Archive for 'History'
The Four Capitals of Thailand Posted by palmisano on Jul 25, 2012
Learn about the four historical capitals of Thailand.
“One Month in Thailand” Wrap-Up Posted by sasha on Dec 19, 2011
The year 2011 started out with one of the best experiences of my life, as I spent a month traveling through Thailand and into Laos. We set out on our trip seeking a respite from the cold, dry, Beijing winter, with a pleasant beach vacation. What we ended up with was the adventure of a…
Muay Thai Video Posted by sasha on Oct 12, 2011
In a follow up to my written post about Muay Thai, here is a short video of highlights from the evening of Muay Thai bouts that I attended on Koh Pha-Ngan during my month-long trip to Thailand:
Muay Thai (มวยไทย) Posted by sasha on Oct 10, 2011
Asian cultures are well-known throughout the world for their martial arts – China has Kung-fu, Japan has Sumo, and Thailand has Muay Thai (มวยไทย). This Thai style kickboxing has been around for thousands of years, and it can certainly be called Thailand’s national sport. Muay Thai is so important, in fact, that March 17 is…
Election Related Vocab Posted by palmisano on Aug 18, 2011
Not too long ago Thailand had a very important election for the new Prime Minister. It was a very charged/heated election – to put it nicely. If you’re like me, you would be following Thai politics carefully and find yourself trying to explain (impose?) your version of democracy to everyone else. To help you with…
Temple Etiquette in Thailand Posted by sasha on Aug 12, 2011
Nearly 95% of Thailand’s population are Buddhist, and the country is full of sacred Buddhist temples, or wats (วัด). When visiting these temples as a tourist, it is important to observe proper etiquette so as not to offend Thai people. Basically, you don’t want to be that ignorant, disrespectful foreign tourist that everybody hates. While…
Chiang Mai’s Holy Hill – Doi Suthep Posted by sasha on Aug 4, 2011
Located just 15 km from the city center of Chiang Mai is the mountain known as Doi Suthep (ดอยสุเทพ). Towering over the city at 1,676 m (5,499 ft), this mountain houses the sacred temple Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep (วัดพระธาตุดอยสุเทพ), which is a must-see for anyone visiting Chiang Mai. It is said that this temple was founded in…