Royal Ploughing Ceremony
Following today’s Royal Ploughing Ceremony in Bangkok, royal astrologers have predicted a bumper rice crop and abundant supplies of food. In a …
Blog
Pattaya to Bangkok Airport
Having written previously about how to get from Bangkok airport to Pattaya, here are a few pointers for the return journey from Pattaya back to …
How to Get from Bangkok Airport to Pattaya
Depending on your time of arrival and how much you want to spend, there are a number of options for getting from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport …
Review: VIP Bus Service from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai
There are numerous buses which ply the route between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, with varying prices according to the degree of comfort, speed and …
Review: Wiang Inn Hotel, Chiang Rai
I recently visited Chiang Rai and stayed at the Wiang Inn Hotel for 2 nights. Travelling by bus from Chiang Mai, I hadn’t pre-booked any …
Chakri Day
April 6 is Chakri Day in Thailand, a public holiday which commemorates the founding day of the royal Chakri Dynasty. On Chakri Day, the king and other …
Obesity on the Increase in Thailand
It’s official; Thai people are getting fatter. I’d long since suspected it, but my own less-than-scientific observations have been …
This is Thailand (T.I.T.)
There’s an expression that many expats use to sum up the bizarre, outrageous and confusing things that can happen in Thailand; T.I.T. (This is …
Bangkok Airport Guide
Bangkok’s international airport (code = BKK) is known as Suvarnabhumi (pronounced Su-wan-na-poom) and is located to the east of Thailand’s …
Kreng Jai
Kreng jai (also written as krengjai) is a distinctly Thai trait that can bewilder visitors to Thailand. So what is kreng jai? The direct translation …
Gambling
Apart from a few officially endorsed activities such as the Thai lottery and horse racing at selected venues, gambling is illegal in Thailand. …
9 Useful Thai Phrases
Even if you are only in Thailand for a few weeks, if you can learn a few words of the Thai language it can be amazing the difference it can make to …
Chinese New Year
Thai people welcome any excuse to celebrate and have sanuk, so why not have three New Year celebrations; the western New Year in January, the Chinese …
The Thai Smile, Jai Yen and Jai Rawn
I thought I’d write about a couple of incidents I’ve seen in the past week which confirms one stereotype of Thailand and dispels another. …
The Importance of Keeping Hydrated
If there’s one tip I can give people visiting Thailand, it’s to ensure you drink enough water. The first few times I came here on holiday, …
Is it Safe to Drink the Tap Water?
The short answer is, no. There are a few exceptions in Bangkok, notably at some of the more prestigious hotels, but in the majority of cases tap water …
Sanuk
Most guide books to Thailand will tell you about the Thai concept of sanuk which often gets translated as meaning ‘fun’. But sanuk is more …
Top 9 Popular Thai Dishes
Part of the charm of a visit to Thailand is trying the local food. A survey back in 2000 revealed the following dishes to be the most popular with …