The roots of the Khmer civilization
The Khmer civilization, still shrouded in myth, has undeniably had a huge influence on much of what is today known as Southeast Asia. Yet many questions remain unanswered for historians and archaeologists about the origins of this fascinating empire.
Pit creator in Pattaya
Fortunately, it never happened to me, but the story goes that in the past, students who did not do their best at school were sometimes told that they were doomed to a career as a well-creator. In earlier times, a well scooper was the name for the person who emptied cesspools.
How a Russian Nurse Became Duchess of Phitsanulok
Recently you were able to read the story of the adventures of the Siamese prince Chakrabongse, who was trained as an officer in the Russian army in Saint Petersburg, under the care of Tsar Nicholas II. The story ends after the Siamese prince secretly marries a Russian lady, Ekaterina 'Katya' Desnitskaya. This sequel is mainly about her.
The eternal misunderstanding about customs at Schiphol (spoiler: they don't check your passport)
Anyone who boards the plane at Schiphol always has to go through customs first… right? No definitely not! In fact, you will not encounter customs at all if you fly from Schiphol (or another international airport in the Netherlands). And when you arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport, do you also have to go through customs to have your passport checked? Nope, wrong again! Customs has as much to do with your passport as Santa Claus or Sinterklaas, nothing at all!
The short-lived Thonburi Empire
Anyone who has a little interest in the rich Thai history knows the kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. Much less known is the story of the kingdom of Thonburi. And that is not really surprising because this principality had a very short-lived existence
With some regularity, news reports appear in the Thai media about how many tourists are expected in Thailand and especially how much money they are expected to spend when they are here. The reports pretend that ALL that money, which often runs into billions of baht, benefits the Thai economy, the Thai government and companies in Thailand. However, that is only partly the case. In addition, the economic effect of tourism is not limited to the pure expenditure of tourists. In this post I will try to explain how it works.
Books in Bangkok
Those who read my pen fruits on this blog may have noticed a few times that I am a book lover pur sang.
ASEAN was founded 55 years ago
The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) or in beautiful Dutch the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a concept in Asia. This important interest group of ten countries in Southeast Asia aims to promote economic, cultural and political cooperation and is an important player in the field of international relations. People often forget the crucial role Thailand played in the creation of this important organization.
Tensions naturally ran high. In June 1893, warships from various nations arrived off the mouth of the Chao Phraya and might have to evacuate their compatriots in case of a French attack on Bangkok. The Germans sent the gunboat Wolf and the Dutch steamship Sumbawa showed up from Batavia. The Royal Navy sent HMS Pallas from Singapore.
Gunboat diplomacy is, I think, one of those words that must be a wet dream of any avid scrabble player. In 1893 Siam fell victim to this very special form of diplomacy.
Rituals around the first plowing of a rice field
Of course I don't have to tell you how important rice is for every Thai. Today, most of the work in the rice fields is done by machine, but here and there, especially with us in Isaan, it is still done, as in days gone by, with a deep, almost religious-like respect for the land and its products. And that in itself is not so strange.
Western writers in Bangkok: Three British (former) spies
Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), John le Carré (°1931) and Ian Fleming (1908-1964) have in common, apart from being authors, that they all worked in one way or another for the British secret service or military security services, for a time in Bangkok and have written about this city and Thailand. I already devoted an article on Thailandblog to Ian Fleming and his creation James Bond a few days ago, so I will ignore that for now.
History of Phuket: A brief period of Japanese rule
In 1629 when King Songtham* of Ayutthaya died, his nephew, Okya Kalahom (Minister of Defense) and his supporters seized the throne by killing King Songtham's designated heir and placing King Songtham's six-year-old son on the throne as king Chetha, with Okya Kalahom as his supervising regent, who gave the ambitious defense minister real power over the kingdom.
Thailand karaoke
Karaoke is a form of musical entertainment that is increasingly popular in Thailand, especially for Thais, but also for foreigners.
Prince Narisara Nuwattiwongse, minister, general, admiral, academic and promoter of the fine arts
Princes… You can't miss it in Thailand's rich and at times turbulent history. Not all of them turned out to be the proverbial fairytale princes on the equally proverbial white elephants, but some of them did manage to leave their mark on the nation.
Wat Phra That Lampang Luang: Lonely class….
Lampang is not only one of the largest cities in Northern Thailand, but has almost as many cultural and historical attractions as Chiang Mai. The most important piece of heritage is without a doubt Wat Phra That Lampang Luang. This temple complex originates almost as far back in time as the city of Lampang.
Mae Ya Nang, Patron Saint of the Thai Traveler
On the website of a Thai newspaper I read a short article about a simple ceremony to mark the imminent commissioning of a number of new electric-powered ferries on a canal in Bangkok.