For anyone wishing to know more about what goes on behind the scenes in North Korea, Kang Chol-hwan’s The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag (2000, ISBN 0-465-01102-0) is a must- read. Kang’s expat North Korean family became wealthy in Japan and had a good life. At the urging of his […]
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WoWasis introduces Krasue, Thailand’s most feared ghost
Thailand is a country obsessed with ghosts, known as phii. Here at WoWasis, we’ve learned never to joke about them, because joking about them is considered to bring on bad luck to the speaker as well as all listeners. And never joke about a ghost before your girlfriend enters the shower, especially at night: everyone […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Japanesque: The Japanese Print in the Era of Impressionism’
For centuries, Western art lovers have been fascinated by Japanese woodcuts of landscapes made by noted Ukiyo-e “floating world” artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, and of scenes from daily life by master artists Kitagawa Utamaro and Suzuki Harunobu. These woodcuts have directly inspired the work of Westerns artists, but perhaps never more […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on American wives and sponsoring Thai women
Recently I have started to think that perhaps I need to work on my people skills. Now, I have to say that I have never been the most diplomatic guy, and one of the things that I love about living in Thailand is the total lack of political correctness that is so pervasive in the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thousands flee Surin as new Thai-Cambodian skirmish erupts
Early Friday morning, in the sleepy Thai village of Kopcheung, some 500 residents awakened to the thunderous sounds of rocket fire and machine guns as Cambodian and Thai troops fought nearby. It’s a new skirmish, but the same old story, this time taking place 150 miles west of the disputed territory encirling Wat Preah Vihear. An […]
Read the rest of this entry »Another man lives in my apartment with me and my girlfriend
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: Another man lives in my apartment with me and my girlfriend Dear Pa Farang, My Thai lady and I are still getting used to each other, even after living together for a couple of years. Last month, I got a surprise: her younger […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Brian Mertens’ Bangkok Thai Ideas in Design
We here at WoWasis have been fans of Bangkok Fashion for a decade now. One of the city’s strengths is in having a culture that embraces the arts, and she is particularly strong in fashion and design, the latter of which includes progressive home furnishings. Brian Mertens’ spiffy coffee table book, Bangkok: Thai Ideas in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis Reports: Apartment Asian Massage Parlors (AAMP) in North America
Today, your WoWasiscorrespondents visit North America to report on Apartment Asian Massage Parlors. Also, read the WoWasis post on commonly used AAMP acronyms relating to practices at North American massage parlors). AAMPs, as they are commonly known, are most typically found in large apartment complexes, although a few “float” in hotels. Part of the service consists […]
Read the rest of this entry »Travel by train from Bangkok to Vientiane, Laos
One of our WoWasis correspondents decided to take the train, rather than fly from Bangkok, Thailand to Ventiane, Laos. Here’s his brief report on the experience: Train from Bangkok was actually really good. It was great to be traveling old school again without the stress, pain and endless queueing at airports. First Class sleeper is the […]
Read the rest of this entry »Foreign marriages to Cambodian women now kaput?
The Cambodian government recently outlawed all marriages between foreign men over 50 and Cambodian women of any age. Its stated reasons were to prevent trafficking and abuse. So it’s OK if you’re under 50, right? Wrong again. Foreigners who earn less than $2,550 USD per month are also excluded. That means a yearly salary of […]
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