There is something about the colors in this shot that make it very different from the typical beach paradise photos one so often comes across. The sand is not white and the water is not blue, yet the strange off-colors represented here make this a much better photograph as a result.
A tip of the hat to LadyExpat who captures our Photo of the Day honors for this great shot of Koh Wai, Thailand.
During my last big foreign affair with the country of Tajikistan this past September I had the opportunity to meet several cool Tajik natives as well as the team members from my Habitat GV build. To list them all by name and what exactly makes them cool would take too long and could go forever, so for now I’ll concentrate on Alison Cooper. Allie, as I like to call her, was one of the individuals lending her hand in building better homes in the Dushanbe community.
Once we wrapped up our duties in the Central Asian city it was time to say our good-byes and head our separate ways. Most of us were heading home, but Allie being the overly lucky one decided to jet over to Thailand for some R&R and well I’m sure other things. Here, I’ve recently discovered her thoughts and opinions on Thailand’s post-tsunami beaches in the Christian Science Monitor. It’s a short read and doesn’t offer any hard core tips to really help you plan, but it may give you some extra reassurance if you’re second-guessing your own trip to Phi Phi Don or other islands.
Check out her Thailand Flickr photo stream for additional travel inspiration.
I’m a bit of a tall lanky fellow and that makes finding suits that fit a real problem.
The solution is to have them custom made–a solution that would only exist if I were wealthy. Or, if I happened to be in Bangkok.
Bangkok is the capital of the custom made suit. And they’re very inexpensive. I had a couple made for me ten years ago that cost just over $100 each and are still in great condition.
In the last few years I’ve been trying to organize a “Suit Trip” to Bangkok to get loaded up on a fresh batch of business suits. The cost of the airfare would be absorbed by the amount of money I was saving on the suits. Plus, it would mean an opportunity to revisit one of my favorite countries.
But, what tailor to go to? The one I visited ten years ago gave me a great cut, but talked me into some type of neon purple color that friends still laugh about today (What was I thinking?!?!)
Fortunately, Travel and Leisure has just come out with the best article I’ve ever come across detailing the very best shops to visit to have a suit made.
Lawrence Osborne, a Bangkok expat directs the reader to two shops where $5000 Armani knockoffs go for $300. And, they are expertly made. Osborne also throws in some local tailoring history and a few pointers on choosing cuts and material (no purple!). One of the shops even has a website for international orders.
If you plan on going to Bangkok any time in the next ten years, save this article. And when you get that big promotion, you can thank that flashy Bangkok suit of yours.
Just days after Thanksgiving when most of us will be sitting around regretting taking down that extra turkey leg or mom’s mac n cheese, a good handful of people will be up early and at the starting line for the 2006 Bangkok marathon. On November 26 they will run pass the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the National Museum and the Chao Phraya River. The race starts as early as 2 AM as it will be pretty hot and humid as the day goes on I’m sure. I know it’s a little far in advance, but round of sound for anyone so up early hitting the pavement. We’ll be rooting for you, full bellies and all!
Today’s word is a Thai word used in Thailand:
wîng – run
Learning Thai dot com is a great starting point for some basic Thai words and referrals to additional resources. For a brief history of the language, Thai alphabet, and pronunciation guide go to Omniglot. (A pretty clean and simple site with good details.) Another good source would be the Pimsleur language audio CD’s. I used these to prepare for my trip and they worked great! Before making the purchase look into your local library. There are several libraries carrying these audio CD’s and many more.
Past Thai words: hàat sai, wan sao, sawatdee khrab, dang, pák
Years ago I lived for a little bit in Bangkok and it just so happened I was lucky enough to be there during a November. Why lucky? Because one of the country’s great holidays takes place this month, a holiday that I got to experience first hand and that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The event is called Loi Krathong and this year it takes place on November 5. Loi Krathong is an fascinating festival of lights, and takes place throughout Thailand, but particularly in Bangkok. The tradition is to set hundreds of thousands of flower-shaped finely-decorated, candles on the klongs or canals throughout the city. The candles are placed on banana leaves, making them little boats called krathongs. And in the meantime, everyone and their mother sister and aunt sings a catchy little song about the krathong that rises over the cit and makes the whole event magical. So if you are heading to Thailand, definitely find yourself a great spot to watch this great little event.