Showing 121 - 128 of 128
Island of unspoilt charm
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 11/10/2018
» Nothing lasts forever. But no less true is the fact that certain things do last longer than expected. The peaceful and simple lifestyle of the rural communities on Koh Sukon of Trang province is an amazing case in point.
A town built with teak
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 27/09/2018
» A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. But sometimes even a thousand pictures cannot say enough. The photos you see on this page show some of the many beautiful houses in Phrae's old town. But, of course, there is more than meets the eye. Each house has its own story, some also played an important part in the history of the town, and even that of the Kingdom.
Koh Lan's best-kept secret revealed
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 20/09/2018
» Millions of people from around the world have visited Koh Lan, the popular island just 8km off the shore of Pattaya. However, very few of them -- I guarantee -- got to enjoy such stunning scenery like what you are seeing in some of the photos shown here.
Fun in the North
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 12/09/2018
» Not everybody thinks the rainy month of September is the best time to visit the northern provinces. But if you go to Phrae or Chiang Rai this weekend, you will enjoy events you won't find in the high season.
Fast & precarious
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 06/09/2018
» My heart was filled with excitement as the door of the gondola lift closed and the cable car was slowly leaving the station, taking me, my friend Kent and our downhill bikes up the slope to the trailheads 1,780m above sea level. We had planned this trip for more than half-a-year, and it's happening. A few minutes from now, we would be riding the famous trails of Fujimi, in one of Japan's largest bike parks.
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.
Cave exhibition shows paragon of Thainess
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 22/08/2018
» On June 23, when the 12 boys of Chiang Rai's Wild Boars Football Academy and their young coach parked their bicycles and embarked on another excursion into Tham Luang, a cave within a rideable distance from their usual training ground, they didn't know that there would be heavy rain while they were inside. They didn't know that they would be trapped by flood waters. They had no idea either about the unprecedented phenomenon that would happen next.
Same same but deliciously different
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 16/08/2018
» When was the last time you visited Pai?” I asked myself while on a van headed to the small town that sits about halfway between the east end of Road 1095 in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district and its west end in the town of Mae Hong Son. With 1,864 curves along its length of 200km, 1095 is notorious asone of the country’s twistiest roads. A rest stop like Pai is a godsend. Over the years, Pai itself has evolved into a popular destination for international and Thai travellers alike. The countryside setting and the mix of ethnic and international cultures make up the charm of this laid-back town surrounded by mountains.