In Thailand, it is traditional to go to your local temple on your birthday to make merit. It is also common that if you hold a birthday party, you not only need to pay for everything, but you should give your guests some presents too. Most of my students don’t have much of a birthday...
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One of my favourite street food stalls in Thailand has to be grilled chicken (gai yaang). You sometimes see the chicken being grilled over a charcoal fire next to a som tam stall. The two go well together. With perhaps some sticky rice as well. You can see the guy here marinating the chicken with...
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If you have ever visited a Thai temple, you would have notice that there is always a fine blend between Buddhism and supersition. At many popular temples you will often find fortune tellers or people rubbing trees in order to find clues about the winning numbers for the next lottery. (BTW, please stop sending...
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Making Pottery on Koh Kret On our ThailandQA.com forums and in the Thai Chat Box we often receive questions from people who want to use Bangkok as a base to explore the surrounding area. Every time we have to answer with the same answers, so I thought it was about time I started to...
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Although Ko Si Chang is the nearest major island to Bangkok, it doesn’t really get that many visitors. Sure, on holiday weekends it can get a little crowded, but not like other tourist destinations. If you like peace and quiet, then just make sure you come here during the week. For 250 baht...
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This is a continuation of my series of blogs about day trips from Bangkok. I am aiming to give you at least two new destinations every month. The little island I visited today, known as Koh Si Chang, has been on my list of places to visit for a long time. It is not...
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For the Farang visitor to Thailand one of the big draw cards to the Kingdom is the sociability of the Thai people. Definitely not a nation of loners, Thais tend to do everything in groups – work, play, and study –a country where friendships more often than not are made for life. In fact...
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On Thursday and Friday in Thailand, there were many candle processions around the country. From my office at school, I heard at least four pass nearby. We are about to enter Khao Phansa which is a kind of Buddhist Lent. This lasts for three months and during this time many people will try to...
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We are very pleased to announce the opening of the new Thai Chat Room ( www.thaichatbox.com ). This is using a new and improved chat engine which is more modern. We will also have the ability to upgrade to voice chat at a later stage. The new chat room uses the same database as...
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The Burmese and Illegal Immigration (Translated from the ‘Khom Chad Leuk’ Thai language newspaper, 5 July 2006) (Photo: Courtesy of ‘Khom Chad Leuk’) At the going rate of 10-15,000 baht a head, the border town of Mae Sot, Tak province – is the largest starting point in the whole of the country for illegal...
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Ah, the glorious celebration of America’s Independence Day on the 4th of July. Fireworks. Fireworks everywhere! Rockets’ red glare. Bombs bursting in air. Indeed. And, of course, the flag is still there. I grew up in the middle of Bangkok. We’re a house, a small street, and a mote away from the U.S. Ambassador’s...
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## Please do not use thai-blogs.com as a private dating agency – also, blogs are not to be used to ask questions but rather to give advice to other people – please use thailandQA.com for any questions ## I have been waiting for my house to sell, in order to make a permanent move...
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Fried Mackerel (Pla Tu) What do you think are the major exports for Thailand? Maybe rice? Well, if you thought that then you would be wrong. However, just over 100 years ago, rice was indeed the major export in the Kingdom. Just for fun, I thought I would give you a list to compare...
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A boy stands amongst villagers wearing ghost outfits as they parade the streets during the annual Friendly Ghosts Festival in Dan Sai district of Loei province, 430 km (270 miles) northeast of Bangkok. The annual festival is held as the locals believe that the spirits will help to provide rain for rice cultivation and...
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Nobody plans to get sick on their holidays (not if they are sane anyway). However, over the years through circumstance I have had to avail myself of medical treatment in Thailand due to Flu, fatigue and a badly gashed finger. In each instance the treatment has been quick, efficient and delivered by well-trained medical...
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