There’s another travel blogger meme-doo-hickey going round and I can’t resist. The folks over at HostelBookers started it and both Dave and Deb at Planet D , Aaron at Aaron’s Worldwide Adventures and Jeremy at Budget Travel Adventures tagged me. Here’s my favorite seven shots:

To view all 7 images at full size, click HERE.

I didn’t move about as much as I expected to in 2011. Five countries, an extended stay in Thailand, a couple of months at home, then dipping into Central America for the first time made for a busy year. Here are a dozen photos from 2011 — I hope you like them. Happy New Year!

Click Here to view all 12 photos.

While walking through the markets in Chiang Mai, I often see these hand-carved soaps for sale and couldn’t resist grabbing a shot. You’ll sometimes find the vendor carving them from small balls of colored soap between sales — well worth stopping a moment to watch. They’ll usually ask for 150-200 baht per piece, but a little friendly haggling will drop that price considerably.

To view at full-size, CLICK HERE.

My new friends Mark and Sa were getting married and I was thrilled for them. Even better, Sa shyly asked if I would be their wedding photographer. I’d never shot a wedding and carefully explained that I had no idea what I was doing but that I’d try my best. She was happy. I was ecstatic.

To view extra-large photos and the story CLICK HERE

I can’t stand working in my hotel room. Instead I hang out at cafes and coffee shops around town. The ideal office has wifi, accessible power, preferably a shady outdoor table, a breeze or fan and a wait staff that doesn’t mind me hanging out for hours drinking coffee and fruit smoothies. It’s a tricky combination.

I headed out today at 7:30, planning on stopping at my usual early-morning spot, Ratana’s Kitchen. It’s just around the corner from my hotel and I like to sit outside in the morning and start my day. Today they weren’t open yet and the waiter was standing outside watering the plants.

I thought I’d kill a few moments and walked down to the 7-11 to buy an energy drink and peruse the huge assortment of odd things for sale in the coolers (Essence of Chicken? Why?). Ten minutes later, I checked back at Ratana’s and the waiter was still standing unmoving in the same place, watering the same plant. A bit concerned, I checked his pulse — it was weak but steady, so I left him to his duties and headed to my back-up office.

The backup in this case is Black Canyon Coffee, just inside Tha Phae Gate in the old city. It’s a tourist trap and pricey, but they have decent wifi and it’s a great place to people watch. But Black Canyon has a fatal flaw: they tend to play the same CD over and over for days at a time. Recently it was, inexplicably, John Denver and yesterday it was a collection of rock songs sung in a crooning lounge style interspersed with Whitney Houston hits.

Later in the day I’ll have plenty of options: Archer’s Restaurant, which was one of my first spots and a favorite, Bargin Booze Cafe (yes, that’s how they spelled it. They’ve changed the name to Bamboo Cafe — this saddens me), Ahka Ama Coffee (best coffee in town, but a 30 minute walk), or even Blue Sky Bar, which not only sells the cheapest beer in town and has amazing service but also shows the SciFi channel on TV all day. (Supposedly, they’re open 24 hours a day but visiting a bar at 8 in the morning didn’t seem like a very productive idea.)

Girding myself, I opened the door to the fading strains of I Will Always Love You which not only made me cringe but triggered a memory of a small cafe I’d spotted a few days before, tucked down a quiet soi off the main road. Maybe they were open?

And they were! The Peppermint Coffee House turned out to be exactly what I wanted: they open at 7am, have great food and fair prices, fast wifi and friendly service. They even bring you free ice water to drink — unheard of in this town. Check them out next time you’re in town and tell the waiter, Abu, that Johnny sent you.

If you’re traveling this summer, why not travel slower and consider Thailand vacation rentals as a way to both save money on accommodation and to get to know a destination better. Renting a vacation home gives you a comfortable place to base yourself for exploring the surrounding area as well.