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he scale with the same principles as canals i ve seen in canada just massively larger it was a bit of a long day i can see why they only do half the passage but definitely worth doing and glad i did recommend this post on progressive bloggers 0 comments labels gatun lake panama panama canal tuesday july 14 2026 video dinner boat cruise on the chao phraya river in bangkok i took a few water taxis ferries while in bangkok but also wanted to do a proper tour on the river to see the sites and learn the history apparently there s no such thing but the nearest that was on offer was a nighttime dinner cruise i booked through the on site travel agent at the royal orchid sheraton and told them i wanted something chill to see the sites i didn t want a party cruise the agent was great and reserved me an outside table at the front of the boat to ensure the best views the cruise departed and returned to river city right beside my hotel there was an inside with performers and more tables in the air conditioning but i stayed outside as it was comfortable after sundown and i was there for the views and it was definitely much quieter than some of the other ships we passed we also went at a more leisurely pace the fare included a buffet dinner which was nothing to write home about drinks were for purchase i enjoyed the sites the city along the river looks amazing lit up after dark i just wish there was some commentary about what we were seeing recommend this post on progressive bloggers 0 comments labels bangkok chao phraya river dinner cruise monday july 13 2026 video room tour royal orchid sheraton riverside hotel in bangkok in august of 2025 i stayed on bonvoy points at the marriott royal orchid sheraton riverside hotel in bangkok it s an older property but well appointed rooms all with amazing river views the concierge lounge had an ample hot and cold breakfast and decent evening appies to enjoy while watching the river i would often escape the afternoon heat with cocktails there are two large pools but that area was packed the afternoon i tried and i couldn t find a chair my favourite feature was the free hotel ferry that goes across river to ikon siam and down river to a subway station a great way to get anywhere in the city there is a 7 11 just down the street for thai snacks and a great cart outside for mango sticky rice here s a video room tour recommend this post on progressive bloggers 0 comments labels bangkok marriott royal orchid sheraton riverside hotel saturday april 18 2026 what i ate in thailand last summer i won t claim i did a proper food tour of the city during my four days in bangkok honestly after five days in maldives i was feeling pretty relaxed and wanted to keep that vibe for the rest of my vacation and the afternoon heat really sapped my energy but here s what i did get up to my first stop was to find a 7 11 as i had heard much about how they re different in thailand and across asia than ours in canada i was really impressed by the wide variety of chips on offer some familiar some crazy flavours from familiar brands and some just completely unknown to westerners the selection was really something i tried a few while i was there including the nori seaweed flavoured lays they were fine i packed a few of the wackier flavours to bring home including prawn flavoured chips but they were lifted from my checked bag in transit i didn t fine a complaint over my maybe 50 cents worth of missing chips but it was weird the huge thing of mango candies went untouched anyways more than wacky chips 7 11s here are also known for their cheap microwave sandwiches toasties burgers some familiar some wacky all cheap you can bring them home or more commonly you can ask them to heat them up for you apparently the magic word is wave and then eat them on the go i opted for two fairly tame choices a double cheeseburger on a sesame seed bun and a pork burger on a bun made of rice they were exactly what you would expect for a convenience store refrigerated microwave sandwich just fine a cheap lunch on the go you can do much better in bangkok and don t worry i did right next to my hotel was a street food stall offering mango sticky rice for 8 thai baht which works out to 3 41 cad she takes a fresh mango and carves it up right there in front of you assembling glutinous rice fresh mango and coconut milk and some crunchy bits on top i took it back to my room to enjoy and it was delicious i was skeptical at first rice in a desert but it was flavourful and delicious and sweet especially with the fresh mango and a great deal even for being right next to a tourist hotel my first proper meal was lunch at iconsiam a large mall just across the river from my hotel and a major river ferry port most of my exploring was by river ferry so i was here a bunch of times my lunch was at thipsami an accessible michelin bib gourmand spot known for its different varieties of pad thai i ordered the pad thai siam royal with giant river prawns along with fresh orange juice which seems to be their signature thing i would say it was fine the juice was refreshing after the afternoon heat i enjoyed the flavours of the pad thai but pad thai isn t really my thing but when in thailand there was a street food type hawker hall in the basement and it had a wide variety of foods including this selection of fried offerings available in air conditioned comfort with requisite mark up from the streets still cheaper than canada some tasty looking nibbles but i was full of pad thai i was also saving my appetite for my highlight dinner of the trip the tasting menu at a michelin star restaurant in bangkok nahm they are renowned for their heritage tasting menu that showcases the varied cuisine of thailand so much of which doesn t make it to the west an amuse bouche centred on coconut to start left miang nopakoo miang of live river prawn chicken mango and herbs served on betel leaf right pu sorn klin blue swimmer crab pickled garlic and peanuts on rice cracker bottom khao neau kati sim tum sticky rice delicacy with celtuce salad top right yum dok mai tod edible floral fritter delight the texture of this was fun and the sauce was delicious namprik maak maad spicy fragrant northern style relish with pork jowl and vegetable very tasty tom yung gung tom yum of prawn mushrooms and chili jam a dish familiar to westerners not my favourite but this is certainly an elevation of the form bottom right gag pu bai cha plu southern turmeric curry of blue swimmer crab with betel leaf and calamansi lime bottom left pad pak goot stir fried young fiddlehead ferns top pad nuea sau nomai nahm stir fried wagyu beef yellow capsicum and wild rice stems the beef was amazing tender and delicious best beef i ve had enjoyed the fiddlehead ferns it was nice to have some greens and i was amused as i had always viewed fiddleheads as an ontario seasonal thing enjoyed the creaminess of the crab dish and in the shot here is my rum and diet coke made with a local thai rum that was quite tasty a lemony palate cleanser before desert desert was called the lifestyle of coconut coconut isn t my favourite but it was a fun concept here s the heritage tasting menu you make a number of choices at the start and they leave you the card to follow along other than the wagyu which was a must have for me i placed myself in the hands of the chef all in all it was a fantastic culinary experience not cheap but high quality and a great exposure to a wide variety of thai cuisine that you certainly won t find at thai express for my next dinner i ate riverside at my hotel the royal orchid sheraton riverside dining at their thai restaurant thara thong it was quite enjoyable to enjoy the river view at night at watch the boats go up and down while i ate i would take one of these dinner cruises the next night the views were amazing but the buffet was just ok and won t be chronicled here here i am at my table with my view first i was served an amuse bouche of shrimp puffs with a thai relish for my starter i had the por pia pak or vegetarian thai spring rolls basic i know but i could not come to thailand without having them at the source pretty good better quality ingredients than we usually get at home found the sauce a bit muted and hard to place for the main the nua pad bai or a stir fry of beef thai basil and other things definitely very basil forward it was supposed to be wagyu beef but if so it was cooked a bit too long again i am longing for the beef the night before at nahm it was good but suffers from the unfair comparison for desert mango sorbet i was mulling two scoops but was relieved i stuck with one as this was huge i m not sure the photo does justice to the size lived the fresh mango slices too overall while i regret not getting more proper street food in thailand i don t regret keeping my first visit chill and just enjoying myself at a relaxed pace it was a fun trip i leave you with a river view from my room at sunset recommend this post on progressive bloggers 0 comments labels 7 11 icon siam mango sticky rice nahm royal orchid sheraton riverside thai food thailand thara thong thipsami saturday november 15 2025 eating on the road lounge and plane food from my summer vacation part two after five amazing and relaxing nights in the maldives and some great meals i will review separately it was back into the air for the next leg of my journey to bangkok thailand via singapore my first three flights in business were on aeroplan points earned thanks to my decade as a frequently travelling technology journalist nowadays i mostly earn train and hotel points but the maldives to bangkok trip i paid out of pocket and booked economy on singapore airlines as one of the top airlines in the world i was looking forward to the trip even if it would be another redeye to singapore and an early morning flight on to bangkok but i researched upgrade options and i learned they were often available for purchase a few days out so i made a point of logging in right when the upgrade window opened and on my laptop looking out at the ocean in my maldavian villa i decided i could justify the price as a once in a lifetime experience when will i be back here and i upgraded both legs to business and this business class experience was a step above any other i ve experienced comfortable lay flat pods great menus and warm friendly and attentive staff that greet you by name but first they use a private lounge at the airport in male that was just ok very busy lots of kids running around food nothing to write home about no photos taken as i settled into my pod i enjoyed a fresh orange juice and looked over the volumnius menu i had pre selected my entree but the drinks selection was quite interesting and abundant and unlike on emirates i was well rested from my week in the sun and ready to partake i ordered a glass of the 2020 chateau pey la tour reserve bordeaux which while only 24 at the saq was excellent and of course enjoyed with mixed nuts but i couldn t leave it at that as one other option on the drink menu also caught my attention i hadn t had one before but how can you be on singapore airlines enroute to singapore and not try a singapore sling it was fruity and delicious and yes i was double fisting but hey i m on vacation also i wanted to get to bed right after dinner speaking of which meal service did begin promptly and efficiently for this overnight flight but was still served course by course as an appetizer they served a seared pepper crusted tuna with fennel crab and togarashi mayonnaise i would judge it ok i m still not totally sold on tuna i made little lettuce wrap tuna sandwiches i was more excited for the main course and i added ordered the local option mee siam goreng or fried spicy rice vermicelli with prawns fish cake chives and lime they kindly accommodated my request to hold the hard boiled egg which i appreciated it was a tasty entree not stellar but very good 8 10 they warned me the sauce was spicy and it did have kick but it was enjoyable though i didn t go to hard to avoid bedtime heartburn their bread basket selection was very varied and they came by a few times to top up i had a few garlic bread i also enjoyed the sticky date pudding with quenelle of cream and butterscotch sauce with dinner complete i put the bed into lay flat mode and managed a little but of sleep before a sunrise approach into singapore it took quite awhile and a train to navigate an airside terminal change at the airport in singapore unfortunately i didn t have time to explore any of the cool airport attractions like the garden or the jewel but i did have time to try their lounge finding the right one took a minute i didn t have access to the more exclusive first class one but eventually i did find the one for business class passengers and wow made to order noodle bar at breakfast time oh yes please after watching a few others go to figure it out i made my selections and my noodle dish was made to order in front of me i can t use chopsticks so eating some of the bulkier choices with a spoon was a challenges as was getting the noodles to where they needed to be but no one here knew me so i slurped without shame pretty tasty a coke zero as you see i found that in asia it seems like coke zero has replaced diet coke for the most part as the no sugar option i left the dining area to chill before flight time it was a very busy lounge for early mid morning maybe it was the rush hour i don t know there were some other buffet and breakfast options but other than the must try noodles i was saving space for my next leg which was back on business again for the connection to bangkok and in preparing for this flight i saw that it had book the cook available which allows you to pre order a few days in advance from a much broader menu and while it may seem like a very odd choice for a morning flight i had to go with their renowned chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce and my friends it did not disappoint even my flight attendant approved of my choice i know it looks a but out of place on this tray with the breakfast fruit bowl and yogurt but it was so good juicy flavourful the peanut sauce was excellent and so much chicken oh my god i enjoyed it while watching the pit fit the first time noah wylie s not an er rip off which was pretty good too all in all a great experience on singapore airlines definitely my favourite business class experience to date after four nights in bangkok again food to be chronicled separately it was time to begin the long journey home the trip home was another aeroplan redemption this time in economy i has wanted to keep going west to make it a true around the world but aeroplan was making me go on air india and i was not down for that so i ended up on eva air to london with an overnight layover managed to get an aisle seat at least for this all daytime 13 hour flight i was in the middle four seat section and the person on the other aisle and i had the...