There are three main massage-type treatments that are now considered uniquely Thai: nuat Thai (literally: Thai massage), luk prakorb, (an herbal compress used to warm muscles before massage), and foot reflexology. Unlike the more common Swedish style massage of the…
Thailand has a rich legacy of healing arts that come from both ancient Chinese practices and India’s Ayurvedic healing methods. The Thai’s took what they learned from these traditions and over time, morphed them into something of their own. The…
Masked monkeys scratch and fidget before their king, demons march to battle, and royalty bedecked in gold and gemstones are wheeled across the stage. This is Khon: royal Siam, ancient theatre, epic tale. On a poster along the walls of…
I know I’m not really qualified to say this, but I love Vietnamese food. Having spent a total of only three weeks in but a handful of the country’s cities, my exposure to Vietnam’s vast culinary vocabulary is limited at…
I recently came across David Thompson’s 2002 tome, Thai Food/Arharn Thai in our small local library. Not accustomed to finding such exotic content here in the high Rockies, I checked it out without even bothering to flip through a few…
It’s gilded profile stands between two great, rushing rivers in the northern reaches of Laos. With its numerous historic temples, aging French colonial facades, UNESCO Heritage status and long, noble past, the peninsular village of Luang Prabang is a popular…
“Sometimes we cannot select our lives,” says Pathana Boupha, “the life selects us.” A diminutive, bespeckled doctor by trade, Pathana is the founder of Luang Prabang’s Boupha Antiques. A woman possessed of vision and determination, meeting her is not an…
The Thai wat is the historic seed bed and contemporary canvas for the culture’s artistic expression and religious iconography. Thus if you wish to get a feel for Siamese culture, a visit to a temple or two is worth the…
“Eating noodles without chili is like making love without kissing,” said Ngoc, a 20-something office worker, as he bit into a tiny green pepper at one of Hoi An’s busiest street corners. It was 7am and the ancient port town…