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Category: Thailand Notebook

Practical tips and travel stories from Thailand: Bangkok, Pattaya, Isan, the islands.

  • What to do in Hua Hin for a weekend?

    What to do in Hua Hin for a weekend?

    Hua Hin has a rare advantage in Thailand: it has not been disfigured. No towers on the beach, a promenade along the water, and a train that still runs through the centre. It has been Bangkok families’ seaside town for a century.

    Saturday morning: the beach

    Hua Hin beach is long, lined with restaurants and trees, and you can walk it early without meeting many people. The water is calm and shallow for a good distance, which makes it easy with children.

    Saturday evening: the Cicada market

    Open at weekends, this market mixes artisan stalls, food and small concerts. It is where locals come too, which sets it apart from purely tourist markets. Arrive before dark to find space.

    Sunday morning: Khao Takiab

    A hill south of town, a temple at the top and a view over the bay. Monkeys are present and sometimes insistent: leave nothing lying around. The climb is short, up a staircase.

    Sunday afternoon: the countryside

    A few vineyards can be visited in the surrounding hills, with tastings and views over the rows of vines. Alternatively, the road continues towards waterfalls and fishing villages.

    #Thailand #HuaHin #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Hua Hin is three hours by minibus from Bangkok, a little more by train. The train is slower but crosses landscapes and arrives in the centre. The beach is best in the dry season; from November to February the sea is calm and the air cooler.

    FAQ

    Are two days enough?

    Yes for the beach and the market. One more night allows a trip inland.

    Can you come from Bangkok without a car?

    Yes, by minibus or train. The station is in the centre.

    Is Hua Hin good for families?

    That is its reputation: calm sea, promenade, little traffic.

    Also read

    Cover of Hua Hin – The Practical Guide

    To go further

    Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Hua Hin – The Practical Guide, covers the essentials: transport, neighbourhoods, addresses, food, etiquette and safety, updated for 2026–2027.

    Buy the English ebook – €3.00
  • What do you discover when you reread La Saison du souffle?

    What do you discover when you reread La Saison du souffle?

    We rarely reread a novel for the reason we read it the first time. The first reading seeks to know; the second seeks to understand. La Saison du souffle rewards precisely the second.

    The opening pages change meaning

    This is the most striking experience: what looked like ordinary set-up becomes, once the ending is known, a series of indications. The sentences have not changed; our gaze has moved.

    The objects come back for real

    What a first reading takes for detail — a gesture, an object, a repetition — turns out to be a system. On rereading, you stop treating them as scenery and follow them as a trail.

    The structure becomes visible

    The first time you suffer the alternation of voices. The second, you see it building something: you notice where sections answer each other, where the author accelerates, where he suspends. That is the specific pleasure of rereading: reading the book and its machinery at once.

    Dialogue reads differently

    A line that seemed harmless carries, once the context is known, a weight you had not perceived. This is often where the novel gains most, because the language has not moved a word.

    #LaSaisonDuSouffle #Reading #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Leave a few months between the two readings: too close, memory gets in the way. Reread with a pencil, or with bookmarks — the second reading is a working reading, not a discovery.

    FAQ

    Should I reread in order?

    Yes, the novel’s construction matters. Reading the start after the end tests how solid the whole is.

    How long to wait?

    Three months is enough to forget details without forgetting the essentials.

    One careful reading or two?

    One careful, then one slow. The reverse order is pointless.

    Also read

    Cover of The Season of Breath

    The book

    Mr Schaka lives with pulmonary fibrosis and has been travelling in Thailand for years. In The Season of Breath he tells the story of that journey, one step at a time, with humour and no self-pity.

    Kindle ebook – $4.99
    Paperback – $14.99
    Hardcover – $24.99
  • How to visit Bangkok’s Grand Palace?

    How to visit Bangkok’s Grand Palace?

    The Grand Palace is Thailand’s most visited site, and that changes everything: you do not visit it like a quiet temple, you approach it like an expedition. A few simple rules save the morning.

    Arrive at opening

    Coaches arrive mid-morning and the site fills very fast. Be there at opening, or just before: you get almost empty courtyards for an hour, and softer light for photographs.

    The dress code, no negotiation

    Shoulders and knees covered, for women and men alike. No sleeveless tops, no shorts, no leggings. Checks are strict and happen at the entrance: plan something to cover up, or buy a sarong on site, which is possible but costs time.

    The route

    Inside, Wat Phra Kaew, the temple of the Emerald Buddha, occupies the first courtyard. The painted galleries around it are worth as much as the temple itself. Do not try to see everything: choose two or three ensembles and leave the rest.

    What people forget next door

    Wat Pho is ten minutes on foot, and it completes the visit without duplicating it. Many travellers do both and finish by the river, which makes a coherent morning.

    #Thailand #Bangkok #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Access is by river, at the Tha Chang pier, which avoids the traffic. Bring water, a hat and closed shoes. Ignore anyone telling you the palace is closed today: it is a classic technique to take you elsewhere.

    FAQ

    How long should I allow?

    Two hours for the palace, one more with Wat Pho.

    Can I take photographs?

    Yes in the courtyards, not inside the Emerald Buddha temple.

    Do I need to book?

    No, entry is on site. Arriving early is the only real booking.

    Also read

    Cover of Bangkok – The Practical Guide

    To go further

    Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Bangkok – The Practical Guide, covers the essentials: transport, neighbourhoods, addresses, food, etiquette and safety, updated for 2026–2027.

    English ebook – €3.00
  • What to listen to while reading La Saison du souffle?

    What to listen to while reading La Saison du souffle?

    The question sounds incidental: what music to read a novel to? It is not, because this book is made of sounds before it is made of images. Here are three ways to listen, and a fourth, which is to listen to nothing.

    Rain, first

    The most accurate backdrop: steady rain, no storm, on a roof or a tin sheet. It covers the house’s noise without imposing anything, and it resembles what the novel does with the city: a continuous sound you end up no longer hearing.

    Temple bells and courtyards

    A recording of distant bells, brooms on gravel, low voices: that is Bangkok’s quiet, the one that still exists at six in the morning. At very low volume it works better than any playlist.

    Markets and boats

    A market, an idling boat engine, incomprehensible announcements: these are the sounds from outside, the ones that come through the window. Reserve them for passages where the character is in the street, or the effect turns against the reading.

    The reasonable option: silence

    A novel that works on breathing and breath actually asks for no accompaniment. Many readers find the opposite of what they expected: music adds an emotion the text had already planned, and the book loses its lead.

    #LaSaisonDuSouffle #Reading #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    If you listen, keep the volume minimal and choose passages without sung voice: speech draws attention, and the novel’s voice must remain the only one. Avoid tracks that tell a story; they overlay the book’s.

    FAQ

    Which classical music works?

    Solo piano, slow, without a marked melody: music should be a background, not a narrative.

    Should I use real Bangkok sounds?

    Useful at first, counterproductive later: reality ends up distracting from fiction.

    And while travelling?

    Then listening is pointless: the city already does it.

    Also read

    Cover of The Season of Breath

    The book

    Mr Schaka lives with pulmonary fibrosis and has been travelling in Thailand for years. In The Season of Breath he tells the story of that journey, one step at a time, with humour and no self-pity.

    Kindle ebook – $4.99
    Paperback – $14.99
    Hardcover – $24.99
  • What to do in Pattaya in two days?

    What to do in Pattaya in two days?

    Pattaya has a reputation that says nothing about what you can do there in two days. With a little planning you get a quiet beach, an unexpected monument and an island — without spending your days in traffic.

    Day 1, morning: Jomtien

    Start at Jomtien beach, to the south, calmer than the central bay. The sand is wide, the vendors less insistent, and you can walk a long way by the water. Arrive early: from midday the heat becomes serious.

    Day 1, afternoon: the Sanctuary of Truth

    This temple, entirely in carved wood, is best visited in late afternoon when light falls across the facades. It is the region’s most surprising monument, and the only one that justifies the trip on its own.

    Day 1, evening: the night market

    Pattaya has several night markets. Pick one rather than running between them: the point is to eat on the spot, in small portions, watching the others work.

    Day 2: Koh Larn

    The ferry leaves from the Bali Hai pier and reaches the island in about forty minutes. Rent a scooter or take a shuttle to the beaches on the far side, which are clearer. Leave before late afternoon to avoid the crush on the way back.

    #Thailand #Pattaya #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Blue songthaews run along Beach Road for a few baht; just wave them down. Avoid renting a car: traffic is dense and parking rare. The dry season, November to February, is by far the most pleasant.

    FAQ

    Are two days enough?

    For the essentials, yes. For the islands and surroundings, allow four days.

    Can you reach Pattaya from Bangkok?

    Yes, by bus or car, in two to three hours depending on traffic.

    Is the city suitable for families?

    Jomtien and Koh Larn, yes. Central Pattaya, far less.

    Also read

    Cover of Pattaya – The Practical Guide

    To go further

    Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Pattaya – The Practical Guide, covers the essentials: transport, neighbourhoods, addresses, food, etiquette and safety, updated for 2026–2027.

    Buy the English ebook – €3.00
  • Where to read La Saison du souffle in Bangkok?

    Where to read La Saison du souffle in Bangkok?

    Some books ask for an armchair. This one asks for a city. Reading La Saison du souffle in Bangkok means accepting that the pages and the streets contaminate each other a little. Five places for that, from quietest to loudest.

    A hotel lobby, in the morning

    Bangkok’s grand lobbies are reading rooms that do not know it: air conditioning, deep armchairs, relative silence. In the morning, before the guests arrive, you can find a full hour without interruption. It is the place that most resembles the novel’s own setting.

    A park, late afternoon

    Benjakitti or Lumpini: a bench, trees, and the city’s background noise that stays without getting in the way. Light fails fast; accept closing the book at the right moment rather than pushing on.

    A neighbourhood café

    Not the Sukhumvit ones, too loud: look for cafés in side streets, the kind where people work without loud music. One table, one iced drink, two hours.

    On a river boat

    The Chao Phraya at the end of the afternoon, noisy and crowded, is not good for reading — but it is good for listening. Read a page, look at the bank, come back. It is the truest way to cross this particular novel.

    In a temple courtyard

    Pick a secondary temple, not an attraction: a quiet courtyard, shade, benches. You read badly there, often interrupted, and yet those pages stay with you.

    #LaSaisonDuSouffle #Bangkok #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Bring a paper copy rather than an e-reader: heat, humidity and screen glare make digital reading uncomfortable. Bring water. And do not read by the pool if you want to reach the end.

    FAQ

    How long to read the novel on site?

    A week at two hours a day, which leaves time for the city.

    Is the book available in Bangkok?

    French version on the author’s site; English and Thai versions also available.

    Do I need to have visited Bangkok first?

    No. The novel works before, during and after.

    Also read

    Cover of The Season of Breath

    The book

    Mr Schaka lives with pulmonary fibrosis and has been travelling in Thailand for years. In The Season of Breath he tells the story of that journey, one step at a time, with humour and no self-pity.

    Kindle ebook – $4.99
    Paperback – $14.99
    Hardcover – $24.99
  • How to get around Bangkok without breaking the bank?

    How to get around Bangkok without breaking the bank?

    Bangkok is vast, but it can be crossed for a few euros a day. The rule is simple: rail for distance, water for speed, motorbikes for the last metres, and a taxi only when nothing else works.

    Skytrain and metro

    Two clean, air-conditioned and punctual networks cover most tourist districts. Buy a rechargeable card on day one: it saves queuing at machines and lowers the cost per trip. Avoid rush hour, when the carriages are full.

    The river boats

    The Chao Phraya Express links the temples, the old town and the southern districts for the price of a bus ticket. The boat is often faster than the road at busy times, and the journey itself is worth it. The canals of Thonburi and Bang Krachao complete the network.

    Buses

    The oldest ones are the cheapest in town, but you need to know your line and accept no air conditioning. Air-conditioned buses cost a little more. It is the slowest mode, and the most interesting if you are not in a hurry.

    Motorbike taxis and apps

    The motorbike is the best tool for the last kilometres, especially in small streets no car can enter. Agree the price before getting on, or use an app to avoid the discussion. Cars with drivers cost more and stay stuck in traffic.

    #Thailand #Bangkok #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Avoid tuk-tuks for long distances: they are expensive per kilometre and mainly serve organised tours. Walk whenever you can: districts are smaller than they look on a map. Keep small change — many drivers have none.

    FAQ

    Should I buy a transport card?

    Useful if you stay more than two days: it simplifies every trip and cuts the waiting.

    Are taxis safe?

    Yes, if the meter is on. Otherwise get out and take another.

    How much per day?

    A few euros for rail and boat trips, more if you multiply motorbikes and apps.

    Also read

    Cover of Bangkok – The Practical Guide

    To go further

    Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Bangkok – The Practical Guide, covers the essentials: transport, neighbourhoods, addresses, food, etiquette and safety, updated for 2026–2027.

    English ebook – €3.00
  • How to read La Saison du souffle without getting lost?

    How to read La Saison du souffle without getting lost?

    A novel that alternates voices and cities asks for a little attention at first, then finds its rhythm. Here are four markers that save you from rereading the same page three times.

    Follow the voices, not the chapters

    The simplest approach is to work out early who is speaking, and stick with it. Once the two voices are identified, the alternation becomes a rhythm rather than a confusion. If you lose the thread, go back to the start of the section, not the chapter.

    Keep a map of the places

    The novel moves: a hotel lobby, streets, a lake. Note the places as you go, on paper or in the margin. After fifty pages the book’s geography becomes as clear as that of a city you live in.

    Spot the objects that return

    Some objects and gestures come back without immediate explanation. Do not try to decode them straight away: note them. It is their return, later, that gives the book its meaning.

    Read the first pages slowly

    The temptation is to read fast to find out. Here it is the opposite: the first thirty pages set the rules. Take them slowly, accept not understanding everything, and the rest speeds up on its own.

    #LaSaisonDuSouffle #Reading #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    The novel reads well in a week at forty pages a day. If you read it while travelling, in Bangkok or elsewhere, leave the book at home in the evening: the novel’s places soon mix with those of the real city.

    FAQ

    Should I read Je respire encore first?

    No, the two books read independently. The reverse order works too.

    Is the novel difficult?

    Not difficult, but it asks for attention at the start. It is a book that rewards patience.

    Can I read it in translation?

    Yes. English, Thai, Hindi and Chinese versions are available on the site.

    Also read

    Cover of The Season of Breath

    The book

    Mr Schaka lives with pulmonary fibrosis and has been travelling in Thailand for years. In The Season of Breath he tells the story of that journey, one step at a time, with humour and no self-pity.

    Kindle ebook – $4.99
    Paperback – $14.99
    Hardcover – $24.99
  • What to do in Chiang Mai in three days?

    What to do in Chiang Mai in three days?

    Chiang Mai is badly visited from a list. The city is flat, dense and ringed by a moat: the right approach is one neighbourhood per day, on foot. Here is how to hold three days without running.

    Day 1: the old city, on foot

    The central square can be crossed in thirty minutes. It holds the major temples, including Wat Chedi Luang with its huge ruined stupa and the more ornate Wat Phra Singh. Between them, the lanes hide cafés and shaded courtyards.

    In the evening, the Sunday walking street takes over the main road if you happen to be there on the right day. Otherwise the everyday neighbourhood markets are more than enough.

    Day 2: Doi Suthep and the mountain

    The great hilltop temple overlooks the city from about fifteen kilometres away. Go early, before the coaches: the naga staircase and the terrace have to be earned. Come back down through the royal gardens, lower on the same road, where you walk in the shade.

    Allow a full half-day. In the rainy season the road is slippery and the summit often in cloud, but the forest there is magnificent.

    Day 3: outside the walls

    On the third day you leave the centre: a cooking class in the morning, then the artisan workshops on the east bank, or an excursion to the hot springs. Those who want nature can aim for the hills to the north, an hour away.

    #Thailand #ChiangMai #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    Chiang Mai is crossed on foot or by songthaew, the red shared pick-ups where you agree the price before getting in. The city is cooler than Bangkok in the dry season, and colder still in December and January mornings: bring a layer. Do not plan a two-day trek if you only have three days.

    FAQ

    Are three days enough?

    For the city and the mountain, yes. For treks and villages, allow a week.

    Should I rent a scooter?

    Traffic is dense and insurance often thin. Songthaews and ride apps cost little.

    Best season?

    November to February: dry air, clear skies, cool mornings.

    Also read

    Cover of Chiang Mai and the North – The Practical Guide

    To go further

    Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Chiang Mai and the North – The Practical Guide, covers the essentials: transport, neighbourhoods, addresses, food, etiquette and safety, updated for 2026–2027.

    Buy the English ebook – €3.00
  • Where to watch the sunset in Bangkok?

    Where to watch the sunset in Bangkok?

    In Bangkok the sun does not set slowly: it drops at once, often into an orange haze that swallows the towers. Choosing your viewpoint well changes everything.

    Wat Arun from the opposite bank

    The classic, and it earns its reputation. Stand on the east bank near the Tha Tien pier and watch the temple light up against the low sun. Arrive thirty minutes early so the stone can take on its colour.

    The Golden Mount

    The hill of Wat Saket gives a 360-degree view over the old town rooftops without a rooftop price. You climb a spiral staircase, and come down before closing.

    The city’s rooftop bars

    The high bars of Silom and Sathorn sell the view for the price of a cocktail. Expensive, often crowded, but the panorama over the river and the towers is the best in town. Dress properly: some refuse shorts.

    The banks of the Chao Phraya

    The quays, the footbridges and the riverside terraces offer the sunset without the rooftop crowd. The boats arriving at dusk are part of the show.

    Benjakitti park

    A stretch of water, wooden walkways and the skyline behind. It is the only place on this list where you can sit on the grass and stay an hour without buying anything.

    #Thailand #Bangkok #MrSchaka

    Practical information

    The best season runs from November to February, when the sky clears. In the rainy season the sunset is often hidden, but the clouds produce unpredictable colours. Check the exact time: it varies little at this latitude, between 5.50 pm and 6.50 pm depending on the season.

    FAQ

    Best free spot?

    The Golden Mount, for the view and for not having to buy a drink.

    Can you watch it from a boat?

    Yes, the river shuttles at dusk give a moving viewpoint for the price of a ride.

    Is the rooftop worth the price?

    Once, for the view. After that, the quays do just as well.

    Also read

    Cover of Bangkok – The Practical Guide

    To go further

    Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Bangkok – The Practical Guide, covers the essentials: transport, neighbourhoods, addresses, food, etiquette and safety, updated for 2026–2027.

    Buy the English ebook – €3.00