A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[Froggy]

I am already missing Thai food now, sigh. I remembered last week had this brunch

Yam pla kapong (Sardine salad)

Tomyam, krung (prawn tomyam)

Krapow moosaab khai dow (Thai basils minced pork with egg)

All freshly prepared and costs only $6.50

Amazingly delicious

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/M...1&pub_date=20220929121000&seq_num=11&si=44594

Former Miss Myanmar leaves Thailand to seek refuge in Canada
Han Lay, who denounced the Myanmar military government, was denied entry in Bangkok

Han Lay, who was crowned Miss Grand International Myanmar in 2021, was placed on a wanted list after denouncing Myanmar's military government last year. © AP
YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 29, 2022 01:57 JST

BANGKOK -- A Myanmar beauty queen who sought refuge in Thailand after criticizing her country's military government has departed for Canada to seek asylum there.

Thai immigration officials confirmed Wednesday that Han Lay, the former Miss Grand International Myanmar, has left for Canada.

After Myanmar's military seized power in February 2021, Han Lay gained fame when she denounced the new leaders during a beauty pageant held in Bangkok the following month.

Military officials responded by placing Han Lay on an extensive wanted list, which forced her to stay in Thailand for refuge. But she was refused reentry into Thailand on Sept. 21 upon landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport following a trip to Vietnam.

Myanmar's military government is believed to have invalidated Han Lay's passport, according to Thai media reports. She appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for support while she was held at Bangkok's airport.

 

[Froggy]

Many Thais love their chicken rice. As a matter of fact many Thai chicken rice stalls like to call their chicken rice as Hai Lam Chicken Rice or even Singapore Chicken Rice. I thought it is not necessary to do that because Thai chicken rice is unique by itself as their sauce is completely different.

One of the most popular chicken rice shop in Thailand is in Pratunam and I am sure many tourists like to visit the stalls there to try Thai chicken rice. I was nearby there today on some chores and thought I'd go there for my bunch and take some phots to post here.

This shop probably sells hundreds of chickens a day

It was only 10am and already quite busy, cannot imagine lunch and dinner crowd

Menu

Reasonably priced

Tender and juicy chicken (pretty big serving)

Bitter gourd soup

My 205baht (S$7.80) meal

Verdict: One should not compare this to Singapore's chicken rice as I said before its different. Personally I still prefer the Singapore chicken rice. But if compare to other Thai chicken rice I have to say I had tasted better ones. This shop had probably been made popular by tourists.

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tr...=1&pub_date=20221012123000&seq_num=8&si=44594

Thailand shifts to European, U.S. tourists to rely less on Chinese
Tourism head touts sunny weather to those facing surging heating bills

Thailand hopes to receive at least 10 million tourists this year. © Sipa USA via AP
FRANCESCA REGALADO, Nikkei staff writerOctober 11, 2022 19:40 JST

BANGKOK -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, has a new pitch for Europeans and Americans facing a harsh and expensive winter: Save on high electricity and heating bills by coming to enjoy Thailand's tropical weather.

The recently launched marketing campaign aims to promote Thailand as a year-round destination at a time when prices and heating bills are surging in Europe and the U.S. Attracting tourists from these markets, who tend to stay longer, will be key to TAT as it aims for 600 billion baht ($15.7 billion) in revenue and 10 million tourists this year -- all without Chinese arrivals.

"We have to focus more on the quality. What that means is the ones who can come frequently and the ones who come to Thailand and stay longer," Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the tourism authority, said in a Tuesday press conference.

Those targets are well below Thailand's pre-pandemic peak of 40 million tourists and revenue of 3 trillion baht in 2019. If Chinese tourists return in full force by year's end, Yuthasak said Thailand could see up to 12 million tourists.

But the governor has low expectations that China will reopen before late January. "We cannot wait for that but we work with many regions and our neighboring countries in Asia, especially [South] Korea and Japan," he said.

To replace China's big spenders, Thailand undertook a big push to attract Indian and Middle Eastern visitors looking to escape the high summer, typically low season for Thai tourism. So far, more than 500,000 Indians have visited Thailand this year, second only to the 634,000 Malaysians who only have to cross the border.

Yuthasak credited the numbers to Thailand's full relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. The kingdom has received about one million tourists per month since May, recovering faster than its neighboring countries that also rely on tourism.

Entry requirements such as vaccination certificates and medical insurance have been dropped. The government on Oct. 1 closed its pandemic command center, officially treating COVID-19 as an endemic disease.

The tourism authority hopes that both long-haul and short-haul visitors will extend their stays by at least 20% next year. That would lead to an increase in spending per trip of about 30%.

The TAT believes that tourists will be motivated to stay longer, given that airfares are more expensive now than before the pandemic. Visa-exempt tourists can now stay for 45 days after the government approved a 15-day extension, valid from Oct. 1 to next March.

The challenge, however, remains in the logistics of bringing people to Thailand. Airline seat capacity remains at 30% of pre-pandemic levels, which has led to a more than doubling in airfares.

"It's not easy. If you bring a plane back, it's not like a car that you can jump-start the battery," said Yuthasak, who added that TAT is working to show airlines the pent-up demand. Seats available for the winter travel season stand at 573,538, an increase of 74% from the summer.

The hospitality industry is also contending with a labor shortage, as migrant workers have not returned to Thailand en masse. The tourism ministry has set a target of 55% occupancy for hotels, incentivizing businesses to stay open as long as TAT can bring in 10 million tourists.

Domestic tourism may also take a hit as popular destinations for Thais reopen, including Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, while the government's We Travel Together subsidy campaign ends this month. Yuthasak noted long lines at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday, the first day of Japan's full reopening to tourists.

"We are preparing a campaign that is aimed at reducing the cost of transportation mainly because we have high prices of gasoline and LPG in Thailand," said Yuthasak, referring to liquefied petroleum gas. "So if we reduce the cost of transportation, we can make them continue to travel."

There will be opportunities for Thailand in the reopening of Japan and South Korea. Yuthasak said TAT has focused on attracting younger and female visitors -- instead of older male business travelers -- from Japan and South Korea to activities such as golf, diving, and health and wellness treatments.

 

[Froggy]

Extensive flooding in Phuket

 

[Froggy]

 

[Froggy]

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tr...=4&pub_date=20221026090000&seq_num=5&si=44594

Thailand, Singapore tourists jump in line as Japan opens borders
Southeast Asia travel industry eyes recovery with weak yen fueling strong demand

Thai Air Asia's reservations for flights to Japan are on the rise ahead of the holiday season. © Reuters
TARO SAEKI, YOHEI MURAMATSU and YUICHI SHIGA, Nikkei staff writersOctober 26, 2022 04:49 JST

TOKYO/BANGKOK/MANILA -- With Japan fully reopening its borders this month, Southeast Asian airlines and travel agencies are preparing to meet surging demand from tourists eager to visit for the first time in years.

Thai AirAsia, an affiliate of AirAsia's Malaysian parent Capital A, began flying between Bangkok and Fukuoka on Oct. 12, after Japan lifted nearly all of its COVID-19 travel curbs.

"We are excited to start the service before demand starts to jump toward the end of the year," Thai AirAsia CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya said.

The first flight to Fukuoka was 95% full. Klongchaiya said reservations were on the rise ahead of the holiday season, and the carrier will add a fourth flight a week starting Sunday.

Flag carrier Thai Airways International will resume daily flights to and from Fukuoka on Sunday and Sapporo on Dec. 2, both coming after a hiatus that lasted more than two and a half years.

About 1.32 million visited Japan from Thailand in 2019, more than from any other country in Southeast Asia. Many Thai travelers now want to explore new destinations beyond Tokyo and Osaka.

Singapore Airlines will launch a new flight to Haneda Airport on Sunday -- its fourth daily flight to the Tokyo area. Budget unit Scoot will also expand direct service to Japan, including a second daily flight to Osaka and a third weekly flight to Fukuoka.

People are eager to visit countries they have been unable to over the past few years, Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Jo-Ann Tan said. The carrier logged its first net profit in two quarters in April-June thanks to increased traffic. But its performance in East Asia had remained sluggish, given entry curbs in China and Japan.

Interest is growing in the Philippines as well.

"We have seen a surge of inquiries," said Stefanie Alapag, assistant general manager for corporate travel at Rajah Travel, adding that "50% of our Asian inquiries right now are really for Japan."

A four-night trip to Tokyo is currently priced at around $2,000 -- not including airfare. Costs have increased because of higher hotel prices, she said.

Asia-Pacific airlines will suffer an $8.9 billion net loss in 2022, more than those in any other region, according to projections from the International Air Transport Association in June. Thai Airways is cutting staff and fixed costs after filing for bankruptcy protection, while Garuda Indonesia is restructuring.

With travel to China slow to recover, many carriers see increased service to Japan as a way to lift earnings.

The Shinjuku district in Tokyo is popular among tourists seeking to shop, dine or enjoy nightlife.

Japan received 1.02 million visitors in the first nine months of 2022, according to preliminary data from the Japan National Tourism Organization. Southeast Asia and India accounted for 37% of travelers, followed by 26% from East Asia and 18% from the U.S., Europe, Australia and the Middle East.

It has since become much easier for tourists to visit Japan, with the country scrapping a requirement to book packaged tours and resuming visa-free travel. A weak yen is providing tailwinds as well.

One Singaporean tourist, who was visiting Japan for the first time in three years, said current exchange rates made it more fun to eat and shop through Tokyo.

Thai travel agency TTN Corporate Group received about 70 bookings for trips leaving October and about 100 for trips leaving November after Japan lifted the packaged tour requirement, a company representative said. The rush is fueled in part by favorable exchange rates -- around 3.9 yen to the baht, compared with around 3.4 yen at the end of 2021.

Incomes in Southeast Asia have remained strong despite the pandemic. Gross domestic product per capita in the Philippines and Vietnam has remained above $3,000, a threshold for increased spending by the middle class, meaning many there can afford to travel once restrictions are lifted.

But concerns remain over Japan's ability to welcome back tourists. In a survey by Teikoku Databank this month, some companies said they could not operate at 100% capacity due to staffing shortages.

"We're sending corporate employees with customer service experience to hotels for a few hours at a time to help out," Hotel Okura Tokyo said. The company expects occupancy to double on the year in November and December.

"Some of our facilities are seeing occupancy rates drop," a representative at a leading business hotel chain said, blaming a staff shortage.

Additional reporting by Mayuko Tani in Singapore and Ella Hermonio in Manila.

 

[JOKERCHEW]

Wtff

Knn, seems almost every Thai dishes has basil, parsley, coriander, lemongrass, etc.....

Thats very good to include in your meals.

 

[Froggy]

 

[Froggy]

https://www.golfchannel.com/news/atthaya-thitikul-reaches-world-no-1-rookie-season-lpga

Atthaya Thitikul reaches world No. 1 in rookie season on LPGA
By Colby Powell October 31, 2022 at 10:46 AM

Atthaya Thitikul has reached No. 1 in the world prior to her 20th birthday, joining Lydia Ko as the only two players in LPGA history to accomplish the feat.

Ko first reached No. 1 at 17 years old. Thitikul is 19 and still in her rookie season on the LPGA. The only other player to reach No. 1 as a rookie was Sung Hyun Park in 2017.

Thitikul jumped Jin Young Ko to move to No. 1. Ko has spent a total of 152 weeks at No. 1, leaving her just six weeks short of Lorena Ochoa’s record.

"It means a lot for my team, my family, my supporters and myself,” Thitikul said. “It is such an honor to have my name at the top amongst the biggest names of the game. It is very special to get to the top but it is much harder to retain it. I still have a lot to learn from all the legends and current players both on and off the course. I will continue to work hard for my family, my team, my fans and my country."

A two-time LPGA winner this season, Thitikul becomes the second player from Thailand to hold the No. 1 spot in the Rolex Rankings, joining Ariya Jutanugarn, who first accomplished the feat in June 2017.

Along with the two wins, Thitikul has recorded 12 additional top-10s this season, including three at major championships.

Prior to joining the LPGA, Thitikul became the youngest player ever to win the Ladies European Tour’s Race to Costa del Sol in 2021 while also securing Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors. At 14, Thitikul also became the youngest player to ever win a professional golf tournament with her victory at the LET’s Thailand Championship in 2017.

 

[Froggy]

https://www.lpga.com/news/2022/new-number-one-thitikul-remains-a-humble-champion

New Number One Thitikul Remains A Humble Champion
31 Oct 2022

It was just a matter of time, even if the timing turned out to be a surprise. The way the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings work, events from past years that are part of the formula roll off, even on weeks when the LPGA Tour isn’t playing. Because of that, with most players either enjoying some time at home or getting in some sightseeing in Asia before the TOTO Japan Classic, there was a change at the top of the Rankings. The new No.1 player in the world is 19-year-old rookie Atthaya Thitikul, a young woman everyone calls Jeeno, who is now the second-youngest player in history, man or women, to reach No.1 behind another teen phenom, Lydia Ko.

For those who have followed Thitikul’s career, this accomplishment seemed inevitable. In 2017, she won the Ladies European Thailand Championship, becoming the youngest player in history to win a professional event. At that time, she was 14 years, 4 months and 19 days of age.

A couple of months later, she made the cut at the Amundi Evian Championship, making her the youngest player ever to play the weekend in that major.

Proving that her success wasn’t a fluke, Jeeno won the Asia Pacific Women’s Amateur a week before turning 15. That earned her a spot in the LPGA Tour’s HSBC Women’s Championship in Singapore where she finished in a tie for eighth, the youngest player ever to finish in the top-10 in that event.

At 16, she won the Ladies European Thailand Championship again, this time running away from the field. Esther Heinseleit finished runner-up that week, five shots back. Later that summer, Thitikul was low amateur at the AIG Women’s Open and was No.1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings by a healthy clip until she turned pro in January of 2020, at age 16.

The month she turned 17, Jeeno finished fourth in the Women’s New South Wales Open in Australia. Then COVID hit and she went home to Thailand where she won five times on the Thai LPGA, finishing the season atop the money list.

She stayed near home in Thailand until May of 2021 when, playing on a sponsor’s exemption, she finished second in the Honda LPGA Thailand, a shot behind Ariya Jutanugarn. That finish and an easing of travel restrictions prompted Jeeno to head to Europe for a season on the LET.

Thitikul won four times in 2021, capturing the LET money title, Rookie of the Year, and was voted Player of the Year by her peers. She vaulted up to 18th on the Rolex Rankings. But more importantly, she earned a reputation as one of the kindest and most accommodating players in the game. Lewine Mair, who covered golf for the Daily Telegraph and Global Golf Post, called her “extraordinary on the course and off.”

She also has a compelling personal story. “No one in my family plays golf,” Jeeno told Golf Digest. “As a child, I was sick a lot. It wasn’t anything serious, but I got colds constantly. A doctor told my dad, Montree, and my mom, Siriwan, that I needed to play a sport— either golf or tennis—so I’d be outside, and I could control my own schedule. We watched golf on TV, and I chose that over tennis. Tennis requires too much running.

“My dad owns a carwash, and my mom is a hairdresser. They worked around their schedules to take me. I liked golf immediately. It was challenging and fun, and there were other kids to play with. At 10, I knew I loved golf and competing. I also realized back then that if I got good enough, I could support my family.”

Now, she has two LPGA Tour wins and 12 other top-10 finishes. She is heavily favored to capture the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year title and is in the running for Rolex LPGA Player of the Year. Jeeno is also now the No.1 player in the world.

Even so, the character and kindness others recognized early remains her greatest asset.

“One thing that I have, like I really want to do, no matter where I am (whether it’s) No. 1 in the world, No. 2, 3, 4, 5, 100, 1000, I want to be same (person),” Thitikul said to media heading into the MEDIHEAL LPGA Championship. “I want to be the same as before, not changing myself. I want to have fun, not really taking (golf) too seriously. I don't want to think about myself like a superstar or act like I’m No. 1 in the world.

“I don't really think about the ranking that much. I mean, like I said, it's the outcome that we can’t control.

“I play golf because I want to take care of my family,” she added during the BMW Ladies Championship. “I want to feed my family. Whatever I am is fine. Even my family, they have a good life already. Ranking is not that important to me.”

 

[Froggy]

Been very busy lately after the 2 long trip and a short trip to Singapore last week. Will continue my posts now.

Went to a Japanese restaurant for great sashimi


Presenting the freshly arrived seafood from Japan

Starts the a drink of course

Sashimi

Grilled sea snails

Yummy

Grilled fish

Steamed egg

Tofu

Snacks

Dessert - sweet potato abd Hokkaido ice-cream with avocado

 

[Byebye Penis]

Thailand: Bird flu has leapt to humans​

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-206533/Thailand-Bird-flu-leapt-humans.html

Thailand has confirmed it has two cases of bird flu in people.
Thai Health Ministry officials said they were in separate hospitals in central Thailand, local television reported.

 

[zeddy]

Need help id this Thai song. Saw this random short clip at YouTube. Big Chief Froggy and other bros can help?

 

[Froggy]

Need help id this Thai song. Saw this random short clip at YouTube. Big Chief Froggy and other bros can help?

ผัวฉันหาย = My husband is gone

 

[zeddy]

ผัวฉันหาย = My husband is gone

Kum Siam x 3 to Joey Froggy Big Chief. Hope everything is well for u back in LOS

 

[Froggy]

Kum Siam x 3 to Joey Froggy Big Chief. Hope everything is well for u back in LOS

Very well indeed

Many thanks

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Re...1&pub_date=20221107123000&seq_num=17&si=44594

Thai retailer opens Tops Club, a membership-only supermarket
Around 70% of items on sale are imports, for which members can get a discount

Around 70% of the items Tops Club sells are imports. (Photo courtesy of Central Retail)
KOSUKE INOUE, Nikkei staff writerNovember 6, 2022 12:28 JST

BANGKOK -- Thailand's Central Retail opened a new membership-only supermarket in Bangkok targeting the Southeast Asian country's growing middle class.

The Thai retail giant also plans to spend 30 billion baht ($790 million) over the next five years in neighboring Vietnam, with the aim of more than doubling the number of supermarkets there. The company wants to become an industry leader in both countries.

Central Retail opened Tops Club in southwestern Bangkok late September. For an annual membership of 999 baht, customers will have access to over 3,500 items, including daily necessities and fresh food, the supermarket sells in its 15,000 sq.-meter warehouse-style building.

"Everything is brought together here to fulfill our customers' needs, as if they were shopping in famous stores overseas," Central Food Retail Group CEO Stephane Coum said in a statement.

Some 70% of its products are imported from about 20 countries, including the U.S., Australia and South Korea. Members will get a 5% discount, like at U.S. membership-only wholesale chain Costco, and also free deliveries to Bangkok and nearby regions.

Thailand's rising middle class is widely sought after by retailers. Thailand's gross domestic product per capita is around $7,000, according to the International Monetary Fund, positioning it as an upper- to middle-income country. Bangkok's per capita GDP is even higher at around $10,000.

Since Central Retail first entered Vietnam in 2012, the operation has grown steadily, pulling in 38.6 billion baht in revenue last year to account for around 20% of its total figure. (Photo courtesy of Central Retail)

Central Retail expects that an average Tops Club customer will spend two or three times more than those at regular supermarkets. The company hopes to be able to grab a big chunk of the high-end supermarket clientele by being one of the first to launch such a business.

Meanwhile, the company plans to increase the number of supermarkets in Vietnam to more than 710 by 2026 from about 340 in September.

"We always put ourselves in the center of consumers' lives and aim to generate 100 billion baht in sales in Vietnam alone by 2026," Olivier Langlet, CEO of Central Retail Vietnam, told Nikkei in an email reply to questions.

Since Central Retail first entered Vietnam in 2012, the operation has grown steadily, pulling in 38.6 billion baht in revenue last year to account for around 20% of the total figure, according to the company. Vietnam is the company's biggest moneymaker outside of Thailand.

By 2026, Central Retail's stores in Vietnam will offer a variety of formats selling both food and nonfood products. It plans to cover 55 of the country's 63 provinces, said Langlet, adding that it is aiming for 30% of Vietnam's total sales.

In Vietnam, conventional small, family-run shops still make a significant share of the industry, but demand for supermarkets is expected to grow as the country's retail industry modernizes.

The pandemic has pushed consumers toward supermarkets and other retailers that are able to secure a stable supply of products. Consumers are also able to buy in bulk in these chains, which was handy during the worst of the pandemic.

Consumption is expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels in Thailand and Vietnam, now that both countries have eased COVID-related entry restrictions, prompting retailers to jostle for more commercial facilities and supermarket space.

 

[Froggy]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Pi...1&pub_date=20221123123000&seq_num=23&si=44594

In Thailand, there is life beyond the capital
In an over-centralized country, not all roads should lead to Bangkok

A garden with a green wall tucked into forested hills some 80 kilometers southeast of Bangkok. (Photo by Dominic Faulder)
DOMINIC FAULDERNovember 23, 2022 11:00 JST

When I unexpectedly got stuck in Bangkok during the failed April Fool's Day coup of 1981, it was still the only real city in Thailand -- a kingdom of villages. Chiang Mai, the "rose of the north," ranked second, but was really no more than a large, sleepy provincial town.

In Thai, the capital has the world's longest place name, according to Guinness World Records, beginning Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. It was not just the seat of government, but the nation's industrial and business hub and main port. Oil refineries were close to the port, and refined petrochemicals were transported upcountry by rail -- a disruptive feature of this fascinating but dysfunctional city of some 15 million that continues to this day.

The Thai capital, a tawdry "Venice of the East," had its charms but was essentially a sleepy backwater afflicted by a plague of heat-absorbing concrete shophouses, and virtually bereft of libraries and bookshops. The American travel writer Paul Theroux, visiting at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, described it unkindly as a "flattened anthill."

That has changed. Bangkok has become rich and sophisticated, and has been spared permanent gridlock by the most spectacular and ingenious mass transit infrastructure in Southeast Asia. But the city remains frenetic and dysfunctional. Some middle-class families virtually live in their cars doing school runs.

About 10 years ago, my wife and I decided to quit the city for forested hills some 80 kilometers along the Gulf of Thailand. With no buildings in sight, the main view across our field is a small, wooded hill that is home to hundreds of exceptionally promiscuous macaques. In the drier periods of the year, the monkeys descend in tribes upon our village and shred unguarded plastic rubbish bags.

Top: Bangkok is famous for some of the longest traffic lights in the world. Bottom: Much quieter scenes can be found surprisingly close to the capital. (Photos by Dominic Faulder)

There are snakes of every kind in the undergrowth, including cobras. One night I returned late to find a 3-meter reticulated python draped along the front gate. It eyeballed me through the windscreen for 15 minutes before doubling back on itself and departing noiselessly along the garden wall.

But this life is not really as "jungly" as it sounds. Anyone who has lived in Bangkok will have tales of pythons in the laundry and various lizards in the cupboards. Our home sits in the heart of Chonburi province and is connected to Bangkok by two motorways built to service the Eastern Seaboard, Thailand's industrial heartland. That was developed in the 1980s to drag the economy beyond commodities and tourism, and is integral to what has long been the largest conurbation in Southeast Asia.

Larger visitors to the garden sometimes need to be taken in hand. (Photo by Dominic Faulder)

Chonburi is a full employment province, and home to Laem Chabang, the country's biggest port, with refineries close by. Further down the coast in Rayong province, there is further industrialization at Map Ta Phut. This whole stretch is the gateway to the Eastern Economic Corridor, essentially a 21st-century version of the Eastern Seaboard.

Some foreign missionaries and artists used to reside upcountry. A few intrepid souls enrobed in remote monasteries, and there is a dwindling residue of U.S. Vietnam War veterans who married locally and never went home.

But the number of foreigners living outside Bangkok used to be minuscule before Thailand started to appear in global lists of the best countries in the world to consider for retirement, before its highway capacity doubled in the 1990s, before its health care system improved exponentially, and before the retail revolution of the 1990s started wiping out obsolescent mom and pop stores with breathtaking ranges of local and imported produce.

Top: One never need feel lonely in the Thai countryside. Bottom: Mowing the lawn takes on a whole new meaning. (Photos by Dominic Faulder)

Today, I can get to central Bangkok in under 90 minutes when necessary, and to the main airport in just half that time. My regular trips into the business district are quicker than those for many Bangkok residents. A high-speed rail link is under construction down the Eastern Seaboard that will bind together all the main population centers, ports and airports.

So life in Thailand's supposed boondocks is in many respects far more livable and efficient than in choked Bangkok with its questionable air quality. Country living should be promoted, but successive Thai governments, mired in essentially 19th-century thinking, continue to see decentralization as a threat, and deny all but one of the country's 77 provinces (Bangkok) the right to elect their own governors.

As long as all roads lead to Bangkok, so will the kingdom's problems.

Dominic Faulder is a Nikkei Asia associate editor.