Thailand
-
Ranong to Khawthaung visa run the fun way.
March, 2018. I recently completed this Thai visa run as an alternative to obtaining a 30 day extension through an immigration office for 1900 baht (and possible bureaucratic and/or logistic hurdles depending on where you are trying to do it). It also fitted in with other travel plans. Ranong is a Thai border town along the Andaman Coast that is more interesting […]
-
The King and I
Of course, I never knew Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej personally; only by reputation. While a filtered view could sometimes be presented, according to accounts he was a modest figure widely respected for initiating reforms and programs, especially those benefitting poorer Thais in rural communities. Not to mention creative interests. My visits to Thailand, beginning with the first many years ago, often coincided with events […]
-
If you can’t stand the heat get out of the Thai kitchen
(A diner’s lament) Excuse me if I be grumpy ‘Cause the throat’s lumpy Not from events of sadness It’s Thai meals sullied by blandness! Locals innocent I remonstrate Only try to accommodate Fussy foreigners feigning forays Couldn’t they simply stay away? They want authentic in a bubble Have adventure without the trouble To travel abroad and not leave […]
-
Breaking a little bad in Bangers
After a long day and flight made more uneventful by the current airline trend of manufacturing night during daytime voyages (I think it’s to keep passengers subdued), followed by interminable queues at Bangkok immigration, I settled my starving self into this little regular near the guesthouse for khao pad Thai pak (rice pad Thai with veggies) and pad kee mao […]
-
Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 8
Thailand, 19th November, 2012. Ancient rock art, meditation caves and car accidents. Today – riding back to Nong Khai, which will end my Mekong River journey. It’s been a week of eight days. Must be a song in that somewhere. Fog and wispy cloud combined for a colourful Sangkhom sunrise. The farmer from next door passed via Dtoy’s footbridge (she […]
-
The Day AD
Further to yesterday’s post and the passing of King Bhumibol, Thailand’s much revered monarch… According to the Roof View Place receptionist, today the king’s body would be transported from the hospital to the Grand Palace, which isn’t far from here. Thais will head en masse to this part of town to pay respect, and catching a bus to anywhere else […]
-
Touching down as a King passes away
Our plane arrived early due to favourable winds, but we landed in Bangkok to less fortuitous reports the King of Thailand had passed away. Not that I’m putting any more into this than coincidence, though visits to Thailand have often coincided with events surrounding the king. Life appeared to be proceeding as normal on the way from the airport to Phranakorn, but […]
-
Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 7
Thailand. 17th November, 2012 Sunday in Sangkhom Overcast again at the rise, so I watched the long-tail boats coming and going, motoring across calm, misty waters, to and from Laos. There was more river traffic this morning, but whether it being Sunday had anything to do with that I didn’t know. I would ask Dtoy. Crossing for breakfast I encountered […]
-
Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 6
16th November, 2012 Coffee (as usual), caves and curious lights: Cloudy morning dullness discouraged efforts to rise early, though I was still up by 7.30 for a hefty banana pancake and a pot of tea. Dtoy didn’t have any knowledge about the light I observed traversing the hills above Laos last night. It still wasn’t identified, so it remained a […]
-
Mekong Motorcycle Diaries Day 5
15th November, 2012 Chiang Khan to Sangkhom (and first sightings of a UFO): Woke to Thai and Laotian roosters duelling across the Mekong; a croaking crow-fest that fell away in sputters like a slapstick comedy routine. Pim was nowhere to be seen yesterday – she had been in Leoi. She was downstairs now and chatty. She pointed at my bamboo […]
To use the subscribe form, please fill in your Feedburner ID in WPZOOM Theme Options.