Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Lush life
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 21/09/2020
» As the night descended, we went out with binoculars in hand. Amid tall trees, flashes of light illuminated a pair of red eyes, which experts quickly identified as belonging to nang ai -- or Sunda slow loris -- a nocturnal primate native to southern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. The animal, perching on a faraway branch, is currently listed as "endangered" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Truckload of goodwill
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 15/06/2020
» A giant white truck stands tall on the ground. At first light, its cargo area is soon filled with sacks of rice and food items packed by a group of volunteers and staff who had gathered at the Thai Elephants Conservation Centre in Khao Yai on a recent weekend. With their collective effort, the packing and loading process is completed in no time and the truck is ready to roll.
Plastic panic
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 11/05/2020
» Sightings of dolphins in canals, sea turtles laying eggs on the beach, and a clear sky as a result of reduced pollution may seem like silver linings amid all the devastation brought on by Covid-19. While humans may suffer, it looks as though nature and the environment are getting a much needed break to recover from all the human activities that have disrupted them in the past -- a positive impact from the lockdown, as it appears on the surface to be.
The spectral art
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 09/04/2019
» Sexy women, ghosts, simplistic plot, tendency to be naughty and violent. These are the stereotypical characteristics people have come to associate with the old-school Thai-style pulp comics that are close to disappearing from the market.
Something in the water
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 04/03/2019
» Rows of small glass containers fill multiple shelves along the wall. Inside them, swimming leisurely and living separately in their tiny, private space are colourful Siamese fighting fish, popular among various crowds. Some keep them as pets for their pure eye-candy pleasure, or get them on a fish spar to make quick cash, or selectively breed them for commercial purposes.
A zeal for New Zealand
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 07/06/2018
» The sky was gorgeous. That was the first thing I noticed about New Zealand after we left Auckland airport. Just the right shade of blue. The right amount of sunlight and cloud. Underneath the vast blue expanse, rolling green hills stretched as far as the eye could see. We were on our way to Rotorua, a city 230km southeast of Auckland, and luckily we were able to appreciate all the surrounding nature that led us to it. Plenty of sleep onboard Thai Airways' Royal Silk Class meant we landed feeling refreshed, ready to explore all the sights and adventures Rotorua has to offer.
Unshackling gentle giants
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 07/05/2018
» After trading our sneakers for knee-length boots, we trotted down to the riverbank where a boat was waiting for us. It was a short crossing to the other side of Nam Khan River to meet the elephants that happily approached us for bananas and sugar cane. They had no chains around their ankles. The mahouts stood nearby, keeping watch with no hooks in their hands. Later, they guided the gentle giants to walk along with the humans trailing nearby on muddy ground. The atmosphere was very friendly and calm, with a picturesque landscape of jungle, river and sky surrounding us.
Dan Brown with a Thai voice
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 05/03/2018
» The Thai award-winning detective novel Kaholmahoratuek is that rare breed: a page-turner set in the 1940s that mixes poetry, history, murder and revenge. The book's appeal also lies with the writer's use of genre elements -- serial murders, cryptic clues and detective work -- in the vintage setting of old Bangkok where century-old temples, back alleys and local communities become grisly crime scenes.
A view on the new zoo
Life, Melalin Mahavongtrakul, Published on 03/01/2018
» When news broke last month that Thailand's oldest zoo, Dusit Zoo, will be relocated from its present location in inner Bangkok to a new home in Pathum Thani province, it sent shock waves through the hearts of generations of Bangkokians. Back before shopping malls, cinemas, skating rinks, aquariums and wax museums took over as the capital's popular destinations, Dusit Zoo was a favourite attraction for the entire family -- a place where countless such families have had their photographs taken.