A Dispatch for DestinAsian

Thailand has roughly 450 kilometers of expressways. Occasionally, it can feel like every other person in the country is using them to get somewhere at the same time. For that reason, driving here is not always a pleasant experience. As for the rules of the road, the Rough Guide to Thailand helpfully remarks that "there are few rules that are generally followed—you'll need to keep your concentration up and expect the unexpected." Fodor's meanwhile, sums up the situation much more bluntly: "Driving in Thailand is not for the faint of heart."

Traffic and safety concerns aside, a road trip through this complicated nation does yield rewards, as I discovered while on assignment for DestinAsian magazine. In a piece entitled "Thailand Uncorked," I traveled to Khao Yai, where several members of the Thai Wine Association are working together to promote a wine trail. Driving between the three vineyards featured in my story, I got a glimpse of Thailand that you'll never see by sticking to bus routes and train lines. In fact, if it weren't for my road trip to wine country, I might never have discovered Palio Khao Yai.