Showing 1 - 9 of 9
An iconic Christmas
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/12/2025
» It was around 8.30pm on Thursday when I braved the cold to catch a spectacular display at Selfridges London. Hovering above the Queen of Time, Tinker Bell sprinkled an over-100m trail of pixie dust that traversed across the purple-and-blue facade, with a magical tune from Cinderella. It culminated with the 11m-tall Disney Castle, the largest installation to feature on the store for over half a century, in the corner.
A bitter farewell
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/05/2023
» The Robot Building on Sathon Road is a childhood superhero that comes to life. Standing on staggered floors, the chunky android is studded with nuts and bolts. Its head boasts metallic-lidded eyes and two communication antennae and its frontal body is outfitted with black glass and blue stripes like armour. It is ready to fight a monster in the urban jungle.
Buzzing with creativity
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/12/2022
» The eighth edition of Chiang Mai Design Week, a nine-day cultural festival that wrapped up last week, was a manifesto of the melting pot that is this northern province. At an out-of-use warehouse in Chang Moi, a group of local artists who took part in a homecoming project exhibited objects from their neighbourhoods in the style of Renaissance curiosity. Here, Achariyar Rojanapirom and Ratthee Phaisanchotsiri curated personal items from their cupboard, including a bowl of stir-fried salted chilli from a nam ngiao shop in the old town, to show how they remain contemporary.
Abode of the gods
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/08/2022
» Cicadas sang a chorus as the forest opened out. I peered into the darkness and traced the distant contour of a monumental religious complex, a remarkable feat of human civilisation. Keyed up with my first visit, I crossed a floating bridge, a soon-to-be-dismantled construction, over a large moat in the midst of lush vegetation. Before dawn, I arrived at Angkor Wat.
Complicated history and a comeback
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/06/2022
» On the partition of a quiet seaside wood house is more than an old photo from circa 1881. It is hard evidence that King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) and his entourage, including his half-brother Prince Damrong Rajanuphap, visited the island in the easternmost province of Trat before it was subject to French rule. Despite the withdrawal of troops, colonial legacies remained for years.
The Standard, Hua Hin
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/12/2021
» Confronting upside-down characters on a curved granite wall, I pondered whether I had fallen down the rabbit hole. Never had I come across a hotel that unconventionally upends its name. Surrounded by leafy trees and chirping birds, The Standard, Hua Hin, invites vacationers to discover a treasure trove of paraphernalia.
Carrying on the legacy
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/09/2021
» Located in front of the Chinatown Rama theatre in Bangkok, Ouan Pochana has sold guay jub (rolled rice noodle soup) for over 50 years. Famous for peppery clear broth, the dish is served with crispy pork belly, internals, egg, and small patonggo (fried dough). It won the Michelin Bib Gourmand award in 2019.
Hanging by a thread
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/04/2021
» For Korn, the coronavirus outbreak has heightened loneliness. He feels trapped in his cave-like apartment in Samut Prakan where he has been living and working, with his depression still lingering after a painful break-up three years ago. Songkran is the only time of year he visits his family in the Thon Buri district of Bangkok. They are not close but at least the thought gives him a sense of belonging. Moreover, Songkran allowed him to join boisterous pool parties and water fights and "free his spirit".
Brotherly ties endure
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 05/10/2020
» The Chinese had touched down in Siam before the Ayutthaya era, but it was not until the second half of the nineteenth century, in 1861, that they arrived in unprecedented numbers when a passenger steamship port in Swatow offered a direct route to Bangkok.