Shortly after midnight, I will be embarking on My Annual Odyssey to Southeast Asia. My itinerary, November 18 - December 30, includes three countries – Thailand (29 nights), Singapore (3 nights) and Malaysia (10 nights). During my grueling 42 nights on the road, I will have a whopping 15 changes of hotels. Now if you do the math, the average stay at each locale is slightly less than 3 nights.

I’m sure you have heard of the famous traveler’s adage - “If it’s Monday, it must be Paris; if it’s Tuesday, it must be Rome.” Well, I will be doing the Southeast Asian version – For me, it is “ If it’s Monday, it must be NAN (Northern Thailand); if it’s Tuesday, it must be Taiping (Northwestern Malaysia).

The maximum time that I’m staying at any one place is 5 consecutive nights - in both Bangkok and Koh Lipe. I know I will get very travel weary during this marathon trip (Been there, done that), but I’m hoping that I’ll be able to recharge my battery (so to speak) towards the tail end of my trip when I land in Koh Lipe, an offbeat island resort in Southern Thailand.

Everybody asks me “Are you excited about the trip?” My reply is not really! As a veteran traveler, while I’m really looking forward to getting “out of dodge “, I can’t say that I get really excited. I just try to concentrate on the day to day things - the trip takes care of itself!

Most people don’t understand that this is not an extended pleasure vacation but more properly a working vacation - and I do work! In addition to furthering my destination knowledge and checking out new places, I gather lots of material for my travel blog as well as take many photographs for future travel slideshows/videos.

Sorry to belabor the point - This is work, my friends. I’m not saying, I don’t have fun! I DO!!! But at the same time, I have specific professional objectives that I am trying to fulfill.

One thing for sure, it sure beats the hell of being stuck in the USA this time of year!

Everybody in Bangkok has been raving about PRIMO POSTO, the new Italian restaurant-café located in the Thai countryside, so this past weekend my friend and I decided to check out what all the buzz was about. Located near Khao Yai National Park about 160KM from Bangkok, by car, it’s a leisurely two-hour drive to Primo Posto. See map below

Believe it or not, all the hype is well deserved - the architecture and landscaping was absolutely breathtaking. Painted in many brilliant colors, the Italian style building houses a coffee shop, restaurant, ice cream parlor, gift shop and an upstairs art gallery. Chatting briefly with the owner, he said “the design is from my experience and strong inspiration from traveling through Tuscany and Florence in Italy.” In the backyard, wooden benches and tables were set up under the shade of the building not far from the green fields of the wine vineyard. Covered with brown trees and dry vegetation - showing signs of the approaching summer - the mountains loomed in the background forming the perfect backdrop for this new Italian country café. Primo Posto exudes such a wonderful ambiance that even though I have never been in ITALY before, It felt like I had been transported somewhere in the Italian countryside. It took me a minute or so to realize that I was still in Thailand.

For the time being, the coffee shop and restaurant is only open Friday-Sunday and public holidays. When I was there, I observed that there were many hipsters visiting Primo Posto. It seems most of them stayed just long enough to take a couple of pictures before moving on. Prices for coffee and coffee drinks are similar to Starbucks in Bangkok, and the restaurant fare is somewhat pricey for most Thai people but would be considered affordable to the oversea tourist crowd (farangs).

To discourage the casual Thai tourist who stops there only to take couple of pictures without buying anything, the owner has instituted a 55 baht entrance fee which can be exchanged for one scoop of ice cream or applied to any coffee drink or item on the menu.

For more pictures of Primo Posto, see my photo album.

One of the most incredible views in Thailand is at Phu Lang Ka, a small lodge in the mountains of Phayao Province in Northern Thailand. Located about 33KM east of Chiang Kham, Phu Lang Ka is situated on a ridge about 850 meters (2800 feet) above sea level and overlooks a broad valley by the same name. During the early morning hours, a thick mist often blankets the valley; eerily protruding through the mist are a couple of limestone outcrops. The mood changes as the mist dissipates by late morning revealing the green valley – largely cultivated for agriculture - below. Just beyond the valley to the east is the San Pan Nam Mountain Range, beyond that Laos. On most mornings , you’ll be able to witness some dramatic and colorful sunrises. During the evening hours, looking across the valley in the darkness, you will see the twinkling of lights emanating from the small houses in the village below.

There is something very mystical and spiritual about Phu Lang Ka; it’s such a peaceful and serene setting, a perfect place to relax and meditate. I had the opportunity to stay at Phu Lang Ka this past November - to me it was such a welcome change of pace from the madness and hustle bustle of Bangkok. While I was there, a group of students from the nearby University at Phayao arrived on the weekend, occupying a house just down the road from the lodge. With their sound system blaring into the wee hours of the morning, I felt that the peace and quiet of Phu Lang Ka was violated. Upon waking shortly before sunrise, I walked down to the house and motioned with my hands for them to turn the music volume lower. I think they got the message as they pulled the plug!

Owned by a very prominent Yao family, Phu Lang Ka has 10 very small and simple bungalows available. Constructed mostly of bamboo and tin, most of the bungalows have a small outdoor sitting area which looks directly onto the valley. The place is very popular with Thai people (especially the university crowd) on weekends during the dry season. Cost is 500 Baht per night. Meals are at additional expense - very cheap though.

The owners - Kevan and his wife Nong (and his two daughters) - are very warm and hospitable people. Kevan is a very important person in YAO society - he currently is the President of the Yao people of Thailand and oversees a community school for Hmong and Yao children at the nearby village of Pong. Despite his prominence, Kevan remains a very humble man.

LOCATION - Located about 700Km from Bangkok, Nan is one of the most remote provinces in Northern Thailand. By bus, it takes 9 hours from Bangkok and 5 hours from Chiang Mai. The best way to get there is to fly on PB Air (there is service 4 times per week). The one-hour flight costs approximately 100USD

GUESTHOUSES - Many of the Europeans and American Tourists (as well as the backpacker crowd) stay at any number of guesthouses in the area. I booked in advance at SP Guesthouse, one of the newer Guesthouses in town. Located just ½ block from the main drag and about 300 meters from the Dhevaraj Hotel, my room was large and clean and came with a portable fan, mini fridge and small TV. Cost of the room was 400 baht (about $11.50USD) No complaints here! At the time I was there, (late November 2008), they were in the process of adding additional rooms. Yai, the manager at SP was quite a character. Of Indian extraction and a Hindi, Yai (in Thai, Yai means big) is originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She relocated to Nan, Thailand sometime ago after meeting her husband there.

COFFEE SHOPS – Coffee shops (and cafés) are a popular gathering/meeting place for tourists. Nan is no exception - although there were no Starbucks in Nan (thank G_d), I counted three coffee shops. One is a small outdoors affair located next to the tourist center and across the street from the museum; the largest one is in the downtown area not far from the Dhevaraj Hotel, however the one I liked the best was around the corner from the bus terminal. Popular with the tourists and the young hip University crowd alike, the café (cannot remember the name) had a very warm and colorful décor. Owned by a young Thai couple, the guy was a bicycle enthusiast who also owned a large motorcoach which he used for transporting tour groups – mostly Thai Nationals and Chinese – from Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

THAI HIBACHI FACTORY - Most of the tours will take you to the kiln factory. Located on the outskirts of town, this is where they make portable Thai style hibachis - it is very labour intensive process as it takes about 1 month before the product is finished and ready to be sold. A lot of Thai people in the area use these portable stoves, as it is a very inexpensive alternative to a regular gas or electric stove.

MLABRI VILLAGE - A visit to a Mlabri village is one of the featured attractions of many of the day tours. The Mlabri, primitive hunters-gatherers, are mountain people - from what I have seen they are perhaps the poorest ethnic group in Thailand. The adults for the most part do not speak Thai, but the Thai government is making an effort to integrate the children into the modern world and Thai society. Mlabri children go to school with children from other hilltribe groups in the area, learning Thai language and ways of the west. I had the opportunity to meet the Mlabri chief of the village. A rather fit fellow – lean and mean - he was wearing just a simple loincloth to cover his genitals and nothing else. However, this is the traditional apparel of Mlabri men; in addition, men are encouraged to take more than one wife in Mlabri society. Before leaving the village, I made a donation of about 100 baht to the community.

I really enjoyed myself in NAN, a relatively small and obscure city in Northern Thailand that few travelers have heard of. All my touring was taken care of by Fhu Travel, the most experienced tour operator in the city. Because of the scarcity of tourists in the area, I was the only participant on my two all-day excursions. Fhu Travel assigned a dedicated tour guide and driver to handle all the touring arrangements for me. Over the course of the next two days, I spent most of my time with these two gentleman who were born and raised in the area and had an opportunity to learn more about their lives. Nong, the tour guide, was a rather husky young fellow of about 25 years old who had fairly good command of the English language. Before working as a tour guide, he labored in the rice fields. He was married but his wife (and his young daughter) lived in Chiang Mai - about 5 hours away by car - where she worked as a teacher. Chaat, the driver, was a fellow in his late 30’s; like Nong, he was also married but his wife lived with him in Nan. While I was with them, both Nong and Chaat were always smiling and laughing as we often chatted about TIGERS (Thai girls).

When they talked among themselves, they spoke in their native Lanna which is somewhat different than Thai, the predominant language in Thailand. Lanna is considerably more nasal than Thai and some of the words are completely different. During my two days of touring, I sort of developed a friendship with these two gentlemen and I really enjoyed their company during the short time that we were together. When Nong talked to me, he always addressed me as Sir – I guess out of habit and respect - and I always retorted that I didn’t like to be called Sir, and pleaded with him to call me by my first name or any one of the many pet names I go by.

When we talked about TIGERS (Thai girls), both guys would become very animated, especially Chaat. Smiling and laughing, Chaat would say, “THAIgers very dangerous, eat money.” I guess this was a pet expression of his as whenever we passed by a young and attractive Thai girl, he would repeat his mantra with a big silly grin on his face “Thaigers very dangerous, eat money.” We all laughed and chuckled. Agreeing with Chaat, “I added Thaigers are very dangerous, but Farang gals more dangerous (and more expensive) yet.”

At the end of the 2nd day of touring, I told Nong and Chaat, since it was my last night in Nan before moving onto Phu Lang Ka, that I would take them out for a drink at the Dhevaraj, the most prestigious hotel in the town. Chaat was especially excited about meeting Nancy, the young and attractive female singer who was performing at the hotel’s nightclub. Later that night both gentlemen showed up at my guesthouse on their motorbikes and we proceeded to the Dhevaraj. On the way, Nong confided to me that neither himself nor Chaat - both men had been born and raised in Nan - had ever been to the Dhevaraj nightclub before, let alone inside the hotel. When I asked why, Nong replied, “We have never been there before Hanu, because we are not of the higher class.” He was alluding to the primarily Chinese Thai patrons of the Dhevaraj who were from Chiang Mai and Bangkok. “Nonsense I said, you’re the equal to any of these people, don’t put yourself down.” I guess my words, made them feel less self-conscious about themselves as we went inside the lounge, shared two large Changs (Thai beers) as we proceeded to enjoy the Thai cabaret show that featured Nancy and a number of other singers.

From this experience, I guess you could say I learned something about class-consciousness among Thai people. Anyhow next time I go to NAN, I will look up Nong and Chaat again and take them out for another round of drinks at the Dhevaraj. Hopefully, Nancy (and some other ThAIgers) will be there to join us!

By all means, check out my initial report on Nan!

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Nan, a small, relatively obscure city located in the northeastern half of Thailand’s Golden Triangle. Lying in a valley surrounded by mountains, not too many travelers know about Nan as it is still off the beaten track. The rather long Nan River, which cuts through the valley as flows from the north to the south, is the city’s eastern perimeter. Further east is the country of Laos.

After a one-hour flight to Nan from Bangkok on PB Air, a regional carrier which services some of the smaller cities in Northern Thailand, I had chance to do a walking tour of town. A rather pleasant and quaint city with tree lined streets and rural country roads, Nan brought back memories of Turlock, a small sleepy river town located in California’s San Joaquin Valley that I last visited as a child in late 1950’s. Strange but true! According to the owner of the guesthouse where I stayed, there are about 50,000 people who live in the city of Nan. Although there are a couple of coffee shops - albeit no Starbucks – which cater to the tourist crowds, Nan seems to be relatively untainted by the excesses of Western Culture – there’s no McDonalds, KFC or the aforementioned Starbucks.

Nan has just handful of hotels and a somewhat greater number of guesthouses. The largest and most prestigious hotel (also the oldest) is the Dhevaraj Hotel. Located in the heart of the downtown area, the Dhevaraj is very popular with Thai tourists from Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Nightlife is very limited, although when I was there, the Dhevaraj had some live entertainment nightly. Nancy, a rather attractive 23-year-old lady who had recently graduated from a nearby University, was one of the featured female entertainers. Although she was also employed as a nurse in a local hospital, she moonlighted as a singer at the hotel. In addition to singing some of the more popular Thai love songs, Nancy also belted a pretty good version of San Francisco (Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair). For some reason, this song is very popular in Thailand!

Of course, like most cities in Thailand, Nan has its fare share of Buddhist temples (Wats) and shrines. There is also a fairly interesting regional museum located in Nan; unfortunately due to time constraints I didn’t have a chance to visit it. On my first day in town, I walked into Fhu Travel, the most reputable (and oldest) tour operator in the city and got set up with two all day excursions. Tour #1 was sort of a countryside nature tour by minibus which featured the bizarre Sao Din’s Earth pillars and some other scenic vistas. I had seen the earth pillars at Lalu in Sakaeo Province the year before so I wasn’t totally awestruck – in fact the earth pillars at Lalu were more impressive than the ones at Sao Din. At the end of tour, I had Nong (my tour guide extraordinaire) and Chaat (the driver), take me to the lookout point at Wat Prathat Chae Haeng, a venerable Buddhist Temple located on the outskirts of the city. Situated on a steep hill, the views of the city and the surrounding valley from this old temple are magnificent.

By car, Nan is about 4½ hours from Chiang Mai and about 8 hours from Bangkok. The most practical way to get there is to fly from Bangkok on PB Air like I did (1 hour flight), then take the bus or drive to Chiang Mai, with stops at the village of Phu Lang Ka and the city of Phayao. Plan to spend a minimum of week in the area!

I have just published on YOUTUBE my long awaited, critically acclaimed slideshow video on MALAYSIA. This is my 12th travel production that I have put up online and I really believe that Malaysia Farewell ranks as one of my best efforts to date. It is simple and straightforward - the pictures and the music carry the story as there is minimum text. Unlike my prior shows on YouTube*, this will be first one in High Definition. Selamat Datang!

I guess you’re probably wondering who has reviewed Malaysia Farewell – besides Jerry, an old family friend and yours truly, no one else – let it be known though that I am my own harshest critic. My rating for this home production using ProShow Gold V4.0 is 8.5 on a scale of 1-10. I really don’t want to toot my horn anymore, but you must view this latest effort - it is that good!

The video is based on my inaugural 13-day journey to MALAYSIA in November/December 2008 and is intended to be an introduction to this very tropical and exotic destination located just south of Thailand. Highlights include Kuala Lumpur, the cosmopolitan Capital; Melaka (Mallaca), the historic colonial city with a mixed pedigree of Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese Heritages located just 2 hours south of KL; Cameron Highlands, a popular hill resort about 1 mile above sea level with sprawling tea plantations covering the hillsides and a popular locale for jungle hikes; last but not least, the final segment features Langkawi, probably the most popular beach resort in Malaysia and a decent dive destination as well.

Just a couple of notes (and anecdotes) before you view the show. The footage on Kuala Lumpur is very scanty as I was there for only a brief 2 nights/1 day, just long enough to pack and unpack. The section on Melaka is the biggest chunk of the show as there are tremendous photographic opportunities in this UNESCO World Heritage Site including China Town, the colorful night bazaar, old forts and a hybrid culture and architecture that is reflective of Melaka’s colonial past (both Dutch and Portuguese). In Melaka, there is definitely a clash between the Old vs New (and East Vs West) as evidenced by the proliferation of modern shopping centers, new condominium complexes and luxury resorts in addition to manifestations of Western Culture - KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, McDonalds and the like. Finally in Cameron Highlands, where I stayed for 5 days/4 nights, I have omitted gruesome images of THE WOUND, an injury I suffered on the top of my left hand while hiking through the jungle in search of the legendary Jim Thompson.

*Also see Streets of Bangkok

As usual, I have one cameo appearance in the show and there is one rather comical moment! ENJOY!

It’s been a rocky start for CALYPSO ISLAND CHRONICLES in 2009. While I was on my 30-day odyssey to Thailand and Malaysia not too long ago, I discovered that Calypso Island Chronicles (and our associated website) had been hijacked by some nasty malware. This hijacking caused traffic numbers to our blog to drop significantly as many of our readers/visitors were unable to access our site and read our new material. Needless to say, this act of cybervandalism caused me a lot of aggravation and grief. Because of the hijacking, I decided to temporarily halt the blogging effort as of January 1st until the culprit was eradicated.

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief as it has been a couple of days that my webmaster – a young English bloke by the name of Paul who lives in the popular mountain resort of Pai in Northern Thailand - discovered a way to extricate the culprit (bug) from the site and banish it into the nether reaches of cyberspace. The details of this hijacking and how you can protect your website from being vandalized by this insidious type of malware will be treated in a subsequent blogpost. Now that CALYPSO ISLAND CHRONICLES has been debugged, we will commence our blogging effort on a variety of travel topics and issues. In particular, in the next couple of months we will feature many stories, anecdotes and memories from our recent excursion to THAILAND AND MALAYSIA. For a sneak preview of upcoming stories in CALYPSO ISLAND CHRONICLES, read on…

• A day at the Beauty Salon – how I was worked over by four ladies at my favorite beauty salon in Bangkok
• Excursion to the Moslem village of Nong Chok – interesting visit to a small rural Moslem community located just 70KM outside of Bangkok
• More Snippets from Bangkok – anecdotes, tips and random observations while stationed in Thailand’s fascinating capital city
• An eerie rendezvous with Mother Teresa, Ho Chi Minh and Mao Tse Tung – a visit to the Hall of Fame, the fascinating Wax museum at the Siam Cultural Center in Ratchaburi Province



• The Starbucks Index - the cultural impact of STARBUCKS in Thailand and Malaysia
• A pleasant Saturday excursion to the 100 Year Market – colorful outdoor Thai market, a popular weekend outing for Bangkokians
• THAIger very dangerous, eat money – a rollicking adventure in NAN in Northern Thailand featuring my amiable tour guides, Nong and Chaat
• Highlights of Nan – featuring the earth dunes of Sao Din, the Thai Hibachi factory and a visit to a Mlabri village, the most primitive and poorest hilltribe people in Thailand



• The Terracotta Lady – profile of the wonderful lady who owns Mae Pundin Guesthouse, an eclectic hostelry near Chiang Mai which features ceramic making and Thai Cooking classes
• The Plant Man – Profile of one of Thailand’s premier horticulturalists and owner of Udom Gardens and Nursery in Ratchaburi Province
• The View – commentary on the heavenly views at Phu Lang Ka, Phayao Province in Northern Thailand. Out of this world!
• Passport of Pan Hu and the Yao People – While I was Phu Lang Ka, I had the opportunity to learn about the origins and history of the Yao people



• Special Memorial Tribute to Princess Galyani by the Hmong and Yao people of Phu Lang Ka – One of the most heartwarming experiences that I have ever had as a traveler
• The ruination of MELAKA – how modern development threatens to destroy the old world colonial charm of this popular tourist town in Malaysia
• Snippets from Chiang Mai – includes a stroll through the famous night Bazaar, outrageous T-Shirts, a weird experience at Whole Earth Restaurant and more!
• Snippets from Cameron Highlands – random observations and tips about this popular hill resort in Malaysia including recommended places for dining



• Lulu, the best masseuse this side of Beijing – profile of a very talented lady in Cameron Highlands. I miss her magic touch
• The search for the legendary Jim Thompson - highlights of a most memorable all day tour in Cameron Highlands featuring a muddy 3 hour hike through the rainforest to the world’s largest flower
• Snippets from LANGKAWI – random observations and travel commentary on Malaysia’s most popular beach resort.
• Dine around Plan in Langkawi – A review of my favorite places for dining in this popular Malaysian beach resort
Sphere: Related Content

I admit to being a Chinese food enthusiast; although I’m a vegetarian, most Chinese restaurants can accommodate me by substituting soy bean curd (tofu) for meat/chicken/seafood. One of my favorite dishes – I usually order it with all my meals - is hot and sour soup, a staple in Chinese cuisine. I have had this particular soup at Chinese restaurants not only in my home town of San Francisco but all around the world, in places as far away as Accra, Ghana and Quito, Ecuador. The common denominator is that the soup is relatively spicy and has a certain thickness or consistency.

Believe it or not, the worst hot and sour soup that I have ever had was at Kim Liam Kee, a rather, large establishment located on Petaling Street in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s famous Chinatown. I ate at this establishment on Nov. 27 of this year - it was my first night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city and after a strenuous day of travel, I really wanted a proper vegetarian meal. My hotel was an easy 5-minute walk to Chinatown and my decision to patronize this particular restaurant was primarily because of their rather large and very prominent signage.

I ordered two dishes at Kim Lian Kee – a vegetarian claypot dish with rice and a small hot and sour soup to the accompaniment of a Royal Stout. While the claypot dish was satisfactory, the soup was very watery and had hardly any taste – it was so bad, I thought I would let the management know about it. Now I’m a person who is not afraid to voice his opinions to the restaurant management if the service or the food is bad.

Expressing my dissatisfaction vociferously with the manager over the bland tasting soup, I opened up ‘a rather large can of worms’. Later on, I asked the manager to reprimand the young waitress for her very flippant comment when I requested the bill. After hearing my complaint, he smiled and replied “I am sorry sir, none of these girls have any training; they are hired off the street.” After hearing that, it was very difficult for me to refrain from laughing out loud!

In retrospect, I really thought the whole incident was quite amusing as I relished playing the role of the incensed tourist-customer. Bottom line - I would never, ever go back to this restaurant and recommend that my fellow travelers do not patronize this establishment as well. For a detailed account of my rather dismal experience at Kim Lian Kee, I have filed a report on TripAdvisor

On my 2nd night (and final night in Kuala Lumpur), I went to Fatt Yan, a small vegetarian Chinese restaurant that received very favorable reviews in Happy Cow. The price was right at 18.50RM ($5.25USD) and my two entrees were very tasty – one of which was a vegetarian hot and sour soup. Take that Kim Lian Kee!

Today’s technologically savvy traveler carries a lot of electronic gear and gadgets when taking a trip. I guess you can definitely include ‘yours truly’ in that category, but when I compare myself to some real hardcore ‘technogeeky’ travelers, I see myself as somewhat of a lightweight. To give you an idea - on my next trip to Thailand and Malaysia this coming November, I’ve made a list of all the various gizmos and electronic gear that I will be lugging around with me.

+USA Cell phone + charger
+Thai Cell phone + charger
+Laptop + Security cable lock
+Portable mouse
+USB Flashdrives (2)
+iPod 20GB
+Portable Sound system
+iPod shuffle
+Cameras (2)
-Olympus C8080 8MP 5X Zoom with extra wide-angle lens
-Olympus 570UZ 10MP 20X Zoom
+Camera Media cards
+Battery chargers (2)
+Portable lightweight Tripod
+Mini tripod

As you can see from this list it does not include the latest technotoys or devices such as a Blackberry, a Twitterberry (or any kind of berries), an iPhone or a palm pilot. I feel a little bit deprived!

I always carry my music with me when I travel - that is very important. The 20GB iPOD will never leave my hotel room as it is integral part of my portable stereo system, while iPod shuffle is as small as a matchbook; when I work out in the gym or exercise, I clip it on my T-shirt. Gotta have my music! You may wonder as to why I lug around two cameras with me. Well, you know the old expression – two cameras are better than one. Actually two medium point and shoot digital cameras are a lot less to carry around than a SLR camera kit with all the various lens and accessories.

How many gadgets and electronic devices do you take on your travels?
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