Seldom does a day go by when we don’t read a story of an atrocity in the deep south. There are many tearful stories which have evolved, but perhaps the one which stands out most, is ‘The Story of Khru Juling’. Khru (teacher) Juling 24, was born in the northern province of Chiang Rai....
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The city name means, ‘Grand city of the just king‘. It is around 830 kilometers from Bangkok, by train , and 780 kms, by car. Divided into 21 districts, or Amphoe, Nakhon is bordered by Surat Thani in the North, Trang and Krabi in the West, the Gulf of Thailand in the East, and...
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Thai, like any other language, is marked by regional differences. Although Thailand is often perceived to be an ethnically homogenous society, but in actual fact, it is as ethnically, linguistically and culturally diverse as its many Southeast Asian neighbours. Linguistically, each main region in Thailand can also be differentiated by the type of Thai...
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To a confirmed non-smoker like myself, one of life’s mysteries is how anybody can insert a burning ember in their mouth, drag back its fetid smoke and then say, “God, I enjoyed that”. The Tobacco industry in the west at least has been under attack this past quarter century by health groups, community action...
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Phra That Si Chom Thong, Chomthong, Chiang Mai Province Year of the Rat: About 59 kms south of Chiang Mai, on the same road for Doi Inthanon, you will reach Phra That Si Chom Thong. This is one of the most important shrines in Chiang Mai Province as it houses a holy Buddha relic....
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Doi Suthep – Important shrine for people born in the Year of the Goat In Thailand, many people celebrate their birthday according to the 12 year cycle. This is similar to the Chinese system. This year it is is the Year of the Dog. Every twelve years people will have a special celebration either for...
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“Here is a map of Thailand” Our Thai-Blogs.com website has been nominated for the Asian Blogs Awards. Steve’s website has also been nominated. Visit asianpundit.com to view the ten nominations for the Thailand section. You then choose which of the blogs you like the most. The Nominees are:Bangkok Street Dogs Gregoire Glachant Magnoy’s SamsaraMango...
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The following was written in the 1850’s by Monsignor Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix. (left) A Siamese woman of King Mongkut’s era (right) A Siamese man of King Mongkut’s era. Formerly they shaved their heads and only left a round spot on top of the head where they wore the hair sticking up like a brush. The...
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Hello Thai-blogs readers and the followers of the Gospel of the OakMonster. I just want to drop in a line to say hi, I’m alive. I will be coming to Thailand on an unplanned visit in a few weeks. Still trying to find tickets at the moment. There’s no problem going TO Bangkok from...
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The following description of a Thai mealtime was written in the 1850’s by Monsignor Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix: The Thai take all their meals seated on a mat or carpet. The dishes are enclosed in great bronze vases with a lid in a conical shape and adorned with red cloth. The dishes are cut in small...
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I’d have to be crazy not to live in Thailand . I love fruit and there’s more here than you could shake twenty sticks at ! I’ve just eaten what seems like 20 kilograms of a fantastic little fruit , called ( Lam Yai ) , or Longan . It comes from the North...
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Nong Grace celebrating her third birthday Continuing our series of good blogs from the past. These are some of the blogs published at this time last year. Loy Krathong Vultures at Wat Saket – a look back into the past McDonald’s in Thailand European Football and Thai Fans Letters from Thailand – book review...
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When people come to Thailand, one of the first things they want to do is to eat some genuine Thai food. The best place to do this is on the street. However, these places only have menus and signs in Thai and the vendors don’t speak any English. Of course, you could try and point...
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We quite often speak to groups about Thailand. Seems a lot of people that read our book “Ten Years to Bangkok” (which can be bought in bookstores in Bangkok and is handled by Orchid Press and Book Store) are interested in going to Thailand from the United States after reading the book. It seems...
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One year ago I visited the Elephant Nature Park north of Chiang Mai. The camp was created by Sangduen Chailert (Lek) who has been working to protect Thai elephants throughout her life. Many elephant camps around Thailand exploit elephants to make a profit. Lek’s camp was created as a sanctuary for elephants. Her aim...
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Sawat di , khrap ! Hello ! If you are intending to travel by Train to either Cha Am or Bangkok , from Nakhon Si Thammarat , there are two starting points ! 1) If you don’t want to detrain at Cha Am , catch the train at N.S.T station . No problems ....
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I have told you a number of times that I like exploring areas of Thailand by using Google Earth. In particular I like exploring my home province in order to find new tourist attractions. There has been one place I spotted a while back now that got me really curious. You can see it...
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(National Geograhic foto of formerly injured Bangkok street elephant) Now, if you are a newbie teacher to Thailand and were wondering of some lesson plan to get the kids laughing, one of the classics just has to be teaching animal sounds. Just as us foreigners speak different languages to the sing-along sounding one the...
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One term that has entered into today’s language is that of the modern tragic. Not tragic in the sense of calamity or back luck but rather descriptive of borderline or even complete obsession or absorption by an issue/ topic. This can range from anything from cricket, golf or even the belief that vinyl long...
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In 1990, a few Thai nationals in America decided to set up an organization in order to encourage Thai youth born in America to love and understand their cultural heritage. It started with a few families joining together to bring their families to Thailand on a tour of the country. They visited historical landmarks,...
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