Writer and sailor Harold Stephens sure gets around. He lied about his age so he join join the Marines and fight in the Pacific, was imprisoned by the Chinese communists, escaped on a junk, rode across Australia on a motorcycle, and built his own concrete boat, which split apart in a hurricane after seeing endless […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Museums & Art Galleries' Category
WoWasis cruises Thailand’s River Kwai: a confluence of indolence and history
WoWasis is on a 4 day river tour on one of Asia’s most storied rivers, accompanied by a cold beer as the sun begins to set. The boat we’re on is the RV River Kwai, a beautifully appointed river craft. The first inland cruise ship in Thailand, this newly-built colonial style river cruiser is based […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thailand’s Railway of Death: 250 tough miles to Burma on the River Kwai
The Thailand-Burma railway, built from June 1942 through October, 1943, spanned a distance of 250 miles, running from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbuyuzayat, Burma. A number of books, both fact and fiction, have been written on this legendary and ill-fated railway, built on the backs and contributing to the deaths of thousands of slave laborers […]
Read the rest of this entry »Museum & soapy massage the same day: a must for Bangkok museum-goers?
Over the past several months, veteran Bangkok museum-goers have been raving to WoWasis about a museum experience that might be unique to Bangkok: a morning visit to a museum, followed by an afternoon soapy body-to-body massage. This occurs because the venerated Suan Pakkad Museum and the Chao Phya 2 soapy massage parlor are a mere […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bangkok’s Suan Pakkad Palace Museum: traditional houses and Ban Chiang pottery
WoWasis is always looking for interesting museums that aren’t always well-touristed. The wonderful Suan Pakkad Palace museum is one of these, located just a few steps east of Exit 4 at the Phaya Thai BTS station, houses a nice collection of artifacts in a “palace” setting of old Thai teak homes. Eight separate houses contain […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis’ Burma Non-Fiction Bookshelf
(see also WoWasis’ Burma Fiction bookshelf) The exoticism of Burma has been well-documented in fact and fiction. Well-known writers such as George Orwell have based their novels on Burmese political and cultural life, while a number of non-fiction writers have investigated Burmese topics ranging from the flora and fauna of the country to its complex […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Sterling Seagrave’s ‘The Marcos Dynasty’
Travelers to the Philippines will invariably want to find out more about the history of the country after having seen it, but good books (and bookstores!) in the Philippines are hard to find. In particular, books on Philippine history are virtually impossible to be found anywhere. In the picturesque northern Luzon city of Vigan, for […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis Top 5 sights in Rangoon (Yangon) Burma
Tour Yangon now! Welcome to Rangoon (also known as Yangon), with its amazing golden Shwedagon Temple, traditional architecture, and ubiquitous tearooms. WoWasis visitors will find Rangoon to be a fascinating, rambling city mixing new and old. At night you’re likely turn a corner to find a street taken over by a raucously fascinating puppet theatre […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis Top 6 sights in Inle Lake, Burma
Welcome to Inle Lake, one of Southeast Asia’s most picturesque and relaxing spots. Here, we at WoWasis found boatmen who power their wooden crafts by wrapping one leg around an oar, then pulling the oar through the water. Their conical fishing nets add a wonderful local touch, and you’ll see them everywhere on this calm […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits the spectacular Bagan temples in Burma
Welcome to Bagan, a WoWasis top destination in Burma, where thousands of ancient temples dot an open plain.You can spend two days here or a week, and Bagan boasts great resorts, good hotels, and an interesting museum. Bagan is divided into two zones, the town of New Bagan, and Old Bagan, located in the Bagan […]
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