We here at WoWasis love to take scenic trains. And there is none finer in Sri Lanka than the route along the Colombo-Kandy line that runs in the hill country north from Haputale to Badulla (see the video), through the towns of Ella, Demodara, and Bandarawela, and into the countryside. Or you can go south, […]
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Than Phuying and Khun Ying: what do those titles mean in Thailand?
Western readers of Bangkok newspapers often are challenged by the titles of Thai individuals — particularly women — that they see in the papers. Two of the most common are Than Puying and Khun Ying. What do they mean? These are honorific titles based on The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao, established in […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Bangkok forensic science maven Porntip Rojanasunan’s new book ‘The Dead DO Talk’
The Director of Thailand’s General Institute of Forensic Science is the famous Dr. Porntip Rojanasunan, who co-founded the agency in 2002. With her jet-set hair, stylish wardrobe, and enthusiasm for forensic science, she’s one of the most photographed women in Thailand. She’s also well-loved and humble, and was voted by Reader’s Digest readers in 2010 […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
Arugam Bay in southeast Sri Lanka is fairly well known for surfing, and waves are best in the high season, between April and October. In low season, it’s still a great getaway, with plentiful inexpensive beach bungalows and hotels, picturesque fishing boats, and an opportunity to swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis tours the Pottuvil Lagoon mangroves near Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
Arugam Bay in southeast Sri Lanka is fairly well known for surfing and other water sports, but you’ll be missing something extraordinary if you don’t take a nearby mangrove eco-tour in the village of Pottuvil. The tour is by outrigger, polled through the mangrove waters by local people, is managed by the Hidiyapuram Fisheries Cooperative […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis bids fond goodbye to publisher Barney Rosset
Legendary publisher and WoWasis friend Barney Rosset died this week at the age of 89. Although primarily known as the publisher of Grove Press and the Evergreen Review, he is particularly memorable in Thailand for publishing Patpong Sisters, the late Cleo Odzer’s role-switching romp through the nightlife of Bangkok. We interviewed him back in 2004 […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis beer review: Some great beers from Sri Lanka
Similar to the situation in which we found ourselves while reviewing Vietnamese beers, we here in your WoWasis beer tasting room can’t find any reason not to stay exclusively with Sri Lankan-produced beers while in that country. Sri Lankan stouts and lagers rank with the best in Asia. Here’s our report: For sheer everyday drinkability, […]
Read the rest of this entry »Was I nearly the victim of a drug scam in Malaysia?
The Good Manner: Advice on Asia from WoWasis’ Pa Farang Today’s dilemma: was I nearly a victim of a Malaysian drug scam? Dear Pa Farang, A friend and I had a strange thing happen to us on a recent trip to Patong. While walking down a major thoroughfare, we were approached by two men who […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Sri Lanka’s magnificent Aluvihara rock monastery
In the ancient cities area of Sri Lanka, on the road from Dambulla to Kandy, 3 km north of Matale, is Aluvihara, an undervisted and non-commercial shrine that we here at WoWasis feel is well worth a stop, We loved the Dambulla cave temples nearby, but the overt commercialism there we found to be disconcerting. […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Sri Lanka’s Spice Garden hawkers
On the road from Colombo to Kandy, especially near the area close to the Elephant Orphanage (which we feel is overpriced and unworth the visit, unless you’ve never seen an elephant before), you’ll find a number of signs saying ‘Spice Garden,’ or ‘Spice Grove,’ fronting local spice operations. We visited one of them, The Island 25 […]
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