Category Archives: Travel

The top end of West Virginia is about as far north as you can get and still be in the south.  You needn’t drive many miles to get from wooded, mountainous areas inhabited by tough mountain folk to genteel old towns of stone and brick buildings with iron lattice railings and faux wooden shutters. People […]

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I had some trouble getting into the United States last week.  One of the (many) problems I had was that I didn’t know the name of the city my accommodation was in.  I had the name of the inn, the state and the website, but the immigration officer at Dullas Airport wanted to know the […]

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This week we indulged in a quiet weekend at a charming resort in Jomtien, a beach town close to Bangkok.  You know the kind of weekend: eating and drinking punctuated by sitting on a colourful canvas chair on the beach, slathered in sunscreen, saying “Mai Ao” [“No, thank you very much! I don’t want a […]

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I love trains and train journeys.  There is something hypnotic about the rhythmic clack of the wheels on the tracks.  And who can resist waving at the people on trains as they pass? Kanchanaburi, about 3 hours west of Bangkok (on a good day), is home to what must be one of the most poignant […]

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During my early years in Thailand, I was invited to conduct some teacher-training in the southern province of Ranong.  This was pretty exciting for me as it was my first foray off the main tourist tracks and into the real Thailand. My hosts kindly took me on a tour of the area: beautiful coastline with mangrove reserves and […]

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