THAISiDE|PRAJUMSOOK.COM

In these times of dread, when so much of the news is about death, terrible natural disasters and other horrible stories, it is good to read something amusing, like this. June 24, 2006 - Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images Olympic 400 mtrs champion, LeShawn Merritt (Didn’t even know who he was) is in a spot of bother. He has been suspended after failing a drug test three times.

For a while now I have been doing a number of other blogs about Thailand. These are more personal ones about every day things that I experience in Thailand. This first one is a “moblog” which I will go into more detail later. It is called that because I blog from my mobile phone

I first heard of the Tiger Temple over 10 years ago on a TV documentary but it’s taken me this long to get around to going there. The documentary showed the temple in a good light, a few conservationists argued against it, but their argument was that tigers should be kept naturally not as pets, nothing about cruelty. The abbot of the temple countered by saying what was important was Tiger happiness and saving tigers, and with tigers virtually extinct I found his pragmatism pretty sensible so I had no qualms about visitng.

When we talk about horse polo, we usually think of the colonials in places like India. I watched my first polo match in Gilgit in Pakistan about 15 years ago. It was a thrilling game played out on a dusty pitch surrounded on all four sides by enthusiastic locals

On the 12th of August I ventured to a local Muay Thai fight night taking place about 25 klms from my house. It was due to start at 8pm but I didn’t leave home till around half past eight pm as if you have lived in Thailand long enough, you know things nearly never start on time. I arrived and went to pay my entrance fee, another lady farang friend had arrived at the same time, I was asked for 80 Baht and she was asked for 60 Baht.

This wonderful little gorge on the Khan river is one of my favourite weekend getaways. I didn’t have anything special in mind when heading out there this afternoon, just dangling my feet in the water, having a little swim, reading my book, taking a few pictures in the green season - the above picture was shot in March. The thing is, I am often asked for tips to see the “real Thailand”

Eight years ago, on my first visit, I saw an aerial photo of a golden chedi on a hilltop near a river, surrounded by lush fields and more mountains. I immediately knew I wanted to go there but I had no idea where to look, or what the name of the temple was. I am a very simple person: I am captivated by images and atmosphere, a building or scenery can amaze me if I feel a connection to it, but I switch off if I find a place lacking character even if it has centuries of history and fame. (As it turned out, my chedi had both.) But then, I forgot about the golden chedi for years.

Experts are warning people how to avoid lightning strikes, which have increased to 100,000 occurrences a month in Thailand. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) says at least 1.3 million lightning strikes occurred nationwide last year, up from 1.2 million the year before, or more than 100,000 strikes a month on average.

Campaign against Alcohol Abuse in Observance of the Buddhist Lent (04/07/2009) The Ministry of Public Health is joining forces with public and private organizations in launching a campaign against alcohol abuse, marking “No Alcohol Day,” which coincides with the start of the three-month Buddhist Lent, or Buddhist Rains Retreat. Known in Thai as Khao Phansa, Buddhist Lent Day this year falls on July 8, the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month. A group of young people, including performing artists, met Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva before a Cabinet meeting on June 30 to show their appreciation for his efforts to raise public awareness of alcohol abuse. The group also urged Cabinet members and the general public to refrain from drinking alcohol during the three-month Buddhist Lent.

Long before Chiang Mai was founded some 700 years ago, the Mon people set up the legendary kingdom of Haripunchai in the area that is today known as Lamphun. Wat Chammathewi (also known as Wat Kukut) dates back to the 8th century. The spire on top of the chedi is said to have been lost during an earthquake, hence the alternative “nickname”