Lonely in Thailand
Despite all that beauty in Thailand, you can sometimes feel lonely under the new circumstances in which you did not grow up. In fact, it can lead to serious depression. The word depression is a bit too much for me, but if I take myself as an example, I can confess that moments of loneliness occur to me.
How does a Thai survive in Bangkok?
Living and/or working in a country's capital always requires a certain behavior that is different from elsewhere in the country. Bangkok also has its own “rules of conduct”. How does a Thai survive in Bangkok?
Expatriates in Thailand: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Not all expats in Thailand are of impeccable conduct, because a minority of them tarnish the reputation of foreigners, I call them the prejudiced people, the White Knights and the Cheap Charlies, in short, the bastards. One cannot tar expats with the same brush and one sees favorable and less favorable characteristics of those foreigners. I have now come to know them over the years and sometimes classify them – after the title of the classic western – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Sweet revenge for the Chocolate Man
Leo, a Surinamese man from Amsterdam, had been told that Thais can be very racist and he was a bit concerned about this because he was black. During his first visit to Thailand, he found Bangkok a disappointment. He thought it was a filthy city with a lot of traffic, air pollution and the Thai ladies didn't pay attention to him.
Pentecost in Thailand
Well, this can be a short piece, because Pentecost is an unknown concept in Thailand. If some (commercial) attention is devoted to the Christian holidays Christmas and Easter, Pentecost passes unnoticed in Thailand.
The word Corona will always have a bad aftertaste
On television, in newspapers and on all kinds of websites, reports, reports, reflections, columns and other ways rightly pay a lot of attention to that damned Coronavirus crisis. I'm slowly starting to hate the word corona.
The gardener and death
Of course I read all the stories and messages about those thousands of people, including Dutch people, who are stranded abroad and want to go home. When I read a message this morning about the last flight from Singapore to Bangkok for the time being, in which a Thai said: “If I have to die, then in my own country” I couldn't help thinking of an old Dutch poem De Tuinman en de Dood. That went like this:
Thoughts on the aftermath of the Korat massacre
The drama that unfolded last weekend in Nakhon Ratchsasima (Korat) with many dead and injured may have come to an end, but the events haunt me. You will wonder, like me, how it could have happened, what was the motive, how did the man get weapons, why was he not stopped sooner. Is there victim support and many other questions.
The Success of Gringo's “Cry for Distress”
Almost a month ago there was a “cry for help” on this blog from me to get in touch with people who traveled to Thailand and wanted to bring Dutch cigars for me.
Grapperhaus talks to journalist in Bangkok
“Yes, I am Minister Ferd Grapperhaus of Justice and Security and I am responsible, among other things, for criminals to be locked up. What am I doing here in Bangkok? Well, I was sent here by the House of Representatives to try to get someone who has been sentenced to 103 years in prison, but fortunately only has to serve 20 years, to get out of a cell to continue serving his sentence in the Netherlands.
Rutger Hauer passed away
No, Rutger Hauer's sudden death has nothing to do with Thailand. But many of his peers, including me, now live in Thailand and will not only muse about their own lives that lie behind them, but also about the pleasure Rutger has given them in his long film career.
The drama of the German criminal and the Thai woman
You have been able to read in several news items about the drama that is unfolding between the German criminal and a Thai woman.
My 2000 contributions to Thailand blog
I must admit that 2000 contributions to Thailandblog in 10 years is quite a lot. Of course I can very much appreciate the story that the editors put on the blog a few days ago about this milestone and even more the many nice reactions from quite a few blog readers and writers. I am vain enough to be proud of this achievement, but at the same time I also need some modesty.
Martine Bijl and the Thai vegetables
Martine Bijl passed away! You have been able to read and see extensively about this on television and in the near future you will be able to read, hear and see a lot more about the loss of this unprecedentedly great personality. She has always been one of my favorites too. What a wonderful woman she was!
Eurovision Song Contest and Thailand
Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands won this year's Eurovision Song Contest, congratulations! Have you watched and, like our king and queen, stayed up late for it? Well, not me!
Koos from Beerta again in an impossible situation
The loyal blog reader knows Koos from Beerta as the boy who was born for bad luck and misfortune.
House sparrow or migratory bird in Thailand?
Last week I had another meeting with my fellow blog writer and good friend Joseph Jongen. For years we see each other at least once a year, usually in Pattaya and I always look forward to his arrival, because he always has a good time and, moreover, he brings cigars for me.