The 9 day and 9 night temple fair in Samut Prakan is coming to its end. The last day is Tuesday. If you are in this area and haven’t visited us yet then I strongly suggest you do so soon. It is an experience not to be missed. It is probably one of the...
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Thai people have an exquisite eye for the artistic. This gets reflected in the day to day life at all levels. If we take the market place out in the open, we find there well arranged fruits and vegetables of all shapes and hues. As people come and buy, these things would be in...
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It’s the time to visit Thailand, again. I have just submitted my annual leave form to apply for holidays to visit Chiang Mai. Mentioning that you plan to visit Thailand to a Malaysian always brings a cheeky look from the listeners. “You seem to be in Thailand during all your holidays if I recall...
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Sawat dee Krab! Welcome to my latest bit of blog on one of my most favorite of all things Thai next to Thai food, my books! Sometimes I’d almost rather have my nose in a good book more than even a plate of Pad Grapao smelling all that spicy, basilly Thai goodness. I guess...
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The temple fair is still continuing here in Samut Prakan. The weather has also been improving so I have been able to go out and get some good photographs. As people come from far and wide to sell their produce at the fair, this is actually a good opportunity to see food from other...
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I flew over to Chicago last week and have been spending time with family. This trip has given me the opportunity to get to know my new cousin, the 18 month old daughter of my first cousin. The baby looks a lot like my older brother did when he was a baby. I’m sure...
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Every year in the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar, known as Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from food, drink, smoking and other sensual pleasures from dawn to dusk. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal, and is resumed the next morning. In Malay,...
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13 October is National Police Day. The Royal Thai Police in different parts of the country celebrate this auspicious occasion in their various ways. This year, Betong Police Station celebrated the occasion in a more community friendly manner. The opening ceremony started early in the morning in front of Betong Police Station. The district...
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Some people say that the temple fair in Samut Prakan was the first of its kind in Thailand. Not sure if that is true but I have seen records that date it back a hundred years or so. Most of the city is affected by the fair. The whole of the parade ground, riverfront...
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Big Dave organized a short fishing trip out into Patong Bay. We all crawled into the small boat, about 12 of us, along with cases of provisions and slowly motored toward the Kalim end of the bay where the big coral reefs were just a short snorkling distance below the sea and no Scuba...
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I think one food item you always see a lot at the temple fair is the fried insects. Those crunchy things that taste a bit like burnt bacon. Fancy a grasshoper? No? Then why not try some fried baby birds? If you are feeling squemish, do not go to page two to see the close-ups!
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Every Tuesday night, hundreds of Thais gather around Bangkok’s Royal Plaza. Coming from all ranks of Thai society, they believe, on this night, the spirit of Prabat Somdech Phra Chulachomklao Chaoyuhua Maharach (พระบาทสมเด็็จพระจุลจอมเกล้้า เจ้าอยู่หัวมหาราช ) returns to Krungthep Maha Nakorn. With offerings such as pink roses, red wine, black coffee and cigars, the Thais...
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I’m back and I feel bad for not having blogged here for nearly a month but I had relocated home (something my family does all too often) and I’m still waiting for Internet access at home. Anyway, I’ve been reading up on the other blogs and I’m able to write (okay ‘sneak write’ from...
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Here are some pictures for you of the temple fair in Samut Prakan. It was raining for most of the evening so I wasn’t able to go out until after 10 p.m. I took these pictures about an hour ago and despite the late hour there were still quite a few people around.
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Every October, at the end of the rainy season, people from Samut Prakan, and the surrounding area, come together to worship Phra Samut Chedi and enjoy the annual temple fair. The idea for this temple dates back to the time of King Rama II. He wanted to have the temple built on an island...
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Sawasdee Krab! Fall is coming on strong which means the holidays are just around the corner and that means office parties, social get togethers and lots of eating. For me that means firing up the kitchen at Wit’s End for more Thai cooking like today. Instead of meeting at a restaurant or coffee shop...
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I seem to be in the habit of blogging about Thai food and saying things like, “oh, this is my favourite curry” or “this is my favourite Thai dessert”. Well, today I want to show you khanom mor gaeng ( ขนมหม้อแกง ) which is definitely in my top 10 for Thai desserts. Probably quite close...
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At one of my local temples I was quite surprised to see this row of encased Buddha images complete with flashing lights. It is the kind of thing you expect to see at a fair ground. Each Buddha image represented a different day of the week. If you were born on a Monday then...
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Stormin Norman landed his Bark in Patong Bay early tuesday morning. The Northen European tourist begged a local yachty to ferry them to shore, but Capt Norm quickly yelled at the other boat, in no uncertain terms, that these scurvy nads would be paying the Capt before they set foot on dry land! Later...
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My bet is everyone has their own Personal Durian Stories. My first encounter with the king of fruits was a dramatic one: I was walking in a park in Nakhon Nayok when I sensed something eerie. Something just wasn’t right. Something with the sun? The air? The sounds? I looked around. And then I...
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