Beyond the Dot, Road to Pai, Thailand

Road to Pai

My previous post was all about Pai, so this one would be all about getting to Pai from Chiangmai. Pai … Continue reading Road to Pai

Beyond the Dot, Thailand, The Life in Pai

The Life in Pai

The small mountain town of Pai is quite well known in the backpacker community and has been a regular stop over for hippie travelers plying Thailand’s north. I decided to make a trip to Pai when I visited Chiangmai this year to see what the fuss was about it.

Beyond the Dot, Paramotoring in Chiangmai, Thailand

Paramotoring in Chiangmai

Taking to the skies

I’ve been to Chiangmai a few times but I’ve never realized that you could sign up for powered paragliding or paramotoring as they call it. So on my latest trip I decided that it was an opportunity to try this out.

Beyond the Dot, Hue - First Impressions, Vietnam

Hue – First Impressions

I had only planned a day trip from Da Nang to Hue, which was the imperial capital of Vietnam from the 19th century until the mid 20th century. Now that I’ve been there, I think a day trip is too short and Hue deserves a proper visit of 2 to 3 days to really take in its ancient history and culture. So this trip will have to be a first impression for me.

Beyond the Dot, Hoi An Ancient Town, Vietnam

Hoi An Ancient Town

While Da Nang is the gateway to central Vietnam, Hoi An is probably the main hall where most visitors will end up staying. This UNESCO world heritage site is famous for its well preserved old town and an example of a 15th century trading port in South East Asia.

Beyond the Dot, Danang, Vietnam

Da Nang

I’ve been longing to visit the central Vietnamese cities of Da Nang and Hoi An for some time. But Covid19 had put a more than 2 years hiatus on all overseas trips until now. With the reopening of unrestricted tourism in most Southeast Asian countries it was time to plan my visit this August.

Beyond the Dot, Indonesia, The Tower of Medan

The Tower of Medan

With the cautious reopening of South East Asian countries to international visitors, it was time that air travel started to resuscitate this year. Business travel is more or less going full throttle as we start to meet business partners and colleagues in person rather through a Zoom call. So I took the first flight out without the need for any Covid tests or quarantine. It almost felt normal again.

Gin Distillery Tour, On the Dot

Gin Distillery Tour

Singapore isn’t especially known for it’s spirits, and I mean the alcoholic type. Besides the world famous Tiger Beer which has been around for ages since my grand parents’ time, there aren’t any other well known Singapore based spirits that have made a name worldwide. With almost all of the country’s spirits imported, you wouldn’t think that there will be local breweries and distilleries around the island.

An Unlikely Hot Spring, On the Dot

An Unlikely Hot Spring

Normally, we would associate hot springs in areas with volcanic activity. So for Singapore to have a hot spring seems very unlikely. But we actually have 2 hot springs; one which is located on the main island, and the other which is located on Pulau Tekong, which is used by the military and not accessible by the public. So if you can’t travel to Japan due to Covid and you miss soaking in an onsen, then this might a good place to visit.

Chasing the Sun, On the Dot

Chasing the Sun

It’s close to 2 years already and with most people still not being able to travel for leisure due to Covid, we have been finding creative ways to keep our travel lust in check. One of these has been finding locations in Singapore which are unspoilt and doesn’t look like you are inside a city. So here are some places which have been enjoying rising popularity for surreal sunrise and sunset photos, while we pretend that these are scenes from another country.

	Edwin Tan on The Life in Pai
	Dalo 2013 on The Life in Pai
	Edwin Tan on The Life in Pai
	Bama on The Life in Pai
	Edwin Tan on Paramotoring in Chiangmai