David Luekens

Mellow backpacker beaches: A dozen of my favorites in the Thai islands Is there anything better than kicking back in a simple bungalow, swaying in the hammock as a sea breeze soothes your soul?

A little something that might make you want to hit the islands...
thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/mellow-bac...

Health ministry pledges to review weed laws The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) has pledged to review restrictive cannabis regulations following mounting pressure from the group "Writing Thailand's Cannabis Future," which has urged swift gover...

Here comes the reversal to the reversal...
www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Been poking around sub-Reddit "ThailandTourism" and seems 90% of tourists go only to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Phi Phi, Samui, Phangan and/or Tao. Think I've never grasped how few ever go beyond these. Even places like Lanta and Hua Hin come across as alternative or unusual there.

Sure is nice to be back where I belong after 6 months in the United States of Insanity.

Thai minister aims to finally impose B300 tourism tax Thailand’s new minister of tourism and sports has vowed to start collecting a 300-baht tourism tax during his four-month term and instructed the relevant parties to communicate the benefits of t...

Maybe not the best timing for this considering Thailand's tourism industry is really struggling right now.
bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3115272/thai-minister-aims-to-finally-impose-b300-tourism-tax

Sure if you're time limited and can afford the flight which I think is a little pricey since Bangkok Airways is the only option (last I checked anyway). Kood is one of Thailand's most beautiful islands, enjoy!

10-15 years ago I barely questioned the stability of the US while fretting a lot about political violence in Thailand. Now that's completely reversed. Thailand, despite its problems, looks so stable now compared to the US.

Kuay chab yuan, the queen of breakfasts.

Peace Broker, Arms Supplier: China’s Dual Roles in a Deadly Conflict

Interesting piece on China's shadowy role in the Thai - Cambodian border conflict:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/w...

Strange and funny signs from Thailand Welcome to another frontier of English language usage.

If you could use a laugh
thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/strange-an...

Pheu Thai Makes an Offer to the People's Party An attempt to let bygones be bygones

Frankly, Pheu Thai alienated themselves and now it's looking like payback time for the 1st and 3rd largest parties, both of which have felt betrayed by Pheu Thai for one reason or another. (Great insightful analysis from @kenlmathis.bsky.social as always).
www.coffeeparliament.com/p/pheu-thai-...

Cheers!

How American does "full English breakfast":
1 Use only bacon we know.
2 Extra ketchup in baked beans.
3 Make mushrooms look like soccer balls.
4 Try frying tomatoes, feel dumb when they fall apart and burn.
5 Black Pudding? Is it a Bubonic Plague symptom?
6 Sloppy as all hell.
7 Super Size It.

This description of Doi Thu Le caught my eye while doing a little travel research for a northwestern Thailand trip later this year. Not perfectly written but does the trick.

Time for fair play in the taxi wars The taxi wars in Thailand are boiling over -- and the government must not turn a blind eye.

"In short, since 1992, taxi fares have gone up by 55%, while the cost of living has jumped 118%." <- This is why I've always tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. Tough way to make a living and getting harder.
www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin...

Trump signs executive order calling for foreign tourists to pay higher national park fees In its 2026 fiscal year budget proposal released in May, the Interior Department estimated that such a surcharge would generate more than $90 million annually.

I see on Xwitter some of the maga-inclined expat punters who've been kicking and screaming for years about duel prices at Thailand's national parks are now saying it's fine for Pres. Chump to do it.😒
www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/tru...

Marine expert warns of possible undersea volcanic eruption in Andaman Sea Renowned marine ecologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat has warned the public to remain vigilant over the possibility of an undersea volcanic eruption in the Andaman Sea. However, he stressed that there is n...

Political turmoil, protests, border closure, terrorism plot, floods, pollution, economic woes... Things couldn't get any worse for Thailand, could they?

Marine expert: Hold my beer
www.nationthailand.com/sustaination...

Rainy sunset casting everything with an orange glow here in Amherst, MA, just now.

Thailand's Bhumjaithai Party plans no-confidence vote against embattled PM Paetongtarn BANGKOK: Thailand's Bhumjaithai party, which left the ruling coalition last week, said on Tuesday (Jun 24) it would seek a parliamentary no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatr...

Now that the Move Forward crowd, the cannabis crowd, the yellow shirts, the Bhumjaithai party, the military, the courts and even "uncle" Hun Sen all appear lined up against Pheu Thai, it's hard to see this govt surviving much longer. But what comes next?
www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thai-pa...

Cannabis dreams go up in smoke In the fertile plains of Nakhon Ratchasima, Somkiat Nitiketkosol tends to his cannabis farm, Suan Fah Yim, with a heavy heart. For years, small- and medium-sized cannabis growers like him have weather...

Glad I quit smoking weed last year b/c if I hadn't I'd be stressing.😅 Definitely feel for growers, shop owners and workers, and yes stoners too. But the new rules come via ministerial decree, so they could change fast w/ a new govt. This isn't end of story.
www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Prime Minister's Call with Hun Sen Leaked; Bhumjaithai Leaves Coalition Pheu Thai government on verge of collapse

Political uncertainty and a serious border dispute should do wonders for Thailand's struggling tourism industry and economy in general. 😔
www.coffeeparliament.com/p/prime-mini...

Good to see some real protests happening. These dots are all protest sites on June 14th, the current president's birthday and the day of his North Korean style military parade, aka No Kings Day. Viva la resistance.
www.nokings.org

Direct Thailand-US flights back on radar Thailand will accelerate its efforts to establish direct flight routes between Thailand and the United States as part of the government&rsquo;s goal to position the country as an aviation hub for Sout...

Good news. I've only flown direct once, in 2007, from New York to Bangkok with THAI. 16 hours in the air as I recall.
www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Thai drivers rarely honk. Here’s why Many foreigners living in Thailand are surprised by how quiet local roads are - especially considering the country&rsquo;s famously heavy traffic . Despite the frequent congestion, loud horn honking i...

Big exception not mentioned here is that honking is fine, expected even, when passing roadside shrines to show respect for spirits of the land.
www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

True that! A lot of legit Buddhist teachings can be pretty earth shattering too though. Weird how they skipped those in favor of babble that is literally not from any type of Buddhism.

Finally watched The White Lotus Thailand. Entertaining but yikes, what a shoddy depiction of Thai Buddhism. 90% of what "Luang Por Tida" says sounds like it came from a 20 year old hippie on ecstasy or maybe a dodgy Ko Phangan yoga guru. "It's all about the one consciousness man" 🤔

👍

Highlights from the 2025 Thai Municipal Elections Minor gains for the People's Party, Thaksin defends his home base, and more

"Baan Wieng in Phrae province ended up receiving zero votes from one polling station. Out of 747 eligible voters, only 10 showed up to vote, and all chose the 'I do not wish to vote for any candidate' option."
coffeeparliament.substack.com/p/highlights...

Universal Antivenom May Grow Out of Man Who Let Snakes Bite Him 200 Times Scientists identified antibodies that neutralized the poison in whole or in part from the bites of cobras, mambas and other deadly species.

Wild story about a guy from Wisconsin who's hobby of letting cobras, mambas and other venomous snakes bite him might lead to a huge breakthrough.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/h...

The Buddha In “The White Lotus” | ARC: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera What to make of the teachings of Luang Por Tira, an elder monk and ajaan (teacher) whom Piper Ratliff, one of the characters in season three of The White Lotus, wishes to move to Thailand to study wit...

"The White Lotus presents the Buddha’s solution as mere resigned acceptance of life as it is, a view sometimes heard in western pop Buddhism that is very far from the dharma I’ve heard from Thai ajaans." <- Not watched it yet but seems a big fail portraying Thai Buddhism.
arcmag.org/the-buddha-i...