• OPINION

  Taxi Timeline

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 11/06/2021

  » Taxi service in Thailand is about to enter a new drive after the Cabinet recently approved a draft regulation to allow the use of private cars for transport apps. The draft by the Ministry of Transport is expected to be put to use this month or within July. When enacted, vehicles with up to seven seats that are registered as personal cars can double as taxis via the apps.

• TRAVEL

  Cool white

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/05/2022

  » Following its debut at Meliá Koh Samui in 2020, Spanish hospitality brand Meliá Hotels & Resorts opened Meliá Phuket Mai Khao last December, and, as you may already be aware, Meliá Chiang Mai opened its doors last month. I checked into Meliá Phuket Mai Khao for a quick getaway on an idyllic beach.

• OPINION

  How to Name Your Car Like You're One of the 0.1%

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 19/02/2021

  » The 0.1% of Thais (not 1% 'cause Thailand has the highest wealth inequality in the world, you see) may rejoice at the recent news that soon you can pay an extra fee to give your vehicle a real name on a licence plate instead of the two-alphabets-and-numerals combo the 99.9% are familiar with. The new rules will allow a combination of more than two alphabets, vowels, tone marks and numbers in a vehicle registration plate for a personal car with no more than seven seats. In short, you can name your car after you or give it a person's name. For example, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha can name his "ประยุทธ์ 2 กรุงเทพมหานคร (Prayut 2 Bangkok)" to commemorate his second term. The plan is expected to be implemented around the middle of this year and you can bid for such a plate with starting price of B1 million. Money raised this way will be spent to improve road safety.

• OPINION

  Lost in Translation

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 25/06/2021

  » At the risk of sounding nostalgic, I enjoy Googling things from decades gone by (exhibit A: Thai vintage ads in my past editor's notes). The Thai language version of famous Hollywood movie posters is another blast from the past I think is highly underrated, especially if you're a language nerd/film buff. Back then movie posters had to be recreated by Thai artists, who hand-painted them, along with creative copywriters, who came up with catchy titles and taglines in Thai.

• OPINION

  Wake Up And Smell the Durian

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 21/05/2021

  » You know it's summer when boob/moob sweat stains appear on your clothes when you go out for a quick lunch. You know it's summer when khao chae floods your newsfeed and 7-Eleven feels like a sanctuary from the sunlight. You also know the hottest time of the year has arrived when you smell the durian.

• LIFE

  A Thrilling Quest for Truth

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 04/10/2019

  » Stuntman Cha Dal-geon [played by Lee Seung-gi] uncovers a huge-scale corruption scheme behind a plane crash that kills his nephew and 200 other passengers en route to Morocco. His hunt for the truth intertwines with Go Hae-ri (Bae Suzy), a covert operative who works for the National Intelligence Service. Along their quest, there are adrenaline-pumping action sequences, espionage, political intrigue, comedy and a sprinkle of romance for good measure.

• LIFE

  Return to (new) normal

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 15/05/2020

  » Ahead of the possible second wave of Covid-19 curb easing, more businesses have announced their comebacks. Here are some of the noteworthy reopenings for your weekend agenda.

• LIFE

  Santa Clauses are coming to town

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 20/12/2019

  » We catch up with Michael Biedassek (right) and David Pfizenmaier (left), the Thaigers (Thai-German, got it?) who are behind various campaigns for positive social changes. Michael is the managing director of bangkokvanguards, a purpose-driven travel operator that raises awareness of Bangkok's unexplored communities.

• OPINION

  True costs only Bangkokians know

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 28/09/2018

  » Have you noticed that somethings in life come with hidden costs -- monetary or otherwise -- that we may not be aware of until we experience it? And some of them are pretty unique to the Bangkok way of life. If you're not sure what I'm getting at, take a look at the examples below that may make you nod along (or hopefully laugh along). g

• TRAVEL

  Floral fantasy, food galore, dancing fountains and more at Wynn Palace

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 13/07/2023

  » Located in the Cotai zone of Macau, Wynn Palace, the younger sister property to Macau's first Las Vegas-style resort Wynn Macau, puts on a really big show from the moment guests arrive to the moment they leave to ensure a truly memorable stay.

1 2 Next Last