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  • LIFE

    Rravel Blight

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 21/02/2016

    » This may be taking a dim view of things, but our approach to promoting tourism here seems to be geared toward travellers who like things quick and easy. This is the way things are working now, and it has caused the deterioration of many of our tourism sites.

  • LIFE

    An oasis under threat

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 28/02/2016

    » Last week in this column I discussed Thailand’s system of managing tourism, one that is causing the degradation and destruction of many old communities and valuable historical sites. I suggested a number of reasons for this situation, some concerned with the tourists themselves, some with investors, some with the government offices that oversee tourism and some with an ongoing deterioration in the communities. This week I would like to look at what is happening in one riverside community in Chanthaburi, a very old one that is a new member among the ranks of the victims of Thailand’s destructive tourism policies and practices.

  • LIFE

    On the origin of dishes

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 04/10/2015

    » You have to sympathise with the confusion a foreigner may feel when encountering Thai food on its native turf, especially in Bangkok. The visitor may have conflicting feelings; thinking that he knows something about what he sees, but also suspecting that he doesn’t. For instance, if the tourist comes across a southern curry and rice shop he will recognise it easily enough because every southern curry shop has a sign saying that it is a southern food shop, and often mentions the province the owners come from. Even if the sign is written in Thai and the visitor can’t read it, someone nearby might explain.

  • LIFE

    Off the beaten Trat

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 06/09/2015

    » If you were to tell 100 people that you had just come back from a short vacation in Trat province, all of them would assume that you’d gone to Koh Chang, because tourists think of that island as a slice of paradise. There are more than 200 hotels on Koh Chang, and white sandy beaches and dive spots with gorgeous coral. Seafood restaurants, bars and entertainment spots abound, so it is no wonder that you see as many tourists strolling around on Koh Chang as you do on Silom Road in Bangkok.

  • LIFE

    Save our small shops

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 26/07/2015

    » Supermarkets and small retailers have been on hostile terms ever since supermarkets first showed up here. If a supermarket opens in the provinces or in some amphoe, warlike rumblings can be heard.

  • LIFE

    Stocking up on markets

    Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 19/07/2015

    » Last week I recommended that whenever you travel, you should try to taste some of the local food. Now I’d like to suggest that once you’ve become acquainted with a local cuisine, you might do some exploring to find the sources of the ingredients used to make it.

  • LIFE

    A small place with big heart

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 30/11/2014

    » Photharam in Ratchaburi province is a small district that might seem unremarkable at first. It has nothing to draw tourists, is not important economically, boasts nothing flashily contemporary, is innocent of hotels and, in short, has nothing to attract the eye or make you take a second look. But if you stay there for a while and look at things slowly and carefully you will be fascinated by Photharam. There are intriguing things to be found beneath its modest surface.

  • LIFE

    Local dishes make a big impression

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 21/09/2014

    » Sometimes instinct springs into action at mealtimes. One quick example is the way a button is pushed to make us automatically start scanning for seafood when driving through Hua Hin, Chon Buri or Rayong. When we see the forests and mountains in Kanchanaburi or Uthai Thani we’re on the lookout for ahan pa (dishes made from wild game), Pak Chong and Khao Yai mean steak, Kang Krachan in Phetchaburi elicits a hankering for grilled fish encrusted with salt, and a visit to Ayutthaya calls for pla nuea awn deep-fried with pepper and garlic or river prawns.

  • TRAVEL

    Destroying the past

    B Magazine, Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 13/07/2014

    » The close link between Thais and water, or waterways, stretches far into the past. The cultural basis of this bond can be seen everywhere: the structure of traditional houses, Thai professions, religious and other beliefs, customs, arts and crafts, and cuisine. All are closely tied to water.

  • LIFE

    On song in Songkhla

    Suthon Sukphisit, Published on 18/05/2014

    » Last week I began a tour of the South in Phatthalung. Today I’d like to continue on to Songkhla by crossing the bridge and elevated road across Thalay Noi in Phatthalung to Amphoe Ranote in Songkhla. The road is wide and smooth, and the route is direct.

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