My goodness, did we get some responses to our recent men’s spas in Thailand and soapy massage and museum on same day blog posts! Many of those writing were curious as to how these soapy body-to-body massage spas are operated, and how they can get one. We’re going to tell you how these soapy massage […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'Culture & History' Category
Why is my limousine hot pink? Of Thai birthdays, Buddha hand positions, and colors
Even casual visitors to Thailand have told us here at WoWasis that they’ve noticed a seeming color clash at practically every step. Here’s a house painted hot pink and yellow. A Bangkok taxi cab is green and yellow. A shop has red and green walls, but it’s not Christmas. Somewhat subtler are the sculptures of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thai taxes: how are those roads and hospitals paid for in Thailand?
One day a few years back, one of us here at WoWasis had to go to a hospital in Thailand on an emergency basis. We got all stitched up, and paid nothing. Why? Here’s another question: why are Thai roads so damn good? (Compare them with the Philippines, which has some of the worst roads […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis cruises Thailand’s River Kwai: a confluence of indolence and history
WoWasis is on a 4 day river tour on one of Asia’s most storied rivers, accompanied by a cold beer as the sun begins to set. The boat we’re on is the RV River Kwai, a beautifully appointed river craft. The first inland cruise ship in Thailand, this newly-built colonial style river cruiser is based […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thailand’s Railway of Death: 250 tough miles to Burma on the River Kwai
The Thailand-Burma railway, built from June 1942 through October, 1943, spanned a distance of 250 miles, running from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbuyuzayat, Burma. A number of books, both fact and fiction, have been written on this legendary and ill-fated railway, built on the backs and contributing to the deaths of thousands of slave laborers […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Pierre Boulle’s ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’
Here at WoWasis, we’re not averse to reviewing an older book, especially one that was written a couple of generations ago. It’s well past its original buzz, which, in the case of this book, includes a major motion picture as well. Fact is, many in today’s generation haven’t read it. And it’s timeless. We just […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thailand’s elephants: making paper from poop
Your WoWasis research team has uncovered a new way of making paper, and elephant dung provides the material. Taking a tour or trekking by elephant has been a favorite of western travelers to Thailand for decades. These sure-footed, gracious, and well-tempered animals can take you on a ½ hour to 1 hour walk through the […]
Read the rest of this entry »The Good Manner: Help, my girlfriend’s a phone freak!
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: My girlfriend’s a Phone Freak Dear Pa Farang, My Thai girlfriend and I have been living together for over one year now, and I just can’t seem to break her of the habit of carrying a mobile phone constantly, and answering it […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thai television soap operas… not always the Good Manner
If you watch any amount of television at all in Thailand, you’re bound to run into a Thai soap opera. And even if you don’t speak Thai, you’ll be able to distinguish the heroes form the villains, due to the success of these extremely formulaic dramas. Here at WoWasis, we think they’re worth an occasional […]
Read the rest of this entry »PC Air’s ladyboys to be Thailand’s queens of the skies
Freshly-minted Thai regional airline PCAir won’t make its first flight for several months yet, but here at WoWasis, we applaud them for staffing up with ladyboys in its effort to have a diversified work crew. Perhaps the highest profile ladyboy hired so far is Miss Tiffany Universe 2007 winner Thanyarat Jirapatpakorn. The Bangkok Post notes that […]
Read the rest of this entry »
