Thailand Stories

The Red Shirts are back in Bangkok in bigger numbers than we have seen for a long time. This is the first rally since the new year and also since the ending of the State of Emergency. We have had a number of big rallies in Bangkok over the last 3 …

Every year, on the second Saturday in January, Thailand holds their National Children’s Day. It’s an opportunity for the youth of the country to be pampered and to enjoy themselves at various events throughout the country. Museums, zoos and some tourist attractions allow them to enter for free. In Bangkok, the BTS …

The annual National Children’s Day for Thailand takes place on the second Saturday of January every year. Children are considered as the most valuable resource of the country. There is a Thai saying that goes, “Children are the future of the nation, if the children are intelligent, …

Happy New Year 2011! I hope everyone had fun celebrating last night and managed to get safely back home. This time of year is really dangerous on the roads and I prefer to stay at home rather than travel to other provinces. Too many drunk drivers out there. However, the big exodus from …

Thais hand dried food to line of Buddhist monks during the morning alms offering while making New Year merit Sunday, Jan. 1, 2011 in Samut Prakan, Thailand. (Richard Barrow/ThaiPhotoBlogs.com) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

Boat Ride to the Seaside in Bangkok People often ask where is the nearest beach to Bangkok. Usually I reply Bangsaen and Pattaya to the East or Cha-am and Hua Hin to the South. However, the answer is nearer than expected as Bangkok …

Today, people from all around the country are coming together to celebrate the 83rd birthday of H.M. The King. Many of them are wearing pink which is an auspicious colour believed to help make the King better. The Thai monarch has been in Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok for over a year now. Several thousand well-wishers …

Early this morning, thousands of people all over Thailand made merit on the occasion of HM The King’s 83rd Birthday. In Samut Prakan we also had a merit making ceremony at the provincial hall starting at 6:45 am. About 100 monks were invited to receive alms from local government officials …

These pictures were taken at Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan. The students were taking part in a competition for Thai Manners. In this first set of pictures, the students are demonstrating the proper way to show repsect to a Buddha image. This is done in three stages. In…

One of the most beautiful festivals in Thailand takes place on the full moon night of the 12th lunar month. It is known in Thai as Loy Krathong, but is sometimes referred to as the Festival of Lights. The next one will take place …

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, takes a boat trip to preside over the official opening of the royally initiated projects Bhumibol 1 and Bhumibol 2 bridges and the sluice gate on a canal in Bangkok November 24, 2010. The 82-year-old king occasionally appears in public since his hospitalisation in September 2009 for fatigue and lung …

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, takes a boat trip to preside over the official opening of the royally initiated projects Bhumibol 1 and Bhumibol 2 bridges and the sluice gate on a canal in Bangkok November 24, 2010. The 82-year-old king occasionally appears in public since his hospitalisation in September 2009 for fatigue…

When I first moved to Samut Prakan about 16 years there wasn’t really much of a choice for shopping malls. If I wanted to watch an American movie or buy some English language books I had to go into Bangkok. My only local mall was Imperial World in Samrong which…

The official “Amazing Thailand” application is powered by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). It provides travel guide such as: Destination Guide, Event & Festival, Shopping, Thai Food, About Thailand, etc. I’m starting to lose track now of the number of …

Local people from Phra Samut Chedi District in Samut Prakan take part in a candlelight procession (wien tien) around the chedi. People from Samut Prakan are now celebrating their annual Phra Samut Chedi Temple Fair that has been going on for nearly two hundred years. The fair ends on Sunday 8th November 2010. (Richard Barrow/Paknam.com) More Thailand pictures …

On the fourth day of the big Temple Fair in Samut Prakan, they always hold boat races on the Chao Phraya River in front of Phra Samut Chedi. They also hold other activities and competitions for the local people. This is a competition for thatching using leaves from the nipa palm tree. This…

During October in Thailand, when the rivers and waterways are high at the end of the rainy season, many provinces put on boat racing events. I have already been to several this month. On Sunday morning I travelled to Wat Bang Phli Noi in Samut Prakan to watch their boat racing. Unlike the …

Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul (center) took part in a ceremony at Phra Samut Chedi in Samut Prakan today to worship the red cloth. This is wrapped around the stupa every year to mark the start of the twelve day long temple fair. In the picture, the Interior Minister is leading a procession …

October is always the busiest month for me as there are always many festivals in Thailand. Today I went to take pictures of the long boat racing in Phra Pradaeng, Samut Prakan. This took place on the Chao Phraya River in front of the District Office. I took these pictures in the VIP…

A few hours ago I was taking pictures of the Vegetarian Parade and now I’m sitting on a Thai Airways flight heading to Ubon Ratchathani. The parade early this morning marked the end of the ten day Vegetarian Festival. For the past three years I have been taking part…