three nights in bangkok | the world's your oyster . .

1. lost in translation

2. high tea : an afternoon at the oriental

3. leather shoes : custom made while you wait

4. fresh fruit at every turn : pomegranate juice

5. the view from the bath in our apartment

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bangkok was busy and bustling. an opportunity for the little people to get a taste of big city life.  they lapped it up. thrived on the constant buzz, after the tranquility of the first part of our holiday. we hopped on and off river ferries. explored up and down the chao phraya river. spent hours over breakfast. shopped up a storm. caught the skytrain. found some great markets to poke around. ate pad thai by the bucket load. escaped the heat and concrete by swimming in the pool. soaked in the tub. took in the view. got stuck in traffic. snacked on fresh fruit.
 found a whole new appreciation of how clean and quiet life is in the little corner of the world we call home.

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{... and that concludes my thai holiday slideshow. thanks for your patience while i recorded these memories!}

into laos | one day in vientiane . . .

1. a temple peephole 2. postcards from laos {still making their way home} 3. buddah at wat si saket 4. a leafy beer garden for a cold beer lao 5. patuxai gate 6. offerings 7. street view  8. the mighty mekong in the dry

i'm currently reading {and loving} the great railway bazaar by paul theroux. an account of his epic rail journey through asia in the early 1970s. it's giving me a hankering for a great rail journey of my own. one day. theroux travels to vientiane in laos and writes;

vientiane in exceptional, but inconvenient. the brothels are cleaner than the hotels, marijuana is cheaper than pipe tobacco and opium easier to find than an ice cold beer.

on our trip last month we dipped into laos briefly, spending a day in vientiane. it was just a couple of hours drive over the border from where we stayed in thailand. and while theroux's account of the city doesn't exactly reflect our experience, it was a place that thoroughly captivated us.

part of the fascination came from the a tumultuous history this landlocked country has experienced. kingdoms split and reunited, japanese occupation, french rule, independence, civil war, communism. poor old laos has seen it all.

we loved the laid back vibe of central vientiane. it was more tranquil and sleepy than any asian city i've ever visited. a backwater with a bit of a buzz about it. plus a few french influences. we checked out  some of the local attractions. poked around the markets and temples. but mostly it was a spot to just sit and people watch. eat some good food. take in a cold beer lao. get a cheap massage. wander.

one day in laos definitely wasn't enough. as we crossed back over the border and into thailand, the sun setting on the mekong, we agreed laos was a place we'd like to return to and spend a whole lot more time. one day.

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{i've only recently made the connection that paul theroux, the writer, is the father of loius theroux, who does the documentaries for the BBC. the work of both really appeals to me. you can check out the documentaries on abc iview if you are in australia.}

tales from thailand | village life . . .

our time in rural thailand was spent amid a string of dusty market towns. each village much like the next. largely untouched by westernisation. a labyrinth of narrow winding streets busy with small children and stray dogs. chickens scratching for food. babies being rocked to sleep in hammocks. monks on their daily alms rounds. men tending to their prized fighting cocks. lush vegetable plots in otherwise dry yards. busy bustling night markets, tables piled high with things of intrigue. ramshackle timber houses perched high on stilts. several generations living under one roof. weavers busy at their spinning wheels and wooden looms. routines rich in tradition. smiling faces in spite of the hardship. an unhurried pace. a simple life.

3+4+5 / 52 : a portrait project . . .

week 3 / 52

on a boat on a lake

covered in lotus flowers

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week 4 / 52

out and about 

in the family tuk tuk

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week 5 / 52

jurassic park meets

north-eastern thailand

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{a portrait of my people once a week, every week, in 2013 ~

  i'm joining with jodi and taking part in the 52 project}

where we stayed | an oasis in the dry . . .

we went in search of an authentic experience of thailand, and that was what we got. a taste of rural life in the isaan {north eastern} region of the country. an area virtually untouched by tourists. it was the height of the dry season and it had not rained since october. our villa sat as an oasis of luxury in a dry brittle landscape. 

for the first day or two we each struggled in our own way to adjust to the isolation. then slipped into an easy relaxed routine. delicious leisurely meals on the verandah. out and about exploring the local area. a massage on the pool deck. a trip to the local village in the tuk-tuk {our family wagon for the duration of the stay}. a swim in the pool. an afternoon nap or some thai cartoons. reading and resting. a whole lot of eating. 

our days centered around meal times. an endless stream of fresh local dishes delivered from the villa's open air kitchen. then magically cleared away and cleaned up afterwards. lively flavours enhanced by ingredients sourced from the property or purchased from the local markets. the food was an absolute highlight of the trip.

by the end of our stay there was a comfortable familiarity about the place and a real attachment the friendly people who took care of us. we could navigate our way around the network of dusty tracks connecting us to the local villages and communicate in a limited fashion with the smattering of thai we had picked up. it felt like a home away from home.

one day i'd like to return and experience it in the wet season. 

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{we stayed at gecko villa ~ located in the rural area south of the city of udon thani in thailand.
this post is not sponsored in any way, but i'm happy to recommend this place for a truly unique holiday experience.}

the girl with the golden hair . . .

she caused a stir everywhere we went.
the little girl with the blond hair, the fair skin and the blue eyes.
in the village near where we stayed, farang {foreigners} were a rare sight.
the locals took a particular liking to this one.

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hello | it's good to be home . . .

we're back. ten blissfully relaxing days in rural thailand. a taste of busy bustling bangkok. a midnight flight home with two small children. 

back to my own bed. it was a wonderful holiday, but i'm glad to be home again. 

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{expect lots of tales from thailand over the coming weeks.}