Thailand Voice

Migrant workers from Myanmar work on a fishing boat before sailing out of the port of Mahachai, near Bangkok February 23, 2010. Migrant workers in Thailand face extortion, arbitrary detention, forced labour and physical abuse, sometimes at the hands of officials in a climate of impunity, a rights group said on Tuesday. (Reuters) Migrant workers…

This is the fishing wharf in Samut Sakhon. Fish in great qunatities are offloaded here every day and an army of workers then have the task of cleaning the fish before it is sent of to market. Many of these minimum wage workers are illegal Burmse immigrants

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…

(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…

In the old days, most people lived along canals and rivers. This was their lifeline as it was a means of communication and commerce with other districts. Although times have changed, it is still worthwhile taking boat trips along Thailand’s waterways to …

In an old guidebook to Bangkok, dating back about 150 years, the writer mentioned a “Red House” on the East bank of the Chao Phraya River exactly 2.3 miles south of Paknam. I have read quite a few contemporary accounts by travellers from the 19th Century that described their first …

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…

As the above picture suggests, staying on the Mekong in Nakhon Phanom was absolutely beautiful and very relaxing. The first few days of my stay in April were sunny but not real hot with a great breeze flowing off the Mekong to the balcony. Then it got humid and the bugs … Read full story >>>

Today is day nine of my holiday and myself and Wonderful Wi are now staying at our Udon Thani village home. We’ve moved on from the bright lights of Pattaya to a village where every clock, watch and mobile tell a different time, daylight and darkness mean… Read full story >>>

You may think that Thailand is a fisherman's paradise, being that the country is blessed with hundreds of inland streams and rivers, and huge expanses of coastline facing out onto several different oceans. In fact, Thailand can also be a very frustrating place for fishing fans, as we found… Read full story >>>

Khuraburi, 100 kms south of Ranong on the Andaman coastline, is best known as the drop-off point for the Surin Islands – it is unlikely to become a major tourist destination in it own right. It is a little town in the middle of nowhere, on a very scenic and scarcely populated coastline that …

(I had to have a go with the python, two ten year olds were daring me). Bung Chawak Zoo, Suphanburi, great day out in the country. Last weekend we had a visitor over from England as well as a friend of the family from… Read full story >>>

In the modern age, the hypermarkets and corner convenience stores are quickly taking over from the older traditional markets in Thailand. Many of these markets have closed down. What is interesting to see now in Thailand is a re-emergence of old floating markets and canal side markets. Amphawa Floating Market is a good…

In the modern age, the hypermarkets and corner convenience stores are quickly taking over from the older traditional markets in Thailand. Many of these markets have closed down. What is interesting to see now in Thailand is a re-emergence of old floating markets and canal side markets. Amphawa Floating Market is …

Glorious kingdom. Today’s news alert by ThaiVisa  contained three teasers leading to stories, well … Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra was right on target in the recent Spiegel interview when he assured that “in Thailand, the law of the jungle prevails.”… Read full story >>>

Thailand has over 700 species of fish, both freshwater and seawater. Fishing is one of the most popular sports in Thailand, the geography of which makes Thailand a fisherman’s paradise with sea fishing in the south of the country for Yellow Fin Tuna, Wahoo, Shark,Sailfish and Marlin … Read full story >>>

As Martyn, of  Beyond the Mango Juice ,  suggested in the comments of the last post,  there is nothing quite like enjoying your lunch on the Mekong and watching as a storm builds out of nowhere in Laos and then … Read full story >>>

I really felt sorry for this poor guy. He must have been at it for 4 hours today and never caught a fish. He caught my attention though and there was something relaxing in the rythm of his casts. As you can probably tell I wasn’t up to much today other than eating … Read full story >>>