Thailand Voice

This morning I drove over to the 100 Year Market at Klong Suan on the border between Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao. They were having their second annual market fair which will take place this long weekend during the Makha Bucha holiday. Mr. Surachai Kanasa, the Governor of Samut …

This large Reclining Buddha can be found at Wat Khun Inthapramun in Angthong Province in Central Thailand. It is 50 meters long. Some guidebooks mistakenly say that it is the longest in Thailand. However, I know one at Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang in Samut Prakan…

On reading the title, most of you are probably wondering “Who the heck is she?” Well, she was one of Thailand’s most well-known farang names during the early to mid 1990’s; a name that was highly controversial, but in the stupidest way possible (She even has her very own Wikipedia entry). So, who was…

People are already planning their holidays in Thailand for 2010 and so we thought we would help out by letting you know the dates of the main events and holidays. I know so many people keep asking “When is Loy Krathong…

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 …

Many activities will be held both in Bangkok and the provinces to celebrate the 8th cycle or the 96th birthday anniversary of His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, the Supreme Patriarch, from late September to the end of October 2009. The Supreme Patriarch will turn 96 on October 3. For Thai people, the…

This is continuing my interview with Peter Robinson, who is probably better known in Thailand as “Phra Farang”, the foreign monk. (Click here for part one.) Peter spent ten years as a monk before finally disrobing in order to spend more time with…

One of the best books about Buddhism in Thailand is undoubtedly “Phra Farang: An English Monk in Thailand” by Phra Peter Pannapadipo. Even if you are not interested in becoming a monk yourself, his vivid description of his ten years as a foreign monk in Thailand …

For many years my favourite guidebook has been the Lonely Planet. This has always been my first choice for its comprehensive look at tourist attractions in just about any country in the world. In Thailand, the person who is most associated with guidebooks is Joe Cummings whose name is well-known among backpackers…

Another chapter in the life of Panrit “Gor” Daoruang” has come to an end with his release from prison after serving his full three years for dug possession. Gor shot to international fame during his teenage years for his stories …

Currently docked at Klong Toey Port, the MV Doulos, is visiting Thailand again and welcoming all bookworms until August 23rd 2009. The MV Doulos is the world’s oldest active ocean-going passenger vessel, according to Guinness World Records. She was built in 1914. Doulos has …

One of the historical legacies of Samut Prakan Province are the Fortresses along the river from the Gulf of Thailand all the way up to Bangkok. At various times through history, going back as far as the Ayutthaya period, there has always been forts here of some description. Many fell into ruins…

This picture shows a Buddhist monk (L) helping and comforting a Thai drug addict patient to vomit after being given a herbal medecine shot by a Buddhist monk during the vomiting ceremony at the Thamkrabok Monastery in Phraputthabat. The Thamkrabok Monastery is located 140kms north of Bangkok, Thailand, …

The aim for www.thaitravelblogs.com is to give you ideas of what to do during your next visit to Thailand. We have reports on all the latest travel destinations as well as festivals and events. In the old days, people just relied …

When you are travelling it is not always a good idea to follow too closely your guidebooks. If you have the time, then explore the area and you might find some hidden gems. The other day I was happy to stumble across a Buddhist Park…

I have to admit I am not a very diligent traveller: I don’t dive very deep into my guidebooks. I usually enjoy ancient monuments, temples, ruins and other buildings for their atmosphere and architectural beauty, not for the tales from olden days that they tell to an eager listener. I cannot imagine what life must…

It has now been about five months since I got my motorcycle. I had lots of fun with it. I have also been through a lot of bad luck which has upset me very much. Now, I am back at the …

Respect for the Law (Click here for part one) From the age of just two and half months, toddler Tui can enjoy the thrills and sprills of being sat on his father’s motorbike and admire the awesome way his father manages…

It is three o’clock in the morning and I am sitting by the side of the road. All around me are about ten policemen. They are talking about what to do with us. Some of my friends managed to run but I wasn’t so lucky. The …

From ISEAS : To mark the 40th Anniversary of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in 2008, the editorial team of SOJOURN decided to come up with a list of “Ten Most Influential Books on Southeast Asia”. The idea seems straightforward, but the … Read full story >>>

From ISEAS : To mark the 40th Anniversary of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in 2008, the editorial team of SOJOURN decided to come up with a list of “Ten Most Influential Books on Southeast Asia”. The idea seems straightforward, but the discerning will quickly realize… Read full story >>>

Today New Mandala is launching a series of book reviews by Craig Reynolds.  All of the details on the series are available here .  The aim of this series is to introduce New Mandala readers to important, interesting books, particularly in history and religion, in an accessible format… Read full story >>>

Deputy Premier Kobsak Sabhavasu must have been quite amused to hear rumours that he was considering defecting from the Democrat Party to lead Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheau Thai Party. “Have they forgotten that I was the author of a series of books exposing Thaksin’s attempt to conceal his stocks… Read full story >>>

ชุมชนจินตกรรม : บทสะท้อนว่าด้วยกำเนิดและการแพร่ขยายของชาตินิยม by Benedict Anderson (2009) (Translation of   Imagined Communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism ) (ISBN: 9789744993793). Readers will be interested to note that this volume is the first Thai translation version of the celebrated… Read full story >>>

The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast… A little over a week after launching Women Learn Thai , I wrote my first book review, The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Languages Fast . But I didn’t just review A. G. Hawke’s book, I followed his instructions (to a point). Getting help from my … Read full story >>>

Naming names in Thai language learning… When I first started learning Thai, the same names kept coming up: Mary Haas , Shoichi Iwasaki, Preeya Ingkaphirom, David Smyth , James Higbie , J. Marvin Brown , John Moore, Joe Cummings , Stuart Campbell, Denis Segaller , Chuan Shaweevongs, Christopher G. Moore , Dr. Paul Pimsleur, Benjawan Poomsan Becker , and Rikker … Read full story >>>

     Writing in my last post about Phana’s policemen, I maintained that there was no crime in Phana. This was not quite true. But you had perhaps guessed that, hadn’t you. In fact, in the last five years there have been four crimes… Read full story >>>

Reading another of Ben’s excellent language tips has finally spurred me into posting tips of my own. Learning and speaking Thai is one of the most enjoyable aspects of living in Thailand. At times it can be one of the … Read full story >>>

Today was another good day with nothing over exciting happening. I had homework due from my primary 5 class that has 35 students and primary 6 class, that has 33 students. 3 students from primary 5 and only 1 student from primary 6 didn’t hand their homework in at the … Read full story >>>

Learning and speaking Thai is one of the most enjoyable challenges of living in Thailand. At times it switches the other way and is one the biggest problems and frustrations – there’s nothing worse than feeling ‘lost’ when everyone around is talking and laughing. In general, I love try to learn a new language and … Read full story >>>