Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Shake hands on it… on second thoughts
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/03/2020
» I was at a recent gathering with friends in Bangkok where the customary handshakes were replaced by a variety of awkward fist bumps, elbow nudges, foot-shakes, waving of arms and other silly ways of saying "hello". But there were definitely no nose-to-nose greetings. Not shaking hands with your closest friends is probably the most noticeable example of how the Covid-19 crisis has affected everyday life. Even Britain's Queen Elizabeth has let it be known that she will not be shaking hands with anyone "for the foreseeable future".
The cop, the seat belt and the fat farang
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/05/2017
» While I always wear a safety belt when sitting in the front seat of a taxi, it is taking a little while to get in the habit of wearing them in the back, as now required by Thai law. This is a result of spending four decades in Thailand not wearing seat belts in the back -- primarily because there weren't any.
The day Ali made my dad spill his tea
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/06/2016
» Some early memories from an Englishman who supported Muhammad Ali in every fight … well, except two.
It's hard to beat a munchy, crunchy Thai bug
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/10/2014
» The most important news of the week is that Thailand is now the world's largest producer of edible insects, with 20,000 insect farms operating in the kingdom. On occasions my bedroom feels like one of the farms, with assorted weird UFOs buzzing around.
In the limelight - reluctantly
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/07/2012
» Not for the first time, U-tapao has found itself thrust into the spotlight, on this occasion over the proposed Nasa climate research project, which has now, as the Americans might put it, gone ''down the tubes''.
Writing on the wall
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/04/2012
» Not far from my house in Bangkok is a large telephone junction box on which someone has recently sprayed in large black letters "Jon Smith Was Here!". Not the most original form of graffiti , but at least it was spelt correctly. It would have perhaps been more intriguing if it said "Lady Gaga Was Here" or maybe had a bit of local colour like "Thaksin Was Here".
Full steam ahead for the Isan choo-choo
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/02/2012
» Earlier this week the cabinet agreed ''in principle'' to a 145 billion baht ''high-speed'' rail project between Bangkok and Nong Khai and another link in the Northeast from Khon Kaen to Nakhon Phanom via Roi Et.