You guys loved last week’s list – 29 Ways to Bring Thailand to You – Today, Tomorrow and This Weekend – so here’s part two! From missing Mormons and nekked Nanas, to homemade Thai iced tea and the coffee mug that sums up 2020 – it’ll keep you busy for weeks. Enjoy!
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29 MORE Ways to Bring Thailand to You – Today, Tomorrow and This Weekend
1. Revisit The Beach
Has it been a while since you saw Leo splendidly shirtless and fighting a crocodile? It’s time to revisit The Beach. (Also available as an audiobook if you’ve overdosed on TV and need accompaniment while you cook).
2. Marie Kondo: Pet Edition
If you’ve got a dog or cat who is overdue for a Marie Kondo dose of minimalism, consider mailing any extra toys or pet supplies to a Thai animal shelter – they could really use extra support to get through COVID-19. See their wishlists and mailing addresses.
3. Attempt this 3D elephant puzzle
A 3D puzzle suitable for 12 years and up. Level 1 difficulty should (should!) take adults about an hour to complete – can you do it?
4. Learn ‘absolute beginner’ Thai (without leaving your house)
Upper-level tip for anyone remotely competitive: learn beginner Thai in secret and don’t tell any of your future travel buddies. Six months from now … you all arrive in Thailand … and you order a beer in Thai??! Yes, yes, yes.
5. It’s piggy bank time
Plan ahead for a few rainy days in Thailand and make a “splash out” fund for some high-roller spa days.
6. Make Thai iced tea
The easiest way to enjoy Thai iced tea – total avoiding the mess (and temptation) of a can of sweetened condensed milk. Add the amount of sweetness you prefer and totally fall in love with this beloved Thai drink.
7. Juicy, juicy mangoes
Learn how to grow mangoes from seed (a fantastic project to do with kids!).
8. ‘Frond’ of You
Consider a few favourite ‘just because’ cards to send to anyone who needs a little sunshine.
9. Calling Bill Bryson
Become the Bill Bryson of Thailand trivia after you inhale this superb book. (Quick preview? Thailand has 300,000 temples, 282 mammal species … and a museum with the preserved remains of a man who ate 7 children. Ate them. ATE them.)
10. Missing Mormon
Bangkok Bob and The Missing Mormon? Has it got your attention on the title alone? From the same author as Private Dancer, don’t miss this slightly tongue-in-cheek murder-mystery that rampages across Bangkok and back again.
11. Nekked Nanas
Refresh your memory on Thai etiquette – what does it take to be the rudest tourist in Thailand? (Hint …there’s a grandma involved. And she’s not exactly clothed).
12. Coffee, and nevermind everything else
Did you have plans to travel to Thailand this year – and instead you’re at home in your PJs? ‘Mai pen rai’ means nevermind in Thai – grab the coffee mug (and add something stronger than coffee – you deserve it).
13. Samui-Style Pineapple Shake
There’s an easy answer to the grey days of home – and it comes from a blender. Enter the pineapple shake.
14. Hello massaaaage
Here’s how to solve the biggest mystery of all – how to transport a Thai spa to your house? It’s actually easier than you’d think. Grab a ‘Luk Pra Kob’, a Thai herbal spa massage ball. Heat it for a few minutes in the microwave and bingo; you’ve arrived. The smell is wonderful and the heat from the ball is ideal on sore shoulders/tense necks/anything full of post-Peloton pain. Best part? Allow it to dry out before putting it away and you can re-use it indefinitely.
15. Get a a head start
Get a head start planning for The Future Times: Get to know Koh Samui inside and out with The Koh Samui Guide.
16. Elephant Towels
Learn how to fold an elephant towel – you’ve literally got nothing better to do.
17. Teleport yourself to Thailand
These 33 audiobooks about Thailand are guaranteed to teach you something, make errands and workouts more interesting – they might even make you laugh. Some favourites, clockwise from top left: Bangkok Bob and The Missing Mormon, Fieldwork: A Novel, From Thailand With Love and The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
18. Get colouring
Try any of these Thailand colouring books – clockwise from top left: Thailand Escape, Thailand: An Adult Coloring Book, Bangkok: An Adult Coloring Book, THAILAND, Thailand Illustrations and The Painted Elephant.
19. Better bedtime stories
Have you been enjoying your locked-down year in the company of children? Lucky, lucky you. If bedtime is the best time of day – add any of these wonderful children’s books about Thailand to the story line up (and then possibly treat yourself to a cold Thai beer).
20. Floor routine
Add a roll-up Thai floor cushion to your “eat spicy Thai banana chips while watching Netflix” routine. If you have a dog to add to the mixture, so much the better.
21. Hate ironing?
Discover the ten reasons I love my travel steamer – both for use and home and for saving me from microscopic mite bites in a tropical climate like Thailand.
22. Monstera Art Print
Tropical plant art … that’s screaming? Seems to hit the mark for 2020. Available in sizes from 8″X10″ up to 28″X36″.
23. Your time to shine
Have great intentions and poor follow-through? This is your time to shine – you’ve got months to plan something good. Start scheming a massive surprise for your best person – at Koh Samui’s most romantic hotels.
24. Bangkok Wakes to Rain
“Recreates the experience of living in Thailand’s aqueous climate so viscerally that you can feel the water rising around your ankles.” (Ron Charles, Washington Post)
25. Palm Trees Please
Add this removable palm tree mural to any blank wall. Easy to reposition if you want, and PVC-free.
26. Safer on screen
Meet the Southeast Asian water monitor (aka monitor lizard) – much safer through a screen than up-close and in person.
27. From Thailand with Love
Three choices here – paperback, Kindle and Audible audiobook. Two of those choices will keep the cover hidden from the rest of the world, leaving you completely un-judged as you enjoy your chick-lit journey.
28. Learn how to share a joke – in Thai
Learn how to share a joke – in Thai – with a stranger. (Ideally a Thai-speaking stranger). A few months’ of self-led study with ThaiPod101 and you’ll be well on your way to some major Thai language achievements. The Audible book above covers vocab, with tons more options in the same series for learning beginner Thai.
29. Make Pad Thai
Learning how to make Pad Thai is one of my proudest lockdown achievements! (And apparently, the secret to not making a bowl of mush is in good noodles). These rice noodle options are all organic, gluten-free and vegan. As for the colour choices? Choose from original, brown rice, forbidden rice and moringa.
Top photo by Alyssa Kowalski on Unsplash
More things to do at home?
