Thailand – Home & Abroad

Outdoor life in Krabi

Caroline — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 14:01:28 +0000

While Singapore was busy with the General Elections and taken in by the yearly haze period, we profited from the extraordinary holiday on Friday and went off for a weekend escape to Krabi. What started with the idea to spend a relaxing weekend at the beach, turned out to become quite active and sportive days, including a morning run, swimming, kayaking and a trek to the peak of Tab Kak Hang Nak Hill.

A perfect break from the every day work life and a great opportunity to – very literally – clear one’s mind.

It doesn’t seem like much, but the trek was actually quite steep and long…. and super rewarding!

Viewpoint 1

Peak with incredible 360 degree view

The short detour to the waterfall was definitely worth it.

Colours of Old Town Bangkok

Caroline — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 08:07:58 +0000

We spent this year’s long Easter weekend in Bangkok. Returning to a place I have been before always feels special; however Bangkok being so vast and diverse, I did not cover much of what I have previously seen and almost none of the usual tourist sites. We spent most of our time in Old Town Bangkok, not far from the river and wandering the lanes off from Samsen Road. It felt a bit like a trip back to old times and into a much more colourful world!

We took our time to join a cooking class, to wander the narrow streets and lanes, to roam local markets, to stop at street stalls and enjoy the little delights of Old Town Bangkok.

We also included a day trip to Kanchanaburi, a small and historic-rich town where we visited the famous bridge over the River Kwai, the impressive WWII cemetery and an excellent museum before we walked the short but beautiful heritage street, still intact with houses dating back more than 100 years and showcasing the diverse influences that the town witnessed over the past century (Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Japanese).

At the end of each day, delicious, fresh and spicy Thai food and replenishing Thai massages helped us gain back our much needed energy!

Street portraiture in Chiang Mai

Caroline — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 07:22:56 +0000

This second trip to Chiang Mai brought me close to the nature, architecture and people of Northern Thailand. The long weekend started off with the festive and special atmosphere of Loi Krathong, Chiang Mai’s yearly Lantern Festival. Watching thousands of candles floating on the river and lanterns in the sky creates a very picturesque ambiance (which I found however very difficult to capture on camera). Combined with a massage and delicious Thai food it was the perfect way to relax before the next day and the ups and downs of an exhausting but absolutely beautiful trek and bike tour in Chiang Dao.

Last but not least, I rounded off the weekend with a super interesting and funny one day photo workshop with A Day of Photography in Chiang Mai. The workshop focused on street portraiture and allowed me to get up close to the local people and their daily life and experience very precious moments with and without my camera.

Chiang Mai – to be continued….

Caroline — Mon, 05 May 2014 14:16:41 +0000

In January 2014, my parents were spending their holidays in Thailand and I seized the opportunity to not only see them again, but also visit a new place – Chiang Mai. Contrary to Bangkok, Chiang Mai was not love at first sight… but I got a first glimpse of the city and life in Northern Thailand and – as the trip was short – it will be continued later this year!

And who knows… sometimes it takes a second date to fall for someone’s charms :-).

Relaxing in Phuket

Caroline — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 02:42:12 +0000

In April 2013 we went for a weekend escape to Phuket. The weather was not perfect but the two days were very relaxing and our program did anyway not include much more than sampling good Thai food (and the one or other glass of wine) and enjoying Thai massages.

The date coincided with the Songkran festival, the New Year celebrated in Thailand. It happened thus that after January 1st and Chinese New Year in February, we were celebrating the start of a new year for the third time within 4 months :-).

In love … with Bangkok

Caroline — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 02:55:19 +0000

During my first weekend trip to Bangkok in March 2012, I spent a photo workshop cum sightseeing day with pro photographer Gavin Gough (www.gavingough.com) and fell in love…. with Bangkok and with a whole new experience of picture taking in manual mode.

You see some first results below.