Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Ready to roam
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 18/06/2020
» For a lot of travel addicts residing in Thailand, with the fourth phase of the easing of pandemic control measures the situation is good enough to return to fun mode.
A time for solitude
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 26/03/2020
» Starting on Thursday, Thailand is under a state of emergency. Hopefully, this will help the country cope with the Covid-19 pandemic more effectively. At the time of writing, a full lockdown is not yet announced. But in line with the emergency decree, it's likely that social distancing will no longer be urged but enforced. Only with people staying calmly at home will it be possible to keep the highly contagious virus under control. China has shown that such stringent measures worked. If everybody complies, it should bring a good result here, too.
Back to the basics
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 02/01/2020
» On the breezy top of the limestone cliff on the east side of Doi Pha Phueng, 1,600m above sea level, I zipped up my jacket and let the sights and sounds of the natural surroundings soak in. Before me was a sea of forest-clad mountains, bathed in the warm rays of the morning Sun. The air was filled with blissful silence, with faint songs from invisible birds occasionally seeping in from the canopy below.
An ocean at the top of the world
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 18/07/2019
» The wooden sign at the highest point of Phu Ta Jo claims that the mountain rises 1,300m above sea level. According to my topographic map, and judging by the vegetation, the elevation was actually more like 800-900m. But that didn't really matter, I was still on top of the world.
Phuket's hidden pearl
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 09/05/2019
» During one of last year's downhill mountain biking competitions, there was a new team participating. The group was made up of skilled riders I had never met before. They were from Phuket. I must admit I wasn't aware that the Pearl of the Andaman is home to an active community of downhillers. Where's their training ground?
Fast & precarious
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 06/09/2018
» My heart was filled with excitement as the door of the gondola lift closed and the cable car was slowly leaving the station, taking me, my friend Kent and our downhill bikes up the slope to the trailheads 1,780m above sea level. We had planned this trip for more than half-a-year, and it's happening. A few minutes from now, we would be riding the famous trails of Fujimi, in one of Japan's largest bike parks.
A picture perfect trip
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 09/08/2018
» It has been quite a while since the last time I visited Sai Thong. Recently, as I noticed that certain photographs have been used in the Bangkok Post too often, I knew it's time to return to this national park of Chaiyaphum province once again.
Tastes of Kuala Lumpur
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 26/07/2018
» I love Thailand. The more I travel, the more I realise how lucky I am to have been born and raised in this country. But when it comes to durian, it's a different story.
To the mountaintop
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 22/02/2018
» Rising 2,285m above mean sea level, Doi Pha Hom Pok of Chiang Mai's Fang district ranks as Thailand's second-highest summit. On my recent visit to the mountaintop -- I had not returned to Doi Pha Hom Pok since I first climbed it 25 years ago -- I wanted to make the most of the trip, so I added biking as part of it.
Exploring Bangkok's old town
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 04/01/2018
» With exceptionally light traffic and lovely weather, Bangkok was wonderful for biking during the recent long holiday weekend. Instead of joining the mass in the exodus out of the capital, on New Year's Eve my friends and I opted to hang around and explore the city on two wheels.