There has been a resurgence of interest in Burmese lacquer ware concomitant to the large numbers of travelers now visiting the country of Myanmar. Sylvia Fraser-Lu’s landmark book Burmese Lacquerware is in its second edition, but ordering it internationally is financially problematic, going for more than $100 USD on the internet, while available […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Thailand' Category
Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on expensive, worthless American dating services
American dating services are expensive and worthless. Read why.
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis banned book review: ‘Thailand Unhinged: the Death of Thai-Style Democracy’ by Federico Ferrara
This book has been banned in Thailand, and it’s easy to see why. It takes on the ruling class, the monarchy, and to a certain extent, denigrates the Thai people as well. With his Thailand Unhinged: the Death of Thai-Style Democracy (2011, ISBN 978-979-3780-84-9), author Federico Ferrara notes in his foreword that he’d self-censored his […]
Read the rest of this entry »Pa Farang on My old Bangkok haunts are going away. What’s happening?
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: My old Bangkok haunts are going away. What’s happening? Dear Pa Farang, Hi there–greetings from the US. I used to live in Bangkok 1989-1990 on Soi Polo off of Wireless Road. There was a fantastic streetside restaurant there that did fantastic grilled […]
Read the rest of this entry »Farewell to Bangkok’s Washington Square by Dean Barrett
One of Bangkok’s most treasured entertainment zones, Washington Square on Sukhumvit, has been plowed under. It was a haven for GIs, spooks, writers, oil workers, and drinkers. Bangkok author Dean Barrett has written a fine tribute to Washington Square, reprinted here as it appeared in the April, 2013 issue of After Dark Magazine. Molly […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on Songkran, the Thai New Year Festival, and the jealousy of Thai women
I managed to survive Songkran, the Thai New Year, and lived to love another day at least. Writer Dean Barrett chose to flee the country at water works time, as Songkran is the period that everyone douses everyone else with water, regardless of age, sex, national origin or whether or not you are dressed for […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thai Teens’ pregnancy rate appears to be uncontrollable, feeding Bangkok’s bar scene
In our tours around Bangkok’s night spots, we here at WoWasis has noted that seemingly a majority of the city’s bar girls are young mothers. In an article published by Reuters this week, the situation appears to be accelerating. The article reports that “even though the overall birthrate is dropping, teen births are on the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Pa Farang answers: Why can’t my American boyfriend keep his butt clean?
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: Why can’t my American boyfriend keep his butt clean? Dear Pa Farang, I am a Thai lady, and my American boyfriend showed me your column. He’s away, so I’m writing. He never keeps his butt clean. He leaves poo marks all over […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Who Needs a Road? The Longest and Last Motor Journey Around the World’ by Harold Stephens and Albert Podell
Back in 1999, we here at WoWasis drove 4000 km through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. We broke down in soft sand up to our axels in the bush with lions nearby, got an accidental fill-up of diesel 200 km from the nearest Kalahari town, and did it all while driving solo in a […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee’s Three Reasons to be wary of “dating” a bar girl
I was chatting with a friend the other day and he happened to mention that he was “dating” a gal who works in a Nana Plaza go-go bar. It is needless to say that one doesn’t “date” such a gal, but merely pays a certain amount of money for a certain amount of time and […]
Read the rest of this entry »
