Thailand Stories

When I first travelled through Asia I remember thinking that it was lucky that I spoke English as my first language. I noticed that English was being used as the way to communicate between backpackers of different nations. For example, a German would speak to a Frenchman in …

I was on my way to the floating market at Amphawa the other week when I came across this interesting temple. On the outside it was deserted and very undistinguishable from any other temple that I had been to in Thailand. I almost passed it by but then a coach load of Thai tourists pulled into the small parking lot. They left their coach in single file and were led …

Today is National Teacher’s Day in Thailand and I thought I would take this opportunity to show you how well respected teachers are in Thailand. It is a pleasure teaching here and I wouldn’t dream of teaching anywhere else. Certainly not in America! Every January 16th is a holiday for us and we get the day off work. Then, at the …

The other day, I was showing some people around the school. They were visiting from Australia. They made a good point that some of the teachers were a bit slow taking down the “Happy New Year” banners from the classrooms. I said that well may be true from their point of view. But you could look at it …

On the second Saturday of January every year, the Thai people celebrate National Children’s Day. This has been going on for about 50 years now. Children are seen not only as the national treasure, but they are also seen as the future of the country. It is important that they are protected and that they are guided into becoming responsible citizens. In the West, we are …

The date of the “new year” in Thailand has moved around a few times over the years. It started as a movable festival called Songkran that followed the dates of the lunar months. In 1889, it was fixed to be held on the 1st of April. This continued until 1941 when 1st of January became the “new …