You know there’s something wrong with a cover story when its lede is: “The Nai Lert Park annual fair is taking a more fun-filled approach this year, and calling itself the Flower Carnival.” Well yes, that does sound fun. “To advertise the event organisers paraded naked models covered with orchids.” Apparently this is front-page news [...]

Every time there’s a high-profile case of a crime committed against a foreigner in Thailand, there are calls to boycott the country. We saw it down here in Phuket when Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund was murdered. There were expats and random foreigners being very vocal about the knock-on effect that would be felt in the [...]

It appears as if some of the larger retailers in Thailand are actually taking positive steps in the battle to rid the country of the excessive number of plastic bags. In Phuket at least, Central Festival, Tesco, Big C, Robinson and a bunch of hotels will on July 9 sign an MOU to offer [...]

Outsourcing work to other countries is nothing new – heck, even I hire people to do odd jobs for me – but when it comes to journalism, you don’t expect a newspaper’s reporters to be working from another country. It isn’t just call centers that are hiring staff in India.
The Los Angeles Times recently hired [...]

Bangkok Pundit, who now writes more blog posts in one day than I do in a week, has a really interesting post at the moment about the portrayal of rape on Thai TV. The issues raised stem from the Thai soap opera Dao Puan Din, which airs on Channel 7 Fridays to Sundays.
The show’s producers [...]

I don’t fly very often, but when I do, I choose my airline based on which one offers the cheapest ticket. One of the great things about living in Thailand is that it’s inexpensive, quick and easy to fly from one end of the country to the other.
The airline I fly with most is Thai [...]

The past 24 hours have been something of a nightmare. For the third time since I moved to Phuket, I had food poisoning. The culprit this time was a pasta dish comprising black linguini and seafood. I started throwing up at 6:30 am yesterday and didn’t stop until about lunch time. I went to work [...]

The epic of Thailand Vs. Tesco is reminiscent of similar battles with foreign entities. Tesco is a British-based chain of grocery stores. Some people are under the impression that the brand is French. Carrefour, another retail juggernaut tearing through Thailand, is French.
In the UK, Tesco has an outstanding reputation – or at least it did [...]

JJ, Jatujak, the Weekend Market, Chatuchak – whatever you want to call it, the place never changes. Chatuchak is quite possibly the most depressing, soul-draining place on earth. Many people love it, but I have never had an enjoyable time there.
Chatuchak positively hums of desperation. There are shoppers, desperate to get their mitts on discount [...]

Topshop and Topman open flagship stores at Central World (first floor) in Bangkok today. In terms of fashion stores, I could see the UK clothing giant doing very well in Thailand. It’s cheaper than Zara and a shade more trendy than somewhere such as H&M. There was a time when I bought almost all of [...]

At this time of year, the most common question I am asked is, “What is Songkran like?” Some people have heard stories and end up terrified, as if the whole country were about to implode. It’s difficult to explain what Songkran is like. If I told you what the final night of the Vegetarian Festival [...]

I was browsing the soft-drinks cabinet at my local 7-Eleven when my eyes were suddenly drawn to the beer section where I saw a can of beer I didn’t recognize. The can was the most gloomy-looking drinks container I had ever seen. The name “Archa Beer” leapt up at me like a geriatric chess player.

I [...]

Traveling itinerary:

Seen a ping pong show… check.
Been to Phi Phi Island… check.
Ridden on the back of an elephant… check.
Had a picture taken with an enormous, docile tiger… check.

I can understand the curiosity that goes with experiencing the first three on this list, but the whole thing about having your photo taken with a tiger baffles [...]

Khanom jeen is without doubt my favorite Thai food. It tastes fantastic and although it’s traditionally a breakfast dish, it can be eaten for any meal. I sometimes have late-night khanom jeen from a place in Phuket Town.
Rather than regular rice or noodles, khanom jeen is eaten with a combination of both: rice-flour noodles, which [...]