Penfold's South East Asian Odyssey

Having lived in Thailand for several years, I have personally witnessed countless acts of animal cruelty from people running over stray dogs with their cars and failing to stop to give assistance, to live frogs and lizards being sold in plastic bags to cows, buffalos and pigs being transported in the back of a pick up-trucks without shade, food or water. And to show I'm not making these stories up or over-exaggerating what happens, look at the photos below..... This photo was taken from inside our pick-up truck, whilst we were waiting at traffic lights, on the motorway slip-road between Sriracha and Pattaya. I counted at least 6 pigs and you could hear the squealing over the sound of both the engine and the radio. I have now stopped eating pork in Thailand as a result of seeing this!!! The next photo shows some of the live "delicacies" that are on sale at the local market................ Disgusting isn't it? I understand there are enormous cultural...

I've often commented on the appaling standard of driving and lack of road sense displayed by motorists in Thailand and I think it's time I re-visited the topic. To put the problem into perspective, around 30 people are killed every day in road accidents and that compares with an average of 5 in the UK, which has a similar population. I drive frequently here in the Pattaya area, using a range of vehicles (including pick-up truck, saloon car and motorbike). I have also driven to many of the major cities including Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Rayong. I regularly see examples of bad driving, with the most common being speeding, changing lanes without indicating, tailgating and drink-driving. Fortunately, despite witnessing countless accidents, I have only ever seen one fatal smash first-hand. Here is a photo I took of a recent accident involving 2 heavy goods vehicles on National Highway No. 7 between Pattaya and Chonburi. Hardly a day goes by without a television or...

On the 27th of July the island of Koh Samet, in Rayong province, was ravaged by an oil slick from a ruptured off-shore pipeline. In excess of 50,000 litres of heavy crude oil escaped and began washing ashore. The worst affected area was Coconut Bay, known by the locals as Ao Prao, which is one of the prettiest and most popular beaches on the island. Before.........  After......... ( I am not the owner of the 2 photographs above, nor do I hold their copyright. They are reproduced courtesy of National Geographic) Unsuprisingly, the spill has had a dramatic effect on tourism, with boat-loads of visitors leaving the island and many more cancelling their bookings. There are also concerns about long term chemical contamination and the impact on the local fishing industry. The incident has once again highlighted the spectacular ineptitude of Thai government officials. The tourism minister, Somsak Phurisisak, is reported to have said "I'm very concerned, I didn...