short-story Archives - Matt Owens Rees

06.10.2025

Try, Try, and Try Again

An example of Thai workmanship from the Beyond the Bamboo Curtain series. Had some builders around last week to build some gates to stop the dogs wandering off. They did a good job erecting the posts firmly in position and upright. The welding on the gate frames had been carefully done. Most Thai workers miss…

Markov Chains and a Frog

An unusual post in the Behind the Bamboo Curtain series. From years of observation—and conversations with fellow anthropologists steeped in Thai society—I’ve come to a curious conclusion: Most Thais tend to think and act just one step ahead. Not two. Not three. Just one. That’s not to say strategic thinking is absent. I’m sure there are Thai…

2 Pattaya Foreigners Fighting get Distracted

2 Pattaya Foreigners Fighting While two farangs were brawling outside a bar in Pattaya, the girlfriend of one of the men tried to intervene and break up the fight. 2 Pattaya Foreigners fighting get distracted A couple of Thai women saw this, one seemed to be trying to separate the men while the other, dressed…