Downtown Bangkok: the view from a tuk tuk. Have just finished Timothy Hallinan’s detective novel ‘A Nail Through the Heart’ and would recommend it to anyone interested in the seedy side of the city. The detective Poke Rafferty chases his way around downtown Bangkok, jumping in and out of tuk tuks, getting beaten up … Continue reading
Thailand is a superstitious place. Not in the way that some people don’t like to walk under ladders, but proper believing in ghosts, spirits and things that go bump in the night superstitious. They are a fact of life. It’s probably down to a mix of animism, Buddhism and because, having never been occupied fully … Continue reading
With Halloween fast approaching, our mind turns to trick or treating and whether to discuss its origins and purpose with the kids, or leave it as a commercial candy-fest. Never having been in Thailand for a Halloween I’m curious as to what the reaction is going to be here: we are in mid-October already and … Continue reading
Even though violent crime is not widespread in Thailand, tales of robbery and corruption get regular coverage. These can be both peculiarly Thai and a little peculiar. Here’s one local lady using her assets to get what she wants… http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/308997/local-crime Continue reading
In my bid to find out more about Thailand through fictional accounts I’ve just finished Catching the Sun by Tony Parsons (Man and Boy, One for my Baby). The book follows a British man and his family, leaving bad luck and poor job prospects in the UK for a life on the tropical island of … Continue reading
We all know that Halloween is a time for little kids to parade round the neighbour asking for chocolate by saying “Trick or Treat” and for some bigger kids to take the opportunity to dress up and play murder mystery games with a Halloween Theme (ahem). But why do we do this? (Apart from to … Continue reading
