When khlongs were the most reliable transport and boats plied the “Venice of the East”, boat noodles were Thailand’s answer to delivery pizza. Vendors didn’t deliver upon order, but they did ply their way across the city selling noodle soups from wooden sampans calling out for customers as they passed by. Vendors soon developed loyal … read the full post

Walking down any Bangkok street, you’ll be bombarded with vats of pork soup and made-to-order som tam. So many options; how do you choose? For a mouthwatering Thai lunch, I avoid the obvious tourist traps and do as Bangkokians do: eat in a “tent”. Around business districts, like Phloen Chit, Silom and Asok, lunch spots … read the full post

Chatuchak market (pronounced jat-u-jak), or “JJ” for short, is packed with items to buy — from refurbished vintage dresses through to Yorkshire terriers and quite a bit in between. JJ is not a made-for-tourists destination; gaggles of locals make a pilgrimage to this outdoor market each weekend. For some, JJ is a shopping heaven, and … read the full post

Around 15:30 today (Friday the 13th no less) the US Embassy in Bangkok sent out an email alert warning of a potential terrorist threat in Bangkok. The email was shortly after retracted, then, we’ve just learned, re-issued. ABC has a story on it here. As is typical of this style of warning, it is frustratingly … read the full post

Our How to Eat series explores popular street food in Thailand and explains the how-and-what of ordering. Ready, set, EAT. The sun rises high and hot in Bangkok; monks pad up and down the streets begging for alms, motorcycle taxis cruise alleys for fares, soi dogs sniff at offerings left roadside, and coiffed bank tellers, … read the full post

Sometimes we long for the discomfort of travel – overnight train rides squashed next to a family of 10 in Kuala Lumpur, holes in the ground as toilets in Ban Lung, food so fresh off the street a piece of the vendor’s hair is tangled into the noodles (well, maybe not that last bit). But … read the full post

The bowling alley that I grew up going to was dark and cheap and rank: dented lanes, wheezing ball machines, worn furniture, and the smell of warm beer and cigarettes. The alley was inhabited by my middle class neighbours: secretaries, builders, teachers blowing off steam, chain-smoking cougars on the prowl, college kids lured in by … read the full post

Headed off to Chiang Mai in Thailand’s north or the beaches down south (or to Penang, Kuala Lumpur, or Singapore)? Want to explore Isaan by motorbike or strike out east into Cambodia? Who’s your best friend for all these long sojourns? The train. Taking the train is how lots of Thais travel; you’ll notice that … read the full post

Stuck in an airport, even one that feels like outer space, can be a claustrophobic experience, verging on the traumatic. If you have some serious time to kill before you’re heading home, or you’re in Suvarnabhumi Airport on a layover, you can peruse through the duty-free section for “authentic” Thai souvenirs; just because you didn’t … read the full post

If you’ve spent much time on the internet over the past decade, chances are, at some stage, you will have sat though one of the “Dancing Matt” videos on Youtube. American Matt Harding put together a short video of himself and his distinctive dance in a number of countries around the world in 2003 and … read the full post