Thailand Stories

Early on Sunday morning, thousands of lay people from Bangkok and the surrounding provinces, came together to give alms to an estimated 12,600 monks. The event took place along Ratchadamri Road in front of Central World. About 800 meters of the road from Ratchaprasong Intersection and towards Pratunam was closed to traffic. Photo Album > >…

Much of Southern Thailand has been hit hard by unseasonable storms which have resulted in floods and mudslides. Up to 25 people are believed to have been killed and some villages either engulfed by rising waters or covered by mudslides. Eight provinces in mid-southern Thailand, including Nakhon Si …

Songkran Water Fights at Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan It is nearly time for the most popular Thai Festival, Songkran 2011 , which takes place all over Thailand in mid April every year. This is the traditional Thai new year which is…

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…

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was established on the 18th March 1960. TAT was the first organization in Thailand to be specifically responsible for the promotion of tourism. Since the inception of the first local office of TAT in Chiang Mai in 1968, there are now 35 regional offices throughout …

One of the most bizarre festivals that I have ever attended in Thailand is the Tattoo Festival. This takes place at Wat Bang Phra temple in Nakhon Chaisi, about 50 kms west of Bangkok. This year it is on Saturday 19th March 2011. Wat Bang Phra is famous for its magically charged tattoos and amulets which can protect its wearer against…

One of the latest tourist attractions to open in Thailand is Madame Tussauds Bangkok. This is a world-class attraction in the heart of Bangkok’s shopping district on the 6th floor of Siam Discovery. I went to visit this place back in December 2010 shortly after its grand opening. I have already…

One of the least visited areas of Thailand is the North-East, or Isaan as it is referred to by the Thai people. This is a shame as it has a lot to offer such as its art and culture, …

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Eight This sleepy little provincial town was once part of the Lan Xang Kingdom of Lao and later a picturesque retreat for French colonists. A mix of the old and new, or perhaps I should say old and new money as the …

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, …

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 …

National Parks in Thailand Declared as Alcohol-Free Zones At the start of the New year period, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation made a surprise announcement that all national parks in Thailand would be alcohol-free zones.They cited the recent case of a rowdy student drinking party in Khao Yai National Park where someone…

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’…

Darkest Isan (where decent thais fear to tread), Part Seven If I had a baht for every time, back home and in the far east, I’ve been told or read how Buddhism is different, it’s a religion of tolerance and enlightenment…

If you are a steam train enthusiast then you will be happy to hear that the State Railway of Thailand are organizing their annual steam train trip this weekend to mark the birthday of H.M. The King. However, unlike previous years, there are three separate programmes on offer going three different directions over the long holiday weekend. On…

Tourists arriving in Bangkok usually have the choice of two beach resorts less than two hours from the capital. On the Western peninsular there is the seaside resort of Hua Hin. On the Eastern seaboard is Pattaya. You would normally have to choose between the two as it is quite time-consuming to drive back up…

A major event is being planned for this weekend in front of Central World at the Ratchaprasong Intersection. This is the heart of the shopping district in Bangkok and many of the traders here were hard hit during the recent red shirt protests. The most affected, of course, were the shops in the ZEN department …

Some great news was announced by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently regarding four locations inside Thailand being awarded Top Asian Beach Destinations by the website Tripadvisor. This is obviously great news and something to be proud of in reaching this achievement. However, I think the spin doctors over …

Transfer passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport will now be able to choose between a range of tours if they have at least six hours to spare before they need to catch their next plane. Paknam Web was invited over to the airport this morning…

Back in 2007, we started a new project called “Seven Wonders of Thailand” . We asked members of the ThailandQA Forums to nominate what they thought should be “Wonders of Thailand” in three different categories: Man-Made Wonders, Natural Wonders and Symbols of Thailand. Then, for the past year, people have been allowed to vote on our website at…