Thai people objectively have the best names in the world. Thais get an official name, which is usually ponderous and old-fashioned, from the monks at the temple when they are born. This name is u...
https://planetbell.me/2019/03/20/the-wonderful-world-of-thai-names/
Bangkok is a polarizing city; visitors either love it or hate it. For many, the Thai capital is a necessary evil on the way to beaches, temples, or hill country treks, and is not a reason to visi...
https://planetbell.me/2018/02/19/why-you-probably-hate-bangkok/
Due to some rather interesting recent events, I have decided to stay in Thailand and not go back to the USA for the next, oh I don’t know, four to eight years give or take an impeachment. In o...
Most people are monogamous and have a regular who services them, but not me. You could say that I have no loyalty, but due to my peripatetic lifestyle I almost always end up doing it with a rand...
https://planetbell.me/2016/05/04/a-downside-to-my-peripatetic-lifestyle/
I wasn’t looking for a new favorite country. For the last four years, I’d been in a relationship with India. I loved India from the moment I arrived in 2012, even though she challenged and fr...
https://planetbell.me/2016/03/28/mexico-is-my-new-favorite-country-there-i-said-it/
Every four years, millions of Americans swear they are moving to Canada if the person they don’t support for president wins the election. I always find this funny, especially when conservativ...
Since I published the first bear spray story last year, I have had dozens of friends and strangers tell me their own stories of bear spray mishaps or send me links to bear spray accidents in the ...
https://planetbell.me/2015/09/07/bear-spray-stories-part-5-invaded-campsite/
I was naive. When I first accepted a job in the tourism industry 10 years ago, I thought that everyone was happy when they traveled. I imagined being behind the customer service counter having me...
https://planetbell.me/2015/06/29/what-happens-when-you-need-a-plunger-at-a-hotel/
Did you know that bear spray is not only effective in thwarting attacks from charging bears, but it is also effective in clearing a building of tourists? Welcome to part 3 of the “Bear Spray...
https://planetbell.me/2014/07/30/bear-spray-stories-part-3-tear-gas/
It is one of the most awesome sights in nature, but it takes a lot of suffering and luck to see it. I have been lucky enough to see the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, several times in Al...
https://planetbell.me/2014/04/21/laws-of-aurora-borealis-viewing/