The woman in the green-cloth militar shirt was busy playing pool on her computer. I approached her small both on the Laos/Thai border and coughed slightly. She looked up briefly to inspect my visa. Pushed it back into my hand and went back to a...
For a long time everyone thought Pattaya began and ended with the walking strip, which is nothing but one bar after the other jostling for space. But over the years this destination has been cleaning up its act and adding other attractions to its...
The central area Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is a fascinating mix of East and West, traditional and modern. Buddhist temples along with great shopping and nightlife attract millions of visitors every year. Ayutthaya, the Thai capital from 1350...
One of the great attractions for nature tourists visiting Thailand is the diversity of environments extending across mountain peaks, lowland rainforests, mangroves, coral reefs, farmland and urban jungles. Within a day, or even a few hours travel...
Wat Suan Dok in Chiang Mai is one of the many places of interest for tourists visiting the area. Dating back to the 14th century. the monastery has abundant historical significance and admirable architecture. And for those visitors less enthusiastic...
In the early stages of the Second World War (1939-1945) Thailand continued receiving its opium from countries like Iran and Turkey, but after the Thais sided with the Japanese Empire late in 1941, these markets were quickly cut off. In May 1942 the...
In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States, concerned about the worldwide trades in narcotics, lobbied the leaders of a number of European and Asian countries to create an International Opium Commission. This forum met in Shanghai...
Why would anyone go through the trouble of traveling kilometres away for a piece of pottery? It doesn’t make sense, especially if you take a forty Baht skytrain ride to Sapan Taksin for a boat trip to Nonthaburi. That almost half of the sixty or so...
Every time I go for a beauty treatment here in Thailand, I get spanked. The other day I went for a pedicure and the woman bent my toes back in a most unnatural fashion, then punched and spanked the bottoms of my feet. Okay, okay, I’ll give you a tip...
My brother is coming to visit me in Thailand and apart from exploring the cities of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur we are planning a dive trip to Sipadan on the malaysian island of Borneo. We are both avid divers as it is my current profession and my...