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Thais have a philosophy of keeping their cool and not losing their temper; jai yen (cool heart). To raise your voice and lose your temper is not good form and confrontation is to be avoided. However, that doesn’t mean that every Thai person you meet will be the stereotype happy-go-lucky person you see in all [...]

Despite Thailand’s apparently laid-back and relaxed attitude, it can be surprisingly easy for unaware visitors to cause offence. Manners are important to Thai people and what may be acceptable in Western society is not always appropriate in Thailand.

Thai people consider the head and shoulders to be the most important part of the body as they [...]

The political situation in Thailand is still taking shape. Inevitably, it could prove to be a long drawn out process but there is recent news here.

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Thailand is famously known as the ‘Land of Smiles’, and for good reason. But a Thai smile does not automatically mean that the person is happy. This can lead to misunderstandings between Westerners and Thais.
Here is an example from my second trip to Thailand. I was in an internet cafe near Sukhumvit in Bangkok. The [...]

In many towns and cities (apart from Bangkok), the songthaew is the main form of public transport. Songthaews (literal meaning = two rows) are converted pick-up trucks with two rows of seating in the back for passengers. In some tourist areas such as Pattaya, a songthaew is sometimes referred to as a ‘baht bus’.
To call [...]