Thailand

An Asian Sanctuary for Elephants and Polo Players

Elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation ©wsj.com In the Golden Triangle, where Laos, Thailand and Burma meet, polo players all over the world come together to play with a very different vehicle—elephants. The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation houses a sanctuary for 30 elephants and a 250-acre camp, run by the Four Seasons and [...]

New Thai Airline Features “Ladyboy” Flight Attendants

Thai Airplane © Simon_sees Thai transsexual ladyboys are taking to the air as flight attendants for a new airline, a move that some said could be a key step towards still broader acceptance in a nation where they are already unusually visible…Working for new charter airline PC Air, transsexual flight attendants including 22-year-old Tanyarat Jirapatpakorn [...]

5 Surprising Foreign Laws

Forbidden ©ehnmark The recent arrests of a pre-teen in Bali, for possession of a small amount of marijuana, and an American blogger in Thailand for defaming the King, have brought extra attention to the fact that many foreigners are ignorant of the (sometimes bizarre) laws of the countries they are visiting. Luckily for most travelers [...]

Photo of the Moment: Ring Road at Sunset, Bangkok

Thailand Hosting Charity Elephant Polo Tournament

Elephant Polo © tony_the_bald_eagle The city of Hua Hin, Thailand is packed with polo-playing pachyderms this week for the annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament. CNNgo reports: Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the event returned to the southern resort town following a three-year stint in Chiang Rai. The charity event has raised US$300,000 to date, with [...]

12 Worst Tourist Traps in the World

Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets © Phillie Casablanca CNN compiles a list of 12 experiences that are about as authentic as a celebrity in Madame Toussaudes. Cross these places off your bucket list—or add them to your list for an opportunity to enjoy crass tourism at its finest.

Detoxing with “Hedonism Rehab” Packages in Thailand

Bangkok at Night © antwerpenR Feeling a little dirty after nights of Patpong sex shows and buckets of Chang? No worries, Thailand has you covered. For a mere 30,000 USD per month you can kick any nasty habits in a serene Buddist temple rehab facility. Interested? Try Tham Krabok Temple where a regimen of daily [...]

Phuket Breathing: A Beautiful Glimpse of Thailand [Video]

The pacing, the framing, the subjects … everything about it is just lovely. The Thai tourism board oughta hire this videographer immediately.

Photo of the Moment: Fire of the Setting Sun, Thailand

Photo of the Moment: Love Me, Love My Dog, Thailand

Photo of the Moment: Dizzying Sky Bar Precipice, Bangkok

Photo of the Moment: Thunderstorm on the River Kwai, Thailand

Photo of the Moment: Load the Luggage, Hat Yai, Thailand

© M Rego Burrows From the photographer: At the station sending off a friend returning to Lopburi Province. The simplicity of this train station came as quite a shock, and wake up call, after only recently having spent 6 months in Tokyo, Japan, where efficiency and convenience is a norm at their stations. The man [...]

Photo of the Moment: Early Morning Train, Chiang Mai

100,000 Stranded in Thailand After Protesters Close Airports

Anti-government protesters affiliated with the People’s Alliance for Democracy attempting to bring on a military coup ousting the government and subsequently hold new elections have blockaded airports in Thailand, stranding approximately 100,000 travelers. The political violence grounded flights in Bangkok, as protesters successfully fight off riot police and occupy major airports in the area. Officials [...]

Photo of the Moment: Dawn on Patong Beach, Thailand

Photo of the Moment: Pileh Bay, Thailand

Signspotting: Compatitive in Bed, Chiang Mai

Rumble in the Jungle: Surviving Macaques and Danish Tourists in Thailand

Phil Goldman barely survives a macaque attack and wily Danish tourists in the jungles of Thailand.

Thailand Clamps Down on Cosmetic Castrations

© batega Thailand’s famed lady boys or “katoeys” are an inescapable part of the capital Bangkok’s racy night life. Unlike in many other parts of the world, these katoeys who span the range from transvestites, to men who have undergone sex change surgery, are widely accepted in society. The numbers of young boys opting for [...]

Photo of the Moment: Sukhothai Sunset, Thailand

Sukhothai Sunset, Thailand © MJ Mac

Lost in Thailand: Surviving Fire Ants and Jungle Rot

I was green; a guide with the Thailand Jungle Adventure Tour Company all of two weeks. Maow, the tiny but tough boss of the operation, decided to test me, see if I could keep up with her. She took me to a remote corner of Khao Yai National Park where visitors never go. The jungle [...]

Visiting Mr. Friendly and (Almost) Drowning in the Gulf of Thailand

Even in the friendly isles of the Gulf of Thailand, paradise has its pratfalls. John M. Edwards grabs an orange life vest and deems it a beautiful day for a ferry sinking.

Thailand Restaurant Offers One-Stop Vasectomy and Snack Shopping

Thailand restaurant Cabbages and Condoms is for sex education first, and eating second. Instead of a post-meal mint, diners receive condoms. The food is quite excellent, along with their lovely beer garden. There is even nearby parking, which is somewhat of a rarity in Bangkok. The restaurant was founded by Mechai Viravaidya, an Australian-born Scot/Thai [...]

Thai Student’s Macabre Art is Good Enough to Eat

An art student in Ratchaburi, Thailand has embarked on a bizarre project. As part of his MA dissertation, the artist who also does baking duty creates life-like molds of human faces, feet and hands from bread dough. These are then displayed in glass cabinets though the bakery. The weird exhibit attracts some hundred visitors each [...]

Bizarre Thai Ad Offers Ghosts, Ghouls and Transvestites [Video]

A new Thai ad for Sylvania light bulbs showcases a bizarre line up of some of the country’s most prominent, if little seen or heard inhabitants. Ghosts are more than just an integral part of Thai folklore. Their presence is expected, not just in myths and fables, but in everyday Thai life. So when monsters, [...]

Photo of the Moment: Pagodas, Khao Luang Caves

High-Rise Relics: Ghost Structures Haunt Bangkok (and Detroit, Michigan)

Tim Leffel points us to this WSJ article about the ghost skyscrapers of Bangkok. BANGKOK — One recent steamy afternoon, a shirtless man named Nop tossed out chunks of putrid meat for the dozen stray dogs that share his home, an open-air encampment inside the unfinished 47-story Sathorn Unique tower. Ten years ago, Sathorn Unique [...]

Backpacker Movie Review: The Beach

[plot spoiler ahead ...] I’ve never been a huge Leonardo DiCaprio – or “DiCap” as I like to call him – fan. And I’d heard less-than-kind things about his 2000 film, The Beach – a film that until last week I had no idea was about backpacking in Thailand. But SpikeMagazine.com had an interesting review [...]