Showing 21 - 30 of 48
Racing down the BMX track
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 22/09/2016
» In August 2014 when I first visited the then newly opened Bung Makham Thet-Bung Sakae Ngam Sam Duen public park on the eastern outskirts of Bangkok, I was told that in the next few months a BMX track, the first in the capital, would be added. A year passed but the planned BMX facility didn't materialise.
Scaling new heights
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 08/09/2016
» Like many provinces that line the Thai side of the Mekong, Nong Khai is blessed with a host of lovable attractions. Today let's explore two of Nong Khai's lesser known, yet no less charming, districts: Si Chiang Mai and Sang Khom.
Going loopy
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 07/07/2016
» Wat Phra Bat Tak Pha, which houses revered Buddha footprint sculptures, is the famous religious site for Lamphun's Pa Sang district. Not known to outsiders, however, is the fact that the woodland around the monastery is home to a maze of mountain bike trails that can easily make you envy the local riders.
Conquering new terrain
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 12/05/2016
» Despite the fact that Hua Hin and Cha-am are in different provinces (the first is in Prachuap Khiri Khan and the latter in Phetchaburi) the coastal parts of these two adjacent districts are often considered by holiday makers as one and the same area. I visit these parts several times a year, not to enjoy the famous beaches though but for mountain biking. And now there's a good reason to go there more often.
Trip down memory lane
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 28/04/2016
» Last week, as I was scanning Google Earth for a biking route that's not too far from Bangkok, the memory of a boat journey I took over a decade ago sprang to mind.
Isan's arid bounty
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 07/04/2016
» Yasothon and Amnat Charoen were separated from Ubon Ratchathani in 1972 and 1993, respectively. A couple of weeks ago, these three Isan provinces reunited.
Racing from the ground up
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 01/10/2015
» Rome wasn't built in a day. Likewise, it took time before Chai Nat, a quiet province in the Central Plains, could become a BMX racing hotspot: three weeks!
Mekong's steady flow of tourism
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 09/07/2015
» On a squeaky bicycle, a lean woman spins her way leisurely down the streets of Thakhek, a Lao town by the Mekong River. From the attire and Vietnamese-style conical hat she's wearing, it's likely she's of different descent from many she shares the road with. Lao women, in contrast, tend to wear the pha sin traditional long skirts, even when riding motorcycles.
Rayong's wonderful wetlands
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 28/05/2015
» Glowing in the champagne-coloured rays of the late afternoon Sun and gently swaying in the breeze from the nearby sea, the fluffy inflorescences crowning the tall green grass that fill these vast yet secret "fields" of Rayong province added magic to the already mesmerising scenery. Even more amazing is the fact that this grassland, which covers a combined area of almost 487,000m², literally floats on water.
Grassland gallivant
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 23/04/2015
» With Songkran, Wan Lai and all other water-throwing festivals and parties completely over, we're left to live with the harsh truth that this is the height of the hot season.