Greetings from Bangkok. I've been wandering around the city for some future articles. On the blog, I've restarted the "Notes On" trip report series after a bit of a break. This week's article picks up in Udon Thani, which was from around this time last year, so that is how far behind I am.

I plan to visit some new-to-me islands this month, but I have the habit of blogging in chronological order, so I need to get updated before I blog about them.

I also updated an old photo post of ornamental street signs in Thailand.

Latest posts at Nomadic Notes

• Notes on Udon Thani

Udon Thani is positioning itself as a gateway city for when the Thai-China high-speed railway opens. There is a Thai-Chinese Cultural Center, a large western expat scene, and soon there will be a “Vietnam Town”. The city could also become a quick break spot for Laotians when the Vientiane-Udon Thani rail shuttle opens.

• Ornamental street signs of Thailand

Travel reads

• Remade in Paris: new life for capital’s abandoned buildings

“Across the French capital, old stations, factories and a university campus are being transformed into artists’ studios, theatres and some of the city’s hottest clubbing venues.”

I wrote an article this week about adaptive reuse in Southeast Asia. Having spent a few years of my life in Europe, I’ve always been impressed by how many old buildings are converted into a new use.

• The other side of Lombok, Indonesia: ancient temples open to Hindus and Muslims alike, an upland Shangri-la, and islands off the tourist trail

• Decorated with 4,000 skeletons, this Roman church will have you pondering your own mortality

• Luang Prabang ready for return to halcyon days

• On the Kahayan River of Kalimantan

• This South Korean island near Japan has a legendary national park

• In praise of the postcard

“A seemingly obsolete technology invites us to ruminate on the possibilities of the past and the future.”

• The language of travel: Is it time we stop ‘discovering’ and ‘doing’ countries?

• In his new show, Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy is a Reluctant Traveler

• I mentioned in last week’s newsletter how Pai is becoming a tubing hotspot. Now there is an alcohol ban, so maybe not.

🚆Train travel

• I paid £11 to travel 500km – but is the no-frills ‘Ryanair’ of the railways worth it?

• The extraordinary train lifeline behind Ukraine’s Rail Force One

✈️ Air travel

• How Singapore Airlines makes 50,000 in-flight meals a day

• Sydney is getting a new airport, and it now has an IATA code. Now it just needs an airport train to go with it, because it is far from the city centre.

Western Sydney International Airport @flyWSA

Today we have joined iconic airports around the world like LAX, JFK and LHR by securing our own three letter IATA code, #WSI! ✈️ This code will appear on tickets, on airline bookings and bag tags around the world. 2026 isn't too far away!

The Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter is a weekly newsletter of the best travel reads and interesting travel news from around the web, and random ramblings by the editor.

- James Clark

Nomadic Notes Travel Newsletter

The international Isaan city of Udon Thani