• TRAVEL

  Place of peace and tranquility

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 19/11/2020

  » Ask any Thai to mention the names of the five islands that immediately come to mind, chances are Koh Sichang would be included in the shortlist, maybe even the first. This small island 12km off the coast of Si Racha, Chon Buri, is the closest to the capital.

• TRAVEL

  Southeast Asia's birding bubble

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 08/10/2020

  » Normally at this time of year, Puwish Lenvaree would station himself in the forests of West Papua, an Indonesian province on New Guinea Island. Over the past three years, he routinely spent much of the latter half of each year on New Guinea and nearby islands such as Waigeo and Halmahera mainly because it's the mating season for birds-of-paradise, which occurs only in that part of the world.

• THAILAND

  A town built with teak

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 27/09/2018

  » A picture is worth a thousand words, so they say. But sometimes even a thousand pictures cannot say enough. The photos you see on this page show some of the many beautiful houses in Phrae's old town. But, of course, there is more than meets the eye. Each house has its own story, some also played an important part in the history of the town, and even that of the Kingdom.

• LIFE

  Tastes of Kuala Lumpur

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 26/07/2018

  » I love Thailand. The more I travel, the more I realise how lucky I am to have been born and raised in this country. But when it comes to durian, it's a different story.

• TRAVEL

  Time travel, minus the DeLorean

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 27/07/2017

  » Based on Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, many believe going back to the past is possible if one can travel at a speed close to that of light. But based on my experience, with due respect to the great scientist and his fans, at certain locales one can enjoy something near time travel just by doing the opposite -- going slow. The southern city of Songkhla is one such place.

• OPINION

  Where's my durian?

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 19/06/2017

  » The durian season is now in full swing, but some discernible lovers of the spiky fruit, myself included, are utterly upset. In Bangkok, from roadside stalls and fresh markets to shopping malls and even social media, the King of Fruits is virtually everywhere you look. But still I don't see the once-common variety that I have been waiting for, the one I'm dying to savour.

• TRAVEL

  Chestnut, fish-head curry and durian

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 25/05/2017

  » Never judge a book by its cover. Likewise, don't overlook this week's featured trail just because the photos are lousy. Sometimes, when a track is so much fun stopping all your ride buddies just so you can take pictures is too selfish. This forest trail in Singapore is a case in point.

• OPINION

  The greatest of Thai patriots 

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 22/10/2015

  » Independence Day doesn't exist on the Thai calendar, thanks to the countless number of patriots in the past who devoted their lives to protect their homeland from foreign rule. One of the heroes we should not forget is the great King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who is remembered through an annual national holiday on Oct 23.

• OPINION

  Sharpen up the mind and learn Chinese

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 16/07/2015

  » Languages are more than a tool for communication. I have experience to prove that.

• OPINION

  Thailand: for your biking needs

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 26/02/2015

  » With increasing popularity, cycling is featured more often in the media, both as good and bad news. Recently a unique biking video was posted on YouTube. Shot in New Zealand, it shows two riders racing down a mountainside overlooking a beautiful lake, one dressed as a tortoise and the other as a hare. Unlike most downhill-mountain-biking-themed films, there were not many hair-raising stunts. But what I found very interesting was the fact that it was not a production by bike makers, star pro riders, bike magazines or major race sponsors. It was created by an airline.

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