Tita Petchnamnung

Old Town Bangkok makes you move like you have all the time in the world. It sits in the Phra Nakhon district, which literally means ‘royal city’. Here, things move at their own inherited pace, not the calculated slow of somewhere trying to be quaint, but the rhythm of a place that’s simply always existed this way. Rattanakosin Island, as it’s also called, sits snugly between the Chao Phraya and a maze of canals. Before Bangkok became the kind of city where ancient temples back onto phone repair shops, this was ground zero. Since 1782, lives have been building up here, one generation on top of another. The density’s part of the charm. This neighbourhood still holds its weight – you can feel it was once the centre of everything.   Photograph: Maksim Romashkin The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun: the big three temples holding down the district, the giant guardians still on duty. Holy ground that hasn't been museumed. There’s a faint smell in some alleys, jasmine mixed with coconut from street snacks that’ve been made the exact same way for decades. Tuk-tuks navigate impossibly narrow passages. They shouldn’t fit, but they always do. Bangkok’s racing ahead naturally, but somehow nothing that shaped this corner ever really disappears. The river flows. The flower market opens before dawn, same as it has for generations. People here just move differently, so you end up flowing through the neighbourhood in an oft-paused, wandering manner. You don’t even realise you’re doing it. Wha

The interview wrapped, but Dave Milligan of Exotic Originals stuck around to drop his personal poster hall of fame on us.   Photograph: Exotic Originals Before anything else, here’s Dave being honest: ‘It’s my personal top ten, though the order isn’t set in stone or anything. It might change tomorrow or even the day after because it's hard to narrow things down!’ With that preface, what follows are Dave’s current right-this-second rankings, courtesy of today’s Dave. Tomorrow’s Dave might shuffle the deck, swap out entries, or flip the order entirely. That restless, ever-shifting perspective is exactly what makes Exotic Originals worth circling back to. 1. Apocalypse Now (1979) Photograph: Exotic Originals Right out of the gate, we’re going nuclear. This is ‘a huge, stunning two-sheet piece by Thailand’s greatest cinema poster artist of all time’ – a certain Tongdee Panumas – and if that sounds like overblown praise, the list will make believers out of you. Quick fact drop before you go hunting on the usual online listings: ‘it was never a regular Thai size one-sheet, that’s a well-known fake’, so if someone’s peddling that story to you, run. Now, about acquiring one of these. Deep breath. ‘It’s extraordinarily rare and has changed hands for crazy money. I’m not going to state a price range here, because I think it’s massively overpriced and I don’t want to qualify this price in any way.’ Dave’s diplomatic restraint is clear here. When the market goes bananas, silence can

Photograph: How to lose a guy in ten days Rewatching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with my best friend spiralled into a dare. What if I went full Andie Anderson, but in Bangkok, with my desire for city wanderings and the inconvenient fact that I write stuff? Spoiler: I did. Not a scheme to be cruel, just curiosity about seeing my home city’s food scene through a rom-com lens, with someone new in tow (again and again). What followed were five evenings of the most improvised, accidental food tour of my first and only run at being a twenty-something dating in the city – maybe in the name of romance but really just a love letter to the city of Bangkok. Here’s what happened.

The plan was New York. Bags packed, eyes on the concrete jungle. But life had other ideas for Steve Lim, who’s now a lifestyle content creator based in Thailand, the very Good Morning Bangkok! guy on TikTok and founder of Sabai Run club ‘Everything was ready except my visa, so I made a quick stopover in Bangkok. What was meant to be a three-week stay stretched into nearly eight months as my visa dragged on and somewhere along the way Bangkok began to feel like home. I started working remotely for a tech company and ended up building a life here.’ Funny how that happens. One day you’re killing time between flights, the next you’re eight months deep and the street food guy knows your order. You’ve got a favourite coffee spot. That thing you thought was temporary? It’s putting down roots.  Steve didn’t plan to fall for Bangkok. But somewhere in the waiting, he was living too. The city let him in – so warmly, so familiarly. It started feeling suspiciously like a destination rather than a detour.  Here’s the story of how he realised home isn’t always where you’re headed, but where you stop running. ‘What do I really want out of life?’    Photograph: imstevelim It’s a story that starts in New Zealand, in the stillness of lockdown. Steve was working at an investment bank, driving Uber Eats in his spare time and asking himself the kinds of questions that surface when the whole world pauses:  ‘What do I really want out of life?... I didn’t hate my job, but I knew deep down that I

Every dish carries a world within it: community, people, whole nations served up in flavour and tradition. Food documentaries do something vital here, showing us not just the dishes but the people who shape them, the ones keeping traditions alive, taking risks to preserve flavours that might otherwise disappear. You see it everywhere: late-night vendors working over blazing woks, home cooks carrying on what their grandmothers taught them. Every scene is thick with work, memory, devotion. Watching these stories unfold, you start to understand something important: street food only looks casual on the surface. Underneath, it’s about survival, identity and how a single, seasoned bite can tell a country’s entire story. These are the docs that speak Thailand.

As day melts into night, Bangkok's glittering skyline comes alive at rooftop level, revealing the city’s enchanting side. Up in this rarified air a number of bars compete to tell their own story – some embrace local heritage with traditional Thai design and temple views, others exude a cosmopolitan energy with Western influences. All are good reason to raise a glass at sunset and toast the twinkling cityscape below.

 Bangkok’s conservative currents don’t erase its sensual electricity as temples and neon still share the same air. Since sex never splits from the city and sexual wellness now flows as one with luxury living – nowhere does this convergence pulse stronger than around Phrom Phong on Sukhumvit 33, specifically at The Hidden Closet.   Photograph: Time Out Thailand   The boutique now sits pink and pretty in RR Space, M/F, repping everything from bunny ears to barely-theres, peek-a-boo lingerie in every tempting style, plus sly little extras like blindfolds, whips and other delicious touches that ‘buzz’ up intimacy. Masterminded by Oyy Oranan, who has self-styled her store as ‘Bangkok’s one and only luxury erotic boutique that’s seriously kinky’ – a tagline teetering on audacious yet sophisticated at the core.   Photograph: Oyy Oranan I’m talking about more than just beautiful lingerie or pleasure products. It’s about curating a lifestyle around intimacy and sexual wellness. Luxury for me means quality, elegance and discretion.   Photograph: Time Out Thailand   The Hidden Closet transcends the transactional. Each collection feels like a love letter to the body, moving beyond intimacy into full-on body and mind wellness. Desire lives here in designer form, where sex and sensuality mingle in spaces that feel more like your cool sister’s place than a storefront. I believe that exploring desire should feel empowering, stylish and deeply indulgent. Over ten years in, the success i

What’s emerged in Bangkok lately is a network of running communities that have transformed the city’s maze of concrete into the tightest community you'll ever sweat through. Bangkok’s run clubs have cracked the code on making an overwhelming megacity feel navigable and social – and increasingly, romantic. As dating apps lose their grip worldwide, these running crews are becoming the new meeting ground where genuine connections form naturally between breaths and strides. Runners here have found the rhythm of moving together through streets that suddenly make sense when you’re part of the pack. They’ve mastered the art of accountability disguised as fun, where showing up becomes less about personal discipline and more about connection. And now it’s the kind that flows organically during runs, without the pressure and awkwardness of traditional dating setups. Strava’s 2024 report reveals a 59% global rise in running clubs, with 58% of members making new friends through fitness groups. In Bangkok, this trend is evident as local running crews replace digital swiping with real-life connections. While the city becomes more dense and technology isolates us, these running crews create genuine closeness in Bangkok. Here are Bangkok’s top running communities. Hope you find your match!

COVID crashed. The world slowed. Streets emptied. And in that stillness, Exotic Originals was born. Since the quiet of March 2021, Exotic Originals has been ripping open hidden vaults, handpicking rare movie posters pulled from the shadowed archives of Japanese and Thai cinema.   Photograph: Exotic Originals   And behind this is Dave Milligan. Irish-born. London-raised. Bangkok-found. Asia-roamed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DAVE MILLIGAN - EXOTIC ORIGINALS (@exoticoriginals) Back to the raw beginning. Before the titles, before the trotting, there was five-year-old Dave chasing visual sparks down video store aisles. Japanese pop culture slipped into his bloodstream among those movie sleeves – fast and forever.  Akira was a hugely defining moment for me. he tells us.   Photograph: Noriyoshi Ohrai   Years down the line, a gaming magazine featuring Japanese posters and promotional art dropped a lovebomb on him: ‘I saw a Star Wars piece by an artist called Noriyoshi Ohrai – It blew my mind. I’d stare at it for hours.’ It was one of those pre-WiFi stretches so Dave still hadn’t figured out how to get his eager hands on those posters. Then luck landed in a cramped London shop when he was 12. ‘I found a small shop in London that sold Japanese theatrical release posters and animation cels and a couple of posters – an Akira and a Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.’ Dave bought Akira animation cels used in the film its

Bangkok’s dining scene never ceases to impress with new restaurants constantly adding fresh energy to the city’s vibrant food landscape. While elegant fine dining establishments often steal the spotlight with their refined menus and impeccable presentation, casual eateries play an equally important role in shaping the city’s culinary identity. From bustling street-side stalls to trendy bistros, these spots capture the capital’s lively spirit through bold flavours, creative concepts and inviting atmospheres. If you’re planning a romantic evening for two, a laid-back family dinner or even a solo food adventure, there’s no shortage of exciting options. The city’s diverse culinary landscape continues to expand, offering everything from Cantonese and French delicacies to comforting Burmese dishes. Whether you’re drawn to modern fusion cuisine or timeless classics, there’s always something new to discover. Discover, book, and save at hundreds of restaurants with Grab Dine Out. Enjoy exclusive discounts, use dining vouchers, and make instant reservations, all in the Grab app. Explore Grab Dine Out now.

Y2K’s sparkliest comeback is happening right here in Bangkok and it’s all about what's sitting on people’s molars and canines. Tooth gems have been quietly blinking within Bangkok’s fashion scene and now gemmed out teeth are biting back harder than ever, flashing more boldly across the city. The real appeal of this dental decoration trend lies in its zero-commitment ease. The whole process is surprisingly zen. These dental rhinestones bond to your teeth using specialised dental adhesive – no drilling, no filing, no permanent alterations. You can keep it subtle with a single crystal cutie or go all out with a faux grill look with no hardware anxiety. With proper care (normal brushing and not trying to pry them off with your fingernails) they’ll stick around for about 6-12 months before naturally wearing away. Just enough time for our attention span to reset and crave the next design. This trend reflects how we approach beauty these days – fluid, playful, experimental and entirely on our own terms. It's beauty without the pressure of forever. Try the sparkle, live with it then pivot when new inspiration strikes. Sometimes the slickest style choices are the ones you can change course without consequences, smile safely intact. Here are some studios ready to gem up your grin.

When Love of Siam graced Thai silver screens in 2007, it was a cultural timestamp etched into many people's collective memory. For the first time, a mainstream Thai movie dared to centre same-sex love not as spectacle but as something soft, lived and defiant. It asked audiences, tenderly yet without flinching, to sit with queerness in the everyday. Families watched in living rooms, teens talked about it in hallways, the media debated it. Suddenly, queerness wasn't something happening offstage. It was right there, in the glow of the screen, part of the script we all shared. Fast forward to 2025 and Thailand has officially made history as the first Southeast Asian country and the third in Asia after Taiwan and Nepal to legalise same-sex marriage. As of January 23, queer couples share the same rights to adopt, inherit and simply exist within the law. The language of the Thai civil and commercial code has been stripped of gender, reflecting a truth human beings have always known: love transcends the simple binary categories. But this legal shift didn't materialise out of nowhere. Thai queer cinema has long been quietly laying the groundwork, beautifully and with unflinching honesty. Many films and series have shattered controversy, rewired family stories and rewritten national identity, fuelling a B100 billion tourism boom and propelling boys’ love dramas to global fame. Thai queer narratives on screen have travelled far, resonated deeply, and returned home with renewed energy as

A stay in an old government building with a small garden terrace that doubles as a reading corner or people-watching perch. Wat Saket nearby, Khaosan a short walk. Free bikes and a shuttle make it easy to roam.

A heritage hideaway for this one, about 10 rooms with hardwood floors and it feels really lived in. Bikes sit ready in and out, even with bike references in the decor. We’d say it’s perfect for winding through the area at your own slow pace. A place to pause, park your thoughts and keep moving when you want.

Former royal residence where Thai craft peaked. Wat Phra Kaew holds the Emerald Buddha (Thailand’s most sacred image) and the weight of that hits you immediately. They take the dress code seriously: long trousers, shoulders covered, real shoes. Go when it opens, get the audio guide, plan for three hours minimum. Centuries of power (spiritual and political) converged here. You’ll see it in every surface.

The name’s just geography: Maharaj Road, old Rattanakosin. You're in Bangkok's cultural cluster: Grand Palace one direction, Wat Pho's giant Buddha another, Wat Arun across the water. Thammasat and Silapakorn universities anchor the brainy corners, Siriraj Hospital’s been patching people up forever and the Chao Phraya just keeps flowing. These days it’s a riverside mall. Restaurant spread goes wide: Savoey and Pranakorn Grill for Thai BBQ where you’re the chef, Taco Bell and Starbucks for when you’re feeling basic, After You or Tommie’s when sugar calls, Peppina's pizza, Omori Shabu's hotpot, Ramen Boy’s noodles. Something for everyone. Shopping leans heavy on souvenirs: actual Thai craft, the trinket circus, random boutique thrown in. Design does the timber beams meet open air thing, rooftop catching whichever wind decides to show (no guarantees on temperature). Ferries pull up for cross-river action. Works as a temple circuit breather or an evening landing spot when food plus river view equals the only plan worth having.

Midnight’s when the flowers arrive. By the ton. Trucks roll in with orchids, roses, marigolds, lotus: mostly headed for temples, hotels or even someone’s apartment. Not exactly a landmark, but it’s a sight. This is the wholesale scene by Memorial Bridge where Bangkok’s flower economy runs on ungodly hours. 3am is peak chaos. Trucks squeeze into impossible corners, vendors knee-deep in petals sorting by colour. Garland makers’ hands move so fast you can’t track how stems become tight circles in seconds. Lately, groups of kids on the bridge hold a single stem, snapping photos. Bring a camera if that’s your thing, or just stand back and watch the machinery.

Locals don’t exactly broadcast this one, but Wat Arun Residence’s balcony exists. Inside, it’s low lights, decent AC, all the comforts. But when a balcony table clears, move fast if you want the full theatre of Bangkok’s riverside Old Town spread before you. Dusk is stunning from here. The sun drops, city lights cue in and Wat Arun glows golden straight across the Chao Phraya. Good food, outdoor drinks with a view cameras love, but honestly, the draw is just being in Old Town in this light (great solo, better as a two-top!). Cocktails have range here: playfully named with Old Town references (sala martini, Bangkok sour, Siam spice) and solid classics. Bartenders read the room, experiment when it fits, execute clean when it’s time. Thai craft beers hold their own too. Do we say it’s the best golden hour in Bangkok? That’s a fight waiting to happen. But late sun on those temple spires, dark river rolling underneath: pretty hard to argue otherwise.  

‘Since World War II’ is stamped out front. Truth or marketing? The queues wrapping Mahachai Road don’t seem to care either way. Office workers, visitors with guidebooks, grandmothers who remember when this street looked different: everyone waits! The Grand Palace sits close enough to make this a logical midday stop. But that doesn’t explain the regulars who cross Bangkok for a plate. Most go for the signature moves: regular pad Thai, egg-wrapped or the ‘superb’ with shrimp fat.

A Neapolitan pizza spot near Sao Chingcha because someone cared enough about Italian food to do it right in Old Town: ‘the kind that actually gives a damn about fermentation times and where the mortadella comes from.’ The name Nuova (Italian for new) tracks right. The owner wanted to bring something legitimate to Old Town without the usual ‘close enough’ concessions. So there's margherita, carbonara, bolognese. The classics, executed. Dough gets a 48-hour nap before meeting fire. Then things veer. Calabrian Queen riffs on ‘Nduja and gets named after Billy Ocean’s Caribbean Queen because someone had fun with it. Fat Kid Pizza stacks prosciutto cotto, cream sauce, potatoes, crispy croquettes and pecorino cream on top: basically a popular fiocco that jumped the guardrails and landed better for it. It feels like dinner at a friend’s apartment, assuming your friend has a direct line to Italian suppliers. The crowd still skews non-Thai, but locals are starting to show. Old Town residents ‘who’d rather not schlep to the CBD for decent pizza’ are slowly making Nuova the play.  

They're going for an oldies/retro vibe here (part gallery, part bar). The spot quietly shifted gears under a new concept: Phra Nakhon Bar, a level apart. Space got re-zoned into distinctive atmospheres. The ground floor now has Bar Lung with its warm glass walls and welcoming vibe. The rest still carries that elevated rooftop and gallery lounge mix the bar’s always had, except now it feels more layered, more intentional. It’s Old Town with chic city character. Somehow it works. Head upstairs and the rooftop opens to night air, temples visible in the distance. Menu covers Thai and international, drinks run the full spectrum. The Thai comfort stuff is what you want though: spicy, oily, made for passing around. Nothing flashy. You just sit back and lose track of time. Live bands cycle through most nights.

Tiny Buddhas, sacred tablets, blessed coins and pendants with purported powers fill this Buddhist amulet weekend market near Thammasat University. Collectors examine pieces right there and then, debating lineage and blessing provenance. Prices span pocket change to mortgage territory depending on who blessed what when. Even if you’re not buying, watching these transactions – the respect, the reverence, the expertise – is kind of chilling and reveals how deep Buddhism runs in Thai culture. Come curious, stay respectful, leave understanding something new!

Supanniga Eating Room runs on Thai grandma love, specifically Grandma Somsri Jantra's, pulling recipes from her Trat and Khon Kaen roots. There are three locations across Bangkok now, but the Tha Tien spot lets you sit on the Chao Phraya, directly facing Wat Arun. Eastern and northeastern Thailand is on the menu. Try moo chamuang: fatty pork gone tender under chamuang leaves, with that mineral bite that's almost medicinal. Namprik khai pu loads fat crab and roe with vegetables, carrying real heat. Kalumpli tord nampla is cabbage fried in Trat fish sauce until it caramelises, teetering on too salty until rice pulls it back. One dessert here doesn't show up at the other locations: coconut rice cake with taro, corn and dried shrimp. They make it in limited batches daily, so call ahead or you're out of luck.

Museum Siam turned a 1922 building by Italian architect Mario Tamagno into a place that asks the question: what does being Thai actually mean? ‘Decoding Thainess’ runs 14 rooms: history, food, fashion, belief, the messy parts.  There’s a kitchen where you scan codes for tom yum and pad thai backstories. A room full of instant noodles, rubber-banded coffee bags and a 4m Nang Kwak statue. Daily objects that somehow explain more than plaques ever could. The Royal barge floats next to beat-up longtail boats – fancy fruit carvings beside vendor carts. Which Thailand’s real? Another room: 108 belief objects, workshops where you try fortune telling yourself.

Your last call on a night out in Thailand might be pushed later into the night as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is pushing hard to scrap the country’s alcohol-zoning rules, extend closing times to 4am nationwide and axe the ban on selling alcohol between 2pm and 5pm. If all goes to plan, these changes will roll out in January 2026. Right now, only certain licensed zones get to party past 2am: Silom, RCA and Ratchadaphisek in Bangkok, as well as hotspots like Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Ko Samui. Everyone else has to shut down at 2am, no exceptions. It’s a system that’s been criticised as outdated and a bit arbitrary. Many say why should geography determine when you can order another round? The proposed reforms would level the playing field. Instead of jumping through hoops to get entertainment venue licensing, all alcohol vendors could register directly with the Ministry of Interior as liquor outlets for that ‘simple, streamlined’ structure. The government’s motivation isn’t purely altruistic, of course. Extended hours and fewer restrictions are expected to pump up tourism-related numbers and generate hundreds of billions of baht in additional tax revenue.  Both the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Public Health have been tasked with figuring out the logistics of actually killing off these zoning regulations through ministerial channels. As mentioned, it’s early days, but if the cabinet thinks this is the way to go, Thailand’s hospitality industry (and anyone w

Halloween’s creeping up and the city’s got spooky activities lined up for this haunting season on every major soi (full lineup here). But before you reach for the witch’s hat or vampire cape, here’s a thought: why not dress up as Bangkok itself – its beloved faces, its everyday heroes, its homegrown icons? Bangkok has more personality in one street corner than most places have in their entire downtown. It’s colourful, unpredictable and iconic, so wear that energy on your sleeve, literally. Be the one at the party who thought outside the box, or in this case, outside Chatuchak’s costume stalls. Here’s some inspo to get you started: Tuk-tuk  Photograph: TAT Start strong with a local icon. Go DIY by grabbing a large cardboard box, paint it that unmistakable blue and red combo, strap it around your waist. Throw on a short-sleeved button-up (bonus points if it’s slightly faded) and you can optionally layer a vest over it to give that motorbike jacket energy. Khaki or dark blue work trousers keep it authentic. Maybe tuck a mini Bangkok map in your pocket. Finish with worn trainers or sandals and, really important, a neck towel for that ‘I’ve been driving all day’ effect. What you need: Cardboard box, blue and red paint, short-sleeved button-up (any colour, faded preferred), dark vest, khaki or navy work trousers, folded map, neck towel. If Thailand could win Best National Costume at Miss Universe 2015 with a tuk-tuk, we’re betting hard you’ll win best dressed at your Halloween pa

Friday October 3, the very same day The Life of a Showgirl hits streaming, Sukhumvit 31 goes shimmering-naughty for Bangkok’s Swifties with a Nightify Bar Crawl: Taylor’s Version. The long night includes five crawl stops, three all-night sanctuaries and DrinkAid keeping watch in the backroom, which means every ticket comes with hangover support.   Photograph: nightifyth   The route:  Soho House – 5pm onwards Backstage energy. Listening party. Screening. Eras Tour atmosphere at maximum saturation. Peppina – 6.30pm-8pm Italian food with Taylor-inspired drinks. Special pricing on à la carte cocktails. Treehouse Cafe and Bar – 8pm-9.45pm Trivia warfare. Deep cuts. Lyrical forensics. Pin 31 – 10pm-10.45pm 10 percent off cocktails. Projections. DJ sets. OFTR – 11pm-late Live bands. Complimentary shots keeping momentum vertical. Afterparty. All-night sanctuaries: Luka Buy-one-get-one cocktails and Suntree beers. Taylor bingo rewarding album knowledge with shots. Kenny’s Set menu, drink specials, themed decor, Taylor soundtrack on loop. C.A.L.M. Live band covering her greatest devastations from 8pm-11pm. Outdoor seating, food, cocktails, stars overhead. Basically, you get: Taylor-coded cocktails and bites at every venue. Trivia that separates casual fans from vault-track scholars. Photo ops and projections turning walls into Taylor moodboards. Live bands reimagining her catalogue. DJs spinning remixes until dawn. Free DrinkAid to keep you going. Plus surprise discounts, shots and p

So, there’s a performative male contest happening at Thammasat Rangsit University on October 1, put together by @sl4y3rr.rika, @sapphostirical, @ingmaroan, @ptricica, speakableherb and the Toa Hin On (โต๊ะหินอ่อน) collective. It’s part of a bigger phenomenon that started in America, famously in Seattle, then San Francisco joined in. The events drew hundreds. Sponsors even stepped in, funny enough a matcha label. Then colleges got FOMO: Cornell, University of Florida, Memphis, Yale, everyone wanted their piece of the action. And now Bangkok’s being Bangkok: a city where all gender expressions feel natural, where global movements find fertile ground and grow into something distinctly Thai. And it’s happening at Thammasat Rangsit Campus, Thailand’s progressive intellectual institution, where student movements were born and never really stopped. The place practically runs on boundary-pushing. Always has. So when the winds of change blow through, Thammasat makes it matter.   Photograph: @sl4y3rr.rika, @sapphostirical, @ingmaroan, @ptricica, speakableherb and the Toa Hin On (โต๊ะหินอ่อน) collective The invitation post reads: ‘Everyone’s welcome! This is a lighthearted event organised by students. Come join us for fun and entertainment! P.S. Don’t forget to bring all your performative essentials – books, matcha latte, wired earphones, your favourite CD and any literature! See you Wednesday October 1 at the SC1 Hall.’ Still, the contest’s poster makes clear the matcha latte can’t b

Sony Pictures just handed one of their biggest rom-com properties to Thailand’s GDH. If you’re not familiar, this is the Bad Genius studio, the same house that got How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies Oscar-shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. This Thai production powerhouse now claims 50 First Dates.   Photograph: GDH The 2004 Hollywood original is a pure amnesia romance. Drew Barrymore’s Lucy wakes up memory-wiped daily while Adam Sandler’s Henry relives the same courtship ritual. Love on permanent reset yet still choosing each other every sunrise. But in Thailand’s version, love rewinds in a whole new way: he forgets, she recalls.   Photograph: Sony Pictures The casting doubles down on surprises. Thai-born I-DLE’s Minnie Nicha leaps from K-pop stages to her first film role.    Photograph: min.nicha   Opposite her is Nadech Kugimiya, Thailand’s eternal heartthrob and box office guarantee, whose film Death-Whisperer 2 became the highest-grossing Thai film of all time in 2024, raking in B825 million.    Photograph: kugimiyas   Behind the camera is Mez Tharatorn, whose credits include co-writing How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies as well as hits like The Little Comedian, The Con-Heartist and I Fine… Thank You… Love You.   Photograph: Content Thailand   Since the announcement, everyone’s talking about cultural translation. GDH rarely does shallow remakes and we already see them reshaping the core story. What changes whe

Moo Deng’s first birthday bash has come and gone. Over four days, 28,890 local and international visitors flooded Khao Kheow Open Zoo to celebrate this basin baby. Photograph: Khamoo and the gang They carved her a cake from earth’s bounty. A fruit-and-veggie cake was sculpted for the birthday girl herself.  Photograph: Khamoo and the gang Then Moo Deng rang in her first year with a birthday shower that gave us a chaotic, wet-floor ballet.  Photograph: Khamoo and the gang Next came the first-ever official Moo Deng Coin by B.Leila, a collectible currency crafted for the Wildlife Sponsorship Programme. Photograph: Khamoo and the gang As the confetti settles, the zoo offers its star resident (and us) the ultimate grand gesture: a rebrand of the Khao Kheow Open Zoo’s Hippo Village. Plans are still under wraps but teaser visuals appeared on the zoo’s Facebook page, causing fans to swoon in the comments: ‘So pretty, just like Moo Deng,’ said one. ‘Hey, Moo Deng, let me know when it’s finished so I can visit often,’ said another. Post-birthday, her keepers wrapped it up with heartfelt words on Facebook: ‘The event’s wrapped up – thank you to everyone who came to see Moo Deng! And to the international fans who flew in from all over the world. We never thought people would cross oceans just to see a hippo standing in a basin.’ And that’s our girl, closing out her first chapter. This went from a full-blown zoo celebration to an international spectacle, with fans crossing oceans

Chut thai where ‘chut’ cuts straight to the bone, meaning ‘outfit.’ But peel back the surface and you're staring into centuries of textile artistry and encoded culture.  From the Dvaravati to the Srivijaya eras, spanning the sixth to thirteenth centuries, the wrap skirt was designed to move with the monsoon and with meaning. It’s fashion, function, faith and flirtation, all woven into one. You could trace it back to a story told in homegrown silk and the ancient trade routes that pulse through Thailand’s past.  For women, there’s the ‘pha nung’ and its cousin ‘pha sinh’. From North to South, each province translates climate and spirit into their chuts. Mountain communities speak different textile languages from coastal cities.  Then in 1964, Queen Sirikit unveiled chut thai ‘phra ratcha niyom,’ a polished royally endorsed national costume. The men’s suea phraratchathan followed in the late 1970s, rooted in that Raj-pattern legacy with modern grace. Now the story moves forward: UNESCO recognition. Thailand aims to immortalise the artistry behind its national costume, the know-how, craftsmanship and rituals, by seeking a place on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, with evaluation set for 2026. This nomination is part of a larger cultural preservation effort, an ever-growing vault of 396 relics and rituals already safeguarded as national heritage, with Muay Thai and Songkran circling close by.  The proposal weaves a story of shared heritage and mutual respect, threaded

History walked in wearing the face of Wanlop Rungkumjad. The first Thai to claim Best Actor at the 27th Taipei Film Festival, the so-called throne room where cinema gets consecrated. Mongrel delivered him there, a Taiwanese sledgehammer directed by Chiang Wei Liang and You Qiao Yin. Rungkumjad and his colleague Atchara Suwan breathe life into the undocumented, embodying those who exist like ghosts made flesh in society’s blind spots. The movie’s synopsis goes: An undocumented Thai immigrant moves through Taiwan's rugged mountain shadows. For survival, he tends to the elderly and disabled while his own spirit fractures. Days blur into survival, each breath borrowed time. When dignity starts slipping through cracked hands, the film asks: when everything conspires to hollow you out, what's left to call your own? With the gold horse in his hands, standing before the crowd and Mandarin sharp on his tongue, Rungkumjad said: ‘Before Mongrel, I was ready to give up. I thought it was my last shot at acting. But Taiwanese cinema gave me a rebirth. It made me part of something bigger.’ Throwing it back to 2019, Manta Ray was a submerged meditation directed by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng. Rungkumjad played a fisherman sheltering a Rohingya refugee that caught Venice’s eyes and The Orizzonti Award for Best Film landed in Thai hands for the first time. Six years forward, Rungkumjad has discovered what the margins know well: truth lives in the spaces too dangerous for the centre. In Mongrel, he

The Asian water monitors, omnipresent fixtures sunning themselves at Lumpini Park, just crawled out of legal limbo and into economic opportunity. The Department of National Parks has lifted these prehistoric reptiles from decades of commercial prohibition via a Royal Gazette announcement. While still under the watchful eye of wildlife conservation, water monitors can now be legally farmed for commercial purposes – their skin supple as fine leather, with a finesse worthy of haute couture, driving an entirely new economic sector. The rule is you can breed them but only at licensed hatcheries. No wild capture. No bare-handed snatching from the wild. Each one gets a microchip, a barcode beneath the skin. They’re not trophies, not to be hunted as prey, but to be handled as important national economic assets. But this eco-entrepreneurship of water monitors settles into an ethical grey zone, rooted in wildlife-to-wardrobe capitalism. The fashion world knows intimately how to romanticise skin, call it exotic leather, ship it to Milan, shoot it in monochrome. Yet many see that beneath those arm candies was a living creature, once breathing air. This thrums with the weight of extinction, survival and the strange tension between power and preservation. Water monitors were originally only ‘tolerated’ as urban scavengers. Acting like low-key park janitors, they helped clean the city and control pests naturally. But when their numbers exploded to an estimated 400 giants, some reaching thre

Thai blooded LA hustle fashion brand ‘Tank Air’ just dropped a short film titled ‘Clothing and Ideas in Service of the Matriarchy.’ The credits look like home: directed by Tank Air with a homegrown Thai-heavy crew involved in every step of the making. At its heart is the Sarasas Witaed Bangbuathong School Choir. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tank Air 𑁍 แทงค์แอร์ (@tankair) Tank Air’s been doing this dance since day one. They take fractured roots and spin them into something cohesive and tangible you can actually wear and live your life in.  Behind this is Claire Robertson-Macleod, Bangkok-born, Hong Kong-raised, Thai-English. She’s tuned into today’s cultural conversations and answered with a fashion statement. Tank Air’s sculpted cuts cling to the body like memory itself, born from her lineage of women and shaped by her Thai mother’s grace, her British father’s grit and the electric pulse of Hong Kong’s creative underground where she came of age.  Something deeper happens when each piece begins as rescued textile, taking fractured roots and spinning them into something cohesive and tangible you can wear and live in. Tank Air’s rooted in Bangkok’s streets, reaching toward California’s horizon. Let us spotlight the Bunny knitted baby tee, emblazoned with Tank Air in Thai – ‘แทงค์แอร์’ – telling a story of quiet resilience. Photograph: Tankair ‘No matter the loss, spring back into action in this baby-soft tee, symbolising the world's stron

H3F (Happy Three Friends), despite the name, are four Thai musician friends launching their first headline show, ‘Rumblin' with Chalawan’ inside the canvas-roped Muay Thai ring at World Siam Stadium following their recent album drop, Chalawan Sound. Thai-born and groove-soaked, H3F has spent nearly a decade knuckling through the indie underground, preaching a work motto of ‘cheesy lyrics, sloppy groove.’ And their Chalawan motif is surely a one-of-a-kind banner and a slithering motif to reflect this gospel. A Chalawan is the mythic crocodile king who shapeshifts into a man, steals hearts and drags maidens to his underwater world. It’s also Thailand’s Jurassic-era crocodilian. So, allure and seduction might just be what this concert is really about. Photograph: official.h3f We can’t really anticipate how this concert will unfold. Choosing a stadium ring as their first stage is definitely intentional, with only ropes and a shared sense that something primal is about to erupt in a raw, stripped-down arena where instinct has traditionally squared off with spectacle. The Muay Thai reference has been circulating through Thailand’s music bloodstream lately. MILLI is getting ready to drop HEAVYWEIGHT, an album with Muay Thai combat-ready aesthetics and that Head in the Clouds LA set summoning Muay Thai legend Buakaw Banchamek to the stage. Even Young Thug’s Sp5der campaign found its way to Thailand’s boxing training camps. The ring is having its moment and H3F are stepping through

Bouncing into the world on July 10 2024, oinking and slinking, she was given the name ‘Moo Deng’ for her ‘deng’ (slippery and spring-loaded) nature. Born to mama Jonah and papa Tony, this little chaotic cannonball quickly graduated from family mascot to full-blown international heart-stealer. One year on, Moo Deng’s friends are throwing her a four-day ultimate birthday blowout. From July 10-13, Khao Kheow Open Zoo will celebrate with candles on a special gigantic cake for our beloved baby hippo at the home she shares with many species of friends and family. The celebration includes free entry for children under 12. There'll be an exclusive auction of Moo Deng’s personal belongings, keepsakes from the hippo who melted hearts between naps, with every baht bid going to sustainable animal care. Photo galleries will display hippo portraits like fine art, alongside merchandise galore and parades all celebrating our Moo Deng. Who could have predicted that Thailand would find soft power in a waddling baby hippo with pink chubby cheeks? A slippery bounce here, a squeal there and suddenly, Thailand’s Chonburi is in the global consciousness.  Moo Deng singlepawedly carved her zoo and the surrounding region into the travel radar. Tourist buses now roll through roads that once mostly saw local traffic. Hotel bookings surge. Street vendors sell hippo-themed everything. Moo Deng has given Thailand a new kind of cultural currency, as tourism boards around the world scramble to see this 32-ki