Sapore di Cina

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Traveling to Koh Mak, the coconut island

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Traveling to Koh Mak

Koh Mak is a spectacular paradise island, with a surface area of a little more than 16 square kilometers, located in the southeastern part of Thailand, next to the Cambodian coast.

Even though it has wonderful beaches and almost untouched tropical vegetation, Koh Mak is an island that’s barely known to international tourists. This is actually what makes it a great place for those looking for a relaxing vacation far from the mass tourism so prevalent in places like Phuket or Pattaya.

Its privileged geographical position also makes it quite appealing to all those staying near the island of Koh Chang.

The primary reason why Koh Mak can still be considered an almost untouched island in 2018 is that the families that own it have always steered politics toward its preservation. [Read more…]

Work Away: A guide to the platform for traveling while working

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Work Away

If you’re reading this article, perhaps you’ve had the desire to take off for Southeast Asia with a backpack a million times, but between saying and doing there’s a thousand existential questions you have to ask yourself and you shelved the idea.

Am I wrong?

If the answer is “no” then keep reading. In fact I hope that this article will help you dissipate your indecision.

I’ll start by saying that thanks to the “sharing economy”, everything has become more accessible and you can share everyday goods and services: your house, your sofa, your car and even your time. A system no longer based on purchasing but reuse, trust and collaboration.

To take off on a long trip,therefore, you can trust in collaborative sites such as Workaway, Helpex, Wwoofer and many others.

Each specializes in a field and these sites allow you to offer non-specialized labor for education or social causes for free in exchange for hospitality, and the chance to come into contact with local populations.

What is Workaway?

Workaway, in particular, is an exchange project for finding food and lodging in exchange for work: a way for sustainable travel for you and the country hosting you, for the long term and throughout the world. [Read more…]

Traveling to Pai: An alternative to the “usual” Thailand

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Traveling to Pai

Pai is a small place located in a picturesque valley, 136 Km north of Chiang Mai. The town offers a relaxing atmosphere with lots of tourists, especially backpackers.

There’s quite a mix of people that you can meet there: there are western and eastern smiles, old hippies, Rastafarians and artists, and many others. I know that these words strung together don’t say much, perhaps they even sound strange, however I can assure you that they give the place a unique touch, maybe not so local and traditional, but always something special.

I recommend that you visit Pai during the low season since it could be complicated finding a place to stay between the months of October and February, which is during the dry season.

There are though about 350 guest houses and hotels and a high level of Westernization, and you can find simple accommodations in bungalows spread about the fields and along the river, as well as the many farms in the area.

To get to Pai you’ll have to be ready to face 3 hours of curves, 760 curves and reckless drivers. Joking aside, driving in this area is never all that peaceful, and I invite you to take a bunch of pills to prevent car-sickness. Are you ready to get lost in Pai?

How to get to Pai?

There are regular buses and minivans that leave every hour from the central station in Pai, heading to Chiang Mai and vice versa, for a price of 150 Baht. The first bus leaves at 6:30 in the morning and the last at 17:30, but I’d recommend that you handle things personally onsite.

There are also pickups that can accommodate 12 people, which you can take from Arcade Station in Chiang Mai, like the minivans, but cost more, about 1200 Baht and are little more comfortable. [Read more…]

Traveling to volunteer in Southeast Asia

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Traveling to volunteer in Southeast Asia

We’ve received and published this article written from Elena Muscas, author of the blog Ojos de Muscas: Islands, Rites and Women.

“Roots are important in a man’s life, but we men have legs, not roots, and legs are meant to go elsewhere”, Pino Cacucci.

Volunteering to see the world

You’ve had the idea of leaving everything behind and taking off. Everyone has their way of escape: from work that is no longer satisfying, from the daily routine that causes anxiety and increases impatience, to an ended love-affair, to an important loss or simply from one’s comfort zone and the desire to see more clearly if only to learn the best of oneself.

There are many ways of doing so. Volunteering is one of these and combining it with traveling is an (almost) perfect combo that I recommend you undertake, if not to change the world than at least to understand it more closely.

I am convinced that there’s a higher ambition in life than standing at or desperately running to work; it is lowering oneself, listening, changing and getting back up, even helping others.

Why leave and change your life prospects

[Read more…]

Moving to Thailand: The complete guide

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Moving to Thailand

Moving to live and work in Thailand if you’ve never been to the country before or if you’ve never had such a radical change is a choice that requires ample bureaucratic preparation, but that’s not all!

In this article I will describe the necessary steps before leaving, so that you can arrive prepared and without delays; I will also talk about the things you’re required to do once you land in the Land of Smiles:

Before leaving

  • Determining an initial budget;
  • Which destination to choose;
  • Which visa to apply for;
  • How to choose an air flight;
  • How to find work in Thailand;
  • How to get health insurance.

In Thailand

  • How to rent an apartment;
  • How to get a Thai SIM card;
  • How to open a bank account;
  • How to send packages from your country to Thailand and vice versa.

[Read more…]

Traveling to Koh Tao, Turtle Island

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Traveling to Koh Tao

Also called Turtle Island, Koh Tao (in Thai: เกาะเต่า), is a small island with a little more than 1,000 inhabitants, located in the western part of the Gulf of Siam.

Its name comes from the fact that in the past Koh Tao was inhabited by lots of turtles, the word “Tao” in Thai in fact means turtle. Moreover, if you look at the island from nearby Koh Phangan, it seems as if Koh Tao actually looks like a turtle.

Koh Tao was “discovered” in the early 80’s, and is today one of the most popular destinations in Thailand, thanks too to its coral reef and almost untouched nature, a habitat for many species of animals. Unlike places like Krabi and Koh Phangan, Koh Tao is an island where mass tourism has yet to arrive, making it perfect for those who wish to relax in the middle of nature.

The best months for visiting the island are from November to March. During this period there are few storms and the dry weather allows you to participate in outdoor activities like diving. Koh Tao was in fact designated as one of the best Asian destinations for scuba diving.

How to get to Koh Tao

[Read more…]

Guide to the fake markets in Thailand

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fake markets in Thailand

In Thailand, as in Asia in general, it’s very easy to find counterfeits of name brand products. The largest Thai fake markets are in Bangkok, but you can find smaller ones in other cities like Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai.

Before starting, note that importing “fake” products protected by a trademark can be considered a crime, so only do so after evaluating the pros and cons at your own risk.

The fake markets: where they are and what they sell

Bangkok

For a detailed explanation on the most famous shopping malls and markets in Bangkok, and how to get there, click here.

The choice of markets in the capital is quite varied, with the foremost being Chatuchak Market.

Also called the JJ Market, Chatuchak is one of the largest markets of all Southeast Asia. One of its distinctions is in its hours of operation: only Saturday and Sunday, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Some of its parts, such as those dedicated to plants and flowers, are also open on Wednesday and Friday, with the same hours of operation on the weekend. Friday instead hosts an extraordinary opening of areas dedicated to bulk sales. [Read more…]

Traveling to Phi Phi Island, the one from the movie “The Beach”

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Traveling to Phi Phi Island

Phi Phi Island (in Thai: หมู่เกาะพีพี) is an archipelago of six islands, the largest of which are Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh, located in the southern part of Thailand, in the Andaman Sea.

Having been chosen as the location of the Leonardo di Caprio film “The Beach”, Phi Phi Island (even though there are two islands, they are written in the singular) has become a popular destination for international tourists since 2000.

Even though it is possible to visit all six islands, when talking about Phi Phi Island you’re mainly talking about Phi Phi Don, the only inhabited island. The smaller Phi Phi Leh, instead is mainly an afternoon boat tour, where you can admire Maya Bay, the bay where the majority of the scenes from The Beach were filmed.

Phi Phi Don covers some 30 square kilometers. Phi Phi Leh measures just a little more than 6 square kilometers, and besides its beautiful beaches you can also visit caves like Viking Cave, located to the northeast.

The best season for visiting Phi Phi Island is from November to the end of March, since there are few rainy days and the weather is dry. During the high season you can swim at practically all the beaches on Phi Phi Don; but when the monsoons arrive the waves are very high, and not being protected, swimming can become dangerous. [Read more…]

How to find a job in Thailand – Our guide

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How to find a job in Thailand

The dream of moving to a tropical paradise like Thailand is common to many people, especially in recent years. Living and working in Thailand is however not an easy thing, especially if we take a look at the new visa regulations put in place by the military junta during the last three years.

But let’s start in order: in this article I will speak about:

  • The main difficulties a foreigner faces when looking for work in Thailand;
  • The necessary documents and visas to be able to legally work in the country;
  • The types of jobs that are illegal according to the Thai government and the consequences you can face if you work illegally;
  • The steps to take for effectively looking for a job in the Land of Smiles;
  • The reason why many expatriates in Thailand teach English.

Main difficulties

The main problem that a foreigner will face in looking for a job, whether they’re already a resident in Thailand, or still abroad is the following: not being a Thai citizen. [Read more…]

Traveling to Sukhothai, the ancient Thai capital

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Traveling to Sukhothai

Sukhothai (in Thai: สุโขทัย) was the capital of an empire of the same name founded in 1238 A.D. Before the rise to power of King Re Pho Khun Sri Indraditya, the Thai region that also included Sukhothai was dominated by the Cambodian Khmer Empire, which in turn was formed by fiefdoms spread out across the territories that today are part of Thailand and Cambodia.

The fall of the Khmer kingdom took place thanks to two Thai generals (one of which was called Indraditya, who became the first king of Sukhothai) who managed to chase out the Cambodians from Thai soil.

From 1238 onward, the Kingdom of Sukhothai conquered and dominated all of Thailand, the northern part of Laos, and even vast areas of Malaysia, and the city of Sukhothai was the capital for a good two centuries.

With the death of the last king (Ramkhamhaeng), Sukhothai began to lose its political and religious influence, and in 1376 it became a vassal state of the new Kingdom of Ayutthaya. When however in 1767 Burmese troops invaded Ayutthaya, it collapsed and the entire region of Sukhothai remained deserted and abandoned to itself.
[Read more…]