Thailand Stories

See the full gallery on Posterous I’m at Sukhumwit Aquaduct in Samut Prakan. Pumps here working hard to get water from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the sea. The drainage canal is very full. Before it can be pumped up and over Sukhumwit Road & into the sea, the floating debris has to be cleared. As a result pumps …

See the full gallery on Posterous I’m at Sukhumwit Aquaduct in Samut Prakan. Pumps here working hard to get water from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the sea. The drainage canal is very full. Before it can be pumped up and over Sukhumwit Road & …

See the full gallery on Posterous Some pictures taken just now as we flew over Bangkok and landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, outside of Bangkok, has received a lot of criticism over the years. Of late, the complaint has been about the long queues at Immigration. Most of the complaints have been from outbound passengers, but inbound have also complained about grumpy and slow staff. They say that immigration officials seem to take forever. …

The Sky Train system in Bangkok was planned to be the answer to all the traffic problems of the city. I remember joining thousands of others on the first day that it opened on the King’s birthday in 1999. In theory it was a good idea, but in reality it didn’t work well as it …

This weekend I am in Isaan for the launch of two new guidebooks. This first one is called “The Mekong: Journeys along the River of Life”. I have several copies of this new guidebook (in English and Thai) which I will be …

A Thai customs official displays seized ivory tusks during a news conference at the customs office of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok February 25, 2011. $1.6 million worth of elephant ivory tusks and rhino horns, weighing 1,208kg (2,663lbs) from Nigeria enroute Qatar and Malaysia, were seized as they reached Bangkok, according to…

It has taken more than four years, but Suvarnabhumi Airport now has a fully functional Airport Rail Link. People arriving in Thailand can now take an express train from the airport to downtown Bangkok in just only 15 minutes. Also this week saw the official opening of the check-in service …

Ask anyone about their first impressions of arriving in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi Airport and I am sure that many of them will comment about grumpy immigration staff. Thailand is supposed to be world famous for being the “Land of Smiles”. So, why don’…

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, right, is welcomed by Thailand Tennis Association President Suwat Lipatapanlop as he arrives at Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday Sept. 21, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. The world’s number one player, Nadal completes in the Thailand Open tennis tournament that kicks off Sept. 25. (AP) More

THAI Airways is the latest airline to bring out their own app for the iPhone. The Thai m Service app is nicely designed though maybe not as useful as it could be. What you can do is check flight timetables for both domestic and international flights. You can choose the airport …

This is a review of what happened in Thailand during the last week based on topics that I tweeted. You can follow me live for latest news about Thailand @RichardBarrow . Friday 20th August 2010: US Presses Thailand on Extradition Case for Merchant of Death (VOA) http://is.gd/epjSa…

A second British man has been arrested in Thailand for alleged involvement in violent anti-government “Red Shirt” protests earlier this year, police said Thursday. Keith Wayne Bush, 49, from Manchester was arrested on arson charges at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday after arriving on a flight from the United Arab Emirates, according to immigration police. His Thai wife…

If you have ever arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand then you will surely know about the problem with the taxis and illegal tour guides. As you walk out of customs people would always come up to you asking if you wanted a…

This morning I decided to go and test out the new Airport Rail Link that runs between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Bangkok. As usual, I was live blogging on www.RichardBarrow.com with highlights on my Twitter account. Click here for…

Mr. Nirun Thiranartsin, the Suvarnabhumi Airport Director, presided over the opening ceremony of the “Smiling Fruits @ Suvarnabhumi Airport” this morning at the airport. The fruit festival is for promoting the various Thai fruits to international passengers arriving and departing from …

The iPhone 3G has been in Thailand for a year already but we still don’t have a comprehensive 3G coverage. It is true there is some coverage in places like the big shopping malls in Bangkok and also over at Suvarnabhumi Airport. …

Stranded passengers take a nap in the departures area of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on April 18, 2010. Dozens of Asian flights to Europe were cancelled for a third day as regional airlines warn of a week of chaos caused by freak volcanic ash, which has stranded thousands of…

The Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel is hosting a month long art and culture exhibition called “Life along the River”. We went to the opening ceremony at the weekend which was attended by the Governor of Samut Prakan. You can see more pictures at…

The red shirt protests in Bangkok have been going on for about a week now. By world standards, this must be one of the most peaceful mass protests ever. Only the Thai people can protest but keep smiling at the same time. The rally site is more like an outdoor concert at times. However, there is…