Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej (ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช) was born 5 December 1927. He was the ninth monarch of Thailand from the Chakri Dynasty. Coronated on 9 June 1946, he was, at the time of passing, the world’s longest-serving head of state, and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history; serving a total of 70 years and 126 days.…Read More

Beautiful beaches, great weather and easy-going people (mostly), who don’t mind you filming “on location”, makes Thailand the perfect country to shoot a music video. There’s been a few chart-toppers too. Digging through the archives,  I unearthed an eclectic list of 10 famous music videos you probably didn’t know were shot on the shores of Thailand.…Read More

From temples and ancient ruins to street vendors with decrepit carts and old trucks pumping out fumes darker than burning coal, at times, certainly in rural Thailand, the Land of Smiles still feels like something out of the middle of the last century – until you see a Big C or student with an iPhone,…Read More

It has been a while since I read a really good “life-story” book from a Thai author. In fact, the last would have been the heartfelt stories of celebrated Thai writer Pira Sudham. Not because I haven’t wanted to, mind, but because nothing has really pulled at my attention since that. The last time I…Read More

When it comes to tear-jerking adverts, Thailand takes the gold medal. Over the last 5 years, touching Thai TV commercials have been watched millions of times on YouTube and shared like crazy on Facebook. In this post I’ve compiled the cream of the crop, the top 10 emotional Thai adverts (with English Subtitles) that will have…Read More

I came across this documentary the other day and found it very interesting on a number of levels. Firstly, I didn’t realize just how badly human trafficking has taken a foothold on Bangkok and Pattaya. Of course, I’ve seen the African and Russian women on Sukhumvit Road, and it doesn’t take a genius to work…Read More

Contrary to Western-centric stereotyping, day-to-day life in Thailand is still largely conservative. Television programming is centered around game shows and predictable soap operas (Thai Lakorn), and sex education premised on abstinence over birth control. For these reasons, much like the Skins series did in the UK, Hormones has ruffled some feathers in Thailand, with fans…Read More

As I read a news article about another foreigner “falling” from a Pattaya hotel balcony, I shake my head for the umpteenth time. A recent Thai TV news report put the suicide rate amongst foreigners living in Pattaya at an average of one per week. That’s known suicides, as opposed to the “falls” that happen on a…Read More