I’d always thought that the rainy season in Thailand was supposed to run from June to October, but it appears to have come early this year. I wasn’t quite prepared for the barrage of thunderstorms and downpours that we’ve had in Bangkok these past few days. It even felt a bit cold today. What does all this rain in Bangkok mean? Is it a sign that the world is spinning backwards and that God is perhaps experimenting with new techniques for his seasons? Is it going to start snowing soon? I’m getting drenched every day here, whatever the cause.

Typically between March and May is what they call summer in Bangkok. The temperatures soar, the sun burns us pale-skinned folk, and most people walk around with bags shading their heads. But here we are at the end of April and the rain is coming down in bucketloads.

It’s raining in the south also, but that’s to be expected given that the rainy season there runs from around May to November. November to February is generally Bangkok’s mild season, with at least one or two days when you might actually feel cold. The locals, however, spend most of the mild four-month period shimmying around down in coats and hats.

I was once told that it takes something like between two and three years to get used to a tropical climate. It’s amazing how fast the weather in Thailand can turn. One minute it’s baking, the next minute you have to catch a boat home. Have I really blogged about Thailand’s weather today? It’s better than blogging about a sandwich, that’s for sure.

Techno’ tags: Thailand, Bangkok, Weather

This comes in the wake of the Virginia Tech Massacre. A student with straight As across the board, a GPA of 4.2, a place on the school wrestling team, and a plan to join the marines was arrested on Tuesday for creative writing.

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As if the rules for visas in Thailand weren’t already ludicrously confusing, it has now been announced that the rules for visas on arrival have changed again. The report from the Phuket Gazette doesn’t quite clear the issues up, however:

“From October 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, we counted all the days from the foreigner’s first day regardless whether the foreigner was actually in Thailand or not.

“Also, foreigners were not permitted to stay in Thailand after their 180-day period had expired [counted from the foreigner’s first day], regardless whether the foreigner had stayed a full 90 days in Thailand or not,” Capt. Krissarat said.

“However, the rule has been changed. From April 1, we now count only the days the foreigner has stayed in Thailand – and foreigners are now allowed to stay past the 180-day period,” he said.

The number of consecutive visa exemptions allowed is no longer limited to three, he added.

What this seems to be saying is that nothing has actually changed. Pol. Capt. Krissarat Nuesen seems to be under the impression that days in Thailand were not being counted and that after a first visa on arrival, you could only stay for 90 days, and then had to leave for 90 days. This isn’t how the system has been working. What he seems to be saying is that now only days spent actually in Thailand will be counted, which was the case anyway, was it not?

Thai immigration is renowned for doing things that utterly baffle foreigners. The rules often make little sense.

I first found this story on Thai Visa.

Volta is the title of Bjork’s much anticipated new album. This image is part of the artwork for the album, which is to be relase on May 7.

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We all know how much people in Thailand (and many other countries in Asia) love comic books. You can’t walk around Bangkok without seeing numerous people (both adults and children) getting into a good Manga. Hentai is a term used to describe a pornographic anime or Manga, although the word is not actually used in Japan. If naked cartoon characters are your thing, then hentai might be one of your vices.

Hentai is an interesting phenomenon, if a little strange given the easy access to real porn that is available in most countries around the world )in Patpong, for example). Before there were such things as televisions or computers, it is not difficult to imagine people getting their kicks from drawings and paintings, but in the twenty-first century it can seem a little odd.

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