Glorious Grabcar!
No more Bangkok taxis refusing to turn on the meter
Most Bangkok expats have a serious love-hate relationship with the regular taxi drivers. Expats regularly post on social media about the impossibility of trying to hail taxis in the downtown areas. If it’s Friday night and it’s raining, the difficulty increases ten-fold.
Missionary position
Finding salvation on Bangkok's MRT
I told the young man I would give God some very serious thought and implored him to keep up the good work. One powerful handshake later and he disappeared into the crowd of commuters to select another victim.
Bangkok road rage
Nutters can be anywhere at any time.
Generally, one of the top questions I get asked from people who have never visited Thailand is: is it safe? They automatically assume that, because Thailand is still considered (by some sources) to be a third-world country, it must be at least a bit dangerous.
Know your Bangkok cabbies
Do you know your boy racers from the quiz masters?
For those of us still chancing our arm with the regular Bangkok taxis, here is my guide to the different types of taxi driver who you are sure to encounter at some stage
On Bangkok
Falling in love again with this unique city
Bangkok is left to its own devices. The planning is horrible so the city is left to grow naturally. It is ugly, sprawled, and terrifying to drive in, but it is also so human.
An overview of teaching in Thailand
I thought this might be of benefit to new ajarn readers in particular
I was asked to fill in a questionnaire by my old university on the topic of teaching English in Thailand. Although it was intended to encourage applicants to take a Thai study program in Germany, the information might be useful for those teachers thinking of coming to work here in Thailand.
Watch out for the fuzz
Encounters with the boys in brown
I have been part of a few police stops during my time and have heard several other stories of encounters with the Thai police. All of the following really did happen.
Weekend madness
When getting out and about in Bangkok just isn't worth it
Many years ago, I was browsing one of those Bangkok ex-pat forums and there was an interesting thread on the topic of ‘the downsides of living in Bangkok'. One of the forum members - a middle-aged wife of a business expat - chipped in with the following contribution (and for some reason I have never forgotten it)
On yer bike!
Is Bangkok's new rent-a-bike scheme doomed to failure?
On the 1st May, Bangkok introduced a bicycle rental scheme, presumably in an effort to encourage more people to go green and to go some way towards reducing the awful traffic jams that have become part and parcel of our daily lives in this city.
A river island
The fascinating island of Koh Kred in Bangkok
Have you ever heard of an island in the middle of a river? It sounds absurd, right? But there is an island 20 kilometers away from Bangkok where a lot of locals and foreign travelers/tourists frequently go to escape from the noise in the city. In fact, according to "Lonely Planet," Thailand's travel information and guide, this place ranks #7 out of 792 things to do in Bangkok.