Buddhist days make up a number of the public holidays on the Thai calendar, and among them is Makha Bucha Day. In 2019, Makha Bucha Day falls on Tuesday 19 February – but what is the story behind Makha Bucha Day, and how can you see it observed if you’re visiting Bangkok or other parts […]
One of Bangkok’s most vibrant, authentic and unchanged neighborhoods, Chinatown – known locally as Yaowarat – is a must-see area for visitors to Thailand’s capital. Just a short hop from both the downtown business districts and the old-town Rattanakosin area, Chinatown is alive with opportunities to explore and discover a unique side to day-to-day life […]
Set in Bangkok’s old town, and a short stroll from infamous attractions and destinations like Khaosan Road and the Grand Palace, Phraeng Phutton is an under-the-radar town-square-like street that still has a local-feeling, village-like atmosphere, even despite its proximity to the hordes of tourists who take to Bangkok every year. One of three so-called ‘phraeng’ […]
The Thai New Year festival of Songkran is without a doubt Thailand’s most famous, and the one for which the country is well known around the world – most notably of all for the raucous nationwide waterfights that are the hallmark of modern-day celebrations. Quite unlike anything seen in festivals elsewhere around the world – […]
Aside from Bangkok, central Thailand misses out on much of the tourism brochure love that’s afforded to both the south and the north. Sometimes that’s understandable – this is largely rice cultivation country, and it’s not as tightly packed with winning tourist attractions as other parts of Thailand – but that’s not to say there […]
More updates for 2017/18 coming soon. While Thailand’s most well known festival is the Thai new year Songkran, with its massive country-wide water fights, the western new year is – much like Christmas – still celebrated on a large scale in Bangkok and elsewhere. In fact, together with Chinese New Year, Thais get in on […]
Relatively few tourists venture to northeastern Thailand, the region known as Isaan that is the country’s rice bowl. That’s a shame, because provinces in Isaan have plenty to see, the region’s cuisine is one of Thailand’s most exciting (it’s the home of somtum papaya salad, after all!), and the overriding lack of tourists means you’re […]
Chinese New Year is just around the corner and, with a huge community of Chinese descent and one of the world’s largest and liveliest Chinatown neighbourhoods, it’s no real wonder that Bangkok comes alive for this annual celebration. Here’s what you need to know about celebrating Chinese New Year in Bangkok in 2017. In 2017, […]
Just as the Thai king’s birthday is celebrated as father’s day on 05 December since he is thought of as the father of the nation, so his wife Queen Sirikit is considered the mother of the nation and so her birthday on 12 August is celebrated as national mother’s day. Queen Sirikit was born on 12 […]
