Bangkok Diaries is a group blog where anyone with a story to tell about Bangkok or Thailand is welcome to submit a blog post. As you can see from existing posts we welcome submissions on a wide range of topics and are open to all points of view. If you have your own blog it's a great way to get yourself a little publicity and some search engine love.



If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Written by Voicu Mihnea Simandan

thailand princess cup archery 2 Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament 2009Those interested in archery already know that one of the most important and most expected events of the year is Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament 2009, which will be held between 25-26 July 2009. The event is organized by ThailandOutdoor Archery Club (TOAC) in joint venture with the Sports Association for the Disabled of Thailand and the National Archery Association of Thailand.

Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament 2009 is open to all local and international archery clubs, no matter of affiliation. A few archers from Southeast Asia have already announced their participation. Parin Archery Club will send about 15 archers to compete.

thailand princess cup archery 1 Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament 2009The tournament, the 11th of its kind, is open to compound, recurve and traditional archers. All adult recurve and compound competitors will shoot at the 18-meter target, with a 40cm 3-spot target face. University and secondary school students, plus the traditional archers, will have to send their arrows at a 40cm 1-spot target face. Primary school students will shoot at the 10-meter target with a 40cm 1-spot target face.

Being an event organized by a private archery club, there are some entry fees too: primary and secondary school students will have to pay $7; university students will have to pay $US 10; while recurve, compound, and traditional bows will have to pay $US15.

The winners will be rewarded with the following equipment: Recurve Hoyt Nexus + Limb 990TX, Samick Recurve and Traditional Bows, Shibuya Ultima V-Bars, Cartel stabilizers and many more.

Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament 2009 will take place at Island Hall in the Fashion Island Shopping Center from Bangkok. The mall is located at 587 Ramindra Road, in Kunnayow District, Bangkok (see the map below for further directions).

thailand princess cup archery map Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament 2009

Due to the fact that the facility can hold only a certain number of competitors, it is a good idea to register your club as soon as possible. For more information or registration queries contact Mr. Pratheep at pratheep[at]naracot[dot]com.

Voicu Mihnea Simandan is a Romanian writer who has been living and working in Thailand since 2002. He is the author of “The Ironman. A Play”, a book for children well-received in educational circles.

{ 0 comments }

Posted by Voicu Mihnea Simandan

bangkok bookcrossing 192x300 Bangkok BookCrossers July MeetingBookCrossing has become a major cultural event that takes place all over the world. It links people who have in common one interest: books. According to BookCrossing.com, almost 800 thousand people in over 130 countries like to share their passion for books with the world, including Thailand and Romania.

The Bangkok BookCrossers group holds informal gatherings for bookcrossers and other avid readers in Bangkok, where they talk and swap English-language books. Bangkok BookCrossers was inspired by the concept of BookCrossing.com. Anyone who loves to read and share books is welcome to join in.

They normally meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm. Joining in is free, fun and easy. About 11 people participated in the June meeting, exchanging books like The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan, The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seiserstad and many more.

bangkok bookcrossing june Bangkok BookCrossers July Meeting

Due to the July 7th holiday, the July meeting will take place in June, on this Tuesday! Hope to see you there!

Date: June 30th
Time: 6:30 pm
Locations: Bert’s (a cafe on the ground floor of the Zen department store at Central World)
Directions: Take the skytrain to Chidlom station and follow the skywalk to the first Central World exit. Instead of taking the escalator directly into Central World, go down the stairs and walk along the plaza in front of Central World. Bert’s has a separate entrance near the skywalk exit. You should be able to see the purple sign from the skywalk. If you go to Bert’s through the main part of Central World, Bert’s is on the left as you enter the ground floor of Zen, in the cosmetics section.

“BookCrossing is earth-friendly, and gives you a way to share your books, clear your shelves, and conserve precious resources at the same time. Through our own unique method of recycling reads, BookCrossers give life to books. A book registered on BookCrossing is ready for adventure.

Leave it on a park bench, a coffee shop, at a hotel on vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym — anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel. Track the book’s journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person.

Help make the whole world a library and share the joy of literacy. Reading becomes an adventure when you BookCross!” (Source: www.bookcrossing.com)

For even more details, join the Bangkok BookCrossers Yahoo Group.

Voicu Mihnea Simandan is a Romanian expat who has been living and working in Thailand since 2002. He is the author of “The Ironman. A Play”, a book for children well-received in educational circles.

{ 1 comment }

Thais ok with corrupted government

by AdminJune 28, 2009 Thai News Snippets

Well this does explain a lot about Thaksin’s popularity.

Thais ok with corrupted government
By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 28/06/2009 at 12:02 PM
A latest survey reveals that many Thai people would accept a crooked government if it can make the country prosper and raise their standard of living.
The Abac Poll Research Centre conducted a survey on people’s [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

Bang Pa-In Palace in Ayutthaya Province

by thaistoryJune 25, 2009 Expat Life

Photos and text by Voicu Mihnea Simandan

Ayutthaya is one of my favorite places in Thailand, located about 70 km north of Bangkok. I have been there on several occasions and I never get bored of it. On a very recent day-trip to Ayutthaya, I stopped at Bang Pa-In Palace, located in Bang Pa-In District, [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

Yoga Practitioner in Bangkok Park

by thaistoryJune 20, 2009 Health

Posted by Voicu Mihnea Simandan
Not so long ago I wrote about the benefits of archery. Today, we will briefly look at some of the health benefits of yoga. The pictures were taken in one of the many parks in Bangkok.

Yoga increases body flexibility.

Yoga keeps your joints, ligaments and tendons in good [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

More Bad News for Thailand Keeps Coming

by AdminJune 19, 2009 Thai News Snippets

I ran across a slew of bad news for Thailand:
First from the Wall Street Journal is news that Ford Motor Company plans on moving its operations in Thailand to China.

Ford Motor Co. confirmed Thursday it plans to move its Asia, Pacific and Africa regional headquarters to China from Thailand.
While the move will [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Most single Isaan women want a Western husband

by AdminJune 17, 2009 Thai News Snippets

Interesting story in The Nation about a poll which indicates that more and more Isaan women are seeking a Western husband

Bagging a farang
More than threefifths of women in the Northeast surveyed in an Isaan poll said they wanted to marry farang husbands, mainly because of their wealth, faithfulness and respect for women.
Of 484 women living [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Mee and My Dad

by AdminJune 17, 2009 People

A really interesting documentary by a filmmaker who’s 60 year old father decided to marry a bar girl only two years older than himself. He travels to Thailand to meet his new mother, attend the wedding, and figure out if his dad has found true love or has simply gone off the deep end. [...]

0 comments Read the full article →

This Is Why You Don’t Start Fights With Thais

by AdminJune 17, 2009 Hazards

If you haven’t heard the advice already allow me to tell you now that starting a physical altercation with a Thai is suicide. Thais very seldom one on one and they are known to be very patient in plotting their revenge even if you get the upper-hand the first go.
In this video [...]

20 comments Read the full article →

Where is the AIDS/HIV in Thailand?

by AnonymousJune 16, 2009 Bangkok Nightlife

I want to start off this post with a very strong disclaimer: The goal of this post is not to minimize the risks of unprotected sex in any way. The goal is to look at facts and attempt to determine what is true and what is a myth in regards to AIDS/HIV in [...]

3 comments Read the full article →