Monitor lizards are quite widespread throughout Thailand and South East Asia, the largest of the species being the Asian Water Monitor. In Thailand, all monitor lizards are protected, but not necessarily always held in high esteem. A common name for them is “Hia,” an insulting swear/curse word that you should never call a Thai person. […]
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Snake Encounter
The chances of seeing a snake slither down the street or soi whilst you are holidaying in Pattaya are very slim, you might only ever see a snake at one of the Pattaya tourist attractions such as Nong Nooch or khao Kheow Zoo, but it does happen. During my 10 years of living in Pattaya […]
Continue ReadingThailand – Land of Tolerance
I have come to the conclusion that tolerance is a Thai virtue, and so I have coined a new phrase “Thailand land of tolerance”. When I took these photos of bees on a Pattaya drinks vendors stall and then later looked at them on the computer, the first thing I thought of was “just how […]
Continue ReadingWhy Thais Wai
It is believed the Thai wai originated during the Sukhotai period, around A.D. 1238, the wai is also widely used in countries such as India and Nepal which have had a large influence on Thailand, maybe the Indian, Nepal influence coincided with this period. Did the Thai Wai evolve from war. Another chain of thought […]
Continue ReadingThe Farang Word
Farang is the word used by Thai people when referring to white-skinned western foreigners and is the subject of many a debate, which includes the origin of the word—farang. Many visitors to Thailand, upon being mentioned or summoned with the word “Farang,” are not sure if this is a polite or hostile term or one […]
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