Posts published in “Thailand”

A Golden Walk Over the Chao Phraya: Bangkok’s Proposed Pedestrian Bridge Bangkok is flirting with a new kind of skyline showpiece — a pedestrian-only bridge over the Chao Phraya River that promises to be as much a strolling promenade as a photo-ready landmark. Unveiled recently by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the concept features a modern, golden lattice structure with a central garden and stepped seating where people can pause, take in the river, and snap that perfect skyline shot. If the bridge goes ahead, it would be the first crossing on the Chao Phraya dedicated solely to foot traffic. That’s notable in a city where most river crossings prioritize vehicles and passengers hopping on and off ferries. The proposed span is planned to link Chiang Mai Road on one bank with Songwat Road near Chinatown on the other — a neat, walkable tie between two neighborhoods that have been…

Thailand’s national parks staged a green and glorious comeback for the New Year: more than 1.5 million nature-loving visitors streamed through gates and trails between 31 December 2024 and 4 January 2025, flocking to forests, waterfalls, and coastal havens as part of a broad government push to boost domestic travel while protecting the environment. A crowd-pleasing, eco-friendly holiday The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) rolled out a series of initiatives aimed at marrying festive travel with sustainability. Under the banner “Creating happiness for Thais, from the heart of MNRE,” park managers promoted simple but powerful habits — sort your rubbish, skip the single-use plastic, and leave nature better than you found it. The result: full campsites, busy lookouts and, importantly, cleaner trails than you might expect for a holiday rush. Numbers that tell the story Permanent Secretary Dr Raweewan Bhuridej confirmed the MNRE-managed sites drew over 1.5 million…

A Photo Op or a Photo Fight? How Wat Arun’s Iconic Views Sparked a Social Media Dust-Up Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, has always been one of Bangkok’s most photogenic spots — sunrise light kissing its spires, visitors draped in traditional Thai costumes, and the river breezes carrying the scent of incense. Lately, though, the temple’s postcard-perfect image came with an unexpected extra: confrontation over who gets to be in the frame. The story went viral after Krisda “Pond” Witthayakhajorndet, founder of the entertainment company Be On Cloud, shared an account on X that struck a chord. Pond wrote about visiting Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan on January 2 and being impressed by the sea of tourists — many of them renting traditional Thai outfits and clearly enjoying the dramatic backdrop. What spoiled the vibe, he said, was a local photographer aggressively prioritizing paying clients by repeatedly moving other tourists…

Whispers on the beach turned into a very public request for answers this week in Phuket. A group of nightlife operators, led by Apichet Phulsong — vice president of the Patong Beach Entertainment Venue Association — marched into Phuket Provincial Hall with a petition asking the governor to formally investigate explosive online rumours that some government officials have been soliciting bribes from entertainment and tourism businesses across the island. The petition, delivered by roughly 30 association representatives on behalf of an organization that claims to represent more than 400 establishments in Patong alone, was accepted by Damrongtham Centre director Monchai Saelao, who stood in for the governor. Monchai listened, assured the group their concerns would be passed up the chain, and promised an investigation aimed at restoring fairness and confidence for law-abiding operators. Why the sudden drama? It started with social media chatter and local press reports alleging that certain…

It was meant to be another sun-drenched memory from an island holiday — a couple perched on the rocks of Na Muang 2 Waterfall in Koh Samui, framing a selfie with the jungle’s roars and glints of water in the background. Instead, the afternoon of January 5 turned tragic when 22-year-old French tourist Alexis Vergos slipped from the fifth tier of the cascade and was later found lifeless in the pool on the fourth tier. According to local authorities, Alexis and his girlfriend, identified by interpreter Pimprapha Sakulpram as Romane, climbed up to the waterfall’s higher tiers earlier that day. While attempting to take photos, both reportedly lost their footing on the slick rocks. Romane miraculously managed to grab a tree branch and hold on — a desperate, split-second move that saved her life. Vergos, however, was swept away by the current and plunged to a lower level. Those onshore…

Ten Nights in Room 301: A Malaysian Traveler’s Uneasy Stay in Thailand Imagine checking into a well-known hotel in Thailand for a ten-night stay, expecting relaxation and room service, only to find yourself in the middle of a nightly mystery series. That’s exactly what one Malaysian woman claims happened to her, and her Facebook post—picked up by Khaosod—has since made fellow travelers double-check their reservations and bed-time routines. She didn’t name the hotel, only that it’s famous and that she stayed in room 301. What she did report, however, reads like a checklist of small annoyances stitched together into something much more unsettling: a bathroom light that began to flicker right after check-in, an air conditioner that stubbornly locked at 25°C, repeated awakenings between 3am and 4am, a mysterious fortune slip appearing where it hadn’t been before, a tap that wouldn’t stop dripping, and the odd vanishing-and-returning tissue roll. It…