#travel blog #

6 top Thailand travel and food blogs

Unlike Twitter and Facebook, which have become the top sites to announce that you just ate a big sandwich, the art and passion of blogging has never been more serious.

Thailand is blessed with an in-depth blogging scene covering all manner of topics relating to travel, from culture and food to partying. And, of course, the more risqué stuff we can't cover here.

Here's a selection of the top travel-themed blogs -- in no particular order -- with regular updates that give the inside track on Thailand.

1. Thai Travel News

One of Thailand's "No See Evil" Buddhas, featured on a recent post by Richard Barrow. URL: Thaitravelblogs.com

This is the grand-daddy of Thailand travel blogs. Run by serial blogger Richard Barrow, as the name suggests it's a collection of experiences taken from his travels as well as news and updates relating to tourism in Thailand.

Ranging from enviable Tourism Authority press junkets to visits to tourist hot spots and lesser known locations -- or just advance news of an interesting event -- this site has something for everyone, be they tourist, traveller, expat or local.

Highlight:  This list of tourist attractions affected by the ongoing floods is a valuable resource for tourists as the country battles rising water levels.

2. Bangkok Burger Blog

The Bangkok Burger Blog's motto: Leave no bun unturned. URL: Bangkokburgerblog.wordpress.com

A burger blog? In Bangkok? Stay with me for a moment.

Yes, Thai food is wonderful. But sometimes you just need to knock back a big old greasy burger.

Thanks to the Bangkok Burger blogger’s hard graft tasting and ratings, you can forget calling Ronald McDonald (who craftily delivers to your door in Thailand) and instead grab a quality burger and fries.

Best of all, there are also regular free giveaways.

Highlight:  The coverage of Bangkok Burger Blog's recent testing session at Bangkok Burger Company is almost not suitable for work.

3. Still Life In Moving Vehicles

Dale Konstanz has been photographing Bangkok taxi interiors for more than four years. URL: Lifeinmovingvehicle.blogspot.com

Dale Konstanz’s "Still Life In Moving Vehicles" blog is made up of images taken inside Bangkok taxis over the last four years.

What is particularly noticeable are the cultural nuances that play out over the pictures and stories posted on the blog.

Be it the importance of amulets, obsession with pigs, bare-footedness of drivers or the emergence of GPS devices, the blog is a window into some of the lesser-known aspects of Thai culture.

4. Austin Bush Food Blog

Warning: a visit to Austin Bush's Food Blog usually leads to immediate hunger pangs. URL: Austinbushphotography.com/category/foodblog

CNNGo contributor Austin Bush makes the cut for his delightful food blog. Hunger-inducing photos of local food are paired within details of authentic Thai recipes and descriptions of some of Thai cuisine’s most obscure and delicious concoctions.

Austin primarily covers Thailand but there's the occasional exception when travel takes him elsewhere.

Highlight: Austin’s Thai Eats Google map makes it easier than ever to visit and sample his favorite Bangkok-based eateries.

5. Eating Thai Food

Day by day, the founders of Eatingthaifood.com are eating their way through the sois of Bangkok. URL: Eatingthaifood.com

Another quality food blog but with a twist. Eating Thai Food is dedicated to showcasing the tastiest dishes to be found in Thailand’s street restaurants.

Written with passion and illuminated by melt-in-your-mouth photography, site writers Mark Wiens and Dwight Turner take their food very seriously.

Whether your interest is exploring traditional favorites, trying out new ideas or just tasting Thai street food for the first time, this blog will be your shining light.

Highlight:  Have you ever heard of the peculiar egg yolk fruit (luk taw)?

6. Jamie’s Phuket

For all things Phuket, visit Jamie's Phuket Blog. URL: Jamie-monk.blogspot.com

Jamie’s Phuket blog has been one of the most informative websites covering Phuket and the surrounding area since coming online in 2006.

That Jamie juggles the demands of the blog with a full-time job as a dive centre manager, makes the site –- which showcases "the real side of Phuket" –- all the more impressive.

His pages cover a range of activities and events from festivals, cultural events and things to do with kids, to hotels, beaches and of course diving.

Highlight: Jamie’s three-part series on the 2010 Phuket Vegetarian festival gives a fantastic insight into this traditional event.

Other great Thailand resources for travelers 

Jam-packed  Southeast Asia online travel guide Travelfish.org now has a section featuring daily blog updates from around the region, including Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

The Travelfish forum is equally useful, helping to answer questions and queries. There's also lots of practical information to be found deep within, including this advice for avoiding scams .

Thonglor-Ekamai

The Thonglor-Ekamai website and map is the only resource out there devoted solely to Bangkok’s hippest neighborhood.

Covering everything in and around the conjoined Thonglor and Ekamai Roads, this hyper-local site has restaurant reviews, notable interviews, shopping highlights and nightlife features.

For daily updates on sales, happy hours and restaurant specials, click "like" on the Thonglor-Ekamai Facebook page.

Another site focused on Bangkok restaurant and bar reviews, attractions, events and shopping information.

The best thing about Kohspot.com is that its writer pulls no punches when it comes to his brutally honest reviews.

I Am Koh Chang

Dedicated to the popular tourist island, travel website I Am Koh Chang covers beaches, accommodation, transportation and local news.

The site is run by the folks in charge of the Baan Rim Nam Guesthouse, but they do include information, location and contact details for a vast number of guesthouses and hotels in the region.

Do you have a favorite blog that supplies you with a regular intake of Thai life that isn’t on this list? Let us know about it in the comments section.