Thailand Stories

One of the most spectacular cultural shows in Bangkok is undoubtedly at Siam Niramit: Journey to the Enchanted Kingdom of Siam. So many people had been talking about it on the Paknam Web Forums that I thought that I should make an effort to go and see it for myself. It is a big show…

รณรงค์ป้องกันและลดอุบัติเหตุทางถนน ช่วงเทศกาลปีใหม่ 2553 ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN FOR NEW YEAR: Mr. Surachai Kanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan, presided over a ceremony on 8th December 2009 to promote road safety during the New Year holidays between 29th December and 4th January. During this period last year, there were five deaths…

จุดเทียนชัยถวายพระพรชัยมงคล CANDLE LIGHT CEREMONY FOR H.M. THE KING: Mr. Surachai Kanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan Province, and a thousand local people from Samut Prakan lit candles and sang blessings to H.M. The King on the occasion of his 82nd birthday. The…

ทำบุญตักบาตรวันพ่อแห่งชาติ MAKING MERIT FOR THE KING: Mr. Surachai Kanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan, led government officials and local people in giving alms to 99 monks in honour of His Majest the King on the occasion of his 82nd birthday.  The ceremony…

ตรวจแนวเขื่อนริมแม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา FLOODING CONTROL INSPECTION: Mr. Surachai Kanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan, went on an inspection on 1st December 2009, to check the measures being taken to prevent high tide floods in the city. He also discussed with Mr. Amnuay Rassamitat, Chief Executive of the PAO ideas to improve the situation for the …

สมุทรปราการ เอฟซี กับ นราธิวาส เอฟซี วันอาทิตย์ที่ 29 พย. 2552 SAMUT PRAKAN FOOTBALL CLUB: The final match of the season took place on Sunday (29th November 2009) at Bang MOD Stadium in Thonburi. The match was between Samut Prakan FC and Narathiwat FC. The final score …

วันวชิราวุธ ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF KING RAMA VI: Today marks the anniversary of the death of King Rama VI on November 25, 1925. As this King is regarded as the “Father of Thai Scouting”, schools all over the province took part in a special ceremony to celebrate…

The “Chulalongkorn Day or “Piya Maharaj Day” is considered as the memorial day for King Chulalongkorn, or King Rama V, which falls on 23 October every year. King Chulalongkorn the Great was one of the most important kings of the Chakri Dynasty. The most prominent …

On the evening of the fourth day of the Phra Samut Chedi Temple Fair, it is traditional for the local people to come together to take part in chanting and a candlelight procession around the pagoda. This happens every year and it is always a beautiful sight. The best …

Thailand celebrates Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday today with many activities to pay tribute to the “Mother of the Land.” Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has urged the people to conduct good deeds in order to show gratitude to Her Majesty, who…

The Day of Vesak, or Visakha Puja, falls on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month, coinciding with May 8 this year. About 2,000 Buddhist leaders from all over the world have joined an International Buddhist Conference on the United Nations Day of Vesak in Thailand, scheduled for May 4-6. Visakha Puja commemorates the birth of the Buddha, his…

When I first travelled through Asia I remember thinking that it was lucky that I spoke English as my first language. I noticed that English was being used as the way to communicate between backpackers of different nations. For example, a German would speak to a Frenchman in …

Today is National Teacher’s Day in Thailand and I thought I would take this opportunity to show you how well respected teachers are in Thailand. It is a pleasure teaching here and I wouldn’t dream of teaching anywhere else. Certainly not in America! Every January 16th is a holiday for us and we get the day off work. Then, at the …

QUESTION: A colleague is getting married soon. At the moment, I don’t think I can attend. Do I “have to” give a present? She’s not a close friend. Someone told me that I should give something small, or some money, but I find it weird as I’m not planning to go. ANSWER: Did she give you an invitation? If so, then put 500 baht or so …

The date of the “new year” in Thailand has moved around a few times over the years. It started as a movable festival called Songkran that followed the dates of the lunar months. In 1889, it was fixed to be held on the 1st of April. This continued until 1941 when 1st of January became the “new …

Thai people often consult fortune tellers and astrological charts before doing anything important. There are certain days which you shouldn’t do things on. In Thailand, there are some calendars that you can buy that tell you the unlucky and lucky days for each month. Here is a translation I did for January 2009: (1) …

I talked before about lucky coloured clothes for each day of the week. Well, Thai people have more superstitions about each day. If you were born on a…. …Sunday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Friday. …Monday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Sunday. …Tuesday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Monday. …Wednesday, don’t do anything …

Here are some useful “Do’s and Don’ts” for your next holiday or extended stay in Thailand: DON’TS * Don’t take up any offer of a ten baht tuk-tuk ride or you will be taken for one BIG ride. * Don’t complain about the standard of English here, your Thai language skills aren’t exactly that hot. * Don’t try on a t-shirt …

The other day I went to Ayutthaya with two visitors to Sriwittayapaknam School. One came from England and the other one came from Singapore. They came to visit my old school because they were interested in Thai schools and wanted to know how we taught our students. They visited most of our classes helping the students with conversational English. …

Did you know that in Thailand that each day of the week is assigned a different colour for clothes that you wear? When I first came to Thailand, I didn’t really know about this. But after a few years I was starting to get curious as to why people were giving me a different coloured shirt for my birthdays. They were also telling me which day …