Earlier this month when I launched this bi-weekly Travel Diary series, I had a gut feeling that this coronavirus pandemic could drag on a lot longer than many people had thought. And I do hope so. Some even suggested that it would benefit them more if – instead of featuring destinations suitable for the season that matches the current time of year, but may not be useful if the travel ban is still in place – I should just skip a couple of months ahead. While some may avoid travelling during the wet period, I think it is a great time to hit the road, since the sun tends to be less harsh thanks to the thick clouds that not only help weaken the rays that otherwise give off scorching heat but this is also when the sky is more interesting when photographed. With Thailand’s shrinking rate of new infections, they could be right. Maybe it could even take a whole year. Therefore, let’s fast-forward to August. However, feedback revealed that readers were more optimistic and believe it won’t be that long. Three months or so from now, the rainy season should already be in full swing.

• Similan Islands
• Pha Lom Sak
• Koh PhaNgan
• Phon Phop Waterfall
• Tham Yai Waterfall

Unlike now, nature will once again spring back to life. Anyway, over the past 16 years – which is as far as my archive of digital photographs goes – apart from the usual travel features, I also worked on weekly columns called Road Map and Freewheel. Even in dry dipterocarp or mixed deciduous forests, except for the charred spots on the bark of the tree trunks that are not yet washed off by the rain, the vegetation, from ground level to the canopy, will seem so lush, as if it had completely forgotten about the fires that ravaged the areas in the previous dry season. Hopefully, during this refreshing break, concerned agencies and the locals affected by air pollution and other widespread consequences of man-made fires will come up with measures that effectively prevent it from happening again in the years to come. The first, which lasted from mid-2004 to late 2006, was about exploring Thailand’s back roads and the interesting sites that they led to.

The latter was a bicycling column that began in 2011. Has been suspended since last May because I no longer had enough time to ride. I hope you might find some of them interesting enough to add to your own travel plans. Nobody knows how long this pandemic will last. One day we’ll be able to travel freely once again. As for recommended destinations for the other half of the month, you’ll find them here the Thursday after next. It doesn’t hurt to have some plans, does it? Anyway, let’s be hopeful. They are pretty varied, from the sea and mountains to old temples, a waterside community and even a historical park. Compiled here are some of the destinations I have visited during the first half of August in the past decade and a half, resorts near Nam Song – learn the facts here now – with updated information. These projects and other work trips have led me to quite a few places in the Kingdom, usually to off-the-beaten-track places.

Resorts Near Chiang Mai

To make it easier for you, here are some travel ideas that – I’m keeping my fingers crossed – you might be able to use in case the coast is clear three months or so from now. During one of my trips for Road Map, I did a survey of Loei’s northern districts, starting from Na Haeo National Park, which is now known as Phu Suan Sai National Park, to the towns of Phu Ruea, Tha Li and Chiang Khan. Along the way, you can drop by the village of Ban Muang Phrae which is separated from Laos by a very narrow section of the Hueang River, the centuries-old Wat Pho Chai, which has one of the country’s tallest ho trai (the tower for keeping Buddhist scriptures) and a prayer hall with folk-style mural paintings. I checked satellite images and the internet and found that a wooden tower which was crumbling when I visited the temple 15 years ago is still there and fully restored. This is a route I highly recommend.