I am sure that you have heard of the expression ‘It never rains but it pours’ (very apt for Thailand!) and as commuters say the world over ‘I waited 20 minutes for a bus and then two came together.’

Why am I mentioning this? Continue reading →

The most famous historic ruins in South East Asia are justifiably the magnificent and extensive ruins of more than three dozen often ornately decorated Temples found amidst the dense jungle at Angkor Wat, near Siem Reap in Cambodia. And as a result Angkor Wat is a heavily visited destination, attracting visitors from all around the world. Indeed when I first visited Angkor Wat in 2006, I was also fortunate enough to visit the Great Pyramids in Egypt and Machu Pichu in Peru, also both for the first time the same year, and it was Angkor Wat that for me was by far the most impressive. Continue reading →

This essay was partly written in August 2020 before a likely relocation to Switzerland and was intended to be an account of my previous 6 months in Thailand as the world faced the challenges of a global pandemic.

As it happened I remained in Pattaya a further two months where I was largely distracted by some work challenges in the UK, and in Thailand until mid December although much of my last seven weeks was spent on three road trips visiting different parts of ‘the Land of Smiles.’ Continue reading →

Coming soon March – April 2021

The famed Golden Triangle is a region of northern Thailand close to Myanmar and Laos.

Like most regions it is not delineated by lines on a map but is an area associated with a way of life or historical events. In a similar manner you will find no lines on a map marking America’s ‘Rust Belt’ or the ‘Midwest’, England’s ‘Wessex’ or the ‘Scottish Highlands’ but everyone knows where they are there because of either a distinct way of life or an association with past events. Continue reading →