Posts published in “Thailand”

Thailand’s skies have sent a firm RSVP: expect rain, drama and the occasional thunderous drumroll. The Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued a broad warning after spotting a monsoon trough stretching through the central, eastern and lower northeastern regions that connects to an active low‑pressure system over the South China Sea. Add a beefed‑up southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand, and you’ve got the recipe for widespread heavy showers — some of them sudden and spectacular. In plain speak: scattered thundershowers will pop up across the country, and certain patches — including Bangkok and its suburbs — could see very heavy downpours. The TMD is asking people who live near foothills, waterways and low‑lying areas to prepare for flash floods and runoff. In short: don’t be cavalier about puddles that look deeper than they are. Mariners, listen up: seas will be noisy. The upper…

Thailand is turning up the heat on the global food scene with a bold new contest: a national curry rice championship designed to crown the country’s top Khao Gaeng chefs and elevate Thai “curry rice” to an iconic status alongside world-famous dishes. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), working with the Thai Restaurant Association and a stable of partners, has launched the campaign to showcase Khao Gaeng — the beloved, no-fuss rice-and-curry plate found in every neighborhood — as a signature of Thai culinary culture. TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool framed the campaign with confident flair: “Just as Nasi Lemak represents Malaysia, and Laksa or Hainanese chicken rice represent Singapore, Khao Gaeng is a quintessential part of Thai food culture.” It’s a simple observation with big ambition. The goal is to take a dish that’s been feeding locals and delighting travelers for generations and give it a polished global spotlight. Accessible,…

Shopee turned its 10th anniversary 9.9 sale into an all-out e-commerce carnival, smashing records and proving that Thai shoppers love a good deal — and they mean business. According to Kongkrit Lawlertratana, head of marketing commercial at Shopee Thailand, more than one million orders were placed within the first 30 minutes after the September 9 launch. That’s not a warmup; that’s a rocket launch. “The 9.9 campaign highlighted the seamless connections between buyers, sellers and creators through Shopee Live, Shopee Video and the Shopee Affiliate Programme,” Kongkrit said — and the numbers back him up. This year the platform leaned heavily into interactive content and creator-fueled promotion, turning browsers into buyers at an astonishing pace. Shopee Live emerged as the event’s powerhouse. Sellers used real-time demos, flash promos and playful host energy to turn viewers into instant purchasers. One local seller recorded a 29-fold increase in sales during the campaign,…

Late on the night of September 18, what should have been a brief and joyful arrival in Phuket turned into a family nightmare on Patong Beach. Fifty-three-year-old Laurent Simon, who had flown in just a day earlier with his brother, sister and brother-in-law for a seaside visit, drowned after being swept out by powerful monsoon currents during a late-night swim — despite red warning flags lining the shore. According to Patong Police, the group entered the water at about 2:30 a.m. behind the Tourist Police office, north of Bangla Road. Lifeguards and police later confirmed that red flags were posted along the beach at the time, a clear signal that conditions were hazardous. But in the hush of the night, when the ocean’s roar can feel both inviting and deceitful, the family waded into surf that had already been judged unsafe. When the fierce currents took hold, Laurent’s sister, Francoise,…

Asia’s Hidden Gems Are Having Their Moment — and Agoda Is Handing Out Maps Forget the postcard-perfect crowds. This year, travellers are steering their compasses away from the usual suspects and discovering Asia’s quieter, quirkier corners. Agoda’s latest data shows a clear pivot: accommodation searches for secondary destinations across the region are growing 15% faster than searches for traditional tourist hubs compared with the same period last year. That’s not a trickle — it’s a tide of curiosity sweeping beyond capitals and beach resorts into provincial towns, rice-terraced valleys and coastal villages where local life still hums at its own pace. It’s a shift you can spot from Bangkok’s backroads to Japan’s obscure island hamlets. The trend is particularly prominent in Thailand, India, Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia — countries whose tourism ministries are busy rolling out invitations to look beyond their headline cities. In Thailand, for example, the government has…

What do you get when you swap a four-figure lottery habit for a humble 200‑baht whim? For 53‑year‑old Samruay Phangkonrak of Phra Thong Kham in Nakhon Ratchasima, the answer was two golden tickets and a life-changing 12 million baht windfall. The Government Lottery Office confirmed the jackpot-winning first prize number for the September 16 draw as 074646. Other notable results were front three-digit numbers 740 and 512, back three-digit numbers 308 and 703, and the two-digit prize 58. But for Samruay, the only number that mattered was 074646 — twice over. Photo courtesy of KhaoSod Samruay, a regular lottery player who usually spends about 2,000 baht per draw, decided to cut his spending to just 200 baht for this round. The tiny budget tweak paid off spectacularly: he bought two tickets that matched the first prize and each ticket was worth 6 million baht. “This is my first time winning,…

What began as an ordinary evening in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao neighborhood turned grim on the night of September 16 when a woman was found unresponsive beneath a shopping mall parking structure. The incident — which took place at about 7:30pm at a well-known department store in the Chatuchak district — has left neighbors and shoppers asking how someone could end up on the roadway below a second-floor lot. Police Lieutenant Chakkrit Suwanwong, deputy inspector of Phahonyothin Police Station, coordinated a multi-agency response that included forensic officers, medical staff from the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital, and rescue volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation. Emergency teams described a scene of rapid, solemn activity as responders worked to stabilise and assess the woman before she was transported for further examination. Witnesses at the scene reported a sudden discovery: people had passed through the area earlier without noticing anything out…

GPS Gone Rogue: Pattaya Physiotherapist’s Wild Ride Ends With 2km Forest Hike What began as a simple afternoon photo hunt at Krok Ma Tai Waterfall turned into an unexpected wilderness adventure for 23-year-old physiotherapist Punnyawat Buddachun. On the evening of Monday, September 15, Punnyawat found himself trudging through dense forest as dusk closed in after his motorcycle toppled on a steep hillside — all thanks to a misbehaving GPS that routed him down a treacherous track instead of a proper road. The Sawang Boriboon Pattaya Rescue Foundation received the call at around 7:00 pm reporting a stranded rider in Pong subdistrict, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri. Rescue teams scrambled, deploying off-road vehicles to reach the Khao Phai area where Huay Yai police were already assisting the tired and dirt-smattered rider. Witnesses described him as exhausted and grateful; he had walked more than 2 kilometres through thick undergrowth to find help. Punnyawat’s…

It was a scene more typical of a soap opera than a sleepy temple night: a drumbeat, a livestream, a locked monk’s quarters — and a crowd outside demanding answers. Villagers in Kalasin’s Kae Pae subdistrict, Mueang district, woke up a community and a controversy after discovering a woman inside the abbot’s private room just after 11pm on the evening of September 16. According to local reports, the alarm was first raised by a temple boy who saw an outsider slip into the abbot’s living quarters and sounded the warning by beating a drum. That old-fashioned signal rippled through the neighbourhood faster than a text message, and within minutes dozens of people had gathered under the temple’s lantern light. By 11:07pm, someone had started livestreaming the commotion on Facebook — and the scene was being watched in real time by viewers beyond the village. Police from Kalasin City Station arrived…