Thailand’s northern capital Chiang Mai is bracing for a repeat of the devastating flooding that drowned the city in August 2005. Following heavy rains further north, and the flooding of the Mae Tawan Valley and it’s world famous Elephant Conservation Camp, plus large areas of Chiang Dao district are reported as underwater today, with a [...]
When I researched, wrote, and published “Wieng Kum Kam – Atlantis of Lan Na” in 2002, I made a number of predictions about what would happen with the medieval archaeological site near Chiang Mai, and offer some of my hopes for it too. Today I stumbled upon a YouTube video by an American tour leader [...]
I am deeply saddened this week to learn of the passing of my best and closest Thai friend after a long battle with leukaemia. Jan had been battling Leukaemia for around a year now, and was in remission and doing well, but succumbed suddenly on the 19th June. I’m posting this sad news here on [...]
Issued 29 May 2010, 19:15 by British Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand Our travel advice has been comprehensively updated following the lifting of the Government curfew on 29 May. We no longer advise against non-essential travel to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. We advise British nationals to exercise caution. We advise against all travel to the Preah Vihear [...]
Government troops and police moved in force, early in the morning of 19th May to disperse and clear the anti-government Red Shirt protesters from the upscale heart of Bangkok’s commercial and tourist zone. By early afternoon, the Red Shirt leaders announced to their followers that the city centre fight was over, Several of the leaders [...]
Issued 19 May 2010, 22:15 by British Embassy, Bangkok, Thailand Our travel advice will shortly be updated with the following: We advise against all travel to the city of Bangkok. There were a number of violent incidents in Bangkok on 19 May, after security forces cleared anti-Government Red Shirt protest sites. Following the dispersal of [...]
Following the assault upon, and cancellation of, the “ASEAN plus dialogue partners” meeting of Heads of State in Pattaya, Thailand last week by the red-shirted followers of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai government announced, late on Thursday 9th April, that there would be a closure of all government offices on Friday 10th.
This unscheduled holiday preceded and joined with the scheduled Thai traditional New Year (Songkran) holiday occurring from Saturday 11th April to Wednesday 15th April. These dates included closure of all Government and Post Offices within Thailand.
Following the violence and civil unrest that broke out in Bangkok over the Songkran / Easter weekend, instigated by the same red-shirted factions, current Democrat Party Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva instructed, on Tuesday 14 April, that Thursday and Friday 16-17 April would be an extension to the national holiday, in order to give the government time to make central Bangkok safe for people to return to their workplaces.
It’s a long time since I took part in a pub-quiz. Last night I went along to one at The Pub – ChiangMai’s longest surviving expat watering hole, somewhere around a century old now – and had a great time, even though it left me wondering what’s happened to my brain.
I’ll admit to having a great time, and the manager, Graham – a long time friend, introduced me to a couple of tourists needing to make up a quiz team. We did our best, and just avoided the wooden spoon at the end of the night, but what has happened to my memory?
