The Perfect Phuket Day
Living in a paradise that many see as a tourist destination does tend to increase the likelihood of visitors. As we have lived in such places for a while now, we’ve perfected the visitor strategy so that we balance the
Anne O’Connell
A published author and freelance writer, Anne O’Connell, has been an expat since 1993 when she and her husband escaped the cold of Toronto, Canada and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They enjoyed the sun and sand for 14 years, while she worked in the PR field, and then decided it was time for a new adventure. Heading for even more sun and sand, they moved to Dubai in late 2007 and then on to Thailand in 2011. Visit her website at anne-oconnell.com or read her blog.
Motorbike Mash-up – The Do’s and Don’ts of Riding a Motorbike on an Island and Living to Tell the Tale
We’ve seen the amazingly glorious results on Glee (well, I have anyways) when two different songs of totally unrelated genres are combined in a ‘mash-up’ of vocal styling and creative manipulations of music scores. It’s not so pretty when the
Isolation Never Leads To Assimilation
Now, repeat that three times until it becomes your mantra. I’ve had to do that a lot lately. It’s been really easy to isolate myself in the year since we moved to Thailand. I’ve been in the throes of writing,
Cost of Living Is Cheap, Cheap, Cheap in Thailand
When researching places to settle upon retirement everyone has different requirements and preferences. There are those who have lived the expat life for a long time who can’t wait to go home and settle into a comfortable routine, surrounded by
When Expats And Tourists Clash
Well, after all the sunshine and rainbows I knew it wouldn’t be long before something not so pleasant happened in our idyllic little expat oasis. Even regular trips to immigration in Phuket Town and two days at the department of
Island Living… Not So Boring After All
Pinch me! I’m really living on an island. It’s been a dream of mine for a very long time. I actually grew up in a small province of Canada called Nova Scotia that is almost an island except for the
Phuket Vegetarian Festival – A Sea of White… And Red
As the 187th annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival approaches, I remember when I first experienced it shortly after our arrival last year. It happens each year (hence the ‘annual’ moniker), during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. This year
Straddling Countries – The Perfect Life Or Sheer Drudgery?
I’ve discovered a new meaning of the formula e=mc2 – exhaustion equals multiple countries squared. As we wrap up our summer in Canada I look back at a wonderful two and a half months of beautiful weather in gorgeous surroundings
Weathering The Weather…Whether Here Or There
I have vivid memories of the brutal snowstorms of my childhood; I have clung to my cat while hunkered down in my bathroom listening to the howling winds of hurricane Katrina in Florida; I’ve sheltered my eyes from the stinging
Phuket’s 5 Tourist Traps That Are Fun To Get Caught In
I’ve always loved being a tourist in my own town. I’ll never tire of visiting Citadel Hill in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I grew up and spent the first 26 years of my life. It’s a step back in the