just be calm and enjoy the moment. Lonely Planet mistakenly calls this town the Khao San Road of the north, and while I can see what they were trying to convey, they fail miserably. Yes, it’s overrun with tourists (both …

I have been admonished for being so far behind in my writing; So much has happened over the last few weeks that Ive wanted time to chill and absorb everything, think about what I wanted to write.
Chiang Mai was fantastic. I really liked it; it’s so much more approachable than Bangkok which is completely in-your-face. I stayed five nights at the Libra Guesthouse in the Old City (the construction I mentioned earlier ended up not being an issue), which worked out perfectly. It was a 10 minute walk to the …

Thailand is everything I thought it would be: hot, humid, insane traffic, friendly people, amazing temples, scam artists, tiny streets, unfamiliar tastes and smells, long train rides, cheap food, hard beds, unbelievable sunsets, and best of all: an adventure every day.
I arrived in Bangkok, a little shell-shocked, five days ago following an 11 hour flight from Auckland. I stayed at Shanti Lodge Guesthouse in Thewet, and I highly recommend it.
After a somewhat ambitious walk to Khao San Road and back, I crashed hard and woke 12 hours later on my …

Sorry for leaving you all on such a down note, the last few weeks have FLOWN by and I am now in Thailand. A quick recap:
My friend Amy flew over from Australia (where she was visiting from the US) and came with me up to the Northland. We went to Whangarei and Tutukaka (on The Perfect Day boat trip to the Poor Knights Islands — fantastic!) and Paihia (where I took the highly recommended AwesomeNZ Cape Reinga day trip) together before going separate ways.
Whangarei & Poor Knights Islands day trip
Paihia …