AFTER THE explosion of travel post Covid, I yearned for places that were peaceful, where I could connect with local people in a meaningful way.

My adventure began in Bangkok, with a fresh look at this iconic capital. With a chartered boat, I explored the ways of life and food in the network of canals along the Chao Phraya River passing through Bangkok. Another day, my guide, a young architect, took me to some of the famous palace buildings, explaining where they found their inspiration. We explored Bangkok’s hidden neighborhoods originally occupied by entrepreneurial Chinese migrants who built two story merchant houses with the family living upstairs, while the downstairs was for trading and business. We traveled on foot, partly by boats, and the Skytrain, Bangkok’s mass transit system to avoid the heavy traffic.

Following the suggestion from a trusted colleague who lived in Burma and Thailand for over 40 years, I journeyed by local train, private car, samlors (three wheeled taxis), and farmers’ sidecars through the Khorat Plateau known as Isan in northeast Thailand. Geographically, three sets of mountains made access to this plateau challenging for foreign invaders centuries ago, but today Isan is one of the most alluring regions in Thailand, and easy to reach.

My adventure unfurled with stays in charming family-owned guest houses close to villages where women wove colorful silk and cotton textiles on wooden looms in their front yards or under their elevated houses. Down the road, families wove papyrus into watertight mats in all sizes and colors.

Close to the border of Cambodia the spectacular temples of Phanom Rung and Muang Tam reminded me of the Cambodian iconic temples of Angkor Wat and Thom with their large barays, exquisitely carved lintels and soaring towers reflecting Hindu theology and astrology.

Isan cuisine was from the field to the table fresh. I picnicked with farmers under the shade of their field canopies enjoying sticky rice steamed in bamboo cylinders and fresh mackerel. I walked through a durian plantation where three generations of Isan farmers were cultivating this precious but stinky fruit.
Leaving the rich culture of Isan, I flew up north to the old city of Sukhothai, Thailand’s first capital city from the 13th to the 15th centuries.

The ancient town of 37,000 people shelters more than 190 intact and well-maintained monasteries and temples, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but due to their remoteness, Sukhothai receives fewer tourists.

It was delightful walking through the temple complex in a quiet environment.

I ended my exploratory trip with a two-night stay in Nan, the capital of the old kingdom of Lana which existed from the 13th to 18th century. Culturally, Nan was a center of Buddhist learning and art, and it was known for its unique style of Buddhist architecture and mural paintings. Exploring the city’s 16th century Wat Phumin Temple, I ‘lived’ the history of the kingdom through its wall art and paintings depicting war scenes. At night I sat along the river and listened to the steady calls of the oarsmen as they raced their pencil thin boats down the inky water of the Nan River. For them it was the ritual of the Tot Kathin ceremony, a call for the rains to come to nourish the soil. Similarly, my soul had been nourished and fed on this surprising journey to hidden places of Thailand.

Join me for this special exploratory journey to Isan in the Khorat Plateau, Sukhothai and Nan, formerly part of the kingdom of Lanna, November 13 to 26, 2025. (First night in Bangkok November 14)

November is the beginning of the dry season in northeastern and northern Thailand. Due to limited availability in heritage and boutique hotels, the group size will be limited to nine travelers. This is an active trip with walks into the plantations, through villages, and at the temple sites. As we stay in heritage boutique hotels, there are no elevators. In some places like Sukhothai, coaches are precluded from entering the sites, so clients must cycle, or use the local open buggies to get around from site to site. Kathleen will offer both options to clients.

Please inquire about our day-to-day itinerary for more details.

Land/Air Cost