A disappointing holiday in Thailand
Finally I had them this far! At least, I imagine that I did contribute to Wilma and Wim's decision to spend a little longer in one place. That was Koh Samui, they rented a house with a swimming pool for a month and in the run-up to it, we made some plans together. But it turned out differently.
The Zwitserleven feeling in Pattaya
In response to the recent story about my pension increase(!) Slagerij van Kampen wrote: “Oddly enough, Zwitserleven's commercials never take place in Pattaya. After all, the Swiss livers are prosperous and of a certain class”
Peter van Straaten passed away
You've probably read or heard it in the news. The famous Dutch cartoonist Peter van Straaten has sadly passed away. It was my absolute favorite and never equaled cartoonist from Het Parool and Vrij Nederland.
Traveling makes you a happy person, or not!
I wanted to write a little story about how traveling, whether for a holiday or not, contributes to someone's feeling of happiness. I read the reason for this thought in an article about a study by an American psychologist, who claimed that traveling contributes more to your feeling of happiness than material things.
The bachelor in Thailand
I am not telling you anything new when I say that many foreign tourists come to Thailand because of the relatively easy contact options with Thai ladies. A large number of them also see this as an opportunity to enter into a (long-term) relationship, get married and possibly take the lady to Europe.
Seven Thai teenagers visiting
Last Friday another holiday period started for our son Lukin. There are no classes until October 26, so plenty of time to undertake all kinds of extracurricular activities. To herald the holiday season, he asked if he could invite some friends from school to his home, so that they would also spend the night.
Why is Schiphol so special to you?
If you follow the media in the Netherlands, it cannot have escaped your notice that Amsterdam's airport, Schiphol, exists 100 years this year. Newspapers and magazines contain articles about the history, there are (photo) exhibitions in Amsterdam and television also broadcasts programs about this anniversary. I'm going to tell you some of my experiences with Schiphol, nothing spectacular, but nice to write down.
1000 times Thailand blog: a look back
This is my thousandth contribution to Thailandblog, a milestone indeed and who would have ever thought? Not me in any case. From December 2010 some of my stories appeared for the first time. By then I had been living permanently in Thailand for about 5 years and had sent many E-mails to family, friends and acquaintances in the Netherlands since the beginning of my stay here.
Socrates and Thailand
I want to see with you how we can advise the Dutch industry to trade with Thailand and we do that in a Socratic way. I present a fictional situation to you, ask questions about it and you can respond.
The first beach day after the rainy season
Last Sunday it happened again. The first beach day after the rainy season and from now on we meet every month at Dongtang Beach in Jomtien.
Football joy in Megabreak pool hall
Gringo has been coming to this pool hall for years to organize a pool billiards tournament with English friends three times a week. At the weekend we follow all kinds of sporting events on large TV screens, including the Premier League of England, while I keep a close eye on developments in the Dutch football league. All decisions of this season in England and the Netherlands are not yet known, but we already had something to celebrate.
When life becomes suffering
By way of introduction I tell you that my Dutch wife died of cancer some 14 years ago. Most of you will know from experience in family or acquaintances how terrible this disease can be.
Is a life in Thailand worth less than in the West?
Most people familiar with this country would agree that Thailand is in many ways a land of contradictions. Of personal freedom and political constraints, of Eastern beliefs and Western expectations and the unmistakable clash of the old against the new Thailand can be quite paradoxical.
Ode to the Thai man
Be honest, how many Thai men do you personally know? Not much. I guess, because whether you're here on vacation, wintering or even living permanently, you generally didn't come to Thailand for the Thai man. Rather for the Thai woman, isn't it?
'The Thai woman knows no boenlust'
The Dutch woman has been known for centuries for her cleanliness and lust for cleaning. Nowhere in the world is there so much vacuuming, polishing, scrubbing, mopping and cleaning of windows as in a Dutch house.
"One millionth of a billionth of a millimeter"
I remember it like it was yesterday, Monday, September 14, 2016. I played an important pool tournament at Megabreak Poolhall here in Pattaya and in that tournament I played the stars of heaven.
Bar fine in Thailand
Just before Christmas there was an article in the Bangkok Post where I read that as a gesture to the public, the police in Bangkok would reduce the “traffic fine” to only 100 Baht until the end of the year. An alert reader of an English-language forum then made the witty comment that the “bar fines” could also be lowered.