Category - Travel

Christmas in Plaza Mayor (Madrid, Spain)

On the ninth day of Christmas, we’re in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor. And so is everyone else, it seems. Unlike Americans, the Spaniards celebrate the full twelve days of Christmas, and Day 9 — just three days before the three kings come bearing gifts to...

Mark Takes a Fall

During our recent visit to Amsterdam, I took a tumble. One minute, I was strolling along the sidewalk. The next, I was flying forward. I struggled to catch myself, taking short, rapid little steps that increased in speed and frequency as I came...

Dinner with the Little Prince

After walking up an appetite on Amsterdam’s chilly streets, nothing sounded better to us than spicy Thai food. Technology is our friend: a quick check of entries at TripAdvisor.com and Google confirmed that the highest-rated Thai food within...

Healthland Massage (Bangkok, Thailand)

Healthland Massage, Bangkok (Photo Credit: Healthland Massage) In Bangkok, legitimate massage parlors line almost every block. Ninety minutes of pampering plus a generous tip sets you back about twenty bucks. At those rates, everyone indulges. On...

Content (Bangkok)

Content (Bangkok)

Today, we board the aggressively air-conditioned SkyTrain (Bangkok’s BTS monorail system) and take a short, quick ride to our old stomping grounds: the neighborhood around the Shangri-La Hotel. Seated on the hotel’s riverside patio, we order lunch...

You’re Rich and Don’t Know It (Bangkok)

How far would you paycheck go if you were paying Bangkok prices for the products and services you use back home? A bottle of cold water, available anywhere: twenty cents A twelve-ounce Coke, sweetened with cane sugar: fifty cents A bowl of gourmet...

Coffee Shop (Bangkok)

On the walk home from this afternoon’s massage, the sky shifts from cloudy to swollen and grey. In Bangkok’s heat, the frist spritz of rain refreshes us. But minutes later, the sky grows darker, and fat drops hammer down. The satay vendor at the...