Showing 1 - 10 of 30
Unity in Olympics
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 03/08/2020
» If Covid-19 had not struck the planet, we would be enjoying humanity's most celebrated sporting event by now -- the Summer Olympics. This year's Olympics has been postponed and rescheduled to take place between July 23 and Aug 8 next year, leading many to now refer to it as Tokyo 2020+1. Anyway, thinking about the Olympics takes my thoughts back to Atlanta 1996.
Where's my durian?
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 19/06/2017
» The durian season is now in full swing, but some discernible lovers of the spiky fruit, myself included, are utterly upset. In Bangkok, from roadside stalls and fresh markets to shopping malls and even social media, the King of Fruits is virtually everywhere you look. But still I don't see the once-common variety that I have been waiting for, the one I'm dying to savour.
Honouring Dad
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 05/12/2016
» As far back as I could remember Dec 5, the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has always been considered the National Father's Day. Today is the first time in the lives of millions of Thais to observe this important occasion without the beloved royal father figure.
Now boarding: flights to pre-war zones
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 04/09/2014
» Forget Ebola.
Ways to help make a change
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 07/12/2020
» As usual, time flies. Believe it or not but we're already in the final weeks of 2020 and despite the pandemic, which has put much of the world in idle mode, it's been quite an eventful year here in Thailand, especially on the political front. But is there another way to create a better society other than mass demonstrations and fierce online wars with complete strangers who think differently? Is there anything one can do that will instantly and effectively result in positive change?
Snake invasion targets our homes
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 05/10/2020
» It's not something that makes headlines but it happens so often in this country and there is no law to protect you. Almost every day, people find trespassers in their homes in the form of serpents.
Come live with me
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 10/02/2020
» Imagine yourself shuffling out of your bedroom in the morning to find the girl next door sitting on your favourite sofa chatting on the phone. On the other side of the large living room, another neighbour is working on his laptop. At the dining table, a familiar couple are enjoying breakfast. In the kitchen, somebody's cooking a cheese omelette.
What Thai youths do not know
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 08/04/2019
» It's no secret that a large number of new-generation Thais have poor attitudes toward their homeland. Scornful posts and non-constructive comments are rampant on the internet. The causes of their resentment are numerous: politics, traffic, laws, the economy, culture, social values, cost of living -- you name it.
Know thy visitors
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 27/08/2018
» Almost three decades ago when I was a university student, I occasionally had to travel to Don Mueang airport for a part-time job. Back then, it was Bangkok's only airport, and, with the tollway not yet in existence, was considered very far from the city centre. There, my task was to ask departing tourists to fill in questionnaires for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which wanted to know what they liked or disliked, as well as their spending behaviour, during their visits.
Paradise in jeopardy
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 11/06/2018
» I get to know people when I travel for work, but I rarely see them again in person because each time I travel, I go to someplace different. Earlier this year, however, as I was about to leave a tourism fair, I bumped into the owner of a resort on Koh Mak, the island of Trat province famous for its efforts to become a "low-carbon destination".