Erawan waterfalls in Kanchanaburi province

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 07:37:00 GMT

The Erawan waterfalls are some of the best in Thailand. They are located 60 km away from Kanchanaburi and about 5 km away from the Srinakarin dam.

I loved it actually, even if I found it very hard. It took us about one and a half hour to reach the last level and I was so so tired that my dad had to carry me all the way down

But you have clear waters there, and you can swin in the small ponds at the bottom of the waterfalls. With the fishes. It is a bit cold but climbing up makes you so hot that it is a welcome refief to be able to cool yourself.

The entrance

And what we will have to go through

And here we go

The different levels, in no particular order

And I was so hot that I coud not resist

And I was not the only one

More pictures in the Photo galleries

Kanchanaburi war cemetery

admin@farangrakthai.com — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:32:00 GMT

When I was in Kanchanaburi, I visited a cemetery, a war cemetery. My dad told me it is where some people who were taken prisoners by the Japanese, during the second world war, are buried. But when I looked at the tombs, people buried there were very young. Most were less than 30 years old. Why did they die so young?

The entrance

And I took quite a few pictures

Rain, flooding and the Srinakarin dam in Kanchanaburi

admin@farangrakthai.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:13:00 GMT

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La traversée du pont sur la river Kwai à Kanchanaburi

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:06:00 GMT

Je suis allé le week-end dernier à Kanchanaburi, environ 135 km à l'ouest de Bangkok, environ une heure et demi de route. Un endroit connu pour son pont, le pont sur le rivière Kwai.

Et vous pouvez le traverser une étroite passerelle située au milieu des rails

Le jour, ce n'est pas trop difficile, mais la nuit, le pont n'est pas éclairé

Et cela devient donc plus difficile. Et certainement plus effrayant. Je m'accrochais donc à ma maman.

Mais au moins, la nuit, on ne recontre pas de train, ils ne circulent pas la nuit. Ce n'est pas le cas pendant la journée, un train passe plusieurs fois par jour, que vous soyez, ou non, sur le pont. De petites plates-formes de dégagement sont prévues pour les piétons.

Et il passe très près de vous

Walking on the bridge over the river Kwai

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:16:00 GMT

I went to Kanchanaburi last weekend. It is about 135 km west of bangkok, a one and a half drive by car and it is a place known for its bridge, the bridge over the river Kwai.

I was staying at the Felix hotel, next to the bridge

And if the bridge is a bridge for trains, you can I walk on it, on a footpath in between the rails.

A very narrow footpath

And if it is Ok during the day, when it is dark, it is getting a bit tricky, you just can't see anything

And well, if you want to cross during the night, up to you

But I managed, with the help of my mum.

After 7 p.m, no train is coming, fortunately. But it is not the case during the day. So you have a few small platforms on which you can take refuge when the train is coming

But the train is still getting pretty close to you

Feeding the animals in Nong Nooch botanical gardens in Pattaya

admin@farangrakthai.com — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:27:00 GMT

The Nong Nooch Botanical Gardens are located 17km South of Pattaya, on the way to Rayong. This is a very big park with lot of gardens and lot of fun activities for kids.

I went there last weekend with my parents and I just loved it. Not so much the gardens, which are some of the nicest in Thailand, according to my dad, but because there are plenty of animals I can give food to.

Starting with

And fighting for it

Less fighting

But there are plenty of animals to feed there.

The birds also

And of course, the elephants, quite a lot of them there

And the fishes

And plenty of others to feed, but not sure I want to know what this one eat...

But this park is about gardens, not animals, and they have very beautifully maintained gardens. I like them also but too much walking, I got tired after the animals feeding. But I managed...

In any case, if you plan to go there, you will need at least half a day to see the park, if not more. We stayed there for about 3 1/2 hours and did not get the time to see everything.

And more pictures of the gardens are in the Photo Galleries

And more info and photos about Pattaya here Pattaya - Photos and info

La grippe A - H1N1 en Thailande, l'ancien Ministre de la Santé atteint

admin@farangrakthai.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:28:00 GMT

Nous en sommes maintenant à environ 10000 personnes infectées et un peu moins de 100 morts. Mais le Ministère de la Santé pense qu'il y a plus d'un demi-million de cas en Thailande.

Et parlant du Ministère de la Santé, un des derniers cas recensés est celui de l'ancienne Ministre de la Santé, celle du gouvernement Thaksin. Madame l'ancienne Ministre, Sudarat Keyuraphan, a été testée positive pour le virus H1N1 et est maintenant soignée à l'hôpital Bumrungrad à Bangkok. Au Tamiflu. Elle accuse le gouvernement actuel de ne pas faire suffisamment pour combattre la contagion galopante en Thailande, mais étant dans l'opposition, elle le faisait déjà avant dêtre atteinte du virus de la grippe A, je supposes.

Ce qui me fait me demander la raison pour laquelle le virus se propage aussi vite en Thailande.

En Europe et en Amérique du Sud, on nous demande de ne plus s'embrasser quand on rencontre des amis, de ne plus se donner la main, et ce afin de ne pas rendre la vie trop facile aux virus pour sauter de personne en personne.

Mais en Thailande, les gens ne s'embrassent pas et ne se donnent pas la main, ils "wai", donc ce facteur de contagion est beaucoup moindre. Alors pourquoi le nombre de personnes infectées est il bien plus élevé qu'en France? Celà doit venir d'ailleurs et je suis assez persuadé que ailleurs, ce sont les écoles Thais. Contrairement à l'Europe, elles ne sont pas fermées en Thailande, les vacances sont terminées depuis longtemps. Et ce sont certainement des endroits où la contagion est, et a été particulièrement rapide Et les enfants transmettant le virus aux adultes qu'ils rencontrent, Bangkok est devenue rapidemment la ville la plus touchée par la grippe A.

Ce qui me fait craindre une explosion des cas de grippes en Europe dans environ un mois, à la rentrée des classes.

Thai Health Minister got the swine flu

admin@farangrakthai.com — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:44:00 GMT

I mean one of the last "elected" Thai Health Minister, from 2002 to 2005, not the present one , not yet anyway.

Sudarat Keyuraphan is treated at the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok with Tamiflu after tests confirmed she has the H1N1 virus.

She, of course, thinks that the present government does not do enough for containing the spread of the virus, which anyway she was probably also saying before being infected.

And it makes me wonder how so many Thai people get infected in the first place, I mean adult Thai people. We are told in Europe to not kiss the friends we meet, not even shake hands with them in order to limit the spread of the virus, but Thai people do not kiss the friends they meet, they do not shake hands, they wai at each other.

The spread of the virus should therefore be slower in Thailand than in "kissing countries" like France but it is not the case, on the contrary. Why is it so?

One of the reasons, I think, is that school holidays in Thailand, contrary to most of Europe, ended 2 months ago. It gave plenty of time for the virus to propagate in that fertile environment, and for the children to transmit the virus to adults. Giving Thailand a head start in the infection rate.

But we should catch up soon in Europe, schools will re-open next month and weather will get colder, perfect conditions for the H1N1 virus.

More than half a million people infected by the H1N1 virus in Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 14:50:00 GMT

I have been trying to be zen about it up to now. People are paranoid about this new flu, I'm not, I know better, this is a mild flu that kills very few people. I'm from Europe, I'm used to it, nothing special, silly Thai people.

But well, now, if officially there about 9000 cases of people infected by the flu and 65 dead, half-officially, according to the Thai Health Authorities, more than 500,000 could have contracted the H1N1 virus in Thailand. Not that it surprises me that much, 90% of the people infected probably do not go to hospital, nor are they tested for the H1N1 virus (so maybe the number of people infected is far more than 500,000...).

But this flu is a mild one, as said before, so why am I paranoid about it?

Because it kills people who have respiratory difficulties and my son is one of them, he has asthma.
Any infection of the respiratory tract lands him in hospital, he just can't breathe anymore.
So what will happen if he gets this virus?
I'm sure not in a hurry to find out and decided to not put him back to school up to the time a vaccine is available.
He is only 3, so he won't miss much by not attending school.

There are risks I'm sure not ready to take, and this one is now top of the list.
Yes, I am now paranoid.

Will Khun Abhisit and Khun Thaksin exchange tweets?

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:10:00 GMT

The Thai Prime Minister, Khun Abhisit, has been on twitter for quite some time twitter.com/PM_Abhisit

As of today he has 1,933 followers and he follows 13 people.

I have news for him, an old "friend" of him is now on twitter also, i.e. Khun Thaksin twitter.com/thaksinlive

He still does not follow anybody but has 1,277 followers. I suggest Khun Abhisit as the first one to add to his list of people to follow.

And may I suggest to Khun Abhist to do the same? Adding Khun Thaksin to his list of people to follow.

And they could start exchanging tweets.

Visit of an Isaan village

admin@farangrakthai.com — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:44:00 GMT

I told you in my previous entry in this blog that I went fishing in a small village next to Mukdahan. I also spent some time in that village since my mother wanted to go to the wat (temple) there, take some mangoes and pappayas and a few kg of rice.

Here I am on the main street of the village. Not sure you noticed on the pictures I posted before but the blue is Thailand color (and HM the Queen's color), hence many things are painted blue (boats, houses, roof tiles...), so I'm also wearing blue

The blue telephone booth and the house next to it

The typical wooden house

The grocery store with the blue chairs

The Wat next to the Mekong river where we went praying

And what are the pople living there doing, besides fishing in the Mekong river? They grow rice, making Thailand the biggest exporter of rice in the world

Here they are, on they way

The rice fields

And we should not forget the well known Thai water buffalo. This one is pregnant, so a bit big.

And the Isaan ladies and girls selling mushrooms

A la pêche sur le fleuve Mékong

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:06:00 GMT

Lors de ma récente visite chez ma gran-mère à Mukdahan, je suis aussi aller visiter un village au bord du Mékong, à environ 20 kms au sud de Mukdahan. La majorité des gens habitant dans ce village cultivent le riz mais quelques-uns pêchent. Et j'ai trouvé cela bien plus intéressant que le riz.

On doit descendre quelques marches pour arriver à la rivière

Et en bas se trouvent les pêcheurs, l'un d'entre eux était là quand j'y suis allé, je me demande ce qu'il fait

Il répare son filet

Et il avait quelques poissons dans une petite cage près de lui et je lui ai demandé si je pouvais les voir. Ce qu'il a gentillement accepté et il est donc descendu de sa pirogue pour me les montrer

Et il disait que les poissons étaient petits. De plus en plus petits. Qu'ils pêchait de bien plus grands poissons dans le passé. Mais bon, moi je les ai trouvés grands, presqu'aussi grands que moi.

Tour de Isaan 2009

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:26:00 GMT

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Fishing in the Mekong river

admin@farangrakthai.com — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:46:00 GMT

When I was in Mukdahan last weekend, I went to a small village about 30 km south of Mukdahan where my grand mother has some family. This village is next to the Mekong river and there is quite a few fishermen. They use small blue nets to catch the fishes and can sometimes catch pretty big ones, or should I say they could in the past, less and less these days.

You have to go down a few stairs to reach the Mekong river

And here I am, looking at one of them

And here he is repairing his net

And well, I asked him to see some the fishes he was keeping in the river next to me. And he kindly get out of his boat and showed them to me.

Here are the fishes, quite big actually, about half my size

Ma rencontre avec un moine bouddhiste très spécial

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:41:00 GMT

En tout cas, ma maman dit qu'il est très spécial. Il vit depuis 30 ou 40 ans, personne ne sait vraiment, dans une petite maison en bois de 10 m2. Et il ne veut rien de ce que nous considérons indispensables, téléphone, TV, micro-onde, il a juste accepté un frigo. Si il reçoit quelque chose, il le donne. Et il ne veut pas de plus grande maison, enfin, je veux dire de maison. Et on vient le voir de loin parce que il a un don, du moins c'est ce qu'on dit, il voit le passé et le futur des gens. Et ma maman en est convaincue.

Je suis donc aller le voir, environ 30 minutes de route à partir de Mukdahan.

Le voici devant sa "maison"

Et priant avec moi et ma maman

Et le plus important, me bénissant pour que j'ai de la chance et sois en bonne santé

The start of the Buddhist Lent and my visit to a very special old monk in an Isaan village

admin@farangrakthai.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:54:00 GMT

The Bhudhist Lent comes with the rainy season in Thailand. It is called "Khao Phansa", a time for meditation. I was in Mukdahan the day it started and went to a small village quite far away from Mukdahan, a very small village. Where an old monk, who came from Cambodia, has been living for 30 or 40 years in a 9 m2 wooden house. Without TV, phone, whatever our civilization has to offer. He does not want it, or money. And my mum loves him , she says he sees things nobody sees, your past and your future. So I went to see him. Here he is in front of his house.

Praying with me and my mum

And giving me luck and health

A weekend in Pattaya

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:21:00 GMT

I love going to the beach and this is why I like going to Pattaya. I get into the car, I sleep a little bit and I am in Pattaya. Perfect.

My father does not like that much but he does not mind driving us there from time to time...

So, we went there this week end and it was as usual, fun.

The beach

The games

And walking street

And what did my father do?

He read the newspapers all day...

And here is a page about Pattaya Pattaya - Photos and info

And many more pictures in the Photo Galleries

Un week-end à Pattaya

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:18:00 GMT

Nous avons passé le week-end à Pattaya. J'aimes bien d'y aller parce que ce n'est pas loin de Bangkok, environ 140 km. Pour moi, cela veut dire une dizaine de minutes, le temps de m'endormir et le temps de me réveiller...

La journée, nous la passons sur la plage

ETsous les nombreux parasols

Et le soir, on joue

Avant d'aller sur la rue piétonnière (walking street). Où j'ai beaucoup aimé les glaces et les personnes qui les vendaient.

Et plus d'infos et de photos sur Pattaya ici Pattaya - Des photos et des infos

Et beaucoup d'autres photos dans la Gallerie de photos

Thailand International rally 2009

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:50:00 GMT

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Plus de mille cas de grippe H1N1 en Thailande. Est-ce un virus de grippe pour pays chauds?

admin@farangrakthai.com — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:01:00 GMT

Cela est maintenant officiel, il y a plus de 1000 personnes, dont beaucoup d'enfants, affectés pas le virus de la grippe porçine en Thailande.

Je suis dans ce pays depuis 12 ans et n'ai jamais entendu parler de cas de grippes. La grippe, c'est bien connu, aime le froid. La saison des grippes est l'hiver, entre Decembre et Mars dans l'hémisphère Nord. Et vous devez donc vous vacciner vers le mois de Novembre.

La raison pour laquelle les sociétés pharmaceutiques espèrent avoir développé un vaccin pour Septembre ou Octobre, pour la saison des grippes.

Oublient-ils que ce virus est né au Mexique, où il n'y a pas d'hiver?

Se pourrait-il que ce virus de grippe aime les températures élevées contrairement à ses cousins?

Et sera donc bien plus dangereux, il n'y aura plus de saison pour la grippe...

Is the H1N1 virus the first flu virus that likes summer and hot temperatures? More than 1000 cases in Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:41:00 GMT

So, this is now official, there are more than 1000 cases of swine flu in Thailand. And probably many more since not too many people in Thailand will go to the the hospital when they get a fever. And get tested for the H1N1 virus.

I actually never heard about Thai people getting the flu before. For good reasons, I think, isn't the flu virus a virus that likes winter and low temperatures?

But this flu virus is different, it was born in an hot country and started affecting people when temperatures were on the high side.

So when we are told a vaccine for this swine flu virus has to be developped before the flu season, i.e. before winter time in the North hemisphere, do they forget this particular virus was born in Mexico, where there is no winter?

And it is the case, as it seems it is, we're going to be in troubles. No more flu season, the flu will be in summer and winter. And it could kill a lot of people in developping countries, people who were so far "protected" because they live in a country having a hot climate...

Price and quality of local beers in Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:21:00 GMT

I recently wrote (complained?) about the increase taxation on alcoholic beverages in Thailand that resulted in a substantial increase in the price of beer. The post is here : Price of beer up steeply in Thailand

But what local beers will you actually find in Thailand? And what is their price and taste (disclaimer: the taste comments are about my taste only)

The order is by taste, the one I like first. And well, unfortunately in reverse order of price.

1. Singha beer

Now baht 31 for a 33 cl can and baht 56 for a 66cl bottle. Alcohol content has been reduced from 6 to 5% not that long ago. It made it better, for me at least. I think the only Thai beer that can really be called a beer. By my European standards.

2. Chang beer

The one with the 2 elephants on the bottle. The stongest one with 6.4% alcohol and one of the cheapest one with baht 21 for a 33 cl can. Not my taste but a favourite among many expats in Thailand.

3. Cheers beer

This is a relatively new comer on the Thai market. Alcohol content is 5.6% and this is the second cheapest at baht 24 for a can. Taste is too sweet and fruity for me.

4 Leo beer

The worst one, by far, for me. And not the cheapest at baht 26 for a 33 cl can. Alcohol content is 5.5% . I drank it only twice. There probably won't be a third time.

And you have all the foreign beers brewed in Thailand, Asahi from Japan, Tiger from Singapore, Heineken from Holland. With my favourite being Asahi from Japan.

Le prix et qualité des bières en Thailande

admin@farangrakthai.com — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:48:00 GMT

J'ai récemment écrit sur le fait que la taxe sur la bière (et toutes les autres boissons alcoolisées) avait récemment augmenté en Thailande. Le commentaire est ici: Prix des boissons alcoolisées en Thailande

Mais que trouvez-vous comme bières locales en Thailande et que valent elles en termes de prix et de goût?

Par ordre de prix.

1. La bière Chang

Une des bières favorites d'un certain nombre d'expatriés en Thailande. La plus forte (6.4%) et la moins chère, entre 19 et 21 baht pour une canette de 33cl. Chang veut dire éléphant en Thailandais et vous avez donc 2 éléphants sur le sigle de la marque. je n'aime pas mais bon, c'est bon marché.

2. Cheers beer

Une nouvelle venue sur le marché. 24 baht pour une canette de 33 cl. Douce et fruitée avec 5.6% d'alcool. Je n'aime pas non plus. Trop "sucrée" à mon goût.

3. Bière Léo

La troisième de la série des bières bon marché. 26 baht pour une canette de 33 cl et 5.5% d'alcool. La pire des trois pour moi. J'en ai bu seulement une fois.

4. Bière Singha

La seule des bières Thailandaises que je bois. 31 baht pour une canette de 33 cl et 5% d'alcool (avnt 6%, ils l'ont réduit). La seule qui mérite le nom de bière suivant mes standards européens.

Et puis il y a les autres, toutes les étrangères brassées en Thailande, plus chères et plus connues, L'Asahi Japonaise, la Tiger Singapourienne, La Heineken Hollandaise. Ma préférence allant à la Japonaise, Asahi. Elle est sur une des photos ci-dessus, 31 baht pour une canette de 33cl.

Transport link between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam officially declared open

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:58:00 GMT

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La nourriture d'Isaan et de Mukdahan. Et du fleuve Mékong.

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:34:00 GMT

Je suis allergique à assez bien de choses, ce qui m'a conduit à l'hôpital plus d'une fois. Mais je ne suis pas allergique au poulet et au poisson. Ce que je préfères, surtout, c'est le poulet. Sous toutes ces formes.

Mais à Mukdahan, rien ne vaut un restaurant le long du fleuve, où vous avez la vue et le meilleur poisson que vous ayez jamais mangé. Et cela pour très peu d'argent, comme dit mon père. Ce qui pour lui le rend encore meilleur...

Et le poisson ne vient pas de loin. Il vient de la petite ferme aux poissons à quelques mètres du restaurant. Difficile d'avoir plus frais.

Et voici le poisson que mon papa aime le plus. Et moi aussi, sutout le sel qu'ils mettent sur la peau quand ils le cuisent. Je suis en fait celui qui mange la peau.

Et plus d'infos ici Nourriture d'Isaan à Mukdahan

Isaan food in Mukdahan and fish from the Mekong river

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 08:01:00 GMT

I'm allergic to eggs and seafood, but not to fish and meat. And when I go to Mukdahan, I get plenty of both. And I just love it. And it is very cheap there, says my father.

And you can eat next to the Mekong river, where not only the food is good, but the view is also.

And you know where the fish comes from, from a small fish farm, a few meter away from the restaurant. Can't be fresher.

And here is the fish my father just love. And me also. Especially the skin. They cook the fish with a lot of salt on the skin and I just love it. My parents can only eat the meat, the skin is for me.

But my favourite is still chicken, not from the same restaurant

And more of it here Isaan food in Mukdahan

L'étrange nourriture vendue sur le marché de Mukdahan

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:47:00 GMT

Je suis allé visiter ma grand-mère à Mukdahan le week-end passé et durant cette visite, je suis non seulement allé sur le Marché d'Indochine mais aussi sur le marché où l'on vend de la nouritture.

On y vend des légumes, épices, viande, poissons et de la nourriture pour le moins étrange. Ma maman y allait pour acheter des champignons pour retourner à Bangkok.

Et moi je suis allé juste à côté des champignons, où on pouvait acheter ceci

Et aussi de qui semblait être des écureils volant

Ceux-là me faisaient assez peur, je n'ai pas osé les toucher. Mais pas de problème avec ceux qui vivaient encore, dans le sac bleu.

J'ai même porté le sac pendant un certain temps, mais pas trop près quand même. Au grand amusement du vendeur.

Et quand je suis rentré à la maison, j'ai tout raconté à ma grand-mère qui a été fâchée sur ma maman. Je ne pouvais rien toucher sur le marché, c'est trop sale, dit-elle, après je vais être malade.

Mais moi j'aime ce qui est sale et surtout faire ce que je ne peux pas faire

Beggars in Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:47:00 GMT

In Thailand, and especially in Isaan, we do not let anybody down in the family. Family is sacred, all for one and one for all.

And this is why you do not see beggars in Isaan.

But why was this man sitting in the middle of the wet market, in Mukdahan?

Maybe he has no family to take care of him? But seeing him sitting alone in the middle of the alley made me feel very uncomfortable, I just did not know what to do.

And everybody was looking at me, what is the luk kreung going to do?

And I ran to my dad and mum, and asked them some money. To give to him. They gave me baht 20 and I gave it to him.

But he still did ne look at me.

I found it very strange and still do not understand why he was there. Alone.

Strange Isaan food at Mukdahan wet market

admin@farangrakthai.com — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:34:00 GMT

I was recently visiting my grand mother in Mukdahan and, as usual, went to the Indochina Market in the afternoon, along the Mekong river. But I also went to the wet market, where my mother wanted to buy mushrooms to go back to Bangkok, lot of mushrooms.

And what were they selling next to the mushrooms?

I was quite scared at first, they sure do not look too good. I did not like at all the dead ones but did not mind the half dead ones in the blue bag.

Even carrying a bag for a while, but keeping them as far as the length of my arm would allow. What the guy selling them found pretty amusing.

And it was not the only strange food I saw there

When we came back home, my grand mother was very angry on my mother. She said I can not touch anything on the wet market. Soka prok, she said, meaning dirty in Thai. Well, I'm a small boy, the dirtier, the better.

Un millier de moines venus à Mukdahan pour prier pour le Sud de la Thaïlande

admin@farangrakthai.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:29:00 GMT

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One thousand monks in Mukdahan praying for peace in the South of Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:08:00 GMT

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Cheese in Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:39:00 GMT

Do you like cheese?

You probably do if you're from continental Europe, especially the French.

But well, the Thais do not really like cheese. Or said differently, Thais never tasted cheese when they were young and hence, are not used to the taste. And the smell. So they do not buy it and no cheese is produced in Thailand.

And for cheese lovers, the only choice is the imported ones.

And imported means not really cheap. Photo taken in Carrefour Bangkok 2 days ago.

But did I say it is expensive...?

Baht 498 is more than Euro 10

So, if you can't live without cheese and come to Thailand, bring some with you...

Prix des fromages en Thaïlande

admin@farangrakthai.com — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:28:00 GMT

Les Thailandais n'aiment pas le fromage. En général, on n'aime pas ce qu'on ne connaît pas...Donc, il n'y a pas de production de fromage en Thailande, tout est importé, et donc très cher.

Et pour ceux qui lisent ce blog et aiment le fromage, un conseil, si vous venez en Thailande et aimez le camenbert, je vous conseille d'en emmener avec vous...

Photo prise au Carrefour de Rama 4 à Bangkok aujourd'hui

498 baht est environ 10 euros.

Et une autre

Et bon, si vous pouviez en prendre un peu pour moi aussi, ce n'est pas de refus...

Price of beer and alcoholic beverages up steeply in Thailand

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:41:00 GMT

The Thai government, as any other government in the world, needs mre revenues in this time of crisis. More revenues to feed the US$ 41 stimulus package they just approved.

And one way to get more revenues is to raise the taxes on alcoholic beverages and this is exactly what they did 2 weeks ago.

For beer, excise tax went from baht 55 to baht 60 per litre, from baht 110 to baht 120 for white liquor, and from baht 280 to baht 300 for blended liquor.

So how much more are you going to pay?

Let's take the example of the beer. Beer is usually sold in 66 cl bottles in Thailand, so an increase of baht 5 per liter means you're going to pay baht 3.5 more per liter, right? Wrong...

A bottle of Heineken in a supemarket was sold before the hike at baht 59. Today, it is baht 66, i.e. an increase of baht 7, double than the one coming from the rise in excise tax. Supermarket mathematics, I guess...

Not sure how much it increased in the pubs, they probably have different mathematical formulas also.

As for the stronger alcoholic beverages, I'm not sure how they calculated the new prices but considering they're far more expensive in the first place, the impact is little.

Here are today prices, picture taken in Carrefour Rama 4 in Bangkok, white alcohol (supposed to have increased by baht 10)

The price did not seem to have changed much but I'm not sure, I never buy any.

Le prix des boissons alcoolisées a fortement augmenté en Thailande

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Le gouvernement Thailandais ayant un trou budgétaire à combler a décidé ce mois-ci d'augmenter le taux de taxation des boissons alcoolisées.

Pour la bière, la taxe passe de 55 baht à 60 baht par litre. Pour les alcools blancs, de 110 à 120 baht et pour le reste, de 280 à 300 baht.

Mais que représente exactement pour le consommateur une augmentation de 5 baht par litre pour la bière? La bière, en Thailande, est généralement vendue dans des bouteilles de 66 cl, elle devrait donc augmenter de 3.5 baht par bouteille environ.

Et bien non, cela ne semble pas être une règle mathématique aussi simple. Prenons un exemple, une bouteille de Heineken coûtait 59 baht avec l'augmentation des taxes, elle coûte maintenant 66 baht, soit une augmentation de 7 baht et le double de l'augmentation due à la taxe. Même principe pour les autres bières...

Pas sûr de l'impact que cela a eu dans les cafés et autres pubs, le triple peut-être?

Gender reassignment in Thailand. Willingly or unwillingly...

admin@farangrakthai.com — Sat, 23 May 2009 06:48:00 GMT

Plastic surgeons in Thailand are well known for a procedure that, here, is considered as standard, gender re-assignment surgery. And they are also extremely skilled at re-attaching male private parts that would have been "accidentally" removed.

I'm going to elaborate a bit on these two points since the second one has been in the news lately.

Transsexuals, called Katoeys, or ladyboys, are generally more accepted in Thailand than in the western world. You can see quite an important number of them working in shops, restaurants, beauty salons or in the entertainment industry, as singers, dancers and well, prostitutes.

There are many cabaret shows, with Tiffanys in Pattaya being one of the best known. But you'll find others in most cities, like in Hua Hin where this photo was taken.

And hence, since you have a lot of them, you also have a lot of surgeons who developed a world class expertise in gender reassignment. They are also submitted to less stringent rules than in the west, where you need a psychiatric evaluation in order to be allowed the procedure. Not here, you've got the money, you'll get the operation. And for a fraction of the cost in the western world.

And now for the second point, not only are they good at removing male private parts, they are also very good at re-attaching a severed male organ.

The reason being, Thai women, some of them anyway, if they think that their husband is seeing another woman and could them for the new girl, will cut off the body part of their husband/boyfriend that they think is the cause of the problem.

This happened again recently in Pattaya and in Rayong.

In Pattaya, a woman married to a Belgian guy she thought was seeing another woman, just bit it off. Here is an except from the Nation.

A Belgian tourist was severely injured early Thursday when his Thai wife bit his male organ and almost severed it, police said.

And about one month earlier, in Rayong

On the night of April 26, he had been drinking at a friend’s house. When he got home, his wife accused him of being out with a kik (mistress or casual sex partner). An argument ensued and when the fighting eventually died down, the man fell fast asleep, owing to all the alcohol he had drunk.

As he was sleeping, he felt a sudden, searing pain in his groin. He looked down to see what must be every married man’s worst nightmare: blood pouring from his genitalia and his wife leaving the room clutching a bloody knife.

The first guy made it to the hospital and is expected to recover with the severed part having been re-attached.

The second guy also made it to the hospital and is also expected to recover, but the missing part will be missing forever.

Because, you see, these days, Thai women are also well aware that Thai surgeons are very good at re-attaching what they just cut off. So what do they do? They make sure the missing part will be missing forever.

By giving it to the dogs, the ducks, or the meat grinder...

And even if I'm sure it is considered a crime in Thailand, I never heard any of them being jailed for doing it.

So, for the men having a Thai girlfriend or wife, some advice, be careful...

Thai children looking for their Japanese father

admin@farangrakthai.com — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:23:00 GMT

Since the little Thai boy, Keigo Seito, found back his father thanks to his story being published on the front page of the newspapers ( Keigo ), 2 more children came to the newspapers, asking for help to find their Japanese father.

An 18 years old girl, Narumi Hamada, from Chiang Mai, and a stateless boy, also from Chiang Mai, who was left with a neighbour after his mother died and his father, Masato Niimura, went back to Japan.

I guess we will see plenty more in the coming weeks since the little Keigo is still part of the news almost daily. He is now going to school and talked to his father at the Japanese Embassy yesterday.

But I'm afraid the story will eventually lose its novelty and Kego will disappear from the news.

And with him, any hope for thousands of abandonned children in Thailand...

Une touriste allemande n'est pas morte de la grippe porçine à Hua Hin

admin@farangrakthai.com — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:04:00 GMT

Le Ministère de la Santé Thai a déménti la rumeur qui circulait hier disant qu'une touriste allemande était décédée de la grippe porçine. Elle est en fait décédée d'une pneumonie.

Pas vraiment un démenti, en fait, il a toujours été dit qu'elle était morte d'une pneumonie mais qu'elle était aussi atteinte du virus H1N1 qui aurait compliqué la pneumonie et l'aurait rendue mortelle.

Mais voilà, le Ministère dit aussi que les tests effectués en Thailande, tests qui montraient qu'elle avait le virus, c'était un blague de journaliste, une rumeur pour faire vendre les journaux. Les tests étaient en fait négatifs, pas la peine d'attendre une confirmation.

Et savez-vous, Messieurs les journalistes, que la Thailande a perdu assez de touristes sans avoir besoin d'une nouvelle grippe pour les effrayer?

Donc, non, la touriste allemande n'est pas morte de la grippe porçine, on en parle plus, s'il vous plaît...

A German tourist died of swine flu in Thailand. Not true says the Deputy Health Minister

admin@farangrakthai.com — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:53:00 GMT

They said yesterday the German tourist tested positive for the H1N1 virus and were waiting for further confirmation.

They say today she never tested positive for the H1N1 virus and died of pneunomia .

We know she died of pneumonia, it was said the first day. But it was also said that, maybe, she died of pneumonia because of complications coming from the flu virus. And that some tests came back positive.

But I do not think Thailand wants to scare the tourists more than they already are. So, we don't talk about it anymore. She died of pneumonia, no need to wait for further tests.

Well, I think she died faster than the rumor will, whatever the Health Minister is saying....

And, as of today, there are still 25 other people in quarantine in Thai hospitals for possible H1N1 infection. Four are foreigners: two from France, one from Switzerland and one from the US.

Hôpital Bumrungrad, encore.

Tue, 19 May 2009 11:12:00 GMT

Je suis sorti de l'hôpital il y a à peine 3 semaines et j'y suis de retour.

Mais plus pour la même raison.

Depuis hier, je n'arrive plus à manger, je vomis, j'ai la diharrée et une forte fièvre. Et je me sens vraiment mal, bien plus mal qu'il y a 3 semaines. J'ai mal de tête et mal au ventre tout le temps.

Les docteurs pensent que ce n'est pas trop grave, juste une infection bactérienne, mais par les temps qui courent, on préfère ne pas prendre de risques et je vais donc rester ici un peu, de nouveau.

Je suis dans une nouvelle chambre, à un étage où tout a été remplaçé. C'est beau mais j'en profite pas vraiment. Qui d'ailleurs profite de la beauté d'un hôpital? Les visiteurs peut-être mais sûrement pas les malades cloués au lit, comme moi.

Et cette fois, c'est sûr, je sors demain.

Archive

Erawan waterfalls in Kanchanaburi province

Kanchanaburi war cemetery

Rain, flooding and the Srinakarin dam in Kanchanaburi

La traversée du pont sur la river Kwai à Kanchanaburi

Walking on the bridge over the river Kwai

Feeding the animals in Nong Nooch botanical gardens in Pattaya

La grippe A - H1N1 en Thailande, l'ancien Ministre de la Santé atteint

Thai Health Minister got the swine flu

More than half a million people infected by the H1N1 virus in Thailand

Will Khun Abhisit and Khun Thaksin exchange tweets?

Visit of an Isaan village

A la pêche sur le fleuve Mékong

Tour de Isaan 2009

Fishing in the Mekong river

Ma rencontre avec un moine bouddhiste très spécial

The start of the Buddhist Lent and my visit to a very special old monk in an Isaan village

A weekend in Pattaya

Un week-end à Pattaya

Thailand International rally 2009

Plus de mille cas de grippe H1N1 en Thailande. Est-ce un virus de grippe pour pays chauds?

Is the H1N1 virus the first flu virus that likes summer and hot temperatures? More than 1000 cases in Thailand

Price and quality of local beers in Thailand

Le prix et qualité des bières en Thailande

Transport link between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam officially declared open

La nourriture d'Isaan et de Mukdahan. Et du fleuve Mékong.

Isaan food in Mukdahan and fish from the Mekong river

L'étrange nourriture vendue sur le marché de Mukdahan

Beggars in Thailand

Strange Isaan food at Mukdahan wet market

Un millier de moines venus à Mukdahan pour prier pour le Sud de la Thaïlande

One thousand monks in Mukdahan praying for peace in the South of Thailand

Cheese in Thailand

Prix des fromages en Thaïlande

Price of beer and alcoholic beverages up steeply in Thailand

Le prix des boissons alcoolisées a fortement augmenté en Thailande

Gender reassignment in Thailand. Willingly or unwillingly...

Thai children looking for their Japanese father

Une touriste allemande n'est pas morte de la grippe porçine à Hua Hin

A German tourist died of swine flu in Thailand. Not true says the Deputy Health Minister

Hôpital Bumrungrad, encore.