April | 2015 | IKIMASHO!

IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Maduzi Hotel, Bangkok

April 24, 2015 by joostay

After ten days of trying to avoid the wrath of spiders and other insects in rural Isaan, I find myself thrown back into Bangkok – a city unashamedly made up of international brands and in-your-face consumerism. My chosen stay is at the boutique Maduzi Hotel, yet despite its central location in the heart of the busy Sukhumvit area, it seemingly goes out of its way to avoid being noticed. Pass by its white-washed walls and green hedges, and you may […]

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, hotels, thailand, travel

Flying through a pink lightning storm over the Himalayas, Nepal.

April 22, 2015 by joostay

A few nights back I was on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu in Nepal. Out of the corner of my eye I could see lights flickering, and just assumed it was the wing lights on the aircraft. But then I turned my head and saw a full-scale electrical storm happening right in front of me. It must have been a few miles away as there was no turbulence at all. It was a pretty amazing spectacle. There were some moments […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan

Lumphini Park: The best park in Bangkok

April 19, 2015 by joostay

If I ever move to Bangkok, I want to live by Lumphini Park. Music by Fabio Orsi – from his Just For A Thrill release on Home Normal.

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: ambient, asia, backpacking, bangkok, electronica, fabio orsi, home normal, japan, label, music, nature, netlabel, peace, photography, sound, tokyo, travel, Zen

Songkran Festival in Isaan, rural Thailand.

April 15, 2015 by joostay

Discovering the true meaning of Thailand’s most important festival For the last few weeks I’ve been staying in a small village called Broken Road in Isaan, northeast Thailand. My stay coincides with Songkran – the Thai New Year celebrations from 13-15 April – during which people throw water over each other as a a symbol of their sins being washed away. Unfortunately, in the larger cities these celebrations have become rather hedonistic: an excuse for people to get wasted and […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, backpacking, blog, buddhism, buddhist, ikimasho, isaan, japan, justin egli, monks, photography, rural, se asia, songkran, thailand, tokyo, travel

Living a simple life in Isaan, rural Thailand.

April 14, 2015 by joostay

Becoming one of the family. My experience as one of the locals in Broken Road. For the last few weeks I’ve been living in a small village called Broken Road in Nang Rong, the Isaan province of northeastern Thailand. Just 40km from Cambodia, it’s where my mates Allan and Fanfan now live with her mum and a few others of her extended family. Allan is originally from my hometown of Bangor in Northern Ireland, though bought a condo in Bangkok […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, backpacking, country, countryside, farming, ikimasho, isaan, japan, justin egli, live less ordinary, living in rural thailand, northeast thailand, rural, se asia, tokyo

Khao Luang Cave Temple, Phetchaburi, Thailand

April 10, 2015 by joostay

90ft below the ground, the first light of the day shines on a different world. Sometimes when you see a picture of somewhere, you know you just have to go and see it for yourself. This was exactly the case for me with Khao Luang – an enormous cave temple just outside the sleepy town of Phetchaburi in central Thailand. As I stood and watched a Buddhist nun dressed in white walking across a huge ray of light shining down […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: bangkok, Bangkok to Phetchaburi, How to get to Khao Luang Cave Temple, hua hin, ikimasho, japan, justin egli, Khao Luang, monkeys, Phetchaburi, thailand, tokyo

IN PICTURES: HUA HIN, THAILAND

April 8, 2015 by joostay

Hua Hin: A nice beach, good food and less sleazy than other Thai beach towns. That’s the reason I chose Hua Hin to spend the first few days of my trip. I’ll not try and make it out to be some sort of mystical and untouched travel paradise: it’s not. There are many tourists there, as well as many upscale resorts. But if you are looking for a place to swim, relax and get a bit of Thai culture, it’s a perfect getaway […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, backpacking, bangkok, beach, blog, cha-am, food, hua hin, ikimasho, japan, justin egli, motorbike, mountain, se asia, thailand, tokyo

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HELLRIDES: PHETCHABURI TO NANG RONG, THAILAND.

April 8, 2015 by joostay

Travel in SE Asia may be a pain in the ass, but boy is it cheap. Today I travelled 500km west to east – from Phetchaburi near the Myanmar border to Nang Rong beside Cambodia. It was a slog: 11 hours in total using five different forms of transport, but the end price was ridiculously cheap. Songthaew from my guesthouse to the minivan depot (60baht / £1.20). Minivan from Phetchaburi to Bangkok. (Two-hour journey costs just 100 baht / £2). […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan

THE DAY I FOUND A HEAD IN THAILAND

April 6, 2015 by joostay

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: aphex twin, asia, backpacking, bangkok, head, hua hin, i found a ahead, not working, se asia, thailand, travel

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Monkeys in the Sea. Radars in the Sky.

April 5, 2015 by joostay

Exploring Khao Takiab “Monkey” Mountain, Hua Hin, Thailand. One week after quitting my job in Tokyo I flew one-way to Bangkok to hang out in Thailand, Nepal and some other countries for a while. I was excited about the trip, but with so much to sort out – and the inevitable goodbyes – I was apprehensive too. It wasn’t until I actually landed here that I knew I’d absolutely made the right decision. That moment came when I was walking […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, backpacking, blog, culture, how to get to Khao Takiab, hua hin, ikimasho!japanese, japan, justin egli, Khao Takiab, monkey mountain, thai, thailand, things to do

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Hellrides: Tokyo to Hua Hin, Thailand.

April 3, 2015 by joostay

I’m sure there are easier ways to relive your youth than this. Back when I was younger I was in a punk band. We toured a fair bit, our drummer relentless in his thirst for a gig – any gig – and so we drove thousands of miles in a green VW Estate plastered with an assortment of stickers of bands you have probably never heard of. The tours were planned well in advance, so if we were offered a gig […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: backpacking, bangkok, blog, hellride, how to get from don muang airport to hua hin, hua hin, ikimasho, japanese, justin egli, punk, punk rock, thailand, the dangerfields, travel, van