August 6th, 2013 — 9:09am
I’ve just received copies of the Russian edition of my book, Enchanting Thailand, published by John Beaufoy Publishing. Here in Thailand, it will be distributed by co-publisher, Asia Books. Given the number of Russian tourists that currently visit Thailand, this is good news. Apologies for the rather poor quality scans of the front and back
August 6th, 2013 — 2:59am
Another colourful Thai event to mark Khao Phansa, the start of the Buddhist rainy season retreat is tak bat dok mai, floral almsgiving which takes place at the beautiful Wat Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi. The special annual event has become so popular that it is now held twice a day for two days in order
July 30th, 2013 — 10:11am
Here’s a sweet treat for the end of the day. I’ve got a soft spot for Asian desserts and these little putu piring from Malaysia are impossible to resist. ‘Putu’ is a generic Indonesian-Malay word for the dough and ‘piring’ means plate. The mix of rice flour, grated coconut and flavourful palm sugar are lightly
July 29th, 2013 — 9:12am
A must on any travel itinerary, the UNESCO World Heritage town of Ayutthaya is just 86 km (53 miles) north of Bangkok. In recent years, the town has flourished on the back of increased domestic tourism and there a great choice of small resorts and homestays plus excellent restaurants. If you are a bit of a
July 29th, 2013 — 3:23am
Last week I was in Ayutthaya for Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent. Often referred to as the rainy season retreat, it is a period when monks remain within the temples and devote themselves to study and meditation. This starts on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month in
