For a reason still undetermined to this day, I have always had a certain attraction to Asia. Perhaps my childhood watching "Club Dorothée" and those Japanese anime had something to do with it, or perhaps I simply had a desire for escape under the sign of Buddhist "zen," who knows.
The fact remains that I am now married to a local travel addict (20 years is approaching, time flies!), I travel around Asia as much as possible and report my adventures right here.
Even the longest journey begins with a single step.
Our travel style
With Jitima, we each have our own style of travel, but we always try to meet the local people, stroll through villages, and observe local life, especially in the markets. While I'm busy taking photos, she's sketching, drawing portraits, and bringing back souvenirs in the form of illustrations.
We generally do a mix between must-see destinations and more unusual or generally less visited places, in order to have an overview of several aspects of a country, and not just the pure tourist side.
We always seek a balance between urban visits (my wife loves museums and art) and nature (I love getting lost in remote areas), resulting in a mix of visits by classic public transport and a moment of freedom usually in the form of renting a vehicle, the best way to immerse oneself in a region.
After 2 years of regular back and forth I decided to settle down in Bangkok.
Initially, I hadn't specifically planned to live in Thailand; in my case, it was more a twist of fate. However, having just arrived in Bangkok in 2008, I haven't moved since and have always lived in the Thai capital. It's convenient and central, and not just for Thailand. In a few hours, you can be almost anywhere on the Asian continent.
Why this blog?
I have always had an attraction to images (possibly a "professional" bias since I graduated in audiovisual studies), it is almost the primary reason that prompted me to share my discoveries, whether they are cultural, culinary or simply places to visit that stand out, landscapes that have marked me etc.
My passion for photography is reflected in my articles, which are generously enhanced with photos. I see them as a mix of pure illustration to guide the reader through the different places visited, sometimes trying to capture the essence of a place and keeping portraits of encounters, significant or unusual moments, or simply more aesthetic photos, because the primary goal is also to encourage you to go and discover for yourself.
I would therefore like to say that, with very rare exceptions on articles that are sometimes more general in nature, all the photos illustrating this blog are mine.
Why advertising?
I almost wrote the title "Why are you bothering us with your ads?" You have to understand that a blog like this involves expenses, starting with hosting, every month. Then there are regular one-time costs, like buying a theme, sometimes stock images, and above all, there's an investment of time.
Writing some articles takes a lot of time, because I don't necessarily know everything about everything instantly, so I do research, compare sources to make sure I have up-to-date and verified information.
And time, well… I don't need to spell it out for you, it's money. Beyond that, the blog is now my MAIN professional activity; I live solely off it. And while the need for money in Thailand is obviously less than in Europe, my website's revenue would be insufficient without advertising… Unless I stumble upon a patron who sponsors me full-time (one can dream, right!), I'm forced to maintain this somewhat intrusive method to continue bringing you articles about every corner of Thailand and Asia.
Media Coverage
I'm starting this section with a radio interview from France Bleu Besançon, as part of their program "Franche-Comtois du bout du monde" (Franche-Comté natives at the end of the world), an interview in 5 parts, because it was spread over a week (it was at the very beginning of my expatriation so it's starting to feel like a long time ago!):
Episode 1: Monday
Episode 2: Tuesday
Episode 3: Wednesday
Episode 4: Thursday
Episode 5: Friday
To learn a little more about me, here are various interviews from other media outlets and bloggers about my website " Thailand and Asia ".
- My origins have also earned me a little interview for the Eastern Republican, famous daily newspaper of Lorraine and Franche-Comté:
- General interview as an expat in Thailand, by Sara from the blog Around the world
- “Discovering Thailand” interview on the blog The Vadrouilleurs by Christophe
- Interview on the south of Thailand and its islands by Franck and Richard from the blog One Day One Travel
- “Expat Meeting” interview by Lucie from the blog My Blog Tour
- Interview by Sylvie from the blog Travelers' Corner
- Interview in the section “What if we talked about travel…” by Marilène from the blog Mystingett Corner
- Interview by Jenny, from the blog My Globe Story
- I participated in episode 31 of Michael's Podcast, from the site Cross the border
- I wrote series of articles for Evaneos (which have since become "testimonials" on several destinations, see e.g. here for Ayutthaya)
- I wrote an article for Skyscanner: Where to have a drink in Bangkok
Make a donation on my Tipeee
Do you enjoy my blog? Do you appreciate my help and feedback? You can support Thailand and Asia by following me on social media, but I've also opened a Tipeee page if you'd like to make a more tangible contribution! It's the easiest way to donate and help keep the blog going.
Need advice? Don't hesitate to contact me!