In sultry Thailand, where the sun beats down mercilessly, fair skin seems to be the ultimate symbol of beauty and status. With humor and sharp observations, this column unravels the unfathomable Thai fascination with whiteness and reveals the bizarre side of this unattainable beauty ideal in a country that is anything but white.

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In Thailand, ghosts are not fairy tale characters; they are housemates with instructions. From flying heads with dangling entrails to thirsty ghosts slurping red Fanta, every Thai keeps the invisible as a friend and provides a nice place to stay, including drinks and entertainment. Buddha may be a wise counselor, but it is the ghosts who call the shots, with their eternal thirst for sacrifices and rituals in a mysterious, dizzying world full of fear and enchantment.

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He thought he had found the one in a Thai woman who called him 'darling' and gave him the feeling of finally being truly in love. But now he is penniless and bitter, with empty accounts and a broken illusion. According to him, all Thai women are money-grubbers, but who actually bought the dream here? And who pays the price?

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The annual drama repeats itself: the poor are once again standing in water up to their knees, their houses flooded, while the rich are high and dry enjoying the view. The Thai government makes promises, but structural solutions fail to materialize. The population swallows the disaster in silence, as if it is simply their fate to lose everything again and again.

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The eternal dispute about summer time and winter time in the Netherlands is a strange spectacle. Every six months, that one hour claims a lot of sleeping victims. While we in the Netherlands try to save our biological clock, Thailand watches relaxed. With only one time, tuned to the sun, that country proves: sometimes simple is just better.

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On Walking Street, the epicentre of Pattaya's decadence, Russians and Indian men play their own roles in an absurd spectacle. While sullen-looking Russians move through the crowd, groups of Indian men rush into the neon-lit fall with great anticipation. Both are looking for something they will probably never find, and that is exactly what makes the show complete.

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Hans, 62 and an accountant, lives in a world of numbers and routine while he dreams of a life in Thailand full of sun and young women. Yet he does not dare to take the plunge. Trapped in his gray existence, he continues to cling to certainty, while his great adventure remains a fantasy that slips further and further away from him.

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Pattaya’s bars and restaurants are filled with them: older expats shamelessly showing off their beer bellies in faded Singha singlets and faded shorts. It seems to be an unwritten dress code among retirees who have traded in the norms of home for a lifestyle where comfort is everything and style is optional. But when does freedom become neglect?

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Will you bring me a monkey?

By Gringo
Posted in Column, Gringo
Tags:
March 23 2024

In earlier years, when there was not much travel, this was a winged expression. Someone who was going on a long journey was invariably asked to bring something from that mostly tropical country as a souvenir.

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Peter has a thing for Belgians, in this article he writes what exactly that is. And he makes a surprising revelation at the end.

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The dark days before Christmas

By Lieven Cattail
Posted in Column
Tags:
December 14 2023

As Christmas approaches, Lieven lies ill in bed, dreaming of better times. Surrounded by cough syrup and paracetamol, he reflects on the irony of his situation: free from work but trapped in illness. Then a telephone call from his sister-in-law from England brings unexpected news, making him worry about the approaching holidays.

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Persistent misunderstandings about Thai women

By Editorial
Posted in Column
Tags: ,
November 18 2023

At birthdays and other gatherings, the writer is often asked about Thai women, given his passion for Thailand. He likes to play along with exaggerating prejudices and clichés about them. However, what he does not say is that Thai women are assertive, strong, smart and businesslike. They are similar to women all over the world and know what they want. The only real difference is that in Thailand age differences in relationships seem to be less of an issue.

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A Thai lid fits on every farang jar

By Editorial
Posted in Column
Tags: , , ,
November 17 2023

Before Covid you could go out just fine in Hua Hin. Although the nightlife is less exuberant than in Pattaya, Bangkok or Phuket, there is no shortage of bars and discotheques.

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Why is it that so many Western men turn to foreign women with a low level of education and all the associated limitations in communication and the difficulties that cultural differences entail?

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Horror Halloween in Thailand

By Robert Jan Fernhout
Posted in Column
Tags: ,
October 1, 2023

In the bustling streets of Thailand, where conversations about 'ladyboys' occur as often as the evening sun sets, it can sometimes be confusing for outsiders. But what happens when you are seen as the 'expert' in this field just because you live there? Dive with us into this fascinating exploration of cultural perceptions, personal preferences and the surprises Thai nightlife has to offer.

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The jackpot

By Joseph Boy
Posted in Column, Joseph Boy
Tags: , ,
8 September 2023

The ultimate happiness really smiles at me and until now I was very satisfied. Live in a wonderful place in the Netherlands, feel comfortable in my own skin and travel the globe with a lot of energy.

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The attraction of Thailand

By Joseph Boy
Posted in Column, Joseph Boy
Tags: ,
18 August 2023

Lieven Kattestaart recently wrote a very nice article under the heading 'The magnet that is called Thailand'. As a reader you undoubtedly know that two equally oriented magnetic poles, which are in line with each other, attract each other.

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Miss cat

By Robert Jan Fernhout
Posted in Column
July 25, 2023

The football world championship in Qatar offered surprises with unlikely underdogs triumphing. Such improbability is what came over me when I heard that the Dutch Solange Dekker became 'Miss International Queen 2023' in Pattaya, Thailand. A beauty contest for transgender people won by a Dutchman – a special phenomenon in a country where transgender people are an integral part of everyday life. Still, the Netherlands was not done with surprises, as Rikkie Kollé, born as a boy, was chosen as 'Miss Netherlands 2023'. This election raises questions about the role of plastic surgery in beauty pageants.

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'Big in Japan, Rockstar in Thailand'

By Robert Jan Fernhout
Posted in Column
Tags: ,
July 7, 2023

From the fame of "Big in Japan" to the irony of "misfits" finding eternal glory in Thailand, this story reveals the colorful, but often bittersweet, realities of seeking acceptance and appreciation in foreign lands. It tells the stories of Western men fleeing the loss, ridicule and failures of their homeland to plunge into the world of the Thai bar scene, where they are adored and treated like rock stars. But like every paradise, this one also has a dark side.

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Ride like a mad bull

By Robert Jan Fernhout
Posted in Column
Tags: , ,
June 13, 2023

September 2021. Max Verstappen wins at Zandvoort. In 2023 we know no better than that Max usually wins, but even then it wasn't really exciting, because after spinning 72 noisy laps the top 5 entered in exactly the same order as they left. What follows is a sobering story about driving in Thailand. But first a little about Red Bull.

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Look before you ink

By Robert Jan Fernhout
Posted in Column
Tags: ,
June 6, 2023

Tattoos can be expressions of the soul, but also sources of regret and hilarity. This column by Robert-Jan Fernhout explores the hilarious and sometimes painful missteps of hapless tourists in Thailand who have unintentionally tattooed spring rolls on their skin or inadvertently had their body art distorted by their body shape. These stories emphasize the importance of the old warning: 'Look before you ink'. A humorous and moving exploration of the world of tattoos.

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In this humorous and heartwarming story, we take a look at the life of Lieven and Oy, his Thai wife with a special talent: the ability to mysteriously disappear between the shelves of the supermarket.

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