Author Archives: Alice

I just got my tickets! Thailand here I come!!! No sooner did I get off the phone with the travel agency, did my aunt call to say… “is there room in your suit case for “kong fauge” (things to send to folks back home). ARGHHH!!! Why is it that every time we travel somewhere we are obligated to take things for or to other people? Ok, fine, I know we have to bring a little something now and then, but in my family we tend to fill up our precious 2 bags with such things as “Made in America” flashlights and Taster’s Choice coffee. One year I had to explain to a LAX bag inspector why I had 30 pounds of frozen USDA sirloin beef steaks…”I’m sorry officer, but Thailand has a beef shortage right now because of the Mad Cow disease, don’t you know?” I gave in to my relatives’ request and carried these precious “Thailand doesn’t have them” things and later found them all at the local Big C around the corner from our house. I’m having such a hard time finding things that are “exclusively Made in USA”, everything I pick up is Made in China, Taiwan, India, Thailand, etc…

I’m just curious to see what are some of the items that my fellow bloggers bring to Thailand for their loved ones?

Hi everyone! So many great blogs lately that I really had a writers block for my blogs. Anyway, on our last trip to Thailand my daughter and I came across a photo studio inside MBK shopping center. For the bargain price of only $66 or B3000(probably less at some other places), we were transformed into traditional Thai royalty. It took us more than an hour to get dressed, so much attention to detail, from the hair, make-up, dress, and jewelry. The photographer would not allow the typical posing for a picture smile, he told us we had to have a “smirky” smile. Everyone at the studio was so friendly, they even bought us lunch! We waited 20 minutes for our photos. We got at least 10-15 assorted print sizes, in color, black/white, sephia, many different poses,and a CD to print more. Our hair even lasted two whole days!!This was ultimately our most cherished souvenir!!

Thank the stars I found a family-friendly website about my homecountry that I can actually let my kids go free on. I have learned more about Thailand from this site than being one for 30ish years!

Thank you Richard for giving me the opportunity to blog about all things Thai!

A little about myself… I was brought over while still in the womb and let loose in Southern California (San Fernando Valley- specifically). My parents thought that our family would not be here for long… or just until we got a degree and then we would just move back to Thailand and I would marry a nice traditional Thai guy. Well, things changed, people changed, blah..blah blah. After my mother checked in to the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, our traditional Thai family went haywire from there. I turned rebel-American and married a Harley Love’n, beer guzzling, badboy! My honey (aka. husband of 15 years) was the answer to a traditional conservative thai girls dreams. The opposite of my controlled life…

Living up to everyone’s expectations wasn’t easy… I’ve learned to let it go. Many soap opera tears later, I got that degree and moved on with my life. Now I have 3 wonderful “loog kung” kids that are proud to represent many nationalities. My job is to educate them on their heritage and cultures. Thank you again Richard for this wonderful opportunity! I look forward to reading and sharing about all things Thai!