Life and living in Bangkok as an expat. From buying condos to daily life,shopping and cooking.
Like most people, my reaction to the Street Food Ban in Bangkok was one of disbelief, anger and swearing, but I also find that many of the arguments against the ban are misrepresented. And because of this I’ve become a bit mixed on this issue, or at least I’ve looked for a more balanced argument. Because …
This is a 2022 update of my earlier adventures to Bangkok Little India in Phahurat. And while my perception of the area hasn’t changed a whole lot, given that Indian influences really are not overly obvious, there’s a better range of Indian foods in the lower Sukhumvit area, and there are more intriguing Indian temples/shrines …
Some people are good at languages. Others are not. I am the latter. After 10 years travelling in Thailand I still know very little of the Thai language. Feeling lost in translation. There are reasons for this. My brain only has enough room for one added language. The more Thai I learn the more French I …
Apologies for yet another post on Bangkok protests but they are hard to ignore when on our doorstep. So we are now 4 days into the ‘Shutdown Bangkok’ protests and they don’t look to be going away. The Government appear happy to hold for a February 2nd (2014) election and the crowds of protesters will …
Something not yet mentioned on this blog is that I don’t only eat lots of food, but I also cook it… or at least I used to. There was even a time when I hoarded cash to open a Thai restaurant in the UK but I instead spent it buying my condo in Bangkok. While I …
The original plan for this somewhat extreme budgeting challenge was for one full month, living cheap in Bangkok. A plan which was quickly scuppered with impromptu travels to Kuala Lumpur for VISA renewal, and taxi fares for Fanfan’s university exams. In total we manage a week, but we are still proud. What first prompted this …
When in Isaan I would cycle pretty much daily in the local village and through the rice fields, a habit which I have taken to many destinations, apart from Bangkok, as it really isn’t well known for being a bike friendly city at all. Because the city centre areas will always be near impossible to find …
This was not so much about me sharing the sweet custardy delight of durian with my loved ones back home. But more for the challenge and adventure of travelling with this notoriously stinky fruit, which is pretty much banned from public transport, hotels and airlines in Thailand. “No Durian Allowed”. And I really just thought …
These are edited excerpts from our book A Potato in a Rice Field: Fanfan also takes on a project during our year in Broken Road, where she would document a cookbook with the favourite recipes of rural grannies (including Thai Pumpkin Curry). Although the project proved trickier than we expected, given almost every granny in …
‘Lao Khao’, or ‘White Spirit’, as it translates in English, is a popular and potent rice whisky synonymous with Isaan as well as alcoholism in the rural parts of Thailand. And it is an alcohol that is widely available throughout all of Thailand, where it is sold by the bottle from pretty much every store …
