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Someday I'll travel to Scandinavia without a winter coat. I can't wait to leave my hat and gloves at home either. And who knows? Maybe I'll even throw a pair of shorts in my luggage, just in case. Lately though, I keep choosing the coldest months to visit Europe's northernmost countries.
First it was Iceland in February. I managed to keep warm with Brennivín and lots of coffee, but when the wind picked up off Faxaflói during the abbreviated afternoons, there was no mistaking the season. And then this year, during the second week of March, I flew to Finland to research a story on Helsinki, the 2012 World Design Capital. And while the ice in the harbor was beginning to show some signs of melting (dashing my hopes of walking to the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress), I always remembered to bundle up before venturing from the cozy confines of my hotel room.
The piece I wrote on Helsinki's stylish ways appears in the August/September issue of DestinAsian magazine. To see more of Finland, its chilly landscapes, and the delicious meals that distracted me from the temperature outside, check out my photo set on Flickr. As far as my next trip to Scandinavia goes, I'm not exactly sure when I'll be back. Yet a quick look at my calendar tells me that I don't seem to have much planned for January 2013.
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.
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