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Southeast Asia
  • Caroline Edwards
  • Donny Foy
  • Caroline Edwards
  • Donny Foy

Southeast Asia

Lush landscapes, warm sparkling waters, and some of the best food on the 🌎. Oh, and the usual madness. Leer más
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  • Inicio del viaje
    8 de diciembre de 2022
    Southeast Asia

    16 hours in Bangkok

    9 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Just enough time for some delicious food (Pak Wan, I ❤️ you), a good night’s sleep and a short boat ride on the river before we head to our home away from home near Hua Hin for a blessed month!

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  • Southeast Asia
    Pork belly with Chinese broccoli @ Ken's Kitchen
    Seabass in Ken's Special SaucePalm Hills Golf CourseRed curry with sweet basil & auberginePork fried rice & Chicken with basil & chiliesAll the meat at the store is in self-serve open bins 😳Donny loves to boogie!

    Hua Hin

    14 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    We are now on day four in Hua Hin. Nice place on the coast of the gulf of Thailand, about 2 1/2 hours by car south of Bangkok. It’s the town where the Thai Monarchy would spend their summers (or winters).
    Food so far has been absolutely delicious. It’s one of the few ethnic foods that I would be happy to just eat greens. Cooked in garlic, ginger, chili and whatever else they cook them in. Delicious. Rented a scooter for $4 per day. It’s great but Google maps here…not so great. Spent some time driving to dead ends.
    Our friend Mick Valentine paid us a visit for a couple of nights. Good times.
    Played golf today. Caroline kicked my ass again. Course was lovely, greens were fair and the mandatory female caddies were fun and competent.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    Prefunc cocktails @ Indigo Bar
    Dinosaur Market (not a single dinosaur for sale... 🤨)1Clockwise from 6p: some kind of potato, green papaya slices, and...wait, what's that in the back? 😳Didn't get a chance to try these little meringue stuffed beauties but we'll be back!Bitter melon in the basketSuffice it to say, meat refrigeration is not a concern here.Snake fruit. Super pokey but once the barbs are removed, totally looks like snake skin.Fried chive pancakes w/ (L) chives mixed in & crispier 😋; (R) chives sandwiched between the dough.The local rum-like liquor which pretty much tastes like moonshine 🤯Issan (NE Thai) version of papaya salad with forest snails, which are super tough & chewy. 🤢Our guide, CreamHot pot!

    Hua Hin Market & Food Tour

    15 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Another great food tour organized by the princess. Taxi into and a cocktail beforehand and off we go. Only four of us on the tour plus the guide. The Dinosaur street market to start…there we tried all kinds of local dishes and I have to say I was full before we got out of there. Everything was so good and there were definitely some interesting sights at the market. (See captions by Caroline.)
    This was followed by a bumpy journey which helped move the spicy food around. A restaurant this time where we had more delicious food. I’m now up to my gills.
    Back to the bumpy transportation. Sitting above the rear axle is always fun. And yes, another restaurant. (Did we tell you that the food is really inexpensive here). Here we sampled more dishes. I could barely do it. But we persevered.
    The final was desert from a street vendor, where I abstained and Caroline wished she had!
    Then we went for a final final, and a taxi ride home from there. A good time was had by all. We think. The other two guys might’ve had their personalities surgically removed. 😶

    Full rundown of all the food sampled:

    Dinosaur market:
    * Fish curry over fermented rice noodles with add-your-own shredded veggies
    * Northern Thai: larb w/ szechuan pepper; steamed green chilies; jackfruit salad; ground pork & tomato dip, with chicharrones & sticky rice (this is where Donny overdid it)
    * Fried sweet potato balls (turtle eggs) (chewy on inside)
    * Fried chive pancake
    * Sausages with lime-pickled ginger & Thai chile
    * Thai “rum”, w/ green mango dipped in chile salt

    Restaurant 1: Krua Chadakaew Hua Hin
    * Seafood medley (spicy) with aubergine and peppercorns (Donny’s fave)
    * Prawns in sour curry with seaweed omelette
    * Fried rice with shrimp paste & salad
    * Fried larb with blue sticky rice & chile oil
    * Kao Soi: Best noodle soup in the world - chicken, egg noodles, coconut milk, yellow Indian curry (Caroline’s favorite)

    Restaurant 2:
    * Green papaya salad with forest snails
    * Fried fish
    * Fried pork neck bites
    * Hot pot with chicken, prawns, & veggies

    Street vendor:
    * Weird chewy fruit with sugar syrup, coconut milk, & shaved ice    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Going in!

    17 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Yesterday Caroline woke up with a bit of a head cold. And I woke up early. Those of you who know me, know that sitting around is not my thing. (CE edit: THAT’S an understatement!)

    Hopped on the scooter and went out the backside of the compound to get gas. Strangest thing. There’s a full on Muslim community there. What’s more is that I have not seen any of these people around the town. Must find out more.

    Rode the scooter into town for the first time. About 8km. A little intimidating. But once I got the hang of it, no problem hanging out with the masses. It was actually fulfilling to be right in there with the culture. Big smile. 😁    Leer más

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    Chilling

    17 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    Not sure if I mentioned previously that we have a condo here for about five weeks. Kind of feels like a home away from home. Settled in now and living the dream. Golf clubhouse is but 2km away. We overlook the 14th green. We have been playing golf every second or third day.
    The course is in wonderful shape and greens are running at 9.7 on the stimpmeter. So they are FAST. But here’s the best part. Caddies are mandatory and are paid for with the green fee. 350baht or $10. Caddies are always ladies. It’s kind of like a golf tax. One that we will gladly pay.
    One of the ladies has been working as a caddie for 20 years. They have all been quite good at reading putts. If only I could follow directions.

    Stay tuned. Tonight is date night in Hua Hin.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    Mai Tai with your own bottle of juice/syrup to adjust flavor to your liking ❤️Looking north to Hua HinRice crackers with seafood curry sauce 😋

    Date night

    20 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    Date night start it off without a hitch. The Uber service here is called Grab. It’s extremely efficient and inexpensive. I took the Princess to Holiday inn. Romantic? It is in fact the tallest building in the area with a rooftop bar that provides gorgeous sunsets over the mountains.
    We had a few cocktails and watched the sun go down. It was lovely. Then proceeded to our next destination, called Korean Conner. I think they meant corner… I missed the part in the details that said the place is closed on Tuesdays. Crap!
    We found another Korean restaurant nearby and rescued the night. Hooray    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    Golfing on Christmas Day. What a treat!
    My prince on his trusty steed 🥰Gorgeous bright pink water lilies all over the courseChristmas pork chops, mashed sweet potatoes, and sautéed 'shrooms

    The good life, Christmas edition

    25 de diciembre de 2022, Tailandia ⋅ 🌙 73 °F

    Sorry! It’s been a few days. Well shoot, it’s Christmas. We picked up a local expat publication which had two pages on where expats should go for Christmas Dinner.
    One of the top rated ones was an Irish bar called Father Ted’s, (If you have never watched the series by the same name, go to YouTube, it’s brilliant.) so Caroline and I went down to sample their food. Just okay and hard to get the servers’ attention for refills.
    Christmas day we golfed and cooked at home. It was wonderful.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    Boat noodle broth lesson with Gigee ❤️
    Herb/aromatic sachet for boat noodles. Coriander stems and roots are widely used in Thai cuisine. 👏Our driver & tour guide, Tawi, explaining the significance of this protective statue.Donny on his VespaFun little alley from the beach with jellyfish lanterns in the treesSuch a treat to have this sunset as we finished golf.Donny kept betting my caddie Nam 100THB that he'd beat me. 😝Pim, Donny, Caroline, Nam, Jack, & Li. Nam cried which made me & Donny cry. 🥺 So sweet.The engines sounded a little rattle-y at idle but she got us to Chiang Mai! 🙏

    Goodbye, Hua Hin

    6 de enero de 2023, Tailandia ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    After having a wonderful time in Hua Hin, it’s off to the next destination: Chiang Mai.
    Hua Hin is a town that has a lot to offer. Great golf, wonderful restaurants and beautiful beaches.
    We were fortunate to be invited to cook Thai food at Gegee’s restaurant (Avatar Garden) yesterday. Beef broth for boat noodles, Panang curry (red Thai curry) and Tom Yam. It was all absolutely delicious and really very simple. Like all the best food is.
    We said goodbye to our golf caddies—Nam & Pim. There were actual tears involved- so sweet. And said goodbye to Tawi our driver who was so kind and helpful.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    Super cute cup carrier!Awesome lake just 20min car ride from the city. Great way to while away an afternoon w/ tasty food!The one where I learned spelunking is not my thing

    Chiang Mai

    17 de enero de 2023, Tailandia ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    We got in on Jan 6th. Had only heard good things and we were not let down. We stayed in a small boutique hotel called Elliebum which is located in the heart of old town. Our host was wonderful as were all of her staff. We kept quite busy during our stay. Market and history tour, trips to temples, day markets, night markets, discovering Khao Soi, trip to the movies, relaxing afternoon on a lake, Muay Thai (kick boxing) event, day long cooking class (Caroline will write about it), lots of playing pool and beer and more caves. (This one with a 7' live snake included for free).
    We also got three extra nights because we didn't do the research on getting visas for Vietnam. Hooray. None of us were really upset about that.
    Also got to meet my cousin’s son, David who is teaching English in CM. It also appears that he is an accomplished Muay Thai fighter. Impressive.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    World's smallest wine gonlet on flight from Chiang Mai to Saigon 😂

    Saigon

    18 de enero de 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    It is amazing to wake up in a city of just under 10 million and listen to the sounds of roosters screeching. It may be a little heart warming to know that urban civilization has not completely given up on its roots. Just below the sounds of the roosters is the beeping of 10 million scooters. I firmly believe that every single inhabitant of this city rides one all day, every day. It’s nuts.
    We embarked on foot our first day to see some of the sites. Not for the faint hearted. Crossing streets that don't have traffic lights is a calculated endeavor.
    Jack found a hole-in-the-wall bánh mi place which was totally worth the death-defying street crossings. It was gooood. We then continued to march along, getting a little lost. Saw guys fishing for turtles out of the river with a net. And the city gearing up for a serious New Year celebration. It was wonderful. We had northern style Pho for lunch. Yummy.
    We closed out our day at a lovely third floor cocktail bar where we ran into an Australian couple and their two 9 & 11 year old kids who happen to be traveling the world for a year. I commend their adventure!    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Slow train to Da Nang

    22 de enero de 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    Took the slow train from Saigon to Da Nang. 18 hours in a four bunk box with Caroline and Jack. Its the lunar new year in the region so all the fancy trains were booked out way in advance. We were rewarded with Vietnam railways. Hooray.
    So picture a toilet half full of water in a moving train? It was scary. One had to think and move on their feet. I held back for four hours and dramatically reduced my beer intake on that dang train, just because of the toilets. We all survived and ran to the loo at the train station in Da Nang. The End.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Hoi An

    23 de enero de 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    So after our exciting overnight train ride to Da Nang, we got to our Airbnb. Two Bedroom on the 31st Floor. It had quite a lovely view of the beach and the East Vietnam Sea. It's a short stay so our first full day we went for a lovely long walk along the beach. The next full day we were to go to Hoi An. Well, we woke up to what can only be described as a soft day. Pissing rain in other words.
    Our plan to rent scooters and scoot down to Hoi An went out the window. Ended up watching TV and braving it to Korean BBQ in a downpour. Sometimes its just good to chill.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Hanoi

    25 de enero de 2023, Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    What to say? Over 9 million people and 6.5 million scooters. A little different than Saigon. It feels older and more compact, at least the Old Quarter. Couldn't say that the people were nicer in either as there were no bad experiences. Our highlights were seeing Hanoi Hilton, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and generally avoiding making eye contact with the scooter drivers so they have no choice but to avoid you. Oh! and we took a trip to the outskirts of Hanoi to a knife making class. Something different and fun.Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Angkor Cambodia

    8 de febrero de 2023, Camboya ⋅ 🌙 81 °F

    Ah Cambodia! A great escape from the madness that is Vietnam. Found a lovely self catering spot near the center Siem Reap (Siam Defeated) in the center of Cambodia. This is the home to Angkor and its Wat's which are a bunch of temple's built around the 9th to 13th Century. At the same time it is said to have been the largest city in the world with an estimated population of over one million inhabitants. And then in or around 1431 someone turned the lights off and the whole place went dark of humanity. No one know why. It was rediscovered in 1840 by a French Naturalist Henri Mouhot. Its a fascinating place. I have put some links below.

    For those who have not heard of the US bombing of Cambodia only to open the door to Pol Pot it is a very sad history for these lovely people. Pots theory was to bring its people back to the year zero. So when he was ousted in 1979 the country was in ruin. 45 doctors left living in the country. No Currency and few international supporters.

    Sorry it isn't supposed to be a history lesson but it is valuable to understand what this great civilization was subjected too. Everyone that we met there had a smile for us.

    https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/angkor-wat.ht…

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siem_Reap

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodian_genocide    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Bangkok Sightseeing

    17 de febrero de 2023, Tailandia ⋅ ☁️ 88 °F

    Got to Bangkok without a plan except for the hotel and how long we confirmed to stay. One week. We stayed just off of Sukhumvit Road. This area gives great access to the transit system and spectacular people watching.
    We took a few boat trips on the Chao Phraya River. Went to a polo match way out of town at VS Sports Club & Siam Polo Park. Which was wonderful and all the people there were so nice. Did a tuktuk food tour with a chef & archaeologist—delicious foods but 🥵 strolling markets tucked into tiny alleys. We also took in an afternoon of horse racing at The Royal Bangkok Sports Club. Another fun afternoon. For those who like big cities, this one is hard to beat.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia

    Hua Hin (Golfing Mecca)

    8 de abril de 2023, Tailandia ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    We went dark for a while on posting. Sorry. Taxi from Bangkok to Hua Hin and back to the same condo in the Palm Hill's Golf community. Since arriving in February we joined the Hua Hin Phoenix Golf Society. What a great group and so much fun to be around. We have been playing golf with these guys two to three time a week.
    Less than two weeks left here in Thailand. Then we head south. Leaving here will be bitter sweet. We have made friend and will miss the comradery. The show must go on. There is a big world out there and here we come. Stay tuned.

    Check this golf course out https://www.blackmountainhuahin.com/    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    11

    Kuala Lumpur

    26 de abril de 2023, Malasia ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

    After a lovely send off in Hua Hin and Bangkok we flew to KL. Caroline found us a lovely hotel “The Majestic”which was two metro stations from Chinatown and five stations from Petronas towers.
    I had not heard about Merdeka 118 but looking out the window of the hotel one couldn’t help but ask. How tall is that building that commands the skyline?

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merdeka_118

    The food was first class. The butterfly exhibition was well worth the visit, as was the bird park. Within walking distance of each other.

    Next stop Bali…    Leer más

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    15 guinea hens patrolled the grounds at the resort - they're hilarious!

    10 days in Bali

    30 de abril de 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Stress-free flight to Denpasar. We went for a quieter location to stay given that if we wanted to participate in the madness that is Bali we can get a taxi, which we did once or twice. We stayed in a quiet area called Nusa Dua. Nice place for someone like me who likes his walks.
    We golfed at a lovely 18 hole par three course called Bukit Pandawa Golf and CC. I finally beat Caroline. Hooray. We hired a car and driver for a day and went up into the mountains where we got a view of Mount Agung, a still active volcano and the highest peak in Indonesia. We drove around the crater lake of Lake Batur. I must say that getting anywhere in Bali takes time. Once off the major roads, expect to travel at a snails pace. Or as fast as the slowest scooter. So. Much. Traffic.
    Food was lovely but if one wanted it "spicy" you have to ask. That said, Indonesians pride themselves on liking spicy food. Me Too. Beaches were great and water beautiful and clear. Accommodation was very fairly priced and happy hours were good.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Agung    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    31

    The Gili's

    10 de mayo de 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We took the Fast Boat from Bali to Gili Trawangan one of three Gili's off the cost of Lombok. Getting on the boat was no problem and didn't know what to expect. I think it was on the boat that it came to me that there would be no motorized vehicles on the island. Getting off the boat was a little bit of chaos. Once off the boat one has to pay an island fee. Small Dock, lots of people, no directions, no management, it's a shit show. We survived. Then to get to the hotel with bags requires transportation. Haha. Horse and buggy. Thought I was going to die.
    So this is the party Island for those young people getting away from Bali. Perhaps they just come here for the shrooms? Whatever, there's lots of both.
    We went to the north of the Island, quieter. Go snorkeling on the beach front of the hotel there are plenty of turtles to be found. A walk around the perimeter of the Island is about 3 mile. Do it early because it gets HOT.
    Took a snorkeling trip which took us to the other two Gili's. Meno and Air. Saw lots of beautiful fish, about 8 turtles, two of them sleeping on the coral. And then there was the man made underwater statues which were I have to say pretty cool. Web link below. All in all we enjoyed our time on the Gili and would probably return if the world was a lot smaller. :)
    Gili T for party, Gili M for Honeymoon and Gili Air for retirees.

    The little guy in the last photo was hanging out over the bed in our room....

    https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/destinations…

    https://www.indonesia.travel/gb/en/destinations…

    https://www.guestreservations.com/wilsons-retreat/    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    1

    Lombok Part 1

    16 de mayo de 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    It was my Birthday. 41st.... Moving day again. Fast boat to Lombok. For those who never heard of it, Lombok is supposed to be the Bali of years gone by. The journey was horse and cart to pier. "Fast Boat" Bayliner with a 75HP from Gili T. Arrive in Lombok in 20 minuets. Taxi to the hotel. Qunci Villas. Well impressed and reasonable considering that breakfast was included. See photos.
    During our stay we did some walking, golfing and a lot of hanging around as it was HOT. Did walk to the town of Senggigi which was a little depressing. I guess that over half the small businesses closed down over the Covid 19 lockdown. Did find a bar there called The Office which was on the beach and owned by an English man called Howard. Good people watching....    Leer más

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    Lombok Part II

    18 de mayo de 2023, Indonesia ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    In our adventures for food we discovered Coco beach Restaurant. Lovely location by the beach where all the local kid's come for the sunset. Sammy the host was great as was the food.
    Another night we ventured just north of our hotel to a hangout Pizza and Sole Food and drinks. Verve Beach Club. Again a lovely spot to watch sunsets. Here is where we met Mal Ryan the owner. What a treat. Australian and a big horse racing man. That first night will never be repeated. Mal and I solved all of the worlds problems while Caroline taught the bar staff how to make her special cocktails. O Boy!
    We met Mal a day or two later and he invited us to help in some local event. We were not sure what was happening. Anyway we showed up at the agreed time. and off to the local schools we went. What a treat. We got to help give out ice cream and candies to the local school kid's. See photos.
    We have stayed in touch with Mal and want to cross paths again sometime. We told him we were going to Singapore so he put us in contact with Thaim. Story to follow on our Singapore visit.    Leer más

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  • Southeast Asia
    1

    Kota Kinabalu "The other side of Borneo"

    4 de junio de 2023, Malasia ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Exhausted from turtle and orangutang hunting, we took some time for ourselves to recoup. Five nights in Kota. We got a stay and play (Golf) package at The Pacific Sutra Hotel. Nothing overly exciting here that we found. Some good restaurant's. Golf was wonderful because I beat Caroline. Hooray!
    Energized and now ready for the next adventure. Singapore....

    Borneo is the third largest island in the world. It is also occupied by three sovereign states. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borneo    Leer más

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    Singapore

    8 de junio de 2023, Singapur ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

    Got into Singapore and checked in to Oasia Hotel Downtown. I don't think we unpacked our bag's and I received a text. Our friend's back in Lombock put a call into their friend in Singapore who was now in the lobby of our hotel waiting to take us to lunch. Wow.
    Thaim and Cynthia took care of us for the three days we were there. Drove us around, brought us to lunch, The Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore horse races (Thaim's tips were not so good) and finally to the Airport. We can't say thank you enough for their hospitality.
    On our own time we did Chinatown and some good walks around City Center which included a stop at Raffel's the home of the Singapore Sling.
    If traveling to Singapore one should allow some time at the Airport on the outside of security. It is a sight to behold.    Leer más

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