Showing 1-9 of 9 results
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Paradise lost — materialised and monetised
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 03/02/2015
» I recently had a great time in the World Heritage Site of Luang Prabang, Laos.
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Going traditional at Songkran
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 16/04/2018
» Over two years ago, I wrote about my contentment with a new trend in which a number of Thais wear traditional costumes in everyday life. Today, I feel happier since so many Thai people opt for traditional outfits and the style is even recognised and promoted by the government. I must note this was ignited by the craze for the periodical TV series Bupphesanniwat (Love Destiny), which was about the time journey of an archaeologist to the reign of Ayutthaya's King Narai the Great over 300 years ago.
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Empathy and difficult choices
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 17/04/2017
» That skinny woman clad in a sari carrying an infant in her arms waited for me in front of the bus door. A few small children wearing dirty torn clothes gathered around my legs looking up at me. Like robots, they repeatedly uttered words "Sawasdee, Maharanee [meaning a queen]. Khob khun kha", begging me to give them money. These sights and sounds were common at all pilgrimage sites in India I visited recently. Initially, I felt pity for them until I asked the guide and friends if I should give them money. They warned me against more beggars' arrivals.
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Do not feed the monkeys
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 19/09/2016
» Since my childhood, I have loved all kinds of animals except snakes, rats and cockroaches. I have had several dogs and a cat as pets. I was bitten once by a temple cat, once by my own cat and several times by my dogs because I accidentally frightened them. However, the weirdest experience was being bitten by a monkey on Khao Wang, or Phra Nakhon Khiri, a mountain palace museum in Phetchaburi, over a year ago. When I was a teenager, I was once surrounded by monkeys who tried to steal my handbag at Phra Kan Shrine in Lop Buri.
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Friends across the border
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 21/05/2015
» Last week was the third time I have visited Myanmar in the last three years. There have been a few changes caused by the influence of materialism and capitalism, but things seem fine, in general.
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Travelling towards neighbourly understanding
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 06/03/2015
» In December, I expressed concerns about the bad reputation of Chinese tourists in Thailand and other countries. Unfortunately, problems caused by them have persisted and many Thais have started to react. Last month, Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai imposed a temporary ban on Chinese tourists after some of them dirtied the temple's toilets. Days later, a picture showed a Chinese tourist kicking sacred bells at a temple in Chiang Mai. Many Thais were understandably outraged.
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Time for action against 'troublemaking' Chinese
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 18/12/2014
» The series of troubles and embarrassments caused by Chinese tourists over the past few years has continued, but never fails to take me by surprise.
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Double pricing headaches
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 05/02/2013
» Perhaps it is boring and repetitive to discuss double pricing. Yet new experiences have prompted me to revisit this thorny issue once again. Sad but true, double pricing occurs frequently in Thailand, and other parts of the world, and is either accepted or grudgingly tolerated by many people. To me, it probably depends on different cultures and regulations in each country or area.
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The other side of the coin
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 26/09/2012
» For centuries, Thais have had a hostile attitude towards the people of Myanmar (formerly Burma) due to a long history of war between them. There is a deeply rooted feeling of bitterness that's been passed down from one generation to the next.
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