• LIFE

  Past glory revived

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 18/10/2018

  » While millions of tourists flock to Tha Tian and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) each year, a lot of Bangkok residents tend to avoid the area due to traffic jams and lack of parking space. If it has been quite a while since you've been to this old quarter, it's time to set a date for a revisit and witness the charming results of its recent makeover. If you don't think you can fall in love with this history-rich part of the city, come again and test your heart.

• THAILAND

  Same same but deliciously different

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 16/08/2018

  » When was the last time you visited Pai?” I asked myself while on a van headed to the small town that sits about halfway between the east end of Road 1095 in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district and its west end in the town of Mae Hong Son. With 1,864 curves along its length of 200km, 1095 is notorious asone of the country’s twistiest roads. A rest stop like Pai is a godsend. Over the years, Pai itself has evolved into a popular destination for international and Thai travellers alike. The countryside setting and the mix of ethnic and international cultures make up the charm of this laid-back town surrounded by mountains.

• LIFE

  Traversing Pathum Thani's history

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 29/03/2018

  » It is no secret among my friends that in any plan for road cycling longer than 20km in total they can freely count me out. So when one of them insisted that I go explore his hometown near Bangkok, despite the obvious fact that it involves almost twice the distance I'm willing to ride, I knew there must be something special and worthwhile.

• TRAVEL

  The long and the short of it

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 18/01/2018

  » 'Normally, how many kilometres do you bike?" This is one of the questions people often ask me when they learn that I like to cycle. And the most exact answer I could come up with would be: "It depends."

• THAILAND

  Old monks' gift to cyclists

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 14/12/2017

  » Apart from Suvarnabhumi airport's newly renovated Sky Lane, there are not many cycling lanes where bicyclists in Bangkok and peripheral areas can ride without worrying about hitting a jogger or being crushed by an automobile. This place in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, is one such rare training ground.

• TRAVEL

  To the Mekong and beyond

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 19/11/2015

  » The mighty Mekong marks the border between Thailand's northeastern region and Laos. With the second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge providing a land link since 2006, the town of Mukdahan has served as a convenient gateway from Thailand to the Lao town of Savannakhet on the other side of the river.

• TRAVEL

  Saigon didn't fall

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 15/10/2015

  » Sixty-one years after liberation from French control and four decades since the fall of Saigon in 1975, less than two years after the US troops were forced to go home, the former capital of Cochinchina during the colonial period and later of South Vietnam continues to be one of the country's most vibrant cities. Did Saigon actually fall? Maybe not.

• TRAVEL

  Nights and days in Nanjing

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 06/08/2015

  » One on the original list of China's "Great Ancient Capitals" — which also includes Beijing, Xi'an and Luoyang — is Nanjing. Translated as "the southern capital", it is the only one of the four located on the south side of the Yangtze, the great river that marks the boundary between the northern and southern parts of the vast country.

• TRAVEL

  Ethnic crossroads

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 07/02/2013

  » Kazakhstan is not a totally unfamiliar name to the average Thai, since it is occasionally mentioned in news reports, especially those concerning sports. One of the republics of the former Soviet Union, it is now the ninth largest country in the world with a land area five times that of Thailand's. It is a major oil exporter and thus one of the most prosperous countries in Central Asia.

• TRAVEL

  Architecture in Astana

  Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 28/02/2013

  » The world has seen a number of new cities sprouting up over the past two decades. Dubai, Malaysia's Putrajaya and Myanmar's Nay Pyi Taw are among those often mentioned in news reports. However, none of them is as eccentric and out of this world as Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

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