Hello, again, Blogonauts! So on Saturday morning, February 8, I flew north from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Surprisingly, flying around southeast Asia can be relatively cheap. This flight, purchased 2 days before take-off, cost less than $50.00.) Chiang Mai's basic lay out is strikingly similar to Mandalay's: A square moat surrounds the ancient, equally square old city. The ancient metropolis here, however, remains a vibrant district of temples, businesse...

Hello again, Blogonauts! Bangkok seems like a high-capacity sponge that has thirstily absorbed multiple splashes from the West, large spills from the rest of Asia, and kettle-fulls of its own Thai heritage. And within this sponge, each element changes the others and is similarly changed in return. So we'll start with that Thai heritage. Wat Phra Kaeo, which includes the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the adjoining Grand Palace were fully open to the public o...

Hello again, Blogonauts! When I'm on my own, I often simply follow my nose more than a set itinerary. Sometimes that means walking toward a curious scent, other times my nose turns toward an intriguing trinket or a mysterious marvel, and still other times I simply find myself somewhere I didn't expect. Bangkok offered all these opportunities and more. I returned to Bangkok for a lengthier stay very late on February 4, two days following their highly disputed el...

Hello again, Blogonauts! Lumbering about the world, for me at least, means the precise opposite of slumbering about the world. Between the challenge of sleeping on an airplane, jet-lag, and downright giddiness at travel, I and the sandman are suddenly barely speaking. But nonetheless, "s'wonderful" lumbering off again, even without the an initial "S" ... or coveted "Z's." But on to matters now underfoot: Asia feels closer than it is. Sarah Palin notoriously t...