Thailand Voice

Thousands of Red shirt supporters of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s occupy the streets of a busy shopping district forcing the closure of the malls April 4, 2010 in Bangkok,Thailand for the second day running. Despite the protests, many curious foreign tourists visited the rally site to take pictures and to buy souvenirs from roadside vendors. Popular…

These are some of the pictures that I took at the red shirt rally today in Bangkok. It was another of those historic days in Thailand and although I was very busy taking pictures at other events in Samut Prakan, I decided I should make the time to travel into Bangkok to see what…

The Siam Cultural Park in Ratchaburi Province is not often visited by foreign tourists which is a shame as they are missing out on a lot. Like the nearby Human Imagery Museum, they have fibre glass models of important figures in Thai and Asian history. The park also showcases important Buddha…

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha is just south of the Grand Palace in Bangkok and most tourists visit both in one day. The full name is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhlaram Ratchaworamahawihan, but most Thais just call it Wat Pho. …

The red shirt protests have been going on in Bangkok for 4-5 days now. Countless thousands of protesters have been camped out along the Royal Avenue. The news hasn’t received that much attention yet in the international press, mainly because there hasn’t been any violence. Thailand is not like other countries …

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 …

The tension is rising in Thailand as we have now started the countdown to Judgement Day on Friday 26th February 2010. The red shirts have already started their protests though so far the yellow shirts have decided to stay at home. If that is true…

When we talk of cowboys, we don’t really think of Thailand and the Thai people. However, in the north-east region of the country, there are a number of farms where there are indeed cowboys. Though, admittedly, they are mainly there for the tourists. I took this picture at Farm…

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…

A member of staff demonstrates to tourists how to catch a Yellow-striped Rat snake at the snake farm in Thailand’s Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute in Bangkok. The farm serves as an educational organisation to provide better understanding about snakes, according to its official website. (Reuters) A member of …

I came across this group of Hilltribe children at the Golden Triangle in Northern Thailand. I sat and watched for a while as coachloads of tourists arrived to have their pictures taken at this attraction which borders three countries. Naturally, all …

Mahouts steady their elephants as they ask tourists to donate money to a relief fund created by a local hotel owner to help earthquake victims in Haiti, Bangkok, Thailand. (AP) Thai people donate money to a relief fund created by a local hotel owner to help earthquake victims …

TOUR2 : Bang Nampheung Floating Market, The Erawan Museum, Reclining Buddha at Bang Phli and finishing with a meal at sunset at the Bang Pu Seaside Resort. Samut Prakan Province is sandwiched between Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. As it is so close to the …

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…

I was driving through the countryside in Lopburi Province last year when I came across this amazing sight. An elephant walking through a sunflower field. These sites are a popular attraction for Thai tourists who drive hundreds of kilometres to have their pictures taken with sunflowers. For them, the elephant …

It is that time of year again when we do a quick review of the past year. Today I am going to look back at some of the more popular news photos from Thailand on our sister blog www.thaiphotoblogs.com . One of the most popular pictures…

Tourists play volleyball on Khao Lak beach in Thailand’s Phang Nga province, about 110 km (68 miles) north of the resort island of Phuket, December 25, 2009. Five years after a cataclysmic earthquake spawned the worst known tsunami known to mankind, the region has been rebuilt, thanks to more…

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…

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…

Samut Prakan was built as a frontier town to protect the approach to Bangkok upriver. Fortresses were built on both sides of the river from the estuary all the way up to Phra Pradaeng. Not many of these forts are around today. They are either in ruins …

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…

Thai elder Boonma Saneee, 81, announces the beginning of an elephant show during festivities Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at the 49th Surin Elephant Roundup in Surin, Thailand. The event brings together mahouts and elephants from all over Thailand. (AP) Foreign tourists and others participate in a tug…

Toilets in Thailand don’t exactly have the best of reputations. They are often dirty, smelly and not well-looked after. They are also nearly always squat toilets. Now comes the news that the temple toilets at Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai in Samut Prakan …

Thailand’s fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra walks at Bayon Temple during his tour of the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap November 12, 2009. Emboldened by a rousing welcome in Cambodia, Thaksin is raising the stakes in his bid for a political comeback by rallying support from just …

Probably one of the most amazing festivals in Thailand has to be the Buffalo Racing in Chonburi. It is also one of the oldest running festivals as the banners in Chonburi City proclaimed it to be the 138th year that this has…

TOUR 1: The Erawan Museum, Ancient Siam, Crocodile Farm and finishing with a seaside meal at Bangsaen 2. Samut Prakan Province is home to the new international airport at Suvarnabhumi and is literally on the doorstep to Bangkok. It also has some amazing …

The Ministry of Culture has planned many cultural activities to promote Thai culture and stimulate confidence in Thailand among international tourists and investors. Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch said that Thailand, in the eyes of in the world community, is a land of peace and that Thai people are generous and apply…

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…

(The following is a brief Thai> English translation from various local news sources) At 10 in the morning of 24 September, Mr Sanan, administrative chief of Phatthalung province was in charge of perhaps the first ever televised wedding between endangered Sakai people. The Sakai is an indigenous tribe who live …

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…

Buddhist monks collect bat guano swept up from a cave near Wat Khao Chong Pran Temple in Ratchaburi province, 130 km (81 miles) west of Bangkok, September 14, 2009. Bats bring the temple a monthly income of $4,800 from the sale of almost 7 tonne of their guano and from tourists visiting…

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…

Thailand is in big trouble again. Its tourism industry was already facing disaster last year with the prolonged airport closure. Things looked like it was starting to get better but the situation has just been going from bad to worse. This year Thailand has received a lot of negative press from the …

One of the oldest markets in Thailand that is still operating is the Bang Phli Riverside Market in Samut Prakan. It was first started by Chinese traders back in the 1850’s. This now makes it older than 150 years. The original name for the market is “Talad Siri …

Thailand has many natural and man-made wonders that are worthing visiting if you are on holiday in Thailand. Some of these are well-known to tourists while others are more off the beaten path. If you have ever been to any of these “wonders” then we would like you to help vote …

Together with Muay Thai, Cock Fighting has been a sport in Thailand for hundreds of years. It all started with King Narasuan in the 16th Century who bred birds for cock fighting. It is a bloody sport where the birds often fight to the death. Deadly metal spikes were …

(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 …

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 …