Showing 1 - 10 of 22
Overlooked no longer
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 11/03/2021
» Nam Tok Chet Sao Noi was one of the few national parks that I didn't want to revisit, mainly because it was overcrowded, dilapidated and poorly managed. Last year, however, I heard the ugly duckling of Saraburi's Muak Lek district has been transformed into a swan. So the other day when I got the chance to travel to those parts I decided to check it out.
Natural born killers
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 25/02/2021
» 'That's a peacock mantis," said Wissarut Sukhaket as he saw me observing a dull-looking little fellow in a nursery box at the Tropical Insect Sanctuary in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district. "Want to know why it got such a name?"
A giant in size and importance
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 14/01/2021
» Prasat Nakhon Luang is one of the largest examples of historical architecture in Ayutthaya. Its role in the politics of the old Siamese kingdom that the province was named after was as immense as its size.
Hiding in plain sight
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 24/12/2020
» I'm no fan of paintings but I understand folks who are able to enjoy a visual feast by masters such as the likes of Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci or Vincent Van Gogh. I do the same every time I find myself in a magnificent landscape. Indeed, Mother Nature is my favourite artist.
Mercury falling, spirits rising
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 10/12/2020
» The Colours of Doi Tung Festival is one of Chiang Rai province's best-known annual events. Every weekend and public holiday in December and January, a fair featuring the sale of food and goods by hilltribe people and other ethnic groups living in Doi Tung and nearby mountains is held near the Mae Fah Luang Garden, a famous attraction that is part of Mae Fah Luang Foundation's Doi Tung Development Project. The idea is to draw more visitors to Doi Tung and enable the villagers to benefit from the high season.
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?
It's all downhill from here!
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 13/11/2020
» For most gravity mountain bikers -- especially those who are not serious racers and did not take part in the national championship series which ended in August -- it was as if all they could do was watch 2020 glide by. However, just the other day, there was great news from Prachin Buri.
Not quite a staycation
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 27/08/2020
» Dying to get back to nature but national parks are so far away? Longing for an outdoor experience but you don't think you have enough time?
Seeing how silk is made
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 14/05/2020
» Just a few minutes' walk from BTS National Stadium sits Ban Khrua, the old community by Saen Saep Canal that decades ago produced silk fabrics for Jim Thompson, who helped promote the Thai material to worldwide fame. After the mysterious disappearance of the legendary American entrepreneur in 1967, family-run silk workshops in Ban Khrua gradually went out of business. But not all of them.
When you're free to move about the country
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 07/05/2020
» It's going to be a while before we find out whether or not the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures, the mass scrambles for alcoholic beverages, and the exodus over the recent long weekend will reverse the trend of the pandemic control in Thailand that seems to be going well. Let's hope they won't. At the same time, let's not forget that in many parts of this small world, the Covid-19 situation is still not getting any better.