Tag: Thai Culture
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Hill Tribe Wares: Where Culture & Couture Collide
Authentic Hill Tribe wares in Thailand are becoming impossible to find. Learn the difference between authentic and imitation.
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A Vagabond to Isaan
Whether through luck, chance or fate, I have been a vagabond to Isaan. For many years now, I’ve traveled to this flat, parched, often remote area of Thailand on both business and adventure. Business because Isaan is where Thai pillows are made for my export business. Adventure because Isaan is where you find Angkor temple…
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Driving a Motor Scooter in Thailand: A Warning
This post was updated on October 14, 2019. Dying To Have Fun: Scooters in Thailand What could be more fun than riding a motor scooter in Thailand. Exciting, romantic, adventurous, daring, cheap, convenient, and above all else cool. I couldn’t agree more. But allow me to add one more breathless adjective-lethal. Statistics Do Kill If…
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My Heart Belongs to Sukhothai
My heart belongs to old Sukhothai. Whenever I’m asked where to visit in Thailand, I always say Sukhothai. Quiet. Ancient. Pastoral. Historic. Soulful. Far from the madding crowds and very Thai. The perfect place. I was last here 20 years ago and worried that Sukhothai would no longer be the peaceful place I remembered. What…
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Mekhong “Thai Whiskey”: Ladyboy In A Bottle
I climbed up on a rickety stool in a Bangkok dive bar. In the wee hours of the night, the place was mostly empty-just a few ex-pats staring forlornly into their drinks. The bartender looked in my direction. “Whiskey. Mekhong.” I said. A pretty little thing in an all too short, too tight dress brought…
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Thai Table Manners-Put Down the Chopsticks!
When visiting Thailand, you should eat like a Thai…literally. And mind your Thai table manners. Yes, table manners are important to Thais. No, making a pig of yourself as if you’re at an all-you-can-eat buffet is not cool. After 25 years of marriage to my Thai wife and being press ganged into Thai culture, I…
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The Elephants of Old Siam: Vintage Photos
A collection of vintage photos of elephants in Thailand. Many of these photos are over 100 years old and show a way of life long past.
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Visit The Chiang Mai Fabric District
Want to see old style Chiang Mai? It still exists in the Fabric District of this 700 year-old town. Sweaty, bustling, confusing and authentic. What more could you want?
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The Golden Era of Thailand Tourism: 1947-1979
1947-1979 was the golden era of travel to Thailand. Worldwide air travel began and The Kingdom of Siam was ready. Come with me to time not that long ago.
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Queen Sirikit & Thai Fabrics
No single person has influenced Thai traditional textiles and fashion more than Queen Sirikit. Her work with the rural silk weavers of Thailand rescued their legendary fabric.
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Thai People: A Deep Psychological Profile
Thai people are like you and me. They want the same things in life. Many people can’t accept that simple fact.
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Thai Sericulture: Making Thai Silk
This post was updated on Jan. 8, 2019. The process of making Thai silk is called Thai sericulture. In Thailand, the rural silk weaving villages produce their own raw silk and make their own silk threads and yarns. That’s right-not only do they hand-weave silk fabrics, but they also raise silkworms and produce raw Thai…
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Nagas: Buddhist Temple Guardians
Nagas are the serpent like creatures that stand guard at almost all Buddhist wats in Thailand. But what exactly do they represent?
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Topless in Thailand: A History of Siamese Boobs & Fashion
Paintings of bare breasted women are commonly found in many of Thailand’s most revered Wats. A Siamese paradox?
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Onward to Kengtung in Shan State
A road trip to Kengtung, Burma may just change your life.
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Thai Pillows: A Buyer’s Info Resource
A complete information resource about Thai pillows. A guide to their quality, history and tradition.
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Mudmee Fabric: A Cultural Treasure of Thailand
This fabric tutorial is about mudmee weaving in Thailand. It’s fundamental that you first understand that “mudmee” refers to a style of weaving and not the thread or yarn composition of the fabric. Thai mudmee fabric can be silk, cotton or even river reeds woven together. Let’s get started. Introduction I have made Thai fisherman…
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The Siamese Enigma of Uneven Floors
Trip. Stub your toe. Almost fall, as you place your foot where you think the floor is (or should be) but isn’t. The culprit is the all too common uneven floor in Thailand . At first you’ll think the uneven floor is an anomaly. An architectural faux pas. But they’re far too common throughout The…