All Over Thailand

A Christmas without floods, without snow, without cold, and without clouds. But hey, you make do with what you’ve got...

In the shopping malls, you’ll also find young women dressed in Santa outfits with mini-skirts, shouting out the holiday promotions through loudspeakers blasting decibels... Bring your earplugs.

In shopping malls, you’ll also find young women dressed in Santa outfits with mini-skirts, shouting promotions through blaring loudspeakers... Bring your earplugs.

On the other hand, I’m all for photos

I don’t have any! (Sometimes life really sucks, you’ll admit...). But right now, you shouldn’t have trouble finding opportunities to snap pics with your phone in any mall or supermarket.

I don’t have any! (Sometimes life really sucks, you’ll admit...). But right now, you shouldn’t miss any chances to snap pics with your phone in any mall or supermarket.

I can confirm... but it’s not an easy job—they must be exhausted by the end of the day.

And, very common this season: giant ducks, chickens, or other stuffed animals with a guy inside. I saw two giant fluorescent green crocodiles this afternoon at Terminal 21. It’s not an easy job for them either, poor things.

Animals in Thailand—oh, amazing! We immediately think of monkeys, monitor lizards, and elephants. Maybe fish for the snorkelers.

Yet, there’s a whole host of charming and adorable little creatures here and there.

This year, I saw my first cobra—it was a young one. I think it was just as scared as I was, and we both bolted in opposite directions. They’re not aggressive animals, but you don’t want to step on one by mistake. There are a lot of Siamese spitting cobras here. They’re really good at spitting venom directly into your eyes from up to two or three meters away. Blindness is often temporary, but sometimes permanent. So no close-up photos—even for VoyageForum—or selfies with the critter.

This one’s awesome: a true representative of the Jurassic era. It’s not shy at all, and you can observe it up close. If you move too fast, it dashes away at an insane speed, on two legs, with its tail perfectly horizontal.

The praying mantis is resting after laying her eggs. The little ones won't emerge from the cocoon for a few months.







She sleeps during the day. She's shy and skittish, what a shame. What a pretty color and what beautiful fuzzy legs!

I saw my first cobra

While I was on a street in Delhi watching a cobra charmer, I eventually moved my finger *very* slowly toward the front of the snake’s head—no reaction. I kept going just as gently, passing just above its head until I stroked the top of where the "hood" unfurls: still no reaction. I finally asked the guy if I could put the animal on my shoulders (something I do easily with small pythons or domesticated boas). He said, "Yes, but you don’t pick it up yourself—I’ll place it for you." So that’s what we did. One of the biggest chills of my life. Another time, in Laos between Luang Nam Tha and Muang Xing, I was sitting in a songthaew next to the driver. Suddenly, he slams on the brakes: about 20 meters ahead, a cobra roughly 2 meters long was crossing the road. As soon as it saw us, it reared up in one swift motion before eventually slinking back to the roadside where it came from. Brief but still *impressive*.

Less impressive but fun to experience:

The praying mantis

Did you know they like being petted? In Kanchanaburi, I had one that would regularly land on the plants on my balcony. Every time, I’d stroke it for several minutes—so cute with the way it turned its head* toward me. * They can do this over a short range.

Chatting with Marien, discouraging overly ambitious travel itineraries, petting wild animals... you sure like living dangerously!

For a picnic in the shade...

You like living dangerously!

You ain’t seen nothing yet—I’m thinking of starting a thread on "hitchhiking in Thailand"...

A small historic site in the heart of the country.

Even though I’m not too afraid of spiders, I’d rather see them in photos—and snakes are a real phobia for me!

Where we are, it’s pretty evenly split: my wife is terrified of spiders, and I’m scared of snakes. But like my dad used to say, it’s the two-legged creatures you’ve got to watch out for the most! [;)]

You sometimes come across or pass by people rummaging through trash, often to collect plastic for recycling. They usually get around by bike or on a beat-up moped.



Thailand remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. The richest 1% hold about a third of the national wealth, while the top 10% control nearly 60% of the total wealth. The poorest half of the population owns less than 3% of the wealth. Land inequalities are among the most extreme in the world. Poverty is becoming hereditary, fueled by educational failure, job insecurity, and insufficient social protection.

At least one in five seniors lives on less than 100 baht a day.

Two-thirds have no savings at all. One in four owns no assets.

More than a third of the 14 million elderly people still work—not by choice, but out of necessity. Considering that at best, only Sundays are off, you can imagine how tough it is.

It’s a vicious cycle that’s hard to escape, and unfortunately, the education system does nothing to encourage children to develop critical thinking or initiative.

Nearly half the population is poor or at risk of falling into poverty, according to the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council.

Debt can be staggering, sometimes due to Thais’ attraction to gambling.

The pressure to maintain appearances also has its downsides. Many go into debt for 20 years or more by splurging on a flashy vehicle.

Thailand still ranks among the most unequal countries in the world. At least one in five seniors lives on less than 100 baht a day.

yet you were praising this country and telling us that living in Thailand was better than living in France. Anyway, it seems once again the grass isn’t greener on the other side, even if Thailand is a tropical country [:P]

It's a really beautiful country with a warm climate that suits me, and lots of friendly, polite people. As a French traveler, my purchasing power is pretty satisfying there. (Don’t mix this up with the post I mentioned, which was only about Thai people.)

You could also say that if someone had the chance to write a nice word in a travel journal for a whole year, they’d do well not to break their silence just to leave unkind remarks.

It’s a beautiful country with a warm climate that suits me, and lots of friendly, polite people. As a French traveler, my purchasing power is pretty satisfying.

Many of us have great reasons to enjoy traveling or staying in Thailand. That said, let’s never forget that this country we love is a dictatorship.

hi, I agree with Songsam’s post—even though it’s the Land of Smiles, there’s still a flip side to it all.

Miss Thai today is quite classic... and charming.

It was high time for the hairdresser to give the poupoule a new haircut...



There we go, that’s some good work. It’s better than before.

Still, you can tell who’s had their free haircut and who hasn’t yet...

It's still so quiet in Bang Saphan. Well, apart from the roosters, dogs, and birds...

Pretty unique and fun: at the InterContinental Hotel in Hua Hin, it's literally a train that transports your luggage...

It’s a beautiful country with a warm climate that suits me, and lots of friendly, polite people. As a French traveler, my purchasing power is pretty satisfying.

For many of us, there are plenty of good reasons to enjoy traveling or staying in Thailand. But let’s never forget that this country we love is a dictatorship.

Hey! I’m glad someone’s finally talking about this! It’s probably all those things I noticed that made me feel disappointed with the country, and it’s one of the main reasons I don’t plan on going back—even though I’m still drawn to certain aspects and places (the mountains and countryside).

Miss Thai today is quite classic... and charming.

Since yesterday, she’s not the same—we’re waiting for your photo update. If you could frame the new one a *bit* tighter and head-on... No need to post photos of the other candidates; we’ll just take the winner. And you won’t have to travel through all 76 provinces—let’s not overdo it. [;]

Traditional Thailand right in the city center. The image we love to see and one that will gradually disappear. A reflection of the limited resources of many residents too.

Sunset photos still have so many fans. Having moved past that phase a long time ago, I now prefer the "sun hide"—an image that, for me, captures the very essence of tropical paradise:

I prefer the sun hidden, in a photo that represents for me the very essence of tropical paradise:

Yes, it does represent it well. Plus, because it's hidden in the vegetation, the greenery doesn’t appear black*—it stays a little green: almost a photographic feat. * which would definitely have been the case in a sunset.

Sunset photos still have so many fans.

Unfortunately, many of these fans seem to think that such a photo can only turn out great, when in reality, a lot of the ones we see here and there are pretty mediocre. And besides, the sun doesn’t just set—it rises in the morning too...

Having passed this stage

I hope you were on a boat or a plane—otherwise, splash, you fell in the water!...