Thailand Blogs – January 2010 Review
Beyond The Mango Juice kicks off the year with a slimmed down monthly blog review format. Due to the increased content of my Thai blogroll I have been forced to omit entries from my world blog links as the ever increasing length of the review has forced me to compress future posts.
I have recently added some floating icons to my blog which you can see in the top right hand corner of the screen. I would like readers opinions as to whether they are tacky, wacky or plain cool. The icons have been placed in an effort to increase site hits and also improve my Feedburner readers membership (top orange icon). Your comments are most welcome. The photographs supplementing this month’s review were all taken in the garden of our village home.
Thailand, Land of Smiles kicks off the new year review with a tale of Japanese horror movies and superstitious Thai beliefs. Why aren’t people answering their phones in Thailand, A Thai Superstition is Born…Again is a very funny post with connections to Japan’s horror movie scene and the Thai’s obsession with the spiritual world.
Ayutthaya is the old Siamese kingdom which existed for over 400 years until it fell to the Burmese army in 1767. Nowadays Ayutthaya is a popular tourist destination and whilst there My Thai Friend visited a floating market with a difference. Ayutthaya Floating Market is a water borne show featuring artists from Chiang Mai University performing traditional Thai folklore. Hollywood’s biggest stars may think they can walk on water but in Ayutthaya they really do.
Women Learning Thai is first and foremost a language learning resource for those of us trying to master the Thai language. Blog author Catherine does however mix her posts with reflections of her forays inside and outside of Bangkok. Zebras, Questions and the Chao Mae Tiger Shrine sees Catherine and her Thai language teacher head off in search of zebras with the help of her regular taxi driver Khun Pisout.
With the Thai baht still running strong against the world’s major currencies now is probably not the best time to house hunt in Thailand and expat Udon Thani takes a look at the Issan housing scene. John’s post issan house hunting in udon thani gives advice towards the best time to view and the hidden pitfalls quite often unbeknown to buyers of houses on new estates in and around Udon Thani.
Behind the Noodle Curtain puts forward the argument that when it comes to beauty Nakhon Phanom is a clear winner in the Isaan region. The town is set on the banks of the Mekong River with the jungle hills of Lao a picturesque view on the other side of the water. Beauty comes in many forms in Nakhon Phanom sees Rick leaving town with a promise to return and once again explore the riverside streets and to admire the beautiful ladies of Nakhon Phanom.
A Kiwi, monkeys and a monk with some magic seeds all added up to make it a busy week for Lawrence and Thai Life in Phana. The quiet life in Ubon Ratchatani is put to one side as guests and unexpected visitors bring a little youth and eccentricity into Lawrence and Pensri’s days. Visitor Week in Phana keeps track on the comings and goings with the help of some smashing photographs.
If you enjoy reading blog posts which are accompanied by fine photographs then Retired in Thailand and Loving It is a bookmark for you. Malcolm takes to his hammock and revisits a post from the past in Revisiting the Bridge on the River Kwai and the Death Railroad. If you love WWII history then you’ll enjoy this one for sure.
It was National Children’s Day (วันเด็กแห่งชาติ) in Thailand last month and for Jungle Girl and my jungle life it was open house time. Mail, Pha Ngan and Mai are three young kids who are the focus of Kid’s Day and the celebrations involved. The post lays down the background behind these three young children from poor families who each have their own special qualities. Definitely a good read for those of you with young children.
Jon from Jonny Foreigner got married in December and by late January there was A new arrival in the family but not the sort you would find clothed in pink or blue. Jon’s new baby is his social media blogging site Jon Russell : Social Media in Thailand which as Jon explains is about ‘ web, technology and how convergence of the two is shaping everyday life and communication.’ If you’re into social media and Thailand then check out Jon’s new bouncing baby full of bytes.
Being the innocent party involved in a road accident in Thailand doesn’t mean you won’t end up footing the bill. The Thai Pirate’s post Crash in Thailand – update recounts how despite being cleared of all blame by the police, Ben Shillington faces a possible court appearance unless he reaches a settlement with the injured party who was at fault in the incident. This one is a must read for any Thailand newbie who is considering renting a car or motorcycle and taking to Thailand’s dangerous roads.
Thailand Musings has started a round of Thai blog interviews and here’s blog author Steve’s introduction to his innovative idea… ‘The series will be in the form of interviews with other Thailand bloggers and are an attempt to introduce them to those who may not be aware of them, to share their contributions and ideas with others and hopefully to have a bit of fun getting to know these other Thailand bloggers.’……Vern from Thai Pulse gets the series off to a flyer.
Trip to Laos part three from Life in rural Thailand covers the journey back from Laos to Thailand and a three day stay at Don’s Place in Mukdahan overlooking the Mekong River. The journey hits a problem at the Thai border but ends with luxury accommodation in idyllic surroundings and proof to all of the quality lodgings available in the Land of Smiles. The food at Don’s Place looks absolutely heavenly too.
Camille’s Samui Info blog is a new addition to my Thai blogroll. Camille has been living on Koh Samui since the end of 1999 and started out working as a dive Instructor and in 2003 became a PADI Course Director. Dip your toes into Camille’s world and read Catcantoo Bar and Restaurant, Bang Rak which will give you a tasty insight into life on the island.
That’s all from Beyond The Mango Juice’s Thai blog review for this month. Enjoy.
Another great roundup of Thailand blog articles Martyn. As always the link love is always appreciated. I might also suggest some other good reading that didn’t make the list which is your very own ” How much do you tip in Thailand”.
.-= Talen´s last blog ..Thailand in the News Week Ending 1/30/10 =-.
Martyn as always a good read. Thanks for the mention. A difficult task with so many good reads from LOS.
.-= Mike´s last blog ..Colourful Flower Garlands Wat Thai Temple Photo/Image =-.
Always a great summary – will look forward to reading those you’ve highlighted this week,.
Thanks as always for the mention, and for the research on wan dek.
.-= Jungle Girl´s last blog ..Joe and Egger’s Little Boy…. =-.
Great round up as ever – thanks for including my new baby, will be the last addition to the family for a while methinks.
Personally, I’m a fan of the icons. Didn’t know you were a WP.org whizz.
.-= Jon´s last blog ..Significance Of Twitter Local Trends For Thailand =-.
I second Talen’s “tip o’ the hat” to Martyn, one of the best practical (and entertaining) posts I’ve read in a while, with a lot of great comments. A special nod to Catherine for her tip menu.
Thanks for the mention, Martyn. I highly recommend Nakhon Phanom, and if you need any more recommendation, check Talen’s many posts and pictures.
.-= Siam.Rick´s last blog ..Thanks to all the wonderful Thai people who helped =-.
Martyn, I so very much look forward to your monthly round up of Thai blogger posts. I’ve selected the unread ones for later (after I’ve been good).
Your floating icons are quite attractive so my vote goes towards keeping them around.
And for a photo vote (not that there is one, but I thought I’d throw this out there anyway)… my first choice would be the orchids, as the colours and angle are quite pleasing to the eye.
(Ditto on your tipping post – it’s one of my favs!)
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival: 2010 =-.
Jungle Jill – Thanks and good luck with your new cafe venture.
Jon – I’m no wp.org wizard by any means, quite the opposite. Thanks for your view on the icons.
Rick – I hope you’re having fun in the sun. The tipping post has received a lot of comments which surprised me a little.
Talen – As always no problem with the link love, it’s a pay back for all the good reading I get from everyone, not to mention the education. If I had to choose one of my own posts from last month it would have been On the Road to Ban Chiang.
Mike – Cheers and I know what you mean about a difficult choice as there are plenty more blogs I could include in my blogroll. I hope the weather’s not too hot for you.
Catherine – Thanks for the thumbs up on the icons, I’ll be keeping them there. I don’t know anything about flowers. I assume the bottom one is a rose and I’m guessing you’re referring to the top photo, what type of flower is the middle one. Wilai tells me their names but there’s so many different ones about I forget.
Martyn, I have only just reached your monthly round-up, which I always look forward to. Reasons: busy, over-sleeping as it gets warmer here in lower north-east (getting warmer i UK?), and continued trouble with unresponsive typepad keys slowing me down.
Thanks for another mention of my blog. Glad you are still finding something intersting there.
I don’t read that many blogs (I read more when I started) but I’m still a bit surprised to find we have arrived at pretty much the same circle of regulars.
Cheers.
.-= Lawrence´s last blog ..Third Month Festival in Phana =-.
Lawrence I don’t think there’s any problem finding something interesting on your blog, it’s always a good read. The weather has got a little warmer here in the UK (8-10 C) but the big freeze cannot be far away. This is February after all. We do all seem to be one big circle of regular readers which is slowly growing in size.
some good blog posts above martyn not sure iam in you league at all but thanks for the mention i use this monthly post of yours to keep up to date with whats going on in issan and Thailand thanks guys for stopping buy with me also there’s a good group forming on here
regards john noi Jamie
ps i.ll try and come up with something worth reading for next month martyn
.-= john´s last blog ..Flights to and from Udon Thani latest info =-.
John far from it, your site(s) have some great information on their target source and I do particularly like your Udon Thani site. It is very helpful to have sites such as yours which are place specific. Mine is meant to be a Udon Thani blog but it drifts from place to place and from drivel to drone. Nice to have you as part of the community.
Thanks for the boost i need it for sure bloging is the best way for sure to get the low down on Udon Thani and issan
keep up the good work as always
regards john expatudon08
.-= john´s last blog ..Flights to and from Udon Thani latest info =-.