Krabi & Phuket town

Flaming wok, Krabi night market

Tuesday 25 February: The small town of Krabi is one of my favourite destinations in Thailand. It's away from the tourist hoards, the food is fantastic, boat trips to spectacular beaches and islands are easily organised, and, well, I just like the place. The seafood at Tuk Tuk Kitchen in Krabi's cool riverside night market is both spectacularly prepared and delicious.
Thursday 27: Once again I take the enjoyable four island boat trip, my last chance to soak up the sun before heading to much cooler climes.
Sunday 1st March: I take a look at the town's temple then a tuk-tuk trip to the local fossilised beach.
Monday 3: Onto Phuket town where the food is again the main draw card.
Tuesday 4: Downtown Khao Keang, near the local bus stands, is the best restaurant for local seafood fare while Markinny Mate is great for western fare from an Ozzy trained chef who has set himself up here. Fantastic value.
Slideshow of Krabi & Phuket town.
Slideshow of in and around Krabi from December 2013.
Slideshow of Phuket town and Krabi from February 2012.

Thailand: Nakhon Si Thammarat

Wat Phra Mahathat's main stupa

Monday 24 February: Back in Thailand, once again, I head south for some beach time but en-route I stop off at the historic town of Nakhon Si Thammarat in the rarely visited southeastern province of the same name. The main draw here is, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wat Phra Mahathat. With a multitude of stupa the main central one is topped by a golden spire, impressive.
Slideshow of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Cambodia: Siem Reap

Sublime Khmer temple, Angkor Wat

Friday 31 January: My visa run, this time, is to Cambodia and to one of my favourite locations in all the world, Siem Reap, the dormitory town for Angkor Wat. I'll relax here in the Mandalay Inn for a few days before visiting the sites.
Wednesday 5 February: For three days I cycle around the outer sites stopping at Bayon and Angkor Wat.
Saturday 8: Today Angkor National Museum is a delight. Not much to see but many displays and information.
Wednesday 12: This morning I visit the interior of Angkor Wat with it's fabulous reliefs, statues and vistas and in the afternoon Bayon with it's giant Buddha faces. Early evening there are dusk views of Angkor Wat across the lily pond, sublime.
Slideshow of Angkor Wat area this time.
Slideshow of in and around Siem Reap in March 2012 and more slideshows from July 2010:
Siem Reap
Angkor's Grand Tour
Angkor's Petit Tour
Angkor Thom
Bayon
Angkor Wat
Banteay Srei and beyond

Kanchanaburi

Kwai River bridge, Kanchanaburi

Saturday 25 January: I've been here before but this time I want to use Kanchanaburi, the site of the famous Kwai Bridge, to visit places nearby.
Tuesday 28: Today I take the bus northwards to visit Hellfire Pass where, during World War II, gangs of allied prisoners were forced to excavate a pass for the infamous 'Death Railway' which was used to resupply Japanese troops in their bid to overrun British forces in Burma and India. It's an atmospheric experience.
Thursday 30: Train back to Bangkok.
Saturday 15 February: Returning to Kanchanaburi and this time there's space at the comfortable Chitanun Guesthouse.
Wednesday 19: The rarely visited war cemetery out of town at Chong Kai, so I hire a bicycle and pedal out there. Sad and atmospheric.
Slideshow in and around Kanchanaburi.

Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom

Erewan shrine in the city centre

Tuesday 14 January: I've returned to Bangkok primarily to get an Indian visa but I'm disappointed to learn that it will take six working days, so I'm here for a week or so.
Wednesday 15: It's a whopping 4,485 Bhat (£85) for the visa plus 250 Bhat for photos and photocopying, ouch.
Saturday 18: I move from Penpark Place to my hotel of choice in Bangkok, the bright and breezy, Bella Bella Riverview.
Sunday 19: I fill some of my time shopping for bug spray, toothpaste, soap and silk boxer shorts which at 90 Bhat are great value.
Tuesday 21: To escape the hustle-bustle of the city I take a day-trip to Nakhon Pathom an hour and a half by train from Bangkok's little Thon Buri station, just over the river from my hotel. The tallest Buddhist monument in the world, Wat Phra Pathom's great golden stupa is a delight to behold.
Friday 24: Finally I pick up my visa and am glad to leave the political turmoil of the city for Hua Lamphong station and destinations new.
Slideshow of Bangkok.
Slideshow of Nakhon Pathom. 

Thailand: Prachup Khiri Khan

Temple topped Mirror Mountain

Friday 10 January: After a couple of days in Hua Hin I head to the Yuttichai Hotel in the laid-back hill-top temple resort of Prachup Khiri Khan (PKK).
Saturday 11: To intensify the flavour the previous nights catch of Cotton Fish dry in the sun ready to be served-up in Ma Prow's in the evening, delicious.
Monday 13: Sleeper to Bangkok.
Slideshow of Prachup Khiri Khan.

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur

Colonial architecture KL style

Monday 9 November 2013: Following a short stay in Phuket, with my laptop (sort of) repaired, I take a bus to the busy border town of Hat Yai and overnight at Cathay Guesthouse, a backpacker favourite, to arrange onward transport to Malaysia.
Thursday 12: My comfortable sleeper train arrives in Kuala Lumpur where it's great to meet up with Damian, another one of my old muckers from Portsmouth university, and his wife Julie. I'm astonished to discover that they live, together with their pouch Harry, in a rather bizarrely misplaced five-bedroom English Edwardian-style townhouse with private gardens and pool - we are in Southeast Asia!.
Friday 13: Shopping with Julie I buy a reconditioned laptop and in the evening we all hit the nearby Brussels Beer Cafe, another bizarre but enjoyable experience. Usually I try to experience tastes and culture unique to the country I'm in, so this is quite different.
Saturday 14: Wine and oysters for lunch at the M&S style local supermarket and in the evening Damian prepares a barbecue on the terrace just before the skies open, yes it's still rainy season here.
Sunday 15: An Indian Kingfisher beer with Damian and Harry in their local Bulldog Bar, one of the few bars that allow dogs access. Muslim sensibilities treat pigs and dogs as unclean.
Thursday 19: I've agreed to look after Harry over the holiday period while Damian & Julie are back in blighty - it will give me a chance to rest and recuperate and also improve Harry's lot rather than him being incarcerated at the airport kennels.
Thursday 26: Once again I embark on my annual 10-day detox diet. I have the use of a large modern kitchen so this is the ideal place and time to do it.
Sunday 29: The reconditioned laptop I bought is so slow that, even though it won't be covered in my pre-arranged travel insurance, I treat myself to a brand new top of the range Acer Aspire laptop. I then spend the following week or so transferring files and customising it to my preferred format.
Sunday 5 January 2014: Damian returns bearing gifts. Oops, I'd forgotten all about Christmas - it all seems so overly commercial and far away - not really my cup of tea anymore.
Monday 6: Sleeper over the border to Cathay Guesthouse in Hat Yai.
Tuesday 7: Sleeper north to Hui Hin on Thailand's Gulf coast.
Slideshow of Kuala Lumpur.

Thailand: Krabi

Krabi's mangrove and Karst estuary

Tuesday 19 November 2013: Following a surprisingly comfortable Qatar Air flight via Doha I stay in Bangkok's Penpark Place just long enough to visit my dentist (a filling and teeth polished for 1,700 Bhat, about £30) and have several Thai traditional massages to soothe those aching muscles (200 Bhat an hour, about £4). It's good to be back in Asia even if it is pouring down, I've just caught the end of the rainy season.
Friday 22: My laptop packs-up on arrival so I get it repaired but the keyboard still won't work without a mouse, bloody annoying.
Saturday 23: From Bangkok's Hua Lumpong station I board my sleeper train berth to Surat Thani - I'm on my way to Krabi.
Sunday 24: I wake for breakfast to find that we are still north of Chumphon. The track further south is under six feet of water but the sun is shining and the water levels are dropping. Pessimistic taxi drivers tell us that the railway embankment is washed away and the bus routes are also flooded, would we like to take a taxi to Surat Thani by back roads? Most decide to wait at Chumphon station as the train may 'leave soon'. As darkness falls I book into Chumphon's Suriwong Hotel and call it a day.
Monday 25: The morning train delivers me to Surat Thani's Phun Phun station and the orange railway shuttle bus takes me to into town for the the 'big' bus to Krabi. It's been a long two days, my laptop's packed up again and my blog is so out of date.
Tuesday 26: A long-tail boat down Krabi (pronounced Rabbee) estuary to Railey beach is expensive (300 Bhat, about £6, return) but the trip and beach are great.
Friday 29: I take a pick-up to Than Bok National Park. I've been here before and the waterfalls are fairy-tale fantastic.
Saturday 30: Wat Kaew in Krabi town centre is also a delight with golden dragons guarding the stairway up to the elegant grey hill-top temple.
Monday 2 December: I'm staying in Green Tea Guesthouse, an all time favourite, where the owner (who I'm uncomfortable calling 'Mama' - she's younger than I am) books a super-value (400 Bhat) four-island boat trip, including lunch, for me. The 'Karst' limestone scenery, warm emerald-green waters, soft sand and lovely Muslim women dishing-up snacks from their floating kitchens make it a great day out.
Tuesday 3: Today I take a pick-up to the mountain-top Tiger Cave Temple where I climb the 1,237 steps to the summit. On a clear day the views would be stunning, it's misty. Krabi's night market is renowned for it's good value food and flaming woks churn out delicious meals to order. The big Chang beer is keenly priced too and I eat here every night. I'll have to head to Phuket tomorrow to try and get my laptop repaired, I really need to get this blog up-to-date.
Slideshow of Krabi.