Thailand Stories

One of the better preserved traditional markets in Thailand can be found in Suphanburi Province. It is called Sam Chuk 100 Year Market and it still has its original wooden shophouses that date back to the reign of King Rama … Continue reading →

In less than two weeks we will be celebrating the biggest Thai Festival called Songkran 2011 . This takes place all over Thailand in mid-April. The date used to vary but it is now fixed and takes place on 13-15 April every year. Although these are…

Nakhon Sawan Province is in the North of Thailand about 240 kilometers north of Bangkok. It is important as it is regarded as the source for the Chao Phraya River which flows all the way south to Bangkok and out into …

The latest museum to open in Bangkok, called the Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall , is probably also one of the best. Located on Ratchadamnoen Road, it is not your traditional kind of museum. It is very much interactive and hands-on and uses modern techniques to teach you about the history…

Well, about a few weeks back it was my turn, the first in years actually, to do a visa run to Vientiane, Laos. And I did the visa run on my own and not with some over-priced Visa Run trip company. Thinking back, the last time I had been to Vientiane was just a year or so ago…

One of the better preserved traditional markets in Thailand can be found in Suphanburi Province. It is called Sam Chuk 100 Year Market and it still has its original wooden shophouses that date back to the reign of King Rama V. In those days it was a bustling market alongside the Tha Chin River. This was …

A Gallery by Kittisak Butdeewong Fortunately, just recently, I have had the opportunity, for the second time, to help a good friend of mine, artist, Kittisak Butdeewong with his latest gallery. Kittisak, hailing from the north-eastern rural province of Mukdahan, spent…

How come no charges of lese-majeste have been filed against these two? Here are another 20 amazing Thailand facts as compiled over on the ThailandQA.com Forums. You can see the other facts already posted by clicking here. Most of them were compiled by myself, but for the ones not, the name is …

One of the most unusual Thai sweets are the “khanom luk chub”. These desserts are made from mung-bean flour and come in various colours and shapes. They are made to look like a variety of different fruit and vegetables. These are mangosteens, oranges, cherries, mangoes, watermelons, carrots and…

Thai food is certainly world famous these days. It has been estimated that there are now Thai restaurants in 13,000 locations around the world. These range from fast-food take-aways to up-market restaurants. Many of them have been set …

Hardly a week goes without someone sending me an email out of the blue via www.thai-blogs.com . Very often it’s just an old friend/acquaintance of mine whose found me blogs by chance, then occasionally an email concerning an old blog of mine. Rarely, however, do I get an email as touching as one received a few…

One way to experience the traditional lifestyle of Thai farmers is at the Buffalo Village in Suphanburi. In Thai it is called “baan kwai”. Thai farmers, and their trusty companions, the buffalo, are considered the backbone of the country. Although buffaloes have been the butt of many jokes in classrooms across the country (to be called “buffalo” is the same as …

One of the hidden gems of Suphan Buri is Chawak Lake at the northern end of the province. The Bueng Chawak Chalermphrakiat project was initiated back in 1994 to celebrate H.M. The King’s 50th year accession to the throne. The three main projects surrounding the lake are “The Wildlife Extension Center”, “The Garden of Indigenous Vegetables” and “The Exhibition Center for …

One of the latest major tourist attractions to open in Thailand is the “Dragon Descendants Museum” in Suphanburi Province. Like the Erawan Museum in Samut Prakan that is shaped like a three-headed elephant, this museum is also a “Wonder of Thailand”. One of those rare places where perhaps the building itself is more interesting and beautiful than the artifacts it…

These pictures were taken this morning at the main intersection into Samut Prakan City. However, this wasn’t your normal kind of flood. Even though we haven’t had any rain for two weeks, we will be getting floods like this for about five days. Each flood is predicted and usually lasts about three hours. This is a regular occurrence in our…

After spending a few months working my socks-off in Bangkok, I’m finally falling back into the more mellowed and chilled-out routine of living upcountry here in Suphanburi. This blog of mine today, is actually related in way to Richard’s one lately about the scammering Siam Ocean World at the Siam Paragon. Putting a two-…

Just last week, I was invited by a good friend of mine here in Suphan, on behalf of a few organizations including the Japanese Fund for Global Environment, to attend the release of a new booklet ‘Our Tha Cheen River’ at arguably Thailand’s finest educational institution – Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhorn Pathom. Knowing I …

(A girl dressed as the founder of Loy Krathong, the legendary Nang Noppamas. A legend she really is. Noppamas was in fact, the leading character in a nineteenth century novel) Beyond a doubt, Loy Krathong is Thailand’s most beautiful festival. Thais and foreigners alike are taught that Loy Krathong originated something like 700 …

Well, just yesterday, me and wifey went for a complimentary day-trip to Thailand’s one and only supposedly-super groovy Dream World. I guess, it wasn’t exactly 100% free as Miss Su had to go anyway with her schoolkids to keep check of the numbers on ‘our’ bus, just one of like 13, packed out with Junior High Girls. If you’ve never been or even heard…

(Eventual Winner, 16 year-old Eurasian, Miss Sammy – in a Traditional Thai dress?) Most of my evenings here in Suphanburi Town, consist of either staying at home with the wifey surfing the Net, watching videos and even enjoying the odd Thai soap opera or going out to enjoy a bevvie with a buddie or two. If the wifey gets a bit too cheesed off with the frequency of the latter, then…