Thailand Voice

Some months ago I read somewhere of blogs that post a picture for every day of the year. I thought this was an excellent idea and something I would like to do. But not right at that moment. I would begin the following week. At some later point I… Read full story >>>

I have to thank the Oyster Band for my title today although their song was much more heavily ironic than this post will be. That's because it really was a quiet day in Phana and as it got dark here this evening I was thinking that nothing at all had happened. But on… Read full story >>>

On the 5th day of the new moon of the 12th lunar month, the year of the cockerel, which was Wednesady the 17th of November 2452 (1909) around 6 pm, I was born to my mother Nang Nin. The place was Ban Phanan which is now known as Ban Phana, Tambon… Read full story >>>

There were a few other issues that was intending to blog on, but am a little rushed for time. Also, Aladdin  has left a rather long comment which BP wishes to comment on. Have altered it slightly for length (and to add paragraph breaks!) and well … Read full story >>>

Loud music is a staple of life in Phana. In the still, traffic-free evenings, nights and even early mornings, sound travels across the open rice-fields unobstructed. Someone, somewhere is having a party of some sort most weekends. That is Fridays and Saturdays and… Read full story >>>

My last trip to Thailand found me splitting time between Mukdahan and Nakhon Phanom and while I enjoy both provinces, the latter of the two is my hands down favorite. Nakhon Phanom is a good sized city, the 14th largest in Thailand, but it still has a nice home town feel to it. And if… Read full story >>>

We arrived back in Phana yesterday afternoon but didn't get out at all. Stayed in, unpacked, received a few visitors, inspected the house for snakes under various things, went early to bed (like everyone else in Phana). 4 a.m. Woken by tokay gecko eating the house … Read full story >>>

The total number of people registered in Tetsaban Phana is 2695 and they are spread through 917 households. But as I said in my last post, a large number of these are not resident here most of the time. Pensri and I … Read full story >>>

Phana municipality has won lots of prizes (and money to go with them) in the last few years. I think its small size has something to do with it, making it perhaps easier to organize, plus the need to assert itself that often goes with lack of stature… Read full story >>>

Older sister and older brother light the joss sticks. Then they all make an offerings to the spirits. It seems that the spirits like lao khao and Fanta too. The faces are all serious though because Mama really is ill. Her luck for the future … Read full story >>>

The poll is here . Survey Data Methodology: 4,079 households in 17 provinces surveyed 20-25 July (จังหวัดของประเทศ ได้แก่ กรุงเทพมหานคร ตาก กำแพงเพชร เพชรบูรณ์ เชียงใหม่ ประจวบคีรีขันธ์ พระนครศรีอยุธยา ปทุมธานี ชลบุรี เลย กาฬสินธุ์ สุรินทร์ บุรีรัมย์ อุดรธานี ขอนแก่น สตูล และสงขลา) By gender : 52.4% women and 47.6% men By age : those under 20 (8.7%), those aged 20-29 (22.3%), those… Read full story >>>

“Ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra will award 6,000 scholarships in Thailand to celebrate his 60th birthday in what is seen as a direct challenge to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s popularity…” – Extracted from “ Thaksin marks birthday with scholarships ”, The Nation , 22 July 2009. “His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is granting 152 scholarships to secondary students from… Read full story >>>

This is the image of a young Mimusops Elengi tree in front of the Bangkok General Post Office. This tree is widely known as Spanish Cherry.In Thai it is called Phikun. The flower of the tree has long lasting fragrance, the garlands … Read full story >>>

Recently, a parliamentary committee led by Nonthaburi Senator Direk (note to the person who wrote the Bangkok Post editorial last week, he is a Senator not a Puea Thai MP) recommended 6 amendments to the Constitution. The amendments relate to amending (1) Article 237 so that a party will no longer be dissolved if a party … Read full story >>>

” Your father is the Old Testament type: retribution rather than rehabilitation .” So says one character to another in a crime fiction novel I am currently reading. It immediately put me in mind of a murder that took place in Phana that I first… Read full story >>>

Thai standard TIS 1099:2548 includes some codes for municipalities , and in some Excel sheets I found more of the same kind, giving the municipalities a code at district level starting from 99 counting downwards. However the scheme, apparently originating from DOPA, used to create those codes cannot be continued anymore… Read full story >>>

Sitting here in England awaiting the arrival tomorrow of our two grandsons from the Middle East, I find myself musing (not for the first time) on the strangeness of the family I have spawned. And feeling very thankful for it, too, I must say. So this is a very personal and… Read full story >>>

The snake video clip has finally made it onto my blog. I hope. After finally learning how to post video clips I think I’d better give my new knowledge some practice.   A while back I showed some photos of a bronzeback snake eating a frog at the washing space behind the… Read full story >>>

    Ubon Ratchathani is just the right distance from Phana to make a good day out. It takes about 45 minutes to drive there, about an hour on the songthaew bus which stops frequently on the way. Mostly these days I go to… Read full story >>>