Thailand Stories

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 …