Fancy seeing Bangkok, land of crazy traffic, on a bike by night?

When I first heard that Grasshopper Adventures was running a Bangkok Bike Tour, I thought it was a joke. It’s hard enough to cross the road by foot, let alone roll about by pedal power. And then I discovered they also run the tour at night, and I thought for sure these guys are crazy - and I signed up right away.

All good inventions take a while to catch on, but for the brilliance behind designing this cycling tour in Bangkok was to keep the bikes off the road and in the back streets.

Tags: Bangkok,Bicycle,Holiday,Tour
Categories: Bangkok
No Comments »

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!

It was the same going in for a wash, spank and blow-dry. These ladies at the beauty parlour are from the shampoo-rinse-repeat school of hair massage. Just when you think you’ve made it through the rinse cycle and are starting to enjoy the fluff dry, brace yourself Effie. Spank, spank.

Tags: Bangkok,Massage,Spanking,Thailand
Categories: Bangkok
No Comments »

The aim of the article is to explain to readers the basic land and tax laws that affect all expatriates in the area of property ownership in the Kingdom of Thailand. But a word of warning – Thai laws and government practises are evolving all the time, particularly as to taxation. Therefore, I strongly urge that you use competent lawyers and accountants to keep abreast of all such important matters.

Tags: Condominium,House,Realk Estate,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
1 Comment »

If cuisine is about cooking style and food, then its features must be related to people, race, history, tradition, culture and science. In comparing cooking styles of the Thais (actually ‘Tais’ rather than ‘Thais’) and the Chinese more than two thousand years ago, both peoples shared the land of present day China but cooked differently.

The Chinese had already developed the rice steaming technique but the Tais were still boiling their rice. With evidence of rice-husk imprints on 5000-year-old pottery jars and rice seeds radio-carbon dated at 4000 years before Christ, both peoples slowly changed their habits of eating wild rice to cultivated rice of glutinous and non-glutinous varieties.

Tags: China,India,Malaysia,Thai Food,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
No Comments »

Boxing clever
Muay thai kick boxing is going global, while preserving its ancient roots. Movies and live matches are making the sport a ‘must-see’ spectacle, while ever more visitors study this beautiful blend of force, dance and devotion.

The colourful boxer’s shorts arrayed at souvenir stalls show what a national icon muay thai (Thai kick boxing) has become. Many visitors who wouldn’t ordinarily see a sporting event while on holiday - and might not be boxing fans at home - seek out a muay thai match for the rich experiences it offers. Every bout combines ancient ritual with celebrity presence, brute physicality with balletic grace, fierce competition with modest respect.

Tags: Bangkok,Muay Thai,Thai Boxing,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
1 Comment »

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 portfolio. Nestled along a picturesque bay on the East Coast of the Gulf of Thailand, Pattaya is roughly 170 kilometers southeast of Bangkok and worth a visit.

Tags: Koh Larn,Pattaya,Thailand,Walking Street
Categories: Pattaya
No Comments »

I uncover some really cool facts about chillies.

Surprisingly, chillies were not known in South-east Asia - home to many of the world’s hottest cuisines - until the New World was discovered. The Spanish introduced them to Europe in 1514, and the Portuguese introduced them to India and South-east Asia almost 100 years later.

Natives of Mexico, Brazil and Peru used to drink chocolate spiced with chili, and colored red with annatto (a food coloring derived from the lipstick tree) which made their mouths red and bloody-looking.

Tags: Brazil,Chili,Hot,India,Mexico,Peru,Spain,Tabasco,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
1 Comment »

Sukhothai Period
Although animistic beliefs remained potent in Sukhothai, King Ramkhamhaeng and his successors were all devout Buddhist rulers who made merit on a large scale. The major cities of the Sukhothai kingdom were, therefore, full of monasteries, many of which were splendid examples of Thai Buddhist architecture. Sukhothai adopted the Ceylonese school of Theravada Buddhism, beginning with King Ramkhamhaeng’s invitation to Ceylonese monks to come over and purify Buddhism in his kingdom. This Ceylonese influence manifested itself not only in matters of doctrine but also in religious architecture. The bell-shaped stupa, so familiar in Thai religious architecture, was derived from Ceylonese models. Sukhothai style Buddha images are distinctive for their elegance and stylized beauty, and Sukhothai’s artists introduced the graceful form of the “walking Buddha” into Buddhist sculpture.

Tags: Buddha,Buddhism,Rama,Thailand
Categories: Buddhism
2 Comments »

One aspect of the Thai language which makes it quite unique and difficult to master by Thais and foreigners alike, is the remarkable diversity in words which mean exactly the same thing. For example, the first person singular pronoun, “I” in English, exists in Thai as an endless number of choices. The Thai speaker must choose from this variety and must know which one to use for correctness and to avoid social blunder. Here is the variety:

Tags: Language,Sukhothai,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
No Comments »

Buying a condominium is possibly the best investment possible for a foreigner in Thailand, as you can own it outright. But before you buy, make sure you understand exactly how to go about it. A good rule of thumb to follow when looking for a condo: It is better to buy the worst condo in a quality building, than the best condo in a poorly maintained building.

Buying a condominium in Thailand is actually a very straightforward process. However, there are a few things you need to be aware of before you start.

Tags: Buying,Condominium,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
1 Comment »