Why are there so many relationships between Western men and Thai women? Why not Thai men and western women? What do Thai women see in those men and why do so many men fly half way across the world to find a bride in Thailand?

We discussed some aspects of those relationships in my first article. Here we are going to get very personal. Why do so many Thai women want a relationship with a foreigner? Of course not all of them do, but in my many years in Thailand I have heard the same statement from countless women: “I am looking for an American (or western) boyfriend”. Many times I have even been asked if I can help make a connection. If you have a hard time believing this, just look at one of the many Thai dating sites and read the ads by Thai women. Read the rest of this entry

Thailand travel is popular  for many reasons: the warm weather, beautiful beaches, friendly smiling people, good value for your money, interesting culture – and last but not least –  WOMEN! Thai women have a reputation among foreign men of being beautiful and ‘easy to get’. How justified is this reputation?

Most men would  agree that many Thai women are attractive. They generally have soft facial features, slender bodies, and a graceful appearance combined with natural and beautiful smiles. You won’t find many men arguing with this statement. Read the rest of this entry

How can yoga teachers benefit from the practice of Thai massage? Here are eight good reasons:

1. Since many Thai massage moves are very similar to yoga postures, it can help students if their yoga teacher can gently loosen them up and maneuver them into a position through the help of Thai massage techniques. For a picture gallery of Thai massage and related yoga postures please click here.

2. Generally in Yoga teacher trainings there is not much focus on the quality of touch. Since yoga teachers often need to touch their students to adjust a posture, it can be helpful to have more knowledge about the quality of touch that is derived from massage training. Read the rest of this entry

Thailand is advertised as the “Land of Smiles” where open, friendly and smiling people welcome all those millions of foreigners who visit every year. After living in Thailand for many years I can definitely confirm that the Thai smile is one of the great aspects of being  in Thailand. Those easy and spontaneous exchanges of smiles have made me feel good countless times. So it should be easy to become friends with the Thais, right?

But there is another side to this. Thais are generally very shy around foreigners. Unless they work in the tourist industry where they constantly interact with foreigners, or they work in a foreign-owned company, Thais feel uncomfortable and often insecure around the “farang” (the Thai word for people of caucasian origin). Read the rest of this entry

Thai massage has its origins in India’s yoga system. According to legend, an Indian physician came to Thailand and introduced what is now called “Thai massage”. His name is a tongue breaker – Shivaka Komarpaj -and nobody agrees on the spelling. I always called him “Dr. Shivago” for simplicity’s sake which is fairly close to how his first name is actually pronounced. He is still revered as the founder of Thai massage and many massage schools display his picture or statue. He was a contemporary of Buddha, which makes Thai massage about 2500 years old.  Many Thai therapists begin their sessions with a prayer to him. Read the rest of this entry

Float in the Loi Krathong Festival

Chiang Mai is famous for big, colorful, extravagant festivals. They can last several days and attract huge crowds from abroad and from all over Thailand. Hotels fill to capacity, traffic slows to a crawl, train tickets to and from Chiang Mai sell out weeks in advance. Thousands of people get involved in decorating the city, putting up stages, setting up competitions, float parades and lots of entertainment. Read the rest of this entry

When you drive in Thailand, the rules change, and some of them are quite curious. Here is a collection of driving and traffic tidbits.

Q: How many people fit on a small scooter in Thailand?

A: 3 or 4 is not uncommon, but I have seen 5. Only two are legal, by the way, but nobody cares about that.

Q: What kind of helmet is the most popular in Thailand?

A: The one that prevents you from  getting a fine. This is mostly a super cheap proforma helmet which costs about $3.- or 4.- God forbid you need it to protect yourself in an accident. Read the rest of this entry

Whenever I travel somewhere in Asia I always try out a local massage for better or for worse. Sometimes it was definitely for the worse, and here are some of my more bizarre experiences.

Bangkok massage trauma:

I went to the tourist district on Kao San Road in Bangkok and went to a typical Thai massage shop. Many floor mats were lined up in a big room with many sessions going on simultaneously. I ended up with a male therapist. The first thing he did was turn on a fan that blew cold air on me in a room that was already air conditioned to arctic temperatures. When I told him that the fan made me cold, he insisted that he needed it  since he felt hot. Read the rest of this entry

Vegetarian Festival in Satun, Thailand

There is an annual vegetarian festival in Thailand. The timing is based on the Chinese calendar, and  this year it was held in late October. It is a ten day event which is loosely observed all over Thailand. In most places it just means that some food vendors switch to selling vegetarian dishes.

However in some areas in the south of  Thailand events take a bizarre turn. The origin of this festival stems from 1825 when a traveling Chinese opera company fell seriously ill and managed to cure itself by eating a vegetarian diet and performing rituals and ceremonies. This impressed the Chinese community in Thailand so much that they decided to establish a yearly vegetarian festival to celebrate and promote this self-healing method. Read the rest of this entry

Traffic in Thailand - there are motorcycles everywhere, and car drivers need 360 degree vision

Many first time visitors to Thailand are complaining about the chaotic traffic and tell me they would not dare to drive here. Yet I have been driving in Thailand for many years and I do not see any chaos. Why is that?

The answer lies in your expectations. In the west traffic rules are strictly enforced, fines are very expensive, and people mostly follow the rules. Therefore when they drive, they expect others to follow the rules. Anyone breaking the rules makes people upset. Read the rest of this entry