This pond sure looks cool and refreshing... and it is! This pond in Sra Gaew, Krabi, Thailand is actually 200 meters deep. It's the deepest pond in southeast Asia but you'd never know it because there are no signs at all when you arrive. There are no signs on the road about how to get to this pond either. Local knowledge will get you here - and if you ask nicely by email I'll tell you!

I just checked all the major cities across Thailand for temperature. The range today is 30-38 degrees Celsius (Centigrade) which is not cold. In Fahrenheit this translates to: 86 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit! It's smokin' hot here at the moment, and only going to get hotter as May and the Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) approaches which is said to be the hottest time of the entire year and when many cities reach 40+ degrees Celsius.

If you're planning to visit Thailand during this time don't bother with the long pants or long-sleeved shirts for warmth. Do bring your favorite mosquito lotion with DEET and a hat and sunglasses. Rain right now is rare and starts again after mid-May.

That was your friendly weather outlook for the couple months ahead. If you have any questions about what to bring to Thailand here's a packing list.

Last week I noticed the Thailand sunsets were getting more and more amazing so I set off to get a good photo of one. Recently the sun was setting behind my favorite mountain here in south Thailand - Hang Nak Mountain.

Hang Nak is a 500 meter high mountain that hosts a great fitness trail up to the peak which you can see highlighted by the setting sun behind it here. If we could zoom in all the way we might see people at the top as it's becoming a popular thing to do for sunset. Keep in mind you'd better have a flashlight you trust because the path has quite a few roots and rocks designed to turn your upright vertical tour of the mountain into a sliding horizontal tour!

Wherever you are in Thailand the skies and sunsets are awesome...

Have you booked your Thailand travel ticket yet?

Photo: Aim for Awesome!

Thailand doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day officially, but some of the kids still like to give each other handmade gifts or cards.

If you're spending time in Thailand during Valentines day please be aware that the Thais don't celebrate it, and curb your affectionate behavior considerably. There is a real stigma attached to couples that display their affection for each other in public and even in Bangkok, one never sees more than a simple hand-hold.

If you're traveling to the northeast even holding hands is strongly frowned upon and the town's people will think you don't have any good morals.

Makha Bucha is a special Buddhist holiday in Thailand. Many people have a day off work, but the main festivities occur in the early evening of this full moon night.

Makha Bucha is a day to remember two events that occurred on the same day, but forty-five years apart. The first event was the spontaneous arrival of 1,250 Buddhist monks to meet and be ordained by the Buddha - without any prior announcement having been given. The second, occurred forty-five years later, and was when the Buddha delivered a Dhamma talk just before his death.

All over Thailand Buddhists will be making offerings to monks at the temples. Afterwards they will light one candle and three incense sticks to carry along with one lotus flower as they circumnavigate around the main temple building (bot) while chanting and holding the candle, incense and lotus between their upright and folded hands.

Makha Bucha is a major Theravada Buddhist holiday. If you happen to be in the neighborhood of a Theravada Buddhist temple here in Thailand - or wherever you are in the world, you might stop in and participate or just watch the event and take some photos or videos for mementos.