by Daryle Rico | Aug 31, 2026 | Cooking, Culture, Favorite Tours, Food, Thai Smiles, Thailand
If you ask me, the next best thing to eating Thai food is learning how to cook it. Fortunately, Thailand makes that remarkably easy. Whether you’re in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hua Hin, or some tiny village whose name you can’t pronounce without...
by Daryle Rico | Aug 24, 2026 | Krabi, Thai Smiles, Thailand
It was about day five of my trip to Krabi when I decided to take a break from island-hopping and explore some of the province’s inland attractions. On the itinerary were the Emerald Pool, famous for its crystal-clear waters, and a few other local sights. But my...
by Daryle Rico | Jul 20, 2026 | Bangkok, Culture, Thai Smiles, Thailand
One of the great joys of living on the opposite side of the world is discovering that things you assumed were universal are, in fact, not universal at all. Take grocery shopping. Back in America, grocery shopping generally involves a shopping cart, a parking lot, and...
by Daryle Rico | Jun 21, 2026 | Culture, Thai Smiles, Thailand
The dreaded queue. We’ve all been in one. Maybe it was waiting two hours for a ride at Disneyland. Maybe it was camping outside a store for the latest iPhone. Maybe it was standing behind someone at the grocery store who suddenly remembered they needed to write...
by Daryle Rico | Jun 18, 2026 | Hua Hin, Temples, Thai Smiles, Thailand
If you’re into monkeys, mountains—or ideally both—then Khao Takiab (Monkey Mountain) has your name written all over it. Figuratively speaking, of course. The monkeys don’t need any more ideas. Approaching from Hua Hin Beach, you’re greeted by a towering Buddha statue...
by Daryle Rico | Jun 14, 2026 | Chiang Mai, Culture, Favorite Tours, Thai Smiles, Thailand
If you spend any time in Thailand, I highly recommend visiting an elephant sanctuary. One of the highlights of my time in Chiang Mai was a visit to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, where I had the chance to get up close and personal with some of Thailand’s most...
