Showing 1 - 8 of 8
Straddling two worlds
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 11/12/2025
» When I visited Istanbul for the first time, I learned a joke from Gocke, my local guide, who goes to work by undersea train every day. "But you can't see anything," she laughed. For her, it takes only four minutes to cross from Asia to Europe, under the Bosphorus Strait that divides the ancient city.
A vanishing heritage
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/07/2023
» If it were not for a handful of visitors, the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine would completely vanish. Flanked by metal sheet fences, a narrow alley leads to the remnants of age-old communities. An entrance is adorned with red lanterns. A facade is painted with mythological figures. A roof is embellished with tile dolls. The smell of burning incense wafts through the open gate. Inside, deities are worshipped on an altar with a gilded frame.
Banyan Tree Krabi
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/07/2023
» Normally after the rush of high season, few would dare go out and brave the rain. But it can be a good time to make a journey to the southwest. Despite thick cloud and patchy drizzle, I found peace at a remote seaside resort. Only a 40-minute drive from the airport, Banyan Tree Krabi offers soul-searching experience unlike any other.
Italians in Siam
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 03/01/2023
» When Mariannina Zuccaro arrived in Bangkok for her marriage with Mario Tamagno, an Italian architect who worked in Siam from 1900-1925, she encountered a stark contrast between her fiance's self-effacing character and monumental creations. According to Italians At The Court Of Siam, she referred to a photograph of the inauguration of a railway, on the back of which Tamagno listed everybody around King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), except himself.
Preserving an ancient art
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/04/2022
» Despite a two-year hiatus, Nutchanat La-ongsri commanded a stage with unwavering power. Donning a large headpiece, she pulled on a white costume with a red strap tied on her upper body. Her back rose up like a bird's tail. She pressed her hands in front, showing silver bracelets and nail tips. After a wai kru ceremony, she staged a play in nora kaek, the dying breed of performance art from the Deep South.
Russian Orthodox Church ignites regional spiritual fire
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/02/2020
» The Russian Orthodox Church in Thailand may have only served as "a centre of spiritual fire" for Russians in the country for two decades, but the first and only Eastern Orthodox Church in the region has drawn devout Christians from all over the world.
Paying respects to sailors, a century later
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/01/2020
» There are many ways to pay homage to departed souls. Yet one that stood the test of time took place late last month at Soosan Farang (Cemetery for Westerners), formally known as the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery on Charoen Krung Road.
The spirit of Bengal
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/06/2019
» As the first rays of light shone on the Bangladeshi morning, the new dawn brought hope and optimism. I got out of the van and walked down the street in Dhaka with other international journalists, the ground still wet after the rains of the previous night.