National Symbols of Thailand

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National Symbols of Thailand

What would you say is the symbol of your country? One of my students came up to me the other day and asked “What is the symbol of England?”. I couldn’t really think of any one symbol. Certainly not an official one. My student suggested Big Ben which is partly true but that is really a national icon. Something that represents the country. In the American movies, if they want to show their audience that the movie is now set in England they will show Big Ben or the Tower of London. What about Thailand? What would you say...
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More Tips on Going to Thailand

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More Tips on Going to Thailand

Thailand holidays are not all about beaches and elephants. Thailand has far more to offer than that. Try your best to experience the culture and life of the local people. Here are some more of my tips on how to make the most out of your holiday in Thailand. DO’S * Do run up the nearest hill and not go look for the sea if you see that the sea isn’t there, it will come back Tsunami-style, it is a scientific fact. * Do get rid of that big hairy moustache, you won’t get a part on a Bollywood...
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Flash Flood in Sukhothai

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Flash Flood in Sukhothai

Time has gone quickly since last summer. I still remember my summer holidays last year like it was yesterday. But really it’s one year ago already. Now, I have to open a map of Thailand and plan my photo trip for this summer. We have a web site called www.thailandguidebook.com and I am one of the chief photographers. I am very excited and happy. It’s time for me to go out to meet other people and foreigners again. I am not sure where I will go this year. I take a look at my map of Thailand on the...
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The Thai Zodiac

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The Thai Zodiac

Although the Thai Zodiac is similar to what we use in the West, you will see from the following chart that the Thai version is off by about 23 days. According to “Thai Ways” (Denis Segaller p.205), this is because the Western version takes the sun as its reference point. While in the Thai system, the earth is taken as the reference point.   Western Thai Aries March 21 – April 20 April 13 – May 14 Taurus April 21 – May 21 May 15 – June 14 Gemini May 22 – June 21 June 15 – July 15...
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Traffic Jam in 1950′s Bangkok

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Traffic Jam in 1950′s Bangkok

These old black and white photos of Bangkok in 1950 were taken by Dmitri Kessel for Life magazine. This one is labelled as “traffic jam in Bangkok”. It is interesting to look at these old photos. I think it helps you to understand Thai culture better if you can see what life was like for them in the past. The rickshaws in these pictures are still around today. However, you will no longer see them in Bangkok. The samlors have been taken over by the motorized tuk tuks. Apparently samlors cause traffic jams and so you only see them...
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When is New Year’s Day in Thailand?

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When is New Year’s Day in Thailand?

The date of the “new year” in Thailand has moved around a few times over the years. It started as a movable festival called Songkran that followed the dates of the lunar months. In 1889, it was fixed to be held on the 1st of April. This continued until 1941 when 1st of January became the “new year” and a public holiday. This was done to be in-line with much of the rest of the world. However, Thais continued to celebrate their traditional new year on 1st of April. In 1948, the government officially fixed the 13th of April...
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Lucky Days in Thailand – Jan 2009

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Lucky Days in Thailand – Jan 2009

Thai people often consult fortune tellers and astrological charts before doing anything important. There are certain days which you shouldn’t do things on. In Thailand, there are some calendars that you can buy that tell you the unlucky and lucky days for each month. Here is a translation I did for January 2009: (1) Excellent time to do auspicious things – no days this month (2) Can do auspicious things – 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 23rd and 24th January (3) Good time for a wedding – 5th January (4) Good time to buy new...
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Unlucky Days in Thailand

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Unlucky Days in Thailand

I talked before about lucky coloured clothes for each day of the week. Well, Thai people have more superstitions about each day. If you were born on a…. …Sunday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Friday. …Monday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Sunday. …Tuesday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Monday. …Wednesday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Tuesday. …Thursday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Saturday. …Friday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Wednesday. …Saturday, don’t do anything auspicious on a Wednesday in the middle of the night! Start Building a New House Like anything else in...
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Tips for Going to Thailand

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Tips for Going to Thailand

Here are some useful “Do’s and Don’ts” for your next holiday or extended stay in Thailand: DON’TS * Don’t take up any offer of a ten baht tuk-tuk ride or you will be taken for one BIG ride. * Don’t complain about the standard of English here, your Thai language skills aren’t exactly that hot. * Don’t try on a t-shirt if you aren’t going to buy it, the vendor doesn’t need the smell of your hairy armpits all over her goods. * Don’t go walking around Bangkok shirtless hoping for a good tan or you will get a...
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A Trip to Ayutthaya

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A Trip to Ayutthaya

The other day I went to Ayutthaya with two visitors to Sriwittayapaknam School. One came from England and the other one came from Singapore. They came to visit my old school because they were interested in Thai schools and wanted to know how we taught our students. They visited most of our classes helping the students with conversational English. On the way to Ayutthaya I mostly slept because the night before I worked late on my Thailand Life web magazine. I woke up when we arrived at Bang Sai. Richard talked to the guard at the gate in Thai...
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Colours for each day of the week

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Colours for each day of the week

Did you know that in Thailand that each day of the week is assigned a different colour for clothes that you wear? When I first came to Thailand, I didn’t really know about this. But after a few years I was starting to get curious as to why people were giving me a different coloured shirt for my birthdays. They were also telling me which day I should wear them! I started to get suspicious when they bought me a bright orange shirt and said that I should wear it on Thursdays. That is when I discovered that each...
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Richard Barrow is a prolific writer and ardent photographer. He first came to Thailand in the early 1990's. For 15 years he worked at a primary school in Samut Prakan. Now, he is the managing director of his own company.

Stephen Cleary has been a resident of Thailand for many years. He has done every job possible from acting in Thai soap operas to working undercover for the Thai police. Steve is now a freelance travel writer and translator. He lives with his wife in Suphanburi province.

Panrit "Gor" Daoruang was, in his youth, Thailand's most famous Internet teenager. He is still well-known around the world as he has been blogging about his life since the age of twelve. He now has a daughter called Nong Grace who already has her own website.






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