Category: Adventure Travel

The Mexican

I thought is was strange to find a Mexican restaurant in Bangkok but very glad that I did. The food here is incredibly good! The place is owned by an American who is always there and very friendly. His wife is the cook and has a special recipe for the bean. These are the best refried beans I’ve ever had! There chicken Mole is also very good. After discovering this place, I ate here 4 more times! I’ve always been there for lunch and never for dinner.

Update 2021: Sadly, The Mexican has closed. A product of the covid situation and their landlord not being flexible. Hopefully they reopen in a new location some day!

Category: Adventure Travel

Yak Hotel

The Yak Hotel is by far my favorite hotel in Lhasa. Over the four times I’ve visited Tibet, I always request the Yak Hotel based on my first visit in 2006. Over the years guide services will try and force you into a Chinese owned hotel. I insist on staying at the Yak because of there great location, within walking distance of Barkhor Square, Old Town section and many good restaurants. It is also very clean with tradition Tibetan decorations.

The hotel does have storage so if you want to leave bags at the hotel when you check out to explore the rest of Tibet, there is no problem. They also have a reliable laundry service. Breakfast is included with your stay. Past years, breakfast was served on the roof. It provided great views of Lhasa and the Potala. However, my last visit in 2019, the breakfast room moved to a level below the roof.

Attached to the Yak Hotel is a great restaurant and bar called Dunya. A good place to relax at the end of the day.

Category: Adventure Travel

Mexico

Akumal

Category: Adventure Travel

Wat Oopakoot

The highlight of the Wat is the entrance. It is well photographed because of the ornate dragons on each side of the entrance. The body of each dragon rolls along the top of the wall like a serpent. Past the entrance is a temple and a very nice garden path on the right. This leads to a large Chedi behind the temple. A very nice quiet place to relax. Along this area is a beautiful shrine with a faux bridge to approach with detailed white dragons on each side of the bridge.

I have two maps from the hotel I stayed at. One map spells this temple “Oopakoot” and the other spells it “U-pakut.” One in the same so don’t be confused. This signage of the name for the temple is in Thai but it is easily identifiable by the dragons at the entrance.

Directions: From the Nawarat Bridge, this is the first temple on the left. It is at the corner of Chang Klan rd and Tha Phae Road.

Category: Adventure Travel

Warorot Market

This is a large indoor/outdoor market that caters to local Thai. It is quite an experience walking through the market. There are vendors selling fresh fish or dried fish, meat, dry goods….almost anything you can think of. The lasting memory I will have is the odor or some would say aroma, as you walk around the isles of the market. Most smells were not pleasant. Especially when you get to the fish area. Definitely worth a walk around and through.

They are open every day from 6:00am to 7pm but the food street vendors outside are open much longer.

Directions: Chang Moi Road, close to the Ping River and north of Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.