Country Archive
Lanterns for $2.60…silk shirts for $5…and other irresistible buys for the would-be exporter in northern Thailand (bring an empty suitcase)
Date: 05/31/2005
Author:
Steenie Harvey
It's amazing what you can buy in Chiang Mai's Night Bazaar for a dollar or two. Bead 'n' seed necklaces, sweet-smelling jasmine bracelets, miniature ceramic boats carrying cargoes of joss-sticks; bamboo fans, jars of rheumatism-relieving Tiger Balm, snacks of deep-fried grasshoppers; scented soaps, candles, and baskets made from the fibers of water hyacinth……and off-beat birthday cards with the most eco-friendly credentials.
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The Royal Treatment, Thai-style
Date: 05/15/2005"Apart from a strategically placed towel, I'm lying naked on a massage table in my own private open-air wooden pavilion, being anointed and stroked with bergamot oil..."
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Import-Export Sure Shot in Chiang Mai
Date: 04/25/2005"Aran Insom is a master metal-smith who creates unique repoussé art works in silver, aluminum and bronze..."
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Fists (and Feet) of Fury
Date: 04/13/2005I couldn't resist a few jars of beer and two-and-half hours of full-blooded violence. No, I'm not rampaging around with English soccer thugs...I've got a ringside seat in Chaweng's boxing stadium...
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Temple Etiquette, Thai-style
Date: 04/06/2005Three minutes, three gaffes. I'm at Bangkok's Erawan Shrine with my 20 baht's ($0.52) worth of offerings. And making a complete nonsense of the good luck ritual...
Read OnTemple Etiquette, Thai-style
Date: 04/04/2005Musicians and a group of traditional Thai dancers wait, tucked in a corner of the shrine
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Up-country adventures in Isaan--the Thailand most tourists never discover
Date: 03/31/2005
Author:
Steenie Harvey
The young Isaan driver and his brother aren't Thailand's most adept guides. Although it's only 50 miles from their home in Udon Thani, they take a wrong turn on the road to Phu Phrabat's geological wonderland.
Read OnFollow the Elephants
Date: 01/16/2005I wish I'd known during my last trip to Thailand that the inexpensive treasures I bought as souvenirs would have made me an easy import/export profit of up to 800% back home. This time around, I'll be a little wiser…
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