In November 2007, I stayed at the River Resort & Spa in Sakaeo. Located on the main highway about 3 KM east from the town center, this small hotel of 35 rooms is not a really resort per say but a small western style motel - rooms are large and comfortable with TV, A/C and hot and cold water. Facilities include a small restaurant, a petite freeform swimming pool and a small spa that features different massage treatments. I may be wrong, but I believe River Resort & Spa is probably the most modern and most westernized of all the hotels in this city. If you have a laptop computer, you can go into their restaurant and take advantage of their free Wifi signal. The staff was very friendly and accommodating despite their very limited facility with English, but it is understandable as their primary clientèle are Thai tourists from Bangkok. Khun Petsch, the affable young owner, is well versed in English however, having spent some time in USA (Oregon) as an exchange student.

During the 5 days that I stayed there, a wedding ceremony was staged outside in the pool area – the groom was a middle-aged limousine driver from England and the bride, a local gal from Sakaeo. Consequently, most of the hotel guests at the time - friends and relatives of the groom - were from the United Kingdom. One thing struck me as being very odd. Why did they name this hotel ‘the River Resort & Spa’ as there was no river within 15KM of the hotel? Wouldn’t it have been more appropriate if they named the hotel, No River Resort & Spa?

Located two doors down from Posada Tonala (the place where I stayed) on the main street in La Manzanilla is Jolanda’s. Specializing in European and Southeast Asian Cuisine, Jolanda’s is probably the most eclectic restaurant in town. Jolanda, the co-proprietor and her husband Leon have a most interesting story about how they ended up in La Manzanilla, but that is another story in its own right. Jolanda spent 9 months in Ao Nang, Thailand in 2001, and was trained in all styles of Thai cookery by a renowned gourmet chef who owns the Laughing Gecko Bungalows. Since the chef was shorthanded, he allowed Jolanda to work for him for 9 weeks.

Jolanda’s has legions of fans and is one of the most popular restaurants in town. As someone who loves spicy Thai cuisine, I decided to sample Jolanda’s her curried tofu dish on my first night in town. While the curry was fairly tasteful, I was a little disappointed that it did not have any vegetables, that usually accompany this type of dish. Upon Jolanda’s suggestion, I ordered a side dish of red cabbage. My 2nd time there, I had a tasty homemade tofu burger which was loaded with tomatoes, onions and lettuce. In addition, I had mustard soup, a traditional Dutch peasant dish. The soup was a little too rich in my opinion, but maybe that’s just the way it is supposed to be prepared. The menu is varied and there are lots of yummy non-vegetarian dishes to choose from. As far as the service goes, Leon is the headwaiter and he is very attentive to the needs of his customers.

Jolanda’s has a very quirky and artsy ambiance, exhibiting a variety of paintings, ceramics and indigenous arts and crafts from all Mexico. On Wednesday nights, they have a special Rice Table (Reservations only). During the season, the upstairs dining room is often jamming on Rice Table night.

My reviews of three of the restaurants that cater to gringos in La Manzanilla.…

#1 El Quetzal
This French owned restaurant specializes in crepes. On two separate occasions, I had dinner there and on both occasions I had a vegetarian crepe filled with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and peppers. It was very tasty with large, generous portions. A small salad and some French bread came with the entree. I think the cost was about 5.50USD. Service was fairly good. The owner plays a different style of music every night- one night is reggae, another night it might be classic jazz or blues. On my last night in town, I returned to El Quetzal with a Mexican friend of mine and I had two very powerful and delicious margaritas. Needless to say, I felt a bit happy, and slightly intoxicated afterwards. Definitely a good value for the money!

#2 El Girasol Cafe© and Bistro
A carefree outdoor café located directly across the street from the zocalo, El Girasol is a wonderful place for breakfast. Not a bad choice for dinner either! They make their own pastries and serve shade grown organic coffee. The fruit salad with or without yogurt and muesli was pretty good and contained a variety of fruits in season. Portion sizes were pretty generous and service was friendly. As a real bonus, the cafe had free Wifi on a secured digital network for patrons of the café. I had breakfast there 7 of the 9 days that I was there (on Sundays the café is closed) and had dinner there on two occasions - the first time, I had a wonderful Mediterranean-spinach salad with feta cheese and vinaigrette dressing along with a bowl of tortilla soup with avocados (completely vegetarian). I guess you could say that I liked El Girasol a lot! The fact that the owner of the cafe, Davison Collins, is a dedicated environmentalist and is active in conducting ecological tours of the nearby mangroves was another reason for me to patronize this cafe. It can get kind of noisy on Friday nights and on Saturdays, when the music concession on the zocalo is playing their Mexican hip-hop CD’s at a deafening volume! Ouch!

#3 Coco Loco
A beachside restaurant, Coco Loco was taken over recently by an English chap by the name of Jason, his Italian buddy and a well versed Mexican chef from San Miguel de Allende. At the time I visited Coco Loco, the new management team were busy giving Coco Loco a complete makeover. The new menu will emphasize gourmet pasta dishes and seafood. Upon some encouragement from Jason to give his restaurant a try, I went over to Coco Loco one night for dinner. I had a vegetarian Pasta Primavera - the cost was about $7.00USD. While the pasta dish was good and tastefully seasoned, the service could use some improvement.

Coming up is Dining around in La Manzanilla (Part 2) - A look at Jolanda’s

Most of the people who traveled on the 2 day slow boat journey to Luang Prabang did not have any advance reservations for accommodations - I guess you could say they were winging it. In other words, upon arrival they would hunt for suitable (and cheap) accommodations. Many of these travelers carried a guidebook or two to aid them in their search. This spontaneous travel planning is somewhat typical of “the backpacker type of traveler”.

On the other hand, I had booked my accommodations in advance for the duration of my 42-day adventure. In Luang Prabang, I had read a lot of good reports about Thong Bay Guesthouse. Acording to what I read, Thongbay Guesthouse was perched on a hillside above the Nam Khan River and located about 2 KM outside of town. Some of the thatched bungalows had views directly overlooking the river. If one wanted to go into town, the hotel rented bicycles at a nominal charge of $1.00USD per day. As I was looking for some accommodations in a quiet, peaceful setting where I could chill out, this sounded like the perfect fit for me. What was the damage? …. $20.00USD per day for a bungalow with a river view.

For most of my fellow travelers on the slow boat, $20USD would have represented a real splurge. I am guessing that most them stayed in guesthouses costing between $5-15USD and located for the most part in the town of Luang Prabang. There are over 125 guesthouses in Luang Prabang and most of them are in this price range.

I definitely did not regret my decision to splurge at Thongbay. Located amidst some lovely tropical gardens, this small family run resort was very serene and peaceful and I found the staff to be very pleasant and accommodating. My bungalow was absolutely delightful - simply but attractively furnished, my room was very large and comfortable with a huge ensuite bathroom. Going out on my large outdoor terrace, I had commanding views of the Nam Khan River. Every morning, I would have breakfast - fruit salad, a hard boiled egg or two, strong Laotian coffee and hot toasted croissants with jelly - served to me on my private terrace while I watched the local people tend to their hillside vegetable gardens on the other side of the river. After breakfast, I would typically do some work on my laptop computer or continue reading one of my vacation novels, Tyrannosaur Canyon or Broken Prey.

I found Thongbay Guesthouse to be one of the best and most relaxing places that I stayed at during my 42-day odyssey. Owned by an amiable Swiss gent and his Laotian wife, this small resort cum guesthouse of about 20 units is highly recommended.

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On my last trip to Thailand, I brought my laptop computer with me in order to make it easier to keep up to date on my business affairs and my blog. Looking for a reasonable place (preferably free) to utilize a Wi-fi connection in Bangkok and Chiang Mai took a little research but was worth the effort. In both these cities, there is Wi-fi available at any of the Starbuck outlets - albeit at a steep price of 200-300 baht per hour. I passed however, as I wasn’t about to pay stateside prices in Thailand.

In Bangkok, I was able to get free Wi-fi at one of my favorite restaurants, Tamarind Café - a very attractive gourmet vegetarian restaurant cum art gallery on Sukhumvit Soi 20 - primarily because I was a regular customer of theirs. On Sukhumvit Soi 22, I also remember passing by a coffee shop - can’t remember the name - that was offering free Wi-fi. When I return to Bangkok, I will have to go to this coffee shop as I usually stay nearby at President Park Hotel

While I was in Chiang Mai, I did a search online for Wi-fi and I was able to get a list of free Wi-fi in Chiang Mai on Stickman’s Website. On this list, I found an interestingly named place named Charcoa located near Taphae Gate in Old Town. So I hired a Tuk Tuk for 40 baht from Tawan Court to take me there sometime after breakfast on my first morning in Chiang Mai.

Well, Wi-fi wasn’t free - it was only 30 baht (about 90 cents) for the whole day but I really didn’t mind paying, as Charcoa was such a delightful place to be. Such ambiance - the décor inside this small café was exquisite and the place oozes with charm. Whoever was responsible for the architectural design and in the interior décor was a real artist and is to be commended for doing such an incredible job in such a small space. Not only that, while I only had breakfast and coffee there, the food was superb and very reasonably priced as well.

If you’re in Chiang Mai, stop by Charcoa for breakfast or lunch (with or without your laptop). It’s a wonderful little café. 4 Soi 1 , Sriphum Road in old town. Tel: 053-212681

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The only real bright moment of my brief excursion to Udon Thani was Good Everything, a small, very stylish café located across the street from popular Nong Prajak Park and Lake. Set amidst a tropical garden setting, one can tell that the proprietors of this small café have an artist’s sensibility. With flourishes of color, the café oozes with ambiance and the menu features some wonderful Asian fusion dishes. On a lazy Saturday morning, I had a very scrumptious breakfast on their outdoor patio - a fruit salad with yogurt, a mango smoothie and expresso coffee. The presentation was so impressive that I did not mind paying the somewhat elevated prices. Too bad, Everything Good did not feature some vegan dishes with tofu, otherwise I would have returned there in a heartbeat for dinner. Special kudos to the young lady, a transplanted Filipina, who showed me around the place - she spoke English very well. The owner, Ms. Naparat Tharananithikul, is a very gracious lady whose mother owns a small hotel in town. Gotta love those those Thai names - they are so loooooong. It’s a good thing that most of the ladies (and guys) have nicknames..

As much as I didn’t care for Udon Thani, I liken Good Everything to be an oasis in the middle of the desert.

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Good Everything Cafe - 43/2 Phoniyom Road, Udon Thani
Tel: 042-245544 Cell: 097122219

Nov. 11 - Every time I come to Bangkok, I make it point to check out some new places or tourist facilities. This time around, my associate, Fatcheek and I visited Phranakorn Nornlen, a small boutique-bed and breakfast hotel, located not far from Khao San Road, Bangkok’s famous backpacker tourist ghetto. This hotel is unlike any other Bangkok - with a cozy garden ambiance, the owners have tried to recreate the feeling of living in a small Thai village-family compound. There is eclectic artwork, paintings and drawings sprinkled throughout the property and every room has a small alfresco watercolor painting on the wall directly behind the bed. There is a special watercolor class offered several times a week, and all the profits from the class are donated to the Rabbit in the Moon Foundation, a local environmental organization. In addition, although they include breakfast featuring organic vegetables, fruits and juices, serve fair trade organic coffee and a variety of herbal and green teas, they do not offer any other meals. Instead they encourage their guests to patronize some of the local restaurants in the neighborhood. Furthermore, the hotel maintains a 100% nonsmoking environment. Wow - if there is one thing that Hanumann detests is cigarette smoke. I would really feel at home here.

Even though, this small boutique hotel of about 50 rooms has very limited facilities - rooms are without televisions but have a CD player on the wall, and there is no swimming pool or fitness center - this hotel is highly recommended as the owners are to be commended for their efforts in sustainable tourism and protecting the environment. Rates for double including breakfast are 2000 baht (approx $60USD)

Nov. 11- After visiting the Phranakorn-Nornlen Hotel, Fatcheek and I walked thru nearby Khao San Road searching for the whereabouts of a small restaurant by the name of Joy Luck Club, which is reputed to serve up some very delicious vegetarian Thai dishes. My friend, Fatcheek was getting very irritable, as she was so hungry she could eat a horse. After stopping at a local internet café to do a search for the exact location of the cafe, we hired a taxi to take us there. Located on the outer edges of Banglampu, the larger neighborhood of which Khao San Road is part of, this cozy eclectic café is named after famous novel of the same name by the acclaimed Chineses author, Amy Tan. The journey was well worth it - the food was delicious, as we had two main entries including vegetarian Pad Thai and Massaman curry with tofu and as well as a very tasty art deco Thai salad and fruit shakes.

Decorated with a variety of knick-knacks, masks, small animal figurines, ceramic and other artwork, the ambiance was one of kind. All told a very pleasant experience and a fitting end to a busy day in Bangkok. Total bill for 2 people was 26o baht (about $8.00USD). (Hanumann’s rating 8/10)

If you’d like to receive insightful commentary, salacious stories and riveting anecdotes about my 42 day odyssey to Thailand and Laos, you can subscribe to my RSS feed for Calypso Island Chronicles

As a health conscious vegetarian, sometimes it’s difficult finding a decent restaurant for dinner when I’m traveling abroad. In Costa Rica, one of my favorite destinations, I have seen a number of my preferred dining spots in San Jose ( the capital city) disappear over the years including the Macrobiotic Restaurant and Mordisco. In particular, the Macrobiotic restaurant, situated in an old colonial house in the downtown area, was one of the best gourmet vegetarian restaurants that I have ever been to. The food was very delicious, all the produce was organic and it was moderately priced. Too bad, they closed their doors sometime in the early 1990s.

On my last couple of visits to San Jose, Costa Rica, I sampled a number of Chinese restaurants; the food at best was mediocre. In general, the menu choices were limited to such mundane Chinese dishes like chop suey, chow mein, wonton soup, chicken fried rice and in general the entrees were overloaded with salt and oil. Totally Chinese greasy spoon! Well on my last trip to San Jose, in February 2005, I did a little research in advance on the Internet for vegetarian restaurants in San Jose. I believe it was on the Happy Cow website, that I discovered Tin Jo, a pan Asian restaurant in downtown San José that offered both vegan and vegetarian dishes on their very diverse menu which features dishes from China, Thailand, India, Japan and Indonesia. I believe one of the owners is a transplanted Thai lady.

On the three nights that I went for dinner in San Jose, I ended up at Tin Jo and on all three nights the place was packed with mix of Josefinas and gringos. Believe it or not, on two of the three nights, there was a waiting list for an available table. This popular restaurant is located in the middle of one of San José’s many red light districts; the neighborhood sort of reminded me of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. The restaurant, moderately large in size with separate smoking and nonsmoking sections, had a colorful, somewhat eclectic Asian ambiance with Chinese vases and various Buddha and dragon statutes scattered around the place. While definitely not quite gourmet, I found the food to be fairly tasty and healthfully prepared (and I definitely was able to get my tofu fix). Prices were moderate for the San Jose area and about 20-25% less than a comparable Asian restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. The fact that I ate at Tin Jo every night while in San José has to tell you something….Pura Vida!

Factoid - Josefinas is a colloquial term for residents of San Jose, Costa Rica

On my last trip to Costa Rica in Feb. 05, while doing research for my botanical tour programs, I visited the three most important botanical gardens in this small Central American Republic - Wilson Botanical Gardens, Lankester Gardens and Arenal Botanical Gardens. Each of these venues was quite different from each other in terms of design, location and focus. If you are botanical enthusiast, it wouldn’t hurt to visit all three venues. To follow is a brief description of all three…

Wilson Botanical Gardens

Located in southern Costa Rica near the Panamanian border at an elevation of 4500 feet above sea level, Wilson Botanical Gardens cover an area over 25 acres and were designed in part by the famous andscape designer and architect, Roberto-Burle Marx. The gardens are operated by the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS) as a center for research, scientific study and public education in tropical botany. The gardens are terraced to give it sort of a natural feel; plants of the same culture requirements are grouped together. Bromeliads, marantas, heliconias, gingers in particular are well represented here; and there are over 700 species of palms alone, the second largest collection worldwide. Easy to navigate walking trails circle the entire property which abuts a private biological reserve. Believe it or not, this is one of the most popular venues for the birdwatcher crowd. When I was there, a small group of real avid Birdwatchers from California and Massachusetts stayed at the lodge and were really stoked as they added many new bird species to their life history list. Nearby is the quaint little town of San Vito which was founded by Italian immigrants sometime after World War II; there are several great pasta and pizza ristorantes in the area.

Lankester Gardens

Located in the Central Plateau near the historic colonial city of Cartago, Lankester Gardens are operated by the University of Costa Rica. It’s an easy 1-hour drive from San Jose. For several years, this facility was poorly maintained, however when I visited the gardens in Feb 2005,the gardens were in good shape as the University spent some money on upgrading the facility. The gardens are located on a relatively flat terrain at an elevation of about 3,000 feet above sea level; while it does not have the raw and wild look of Arenal Gardens or the classical natural terraced landscaping of Wilson’s, it is still an absolutely delightful place to see and is especially popular with visiting Tico Families from San Jose. Featuring over 1,100 different species of orchids including the most important collection in the world of the minature Pleurothallids , Lankester is definitely the place to go if you’re an orchid enthusiast. Walking inside their Orchidarium, I saw many unusual and colorful species of cattleyas, ladyslippers (Phragmepidiums), moth orchids (Phaelonopsis) oncidiums, stanhopeas as well as the tiny looking ’ dwarf orchids”. I’m not really an orchid enthusiast per se, but I have to admit some of the exotic orchids on display in the Orchidarium were real knockouts. For your information, The National Orchid show, a special weekend festival in San Jose takes place every year in March.

Arenal Botanical Gardens and Serpentarium

Located about 3 1/2 hours northwest of San Jose, Arenal Botanical Gardens is situated on a sloped hillside directly across from Arenal Lake. These gardens are primarily a native species preservation project; it definitely has the wildest feel of the three described venues and features many native Costa Rican plants, trees and flowers in addition to a good selection of imported and introduced species. Overall, 2,200 species are represented here including an extraordinary collection of Cycads and ferns. The trails climb a relatively steep grade and circle the entire facility. There is also a small Serpentarium on site - if you’re interested in becoming familiar with some of the indigenous snakes of Costa Rica, this is definitely the place to visit. Boas, pythons and poisonous species are equally represented here

There lots of attractions in this region of Costa Rica, including the majestic Arenal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the world; in addition there are some small butterfly gardens in the area and several venues with thermal hot springs. Sportfishing and windsurfing are two of the most popular activities at Arenal Lake, a large manmade lake, located just east of the volcano.

In addition, if you’re staying in the San Jose Area, you must visit the lovely gardens at the Bougainvillea Hotel, located in the quiet San José suburb of Santo Domingo.

Calypso Island Tours is offering a unique escorted Botanical Tour to Costa Rica, November 22- December 3, 2006. Check it out!!!