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Brad A. Johnson

Food & Travel

Brad A Johnson
  • Blog
  • About
  • Photography
    • Food Photography
    • Travel Photography
    • Restaurant Photography
    • Hotel & Resort Photography
  • Writing
  • Contact

Photo of the Week: Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

  • April 25, 2020
  • Brad A. Johnson
This is Bottle Beach, one of the most remote beaches on the backside of Koh Pha Ngan, the island in the Gulf of Thailand where Leonardo Dicaprio’s The Beach was filmed. The island is infamous for its monthly full-moon parties, which can attract as many as 40,000 ravers at a time. Most of that insanity happens on the opposite side of the island. Bottle Beach is quiet, sleepy and cheap.

The only luxury here is exclusion. There are no cars. No motorbikes. No air-conditioning. I probably couldn’t survive here more than a few hours, but it makes for a beautiful day trip from Koh Samui. The snorkeling is great.

In March I was in the midst of planning a return trip to Thailand, including a few days back in Koh Samui, plus Bangkok and farther north across the Laos border. But then the pandemic hit, and I had to put all that planning on hold. I don’t know when we’ll ever be able to travel safely again, but that day will come. It has to. And when it does, a return to Thailand will be my top priority.

Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)
Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand (Photo by Brad A. Johnson)

For more travel inspiration and photos, I invite you to follow me and join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Brad A. Johnson

Brad A. Johnson is a writer and photographer specializing in food and travel. His work has been honored by the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, James Beard Awards, World Food Media Awards, Food Photographer of the Year Awards, Society of Features Journalism Awards and others. Based in Southern California, Brad currently serves as Editorial Director of the new luxury consumer travel magazine of the Global Travel Collection (launching Spring 2023).

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Hey, OC. Do you know about this one? Cool new modern Thai restaurant in Irvine: Nara Thai Kitchen . Beautiful food, but the kitchen doesn't do spicy. The flavors are not nearly as exciting as, say, @thai_avenue (still the best) in Garden Grove, but this is easily one of the nicer Thai restaurants in OC. Great potential here.  It just opened a couple weeks ago. You'll need a reservation. It's been packed every night.  #orangecounty #thai 290 10
Hey OC, do y'all know about this new wood-fire pizzeria @theparlorsp in Tustin? Really good stuff! They're open only for weekday lunch, no weekends or dinner, located next door to the new @ryegoods. It's an odd location (adjacent to the chef's commercial catering kitchen, maybe?), with limited seating inside the tiny parlor itself. But they also have extra seating in a common indoor/outdoor area shared with Rye Goods.  I hope they eventually open for dinner/weekends. ⁠ 333 25
I might have found my new favorite place in OC for chicken pho @pho.nicfv⁠ 174 19
My sincerest thanks to the North American Travel Journalists Awards!⁠ 129 19
Hey, OC. FYI in case you missed it, @ryegoods has opened a new location on Red Hill in Tustin, just down the street from Flight/Mess Hall. Same incredible breads and pastries as the original on the peninsula. No lines here, plus a huge seating area. #sourdough #pastries #coffee #orangecounty 337 10
One more post from our lovely stay at @fstokyo. Delicious lunch at @maisonmarunouchi, the casual sibling to @sezannetokyo. Excellent all around. And clearly popular with Tokyo's ladies who lunch: the clientele during our visit, almost entirely women. Quite the see-and-be-seen crowd. 70 1
Brad A. Johnson
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Writer. Photographer. Traveler. Restaurant Critic.

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