by Daryle Rico | Jul 15, 2026 | Chiang Mai, Favorite Tours, Temples, Thailand
High atop a mountain overlooking the ancient city of Chiang Mai sits one of the most sacred and recognizable temples in all of Thailand: Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Or, as most people simply call it, Doi Suthep. Founded in 1383, the temple was built to enshrine a sacred...
by Daryle Rico | Jul 1, 2026 | Favorite Tours, Krabi, Thailand
Whenever friends ask me where they should go on their first trip to Thailand, I don’t even have to think about it. “Krabi,” I tell them. Not Bangkok. Not Phuket. Not Chiang Mai. Krabi. Now before angry residents of those fine destinations begin...
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...
by Daryle Rico | Jun 9, 2026 | Cooking, Culture, Food, Hua Hin, Thai Smiles, Thailand
Ah yes, Som Tum—the famous green papaya salad of Thailand. A dish so beloved, so iconic, so deceptively innocent-looking… you’d never suspect it might double as a controlled burn for your internal organs. On paper, it’s perfection. A bright, crunchy mix of shredded...
