Showing 1 - 10 of 14
The lesson that was all over the map
Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/04/2026
» Last week's item regarding the wonderful world of maps and atlases sparked memories of how a map played a key cameo role during my early days in Bangkok. It was 1969 and I was teaching at a commercial college. One of the subjects I was assigned was geography. After the first lesson it was clear there was a language problem. None of the Thai class understood a word I was saying.
You can look, but please don't touch
Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/09/2024
» When we were kids, most of us heard the words "don't touch that!" from our parents if we were in the presence of something breakable and possibly valuable. That's probably what a father wishes he had said when he took his four-year-old son to a museum in the Israeli city of Haifa last week.
When Bangkok bid for the Olympics
Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/07/2024
» It's been 100 years since the last Paris Olympics which was dramatically portrayed in the stirring 1981 film Chariots of Fire. I can still picture that opening scene with the British athletes running along the beach to the sounds of that Vangelis anthem. It's hard to believe that was made 43 years ago. If this year's Olympics are even half as exciting as the 1924 event it will be an achievement.
A painful ride with a certified horn honker
Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/02/2024
» Despite the frustration of sitting in endless jams, I've always felt Bangkok motorists display remarkable restraint when it comes to using horns. Unlike many cities in the world it is rare to hear a chorus of angry car klaxons. Things are admittedly a bit different on the provincial highways with buses and trucks not averse to giving a blast on their air horns with the clear message "Get out of the way."
There's nothing wrong in shedding a tear
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 25/09/2022
» I admit to spending the best part of Monday afternoon stoically trying to fight off the teardrops -- and almost managing it. I was watching the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on TV and for an ancient Brit like me it was emotionally exhausting. Please excuse me for the sentimentality.
Those wonderful signs of the times
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/05/2022
» For many months there had been a large green road sign near the entrance to my local mall in eastern Bangkok which read "Entrace", the second "n" having gone missing in action. It was a minor thing and I was resigned to seeing it for years to come. However, I am pleased to report the rogue "n" has surprisingly been located and now the mall has a proper "Entrance" again. Congratulations to the eagle-eyed official who spotted the missing "n".
There have probably been better years
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/12/2021
» Well we've just about scraped through the Year of the Ox. It was a strange time, rather like living in a vacuum, not entirely sure what would happen next. Nothing could have been worse than 2020, but 2021 wasn't far off. At the start of the year there was hope that the cloud of Covid could be shaken off and we would all become happy folks in the Land of Smiles again, but it didn't quite work out that way -- it's the hope that kills you.
It's time for 'cautious cuddling' in the UK
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/05/2021
» PostScript recently discussed how the month of May is looked upon fondly in Britain, partly because it heralds warmer weather. Admittedly summer in the UK can be rather brief, especially if the occluded fronts start misbehaving. It's no coincidence that the most common forecast in the British summer is "outlook changeable".
A song that takes you off the beaten track
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/02/2021
» Surfing through YouTube this week, I came across the novelty Australian song I've Been Everywhere, which I haven't heard for a long time. It doesn't have much of a melody, but it's fun, something we could all do with these days. It is also a useful geography lesson.
A koala gets into the Christmas spirit
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/12/2020
» My favourite festive season tale so far features an Adelaide family who returned home to find a koala perched in an artificial Christmas tree in their lounge. It looked perfectly happy amid all the baubles and twinkling lights, but was less than impressed by the taste of the plastic leaves.