Thailand Stories

When I bought my house, I had everything re-wired. This included the TV cables. We used a slightly more expensive cable that allows me to send extra signals around the house to every television set. This is basically two…

A few weeks back I started having problems with the “home button” on my iPhone 4. Not too serious at start but after a while I had to press the button hard 3 or 4 times to get it to work. I called True and they said that I should take it to my nearest service center. Not all True shops…

Songkran is the start of the traditional Thai new year. It also marks the height of the hot season. A good way to cool off is to join in with the many water fights that are just starting in Thailand. Traditionally, you are supposed to splash your elders with a little rose scented water. But, these …

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 …

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…

With over 2,000 “survival” phrases and 10,000 words the Thai-English-Thai Collins Phrasebook & Dictionary will meet all your language needs and will make your trips more comfortable and fun. There must be several dozen phrasebooks by now for people who are learning…

Legal Advisers around 1900 in front of the new office building of the General Adviser Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns is standing in the center in white Siamese style jacket, flanked by two Siamese secretaries somewhat behind him. HM King Chulalongkorn’s 1897 Journey to Europe Notes on Origins, Background…

For a while now I have been looking for portable speakers that I can stream music to from my iPhone. I have seen several options come out in America that are wireless and stream music along your network to speakers in any room that you like in the house. At the moment I can …

I have been blogging about my trips in Thailand for many years. Normally I have to wait until I come back before I post my pictures and report. For a long time I have been wanting to be able to post my blogs live. Finally, earlier this year, technology caught up with me. …

It is easy to capture the screen of your iPhone or iPad and then send it to friends by email or twitter. I have used this sometimes to do a screen grab of Google Maps to show people where I am. I have also …

On your iPhone, you can now view your Picasa Photo albums and also bulk upload photos from your iPhone to old or new albums by using this free app called Piconhand – Picasa Web Albums on Your Hand . For a while now I have been looking for somewhere to upload my iPhone pictures while I am still …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand presents a new useful tool that lets you visit Thailand worry-free: the Speak Thai (EN) Application, your personal & portable translator with over 2,500 words for all your needs in Thailand. Communicate with Thai people anywhere, anytime with a…

There are many rumours going around at the moment about the imminent release of the iPhone 4 in Thailand. As the expected release date for the iPhone 4 nears, prices at MBK in the grey market are coming down. Is it now time to buy one or should we wait for the official release in …

We were happy to receive this article from Stephen Etheredge about his experiences of using an iPhone in Thailand. Stories like these are always worth their weight in gold. Please feel free to post a comment if you have anything to add. Having an…

It seems like a good idea to learn Thai on your smartphone. After all, it is always going to be with you wherever you go and so you have no excuse not to learn some phrases in a spare moment. My first learning Thai app is called SurvivalPhrases – Thai …

For most people using an iPhone in Thailand the iTunes Thai Store is pretty dismal. Up until recently you only had access to the iPhone app section. Now it looks like they allow us to browse podcasts as well. However, if you are like myself, and have an account at a store in your home country, then you …

I have said it before, but no-one believed me. This year will see the start of a significant number of people using e-guidebooks instead of hefting around large bricks that the Lonely Planet books are starting to resemble. Lonely Planet actually started to go the right direction when they offered as…

I have said it before, but no-one believed me. This year will see the start of a significant number of people using e-guidebooks instead of hefting around large bricks that the Lonely Planet books are starting to resemble. Lonely Planet actually started to go …

The QR code is basically a two-dimensional barcode that can contain a lot more information than the traditional barcode. The QR (Quick Response) code was first used in Japan in 1994.  In Japan, QR code is used widely in advertising media as most mobile phones can read this code. It hasn’t taken off …

What do smartphones, Twitter and the Red Shirt rallies in Bangkok have in common? The answer is simple. It has at times meant the difference between life and death for foreign tourists and expats in Bangkok. Maybe a little melodramatic, but it has a grain of truth. Without Twitter, and the …