Thailand Voice

(The crime scene of almost every Farang ‘murder’ in Pattaya – the infamous Pattaya hotel balcony) As a Farang in Thailand we have all heard some of the most laughable quack-wack Thailand myths: ladyboys who have coaxed clients back to their rooms only to drug ‘em and cut out …

On Sunday, we went for an enjoyable bicycle ride in Bangkok. At first glance, this would sound like a crazy idea. But, it is amazing that after only a short boat ride across the Chao Phraya River, we were surrounded by lush green vegetation and almost complete silence. In fact, for most of the…

I think one of the first phrases I learned when I arrived in Thailand was “gin khao reu yung?” This is a phrase that asks if you have eaten yet but is really more of a greeting than an inquiry. They are…

It was a year ago now that I first visited the tranquil little village of Baan Nam Khong and enjoyed gliding from tree to tree with the amazing Jungle Flight adventure. I got a chance to fly again last weekend and try out the longest, fastest and…

Whenever we have new foreign teachers at the school, I always take them out to a restaurant as part of their orientation. This is partly to introduce them to my favourite Thai food on a menu. But, I also want to point out to them some of the finer points of Thai…

Well, about a few weeks back it was my turn, the first in years actually, to do a visa run to Vientiane, Laos. And I did the visa run on my own and not with some over-priced Visa Run trip company. Thinking back, the…

The annual National Children’s Day for Thailand took place today. 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, the country will be prosperous.” To help stimulate children to…

One of the better preserved traditional markets in Thailand can be found in Suphanburi Province. It is called Sam Chuk 100 Year Market and it still has its original wooden shophouses that date back to the reign of King Rama V…

Long-tailed macaque monkeys are offered food during the annual Monkey Buffet Festival, in front of the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi, 150km (94 miles) north of Bangkok November 29, 2009. The festival provides various types of food and drink to the local…

Buddhist Monks receive offerings at the takbat ceremony on November 28, 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. During the ceremony, held in Nimanhaemin Rd, approximately 10,000 Buddhist monks received offerings, including food, drink and money. (Getty Images) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

One of my favourite festivals in Thailand is undoubtedly Luang Phor Pan Worshipping Festival in Bang Bo District of Samut Prakan. I went last year for the first time and had no idea what to expect. There were so many surprises that…

During the school holidays in Thailand, it is common for Thai students to ordain as novice monks for a short time. In the olden days, before there were government schools, poor boys would ordain in order to get an education. However, these days, their parents want them to ordain for a short time during…

Today marks the start of the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand. I went to Thong Siang Vegetarian House in Samut Prakan to watch this event. The ceremony was a signal for the nine Gods to come down to earth. Something similar happened all over Thailand today. During the following ten …

Mr. Surachai Khanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan Province, took part in a ceremony this morning to announce to the Gods and Angles in Heaven that they will be holding the annual Worship Fair for Phra Samut Chedi. During the ceremony, they…

I had not been to Pai since my second Thailand holiday in 2002. It doesn’t really make a convenient weekend getaway if you rely on public transport or your two wheels. However, it was the perfect thing to do in my friend’s car. Riding up and down hills smoothly…

Thai food is certainly world famous these days. It has been estimated that there are now Thai restaurants in 13,000 locations around the world. These range from fast-food take-aways to up-market restaurants. Many of them have been set up…

The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board has issued a report on Thailand’s social outlook in the second quarter of 2009. The report, which was acknowledged by the Cabinet, covers four major areas, namely the quality of human resources, social…

Thai Muslim women take part in Ramadan prayers outside Pattani Central Mosque in south Thailand’s Pattani province. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters) More Thailand pictures can be found at www

The Ancient Siam, or Muang Boran in Thai, is like an open book of history and an open door to the real Thailand. Here you will find numerous reproductions of palace halls, temples, stupas, stone sanctuaries and traditional houses. You can also visit several reconstructed historical buildings, authenticated communities with their inhabitants…

If you are planning on visiting Chiang Mai, I would recommend that you include a Sunday in your schedule. That is the day when Thailand’s best handicrafts market spreads out in the streets of the old city – a perfect opportunity to buy souvenirs and presents. It stretches from Thapae gate almost all the …

Here I am with my girlfriend at a jewellery shop in Seacon Square. My girlfriend has come here to pierce her belly button. I have come to support her. She has been wanting to do this for a long time. I think ever since …

(Click here to read about the boat trip to Sakhla) Sakhla Village (ban sakhla), in Phra Samut Chedi District of Samut Prakan, dates back to the late Sukhothai period. Its original name was “Ban Sao Kla” which refers to the women of the area that bravely fought off the Burmese…

This wonderful little gorge on the Khan river is one of my favourite weekend getaways. I didn’t have anything special in mind when heading out there this afternoon, just dangling my feet in the water, having a little swim, reading my book, taking a few pictures in the green …

Look, but don’t touch – these Thailand ‘pretty girls’ could be on a scammer) Once known as the Land of Smiles, pitiable Thailand is now turning into the world’s most infamous Land of Scams – and this year in particular we have been inundated again and again and…

In Thailand, one of the cheapest places to buy and eat food is by the side of the road. These are the mobile stalls which vendors wheel to their locations every day. Sometimes they might leave the cart there and then bring…

The rainy season has been rather dry so far up here in Chiang Mai, ideal for daytrips – if you don’t mind baking in the sun shining right above your head at this time of the year. For a change, I decided to hop on a bus today and go on one of …

There are an increasing number of foreigners who are marrying Thai women or Thai men. And according to our ThailandQA.com Forums , there are also many people coming to Thailand to attend weddings as guests as they are asking questions like “What do we wear to a Thai wedding” and “What gift do we give…

Samut Prakan is the most densely populated province in Thailand. In the city it is a bit like a concrete jungle which is so different to what it must have looked like a hundred or so years ago. I like using Google Earth to find new…

Campaign against Alcohol Abuse in Observance of the Buddhist Lent (04/07/2009) The Ministry of Public Health is joining forces with public and private organizations in launching a campaign against alcohol abuse, marking “No Alcohol Day,” which coincides with the start of the three-month Buddhist Lent, or Buddhist Rains Retreat. Known in …

Khao Sarn Road Cop Box (AKA: Chanasongkram Police Station) seems to have a fetish for trying to bust pot-smoking backpackers but not the hundreds of scammers operating in their vicinity. Let me take the chance today to write a …