Category Archives: Thailand

May Day Thailand

Thailand has an amazing galaxy on public holidays, mostly religious or honoring the royal family history. Many farangs are befuddled by this unexplained cosmos, especially since the nation celebrates three different New Year’s Days. Western, Chinese, and Thai. Today is a bank holiday in Thailand, but few Thais or westerners know the origin of this […]

THE END OF RICE by Peter Nolan Smith

Thailand has many superstitions. One concerns rice. Never joke while eating or else a ghost will steal your rice. The ghosts will have to wait, for this is the beginning of the rainy season and throughout the Kingdom aging farmers are planting rice. The current price for jasmine rice per tonne from the wholesalers is […]

Den’s Rice Paddies

No one works the paddies anymore. The old gave up the game. Enough Work like slaves. Good season, Bad season. Always the last baht in the pocket. Never the first. Work sunrise. Sunset. Breaking back Breaking feet Come home at night The radio on Playing Luk Thong. A good day Today. Children’s bellies full Wife […]

Thai White Elephant

Many Asian cultures regarded fatness as a sign of wealth, however with the advent of 7/11 consumerism in the Orient obesity is fast becoming a health issue for the region. The Thais like to joke about fat people, whom they call ‘chang-nois’ or little elephants. “Why are farangs so fat?” An old rice farmer asked […]

Songkran Sanuk – 2000

The Songkran celebration ushers in the Thai New Year as well as the coming of the rains to endy the hot season. The 2000 festival has been focused on Wan Parg-bpee April 14, when homage was to be paid to ancestors, elders and other persons deserving respect, because of age or position. Traditionally younger people […]