Thailand Stories

This morning I visited Ancient Siam (formerly Ancient City) in Samut Prakan for their annual Mother’s Day activity. Over the last four or five years, the management have been organizing many different kinds of events at the park during all major holidays. Today is a public holiday for H.M. The Queen’s birthday…

Well, just a short while back I decided on the spur of the moment to pack our bags and get a short flight to somewhere…… and that somewhere was to be Penang Island in Malaysia. The wife, Su, and I went to Hong Kong over the Songkran holidays in April, but…

I have to admit I am not a very diligent traveller: I don’t dive very deep into my guidebooks. I usually enjoy ancient monuments, temples, ruins and other buildings for their atmosphere and architectural beauty, not for the tales from olden days that they tell to an eager listener. I cannot imagine what life must have …

Visakha Bucha Day is the most important day in the Buddhist calendar. It marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha which all happened on the full moon of the sixth lunar month. All around Thailand, Buddhists will be going to their local temple tomorrow to mark this important event by…

One of the more traditional events that took place during Songkran recently was ” song nam phra “. This is the practice of bathing Buddha images with rose scented water. Most tourists, and even some Thai teenagers, seem to think that Songkran is only about throwing water at each other. However, it was originally more a bathing of…

One of the best Songkran Parades in Thailand is held in Phra Pradaeng District in Samut Prakan Province. It is traditional for the Mon people in this region to release birds and fish during Songkran in order to make merit for themselves. Many of the townspeople dress up in their best clothes and then parade through the town to Wat Proteket Chettharam. Many people in the parade either …

Most districts in Samut Prakan have their own Songkran parades. However, the biggest and best is undoubtedly held through the town of Phra Pradaeng. This took place on Sunday afternoon and was probably also the last Songkran parade of the season. It started outside the municipal offices alongside the river and then wound through the town ending up at Wat Proteket Chettharam nearly two kilometers away. It is…

One of the biggest and most spectacular Songkran celebrations in Thailand is held in Phra Pradaeng district of Samut Prakan. Unlike the rest of the country, the local people here celebrate Songkran a week later. This means that if you know where to go, you can enjoy the fun of Songkran at least twice. The main events in Phra Pradaeng were held over the weekend with the big parade on …

The Phra Pradaeng Songkran Festival took place this weekend in Samut Prakan province. It differs from others in that it is held a little later than in most other locales. The Songkran rituals and celebrations here are held on the weekend that follows after Songkran Day on April 13. The highlight is the parade through the town to Wat Proteket Chettharam where Miss Songkran 2009 (with red…

One of the main events organized during Songkran celebrations around Thailand is the Miss Songkran Beauty Contest. The one that I went to last night was held at the municipal offices in Phra Pradaeng, Samut Prakan. It takes place every year and it is always fun to go and watch. The contest is a good way to view 74 of the most beautiful women in Thailand. However, don’t go expecting a …

The Wan Lai Bangsaen Festival took place on 16th-17th April 2009 on Bangsaen Beach. This is the annual water flowing festival that takes place a few days after Songkran. People in this area of Chonburi Province are descendent of Mon and they celebrate Songkran later than the rest of the country. The highlight for the …

The Songkran Festival in Thailand is not all about water splashing and having fun. Thai people also take time out to visit their local temples to make merit and also to pour rose scented water over the hands of their elders. They do this in order to receive a blessing and good …

The Songkran Water Festival was a resounding success this year despite the protests and riots in Bangkok. These are some of the pictures that I took this week in Samut Prakan. We still have at least one more day to go. However, the government have just announced that this year Songkran is being extended for another two days until Friday! Couple this with the Songkran festival in Phra Pradaeng this …

If you are looking for a place to escape the craziness of the Songkran celebrations then try the fast emerging Bang Nampheung Floating Market. It is just across the river from Bangkok in Samut Prakan in the place where many people call the “lungs of the city”. This is due …

This has indeed been a black day for the people of Thailand. Literally, as the black smoke from burning tyres made it look like that the city was on fire. Today should have been a day of joy as people celebrated the start of the traditional Thai new year. Although Songkran activities were …

This is really not the blog that I wanted to write today. In the early hours of morning, Thai soldiers were on the streets of Bangkok trying to clear red shirt protesters who were blocking many of the intersections. Shots were fired and tear gas cannisters discharged. The red shirt protesters are claiming six people …

Songkran has arrived again and people are getting ready to celebrate the start of the traditional Thai new year. However, Songkran is not just about the water fights. There are other, more traditionals, ways that Thai people can celebrate this festive season. At the Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan (formerly known as Ancient City), they are advertising “Songkran in the 4 Regions”. This will be held between 13th and 15th April 2009. If you…

The Thai government Sunday afternoon announced the state of emergency for Bangkok and some districts in Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban will be chief enforcer of the state of emergency measures. Police and soldiers as well as civil servants will assist Suthep in the operations to restore normality. Songkran parades and other activities in these areas are expected to be cancelled. …

In Thailand at the moment it is the summer holidays for school students. At Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan they have just come to the end of Summer School. Next week marks the start of the Songkran Festival which is the start of the traditional Thai new year. As it is the hottest time of the year, young people like to have some fun by taking …