Post 415: Summer Plans in California 2017 [Posted 19th April 2017]

Summer 2016 was woefully unproductive. My writing intentions were good, but as a person who’s easily distracted, the US Presidential Election, with all of its drama, captured far too much of my attention and time. Needless to say, I achieved very little on the writing front and the first edition of Poor Circulation1 ‘Ashes to Boonville’ remains my only book currently available in print. Sorry about that, but things are about to change.

Thankfully, just like in SE Asia, California allows me to survive on very little money, and although I’ve now reached an age where I can begin drawing income from a couple of small pension plans, I’d prefer to delay doing that for as long as possible.

So, over the course of the next few months, I’ll finish editing ‘Homeward Bound’, ‘The Accidental Nomad’ and edition two of ‘Ashes to Boonville’. Hopefully, these will be published in print and digital formats well before Christmas.

Hopefully the General Election called by PM Theresa May for June 8^th, will prove to be slightly less distracting and I’ll try to provide updates as I go.      

Post 414: Songkran Festival Northern Bangkok - [Posted April 17th 2017]

This is the festival of Song Kran - traditional New Year in Thailand - as celebrated far away from the tourist centres of Bangkok.

The water washes away the sins of the previous year, and the white powder wards away malevolent spirits. Cleary, the local Bangkokians believed I needed ample of both…. Enjoy. 

Post 413: Thai Market Food - Lak Si, Bangkok [Posted 25th December 2016]

A travel article on Bangkok that failed to lavish praise upon the city’s eclectic range of street-food, is difficult to imagine. But, in a drive to clear the congested sidewalks and streets on this desperately congested city, street-food has become a victim of of its own success.   

According to the BBC, in 2016 alone, some 15,000 independent street-food vendors were evicted from their traditional sites, and in 2017, the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority's campaign to return the streets and sidewalks to vehicles and pedestrians, appears to be gathering pace.

Food writers and tourists love street-food for the overall dining experience, but hard-working cash-strapped Bangkokians love it mostly, for the reasonable price.

Removing 15,000 outlets from a supply chain can not be achieved without consequences, and as food writers go in search of alternative employment for their well-crafted cliches, many Bangkokians are filling-up in affordable meals from the plethora of always present, but often ignored, local food markets.  

Here's a glimpse of what you might find if you wander away from the tourist hot spots ...