The River of Kings Awakens: A Royal Barge Story When the waters of the Chao Phraya River begin to rhythmically echo with the synchronized chants of 2,200 Royal Thai Navy oarsmen, Bangkok stops to watch. On Friday 6th November 2026, Thailand will witness the return of the beautiful Royal Barge Procession. Set against the historic … Read more
The Enigma Of Thailand’s Hidden Mani People There are maybe 350 people living in southern Thailand right now whose ancestors have been here longer than anyone else you can name. And I don’t mean slightly longer. I’m talking about 50,000-plus years. The same migration out of Africa that brought every human anywhere on the planet, … Read more
Seri Thai: Thailand’s Secret War Against Japan On the morning of 8 December 1941, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese troops swept ashore at several points along the Thai coast. They were moving quickly through Southeast Asia, and Thailand stood directly in their path. Thai military and police units resisted the landings in … Read more
The Mon Kingdom of Hariphunchai: Secrets of Ancient Lamphun Long before King Mangrai founded Chiang Mai or the Lanna Kingdom rose to power, the mountain-framed Ping River basin was ruled by a remarkable Mon queen. Queen Jamadevi (also spelled Chama Thewi) was a 7th-century Mon princess who marched hundreds of kilometers north from Lavo (modern-day … Read more
The Phalluses of Phra Nang: Inside Thailand’s Most Unexpected Shrine If you stroll down the powdery white sands of Railay Peninsula in Krabi, you will likely encounter a postcard-perfect tropical scene. Towering limestone karsts jut out of turquoise waters, longtail boats sway gently in the tide, and rock climbers scale sheer cliff faces. Follow the … Read more
The Railway That Returned From the Deep Imagine discovering that there is a railway station at the bottom of a lake. You know it’s there, because old maps and photographs tell you so, but unless you’ve developed a particularly good technique for underwater archaeology, there’s not much chance of going to have a look. Then, … Read more
The Soviet Submarine That Never Reached Thailand Jesada Technik Museum’s Lost U-194 Jesada Technik Museum in Nakhon Pathom was famous for its unusual collection of vehicles. Visitors could see vintage cars, motorcycles, aircraft, helicopters and other machines that seemed to have escaped from a railway museum, a film set or the imagination of a particularly … Read more
Bangkok 2010: The Red Shirt Uprising, Army Crackdown, and the Streets That Burned The first time I heard automatic gunfire in central Bangkok, I thought I was hearing fireworks. It was just after midnight, sometime in mid-May 2010. I was in the city on business, but political tensions had postponed the meeting. The city was … Read more
Four Strange But True Stories That Could Only Happen in Thailand Thailand Never Fails to Surprise One of the joys of travelling around Thailand is that you never quite know what’s waiting around the next corner. Sometimes it’s an ancient temple hidden in the forest. Sometimes it’s a forgotten railway station or a mysterious cave. … Read more
Why Many of Thailand’s Hill Tribe People Still Don’t Have Thai Citizenship A Hidden Reality in Northern Thailand Visitors to northern Thailand often meet members of the Karen, Hmong, Akha, Lahu, Lisu, and Mien communities. Many have lived in Thailand for generations, speak Thai, attend Thai schools, and consider the country their only home. Yet … Read more