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Category Archives: Thailand fieldwork and travels
Thailand for foodies
Most people love Thai food, although tourists generally want a milder, less spicy version of these delicious dishes. This often means that restaurants aimed for tourists only rarely serve good and authentic Thai food. Eating is an important part of … Continue reading
More Thailand favorites
Bangkok is a huge city with a population equaling that of whole Sweden. Many parts of the city are dominated by high apartment buildings, which almost reach the sky. But there are also still parts of the city with lower … Continue reading
Some of my Thailand favorites
I have probably spent almost 9 months in Thailand during the past seven years. Our road trips took us from north to south and from west to east, and apart from all the lakes we have visited, we also managed … Continue reading
Posted in Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Chiang Mai, dinosaurs, Doi Inthanon, eating, Fern Resort, Kho Phratong, Kho Tarutao, Koh Jum, Kumphawapi, salt, Sukhothai, sun set, Sweden, Thailand, Thailand beaches, Thailand islands, trekking, walking, water lillies
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Rain, rain, rain
After three months, I see the very first raindrops! Finally – how I waited to see and feel the heavy rain, and to experience something that is close to the rainy summer monsoon season. It did actually rain heavily in … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Bangkok, monsoon, rain, Sweden, Thailand
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Mosquitoes versus sand flies
My weekend retreat started out really nice. Fresh air, acceptable temperatures, few tourists, an almost empty beach, friendly people, lovely sun rises and sun sets and good food. What could be better! I went for long walks along the beach, … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Sam Roi Yod, sand flies, Sweden, Thailand, tiger balm
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Yoga on the beach
Submitted my research proposal, finished up a manuscript, and can feel the toll on my back after hours of just sitting and writing and thinking. Bangkok’s heat is also just too much for me. Although I really like warmer temperatures, … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Baanaroka, Bangkok, Hua Hin, Sam Roi Yod, Sweden, Thailand, train ride, Yoga
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My daily walk to the subway
I have written about my (almost) daily walk to the metro station before, but I never documented this arduous enterprise with some pictures. It is arduous (at least for me) because there really is no space for walking, and if … Continue reading
Not my choice of place
Phuket Island and Phuket town are not places that are high on my must-see wish list, but there is a lake, and a promising one actually that even contains sediments. This is a rarity, since many lakes in Thailand have … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Sweden, Thailand
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Sunrise over Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat, this legendary temple and city or state of the Khmer Empire has been part of our discussions for the last two years. The Khmer Empire existed between 800 and 1430 AD. The Khmer kings built wonderful temples and … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Travels
Tagged Angkor Wat, Cambodia, drought, Pa Kho, paleoclimate, sun rise
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Money, money, money
Living in Bangkok is not very expensive, at least not when trying to live the way most Thai live. A short ride on a taxi motorbike costs 15 THB*, the trip with the underground to the university costs 25 THB, … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Sweden, Thailand
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Expats versus immigrants
Last week was a German Film Festival week here in Bangkok. Moo, who speaks fluently German and has her connections to the Goethe Institute and the German Embassy, got a few free movie tickets. The first film to be screened … Continue reading
Posted in Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Sweden, Thailand
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Bangkok transport
Bangkok’s traffic jams are well known and the best way to avoid them is to use the subway (MRT) or the Skytrain (BTS). Both are easy to use, quick, clean, air conditioned, comparably cheap and really well organized. So much … Continue reading
Yellow mangoes
Now the season starts for the delicious and sweet yellow mangoes, which are only available between March and June, since mango trees bear fruits only once a year. Many different types of mangoes actually exist, but the yellow mango tastes … Continue reading
Posted in Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Sweden, Thailand, Yellow mango
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Mosquitoes – no thank you
It is almost 2 months now since I arrived in Bangkok. Looking through my WordPress posts I realize that I have not written very much about all my adventures and travels, about my meetings and impressions. I only managed to … Continue reading
My little pet
I don’t seem to be alone in my small apartment in the middle of Sukhumvit in Bangkok. Last evening I heard a loud noise typical for the small, almost translucent geckos, which are common everywhere. You hardly see them, but … Continue reading
A day in the jungle of northern Thailand
The Bangkok heat and traffic (speak pollution) is sometimes really too much and spending a weekend in cooler northern Thailand seems to be the perfect escape. A place I had wanted to see for a long time is the small … Continue reading
Lakes and wetlands tell an important story
A few days ago, I gave a lecture to undergraduate students in geology at Chulalongkorn University. I chose the title ‘Lakes and wetlands tell an important story’ since the focus of our Asian monsoon project is on lakes and wetlands … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Bangkok sabbatical, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Asian monsoon, Asian monsoon project, Chulalongkorn University, crater lakes, Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Sciences, geology, lake sediments, monsoon history, natural science, sabbatical, science, sediments, Stockholm University, Students, Sweden, Thailand
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Countryside weekend
To escape the Bangkok chaos, pollution, and heat, I moved out into the countryside for the weekend, more specifically to The Thai House in Nonthaburi, which is some 22 km northwest of Bangkok. It takes about one hour to drive … Continue reading
Making choices
What always strikes me when traveling abroad is that there are so many different ways of looking at things. Nothing is black and white, but everything comes in numerous shades of grey and depends on what kind of baseline one … Continue reading
Studying abroad
It is almost a week now since I arrived in busy Bangkok. The culture shock has subsided and I am adjusting, although it is still difficult to get used to the heat, the traffic and above all – the heavy … Continue reading
Monsoon film gets attention
Great to see that our latest film Under the Eyes of the Buddha – in White Coats now is a news item on Stockholm University’s Science Faculty’s homepage. Hopefully this will help spreading the film to a wider audience. I … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Science and media, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Asian monsoon, Asian monsoon project, Chulalongkorn University, Communicating research, Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Sciences, geology, lake sediments, monsoon history, natural science, science, science career, sediments, Stockholm University, Students, Sweden, Thailand, university
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Under the Eyes of the Buddha – In White Coats
Finally, finally our latest video about the Asian Monsoon Project is finished! This film really took time to finish! But then it is also different from the earlier films. It involves many more people, a specially designed animation, and specially … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Science and media, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Asian monsoon, Asian monsoon project, Chulalongkorn University, Communicating research, Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Sciences, geology, lake sediments, media, monsoon history, natural science, Plastic Buddha, science, science communication, scientists, sediments, Stockholm University, Students, Sweden, Thailand
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Asien monsoon research at the Bolin centre
Next week we will host a small workshop dealing with the Southeast Asian monsoon, past, present and future. Three invited speakers will present their research next Thursday, Kevin Anchukaitis and Jessica Tierney from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Hans Linderholm … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Asian monsoon, Asian monsoon project, Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Sciences, geology, lake sediments, monsoon history, natural science, Stockholm University, Sweden
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On my way to SE Asia again
Just a few minutes left before boarding and then starts the nine and a half hours direct flight to Bangkok. The trip to SE Asia is short compared to the return flight, which will be almost twelve hours, plus the … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Myanmar, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Asian monsoon, Asian monsoon project, Chulalongkorn University, Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Sciences, geology, lake sediments, Myanmar, natural science, sediments, Stockholm University, Sweden, Thailand
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Knee-high in mud
I am sure that many of you, who have been reading my blogs from Thailand, will think that doing fieldwork in this great, warm, sunny, tropical paradise is like being on holidays all the time. I must admit it does … Continue reading
Tanakha in Khao Lak
Tanakha, the Myanmar beauty powder continues to fascinate me. Many Burmese use Tanakha as a protection against the sun, to make the skin smoother, or because they regard it as beautiful to paint their face with the light brown powder, … Continue reading
Khao Lak – 8 years later
Would it not be for the Tsunami Memorial, the big ships that had been transported by the tsunami waves onshore and the construction site for the new tsunami museum, one could never imagine the devastation that the 2004 tsunami had … Continue reading
Bye bye Phra Thong
Time to leave this flat, sandy, mysterious island with its 700 inhabitants, small villages, beautiful beaches and almost no tourists. We needed two ‘island cars’ (speak tractors) to transport us, and all our stuff the 10 km from Mr. Chui’s … Continue reading
Coring equipment has arrived
How happy I am about a Russian corer that has travelled more than 700 km from Bangkok by lorry, bus and boat to Phra Thong Island! Andrew went to the mainland yesterday to pick it up at the next bus … Continue reading
More sediment to sample
Waw’s trenches #2 and 3, which we also intend to sample, all have too much water. Carrying the pump and the pipe around is not possible, because it is far too heavy (even for the Swede boys) and because the … Continue reading
An eventful New Year’s Eve
All of Waw’s trenches are completely filled with water because the groundwater level is still too high and thus only parts of the sections that we plan to sample are visible. One of Mr. Chui’s water pump is broken and … Continue reading
Who is who in our tsunami fieldwork?
It is probably time to present the multi-national crew who now populates Phra Thong, eager to dig trenches, to pump water and to dive into the mud to find ancient tsunami sediments: From Thailand and Chulalongkorn University are Waw (Dr. … Continue reading
Ancient mega tsunamis discovered
Waw (Dr. Kruawun Jankaew) from Chulalongkorn University has been working on Phra Thong Island for the past seven years to study the extension and impact of the 2004 tsunami. By digging extensive trenches in many parts of the island, she … Continue reading
Mr. Chui’s Phra Thong Resort
Mr. Chui is a real character, fierce looking, always with a bandana around his head, sunglasses, and the typical wrap-around the waist skirt. He loves his motorbike/s, he has complete control on how many beers we are drinking (almost too … Continue reading
Full moon over Ko Phra Thong
Phuket Airport, December 28, 2012 was the meeting point for most of us participating in the tsunami fieldwork. Hywel had flown in from Bristol, Linda from Stockholm, the Thai students Aim, Arm and Champ had arrived by bus from Bangkok … Continue reading
From rustling leaves to busy nightlife
Koh Tarutao is one of several islands in Thailand’s southernmost maritime National Park. Compared to neighboring Koh Lipe, which is only about one hour by boat further to the west, Koh Tarutao is still a silent and unspoiled place with … Continue reading
Posted in Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Koh Tarutao, Thailand
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Two days of doing ‘nothing’ at Pak Meng beach
No lake sediment coring today, no long car travels, no rain and not too hot. Two days of doing ‘nothing’ and I am already missing my lake sediments. Maybe there are still some lakes with sediments in Thailand, which we … Continue reading
Another round of fieldwork
Ten days of holidays first and then our next fieldwork will start: new people, a new area and a new topic. We will be examining ancient tsunami deposit on the island of Pra Thong, which is located a two hour … Continue reading
Leaking boats and 32 degrees C
Early rise this morning and ambitious plans for finishing coring at Nong Thale Pron before noon, because the weather forecast had predicted more torrential rains for around 1 pm. Early mornings are special – the light is different; the noises … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales, Travels
Tagged Asian monsoon, Asian monsoon project, Chulalongkorn University, Department of Geological Sciences, Geological Sciences, geology, lake sediments, natural science, Stockholm University, Sweden, Thailand
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Another day of rain and thunderstorms
Despite the weather forecast of heavy rain, thunderstorms and risk for mudflows and landslides, we decided to get back to our lake Nong Thale Pron and to make an attempt to get at least a few cores. We had found … Continue reading
Rains and thunderstorms
A wish comes true! I always wanted to experience a real monsoon rain with dark, menacing clouds, thunder and lightning, and of course heavy raindrops. Here it is now – I have got all I wanted and can follow the … Continue reading
The way of looking at things
My squared brain has real difficulties adjusting. Even after more than two weeks in Asia, I am still in the western mood of going from A to B in a straight line, although I know that one can also go … Continue reading
Being connected with the world
Wi-Fi is available at almost all the places here in Thailand where we have stayed so far, in the lobby and in the hotel rooms. This is great and it would be even better if it would be stable enough … Continue reading
Moving south
Thailand is a very large country extending over 1869 km from its northernmost point at Chiang Rai at the border to Laos (approximately 20 degrees N), to its southernmost point at Betong, which is one of the border crossings to … Continue reading
Not a drop of water
The heat becomes almost unbearable around 10 am, which means getting up really early and using the cooler morning hours for working on and around the lake. Usually a light breeze starts around 11 am and the sky becomes overcast … Continue reading
Who is who in this year’s fieldwork group?
It is probably time to present the participants of this year’s great expedition to the lakes of northern and southern Thailand: Minna Väliranta from Helsinki University, who together with her MSc students works on the plant macrofossil record of several … Continue reading
Big business meets science
Kumphawapi’s water lilies have become a big business. Huge signs are leading visitors from the highway and the main roads through villages and dirt roads towards the two sightseeing points on the eastern and western shore of the lake. Colorful … Continue reading
Nong Han (Lake) Kumphawapi – past and present
The first time I visited Kumphawapi was in November 2007, together with Nop, Sven and Nut. I came back in January 2009 and 2010, and now two years later much has changed. The water level is very low, due to … Continue reading
Tuk Tuk and surface sampling
We are back once more at our famous Lake Kumphawapi in northeast Thailand. Sampling of surface sediments at our previous coring locations, sampling of lake water, algae, and plants for biomarker analysis is what brought us back again. Possibly, and … Continue reading
Count-down
Just five days left until I leave Sweden for six weeks of fieldwork in Thailand. Nut and Moo are already back in Bangkok preparing the equipment, booking hotels and cars and drivers, and Kweku is getting all his fieldwork equipment … Continue reading
Relax, don’t stress
I’d love to feel relaxed and not stressed, but just can’t help feeling stressed. Less than two weeks left before the trip to Asia, and our visit to Myanmar, but except for an invitation and a promise to visit the … Continue reading
A really busy autumn
Not a single sentence and not a single word have been published on my blog SINCE August 8! Is blogging no longer one of my favorite occupations? The answer is both yes and no. Blogging has certainly not been on … Continue reading
Back on track
Holidays are finished and (real) work has started again. The coming months will be very busy with teaching a new undergraduate course in geology, excursions, meetings, writing and revising manuscripts, and planning for our upcoming field season in Thailand. This … Continue reading
Still no snow in sight
We are making preparations to film the last part of our Thailand research. Next week Hywel George from Plastic Buddha Productions will visit and film us unwrapping the Thailand sediment cores, taking samples, and processing these in the laboratory. My … Continue reading
Posted in Asian monsoon, Science and media, Thailand fieldwork and travels, Thoughts and Tales
Tagged Communicating research, Department of Geological Sciences, documentary, Geological Sciences, geology, Iceland, media, natural science, outreach, Plastic Buddha, research, short film, Sweden, video
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Under the Eyes of the Buddha 2 – Traveling South
The latest film documenting our fieldwork and research in Thailand has just been finished and the DVDs should be arriving this week. In a few days I will also post the film on Youtube, on our GeologicalSciences channel. Plastic Buddha … Continue reading
From +32 to -10 degrees C
Back in Sweden! The 40 degrees C temperature change was accomplished in less than 12 hours! From warm and busy Bangkok to cold, and comparably silent Stockholm! Time to dig out my winter clothes once more because the chill and … Continue reading
Teenagers and Milankovitch
On my last day here in Bangkok I visited the National Science High School of Thailand, called the Mahidol Wittayanusorn School. Dr. Yavadee Nakapadungrat, the principal of the school, had invited me to give a lecture about the Asian Monsoon … Continue reading
Barbara Wohlfarth 