Updated in 2021
I started this site since 2009. A lot has changed since then and I thought of revising this page to provide a more recent update. Actually I started writing articles about Thailand since 2007 in another blog. It was in 2009 I decided to create blogs to consolidate my travels to Thailand. You may read in detail of what happened that motivated me to start my own travel blogs.
I first came to Thailand in 2001 during a company teambuilding trip to Hatyai. As in normal corporate teambuildings, we stayed in hotel, savour the Thai food, visited night markets and went to night performances like aqua shows. While I love the food and night market visit, I did not enjoy the night entertainment. It is my character for the night and disco life, which we used to attend a lot during my days in corporate always leave me with a kind of deep feeling of emptiness which I cannot describe. That is why you would not find this type of information in my blog.
In the year 2002, I came across a book that changed my life. It is the Spiritual Autobiography of Acariya Mun writen by Ajahn Maha Boowa (also known as Luangta Maha Bua). When I first read the book, I could not put it down because there was such a strong dejavu feeling- the kind you get when you have been searching for something so long and found the answer. The book answered all the questions I have and I have been reading many books to search for answers since I was about 14 years old.
I knew I had to go and meet the author, Luangta Maha Bua. In 2005, I traveled to his temple in Wat Pa Baan Taad in Udon Thani and met him for the first time. I remember that time he was having his morning meal and the first time I saw him, I knew the efforts I have made to get there was worth it. What’s more, I was also fortunate to be taught by Ajahn Dick Silaratano, the monk who translated the Spiritual biography, which is the book that changed my life. The foreigners would gather around him after the morning meal where we get to ask questions and share our experiences. The foreigners there taught me how to go to the temple from Don Meung airport (Survanabhumi airport was not opened that time).
In 2008, I resigned from my first corporate job, thinking to take a break to try out blogging. But due to a series of circumstances, I find myself in Thailand which I ended up staying for almost a year (I moved to and fro on tourist visa). I went back to the corporate world in 2010 and worked till 2017 where I resigned to be a full caregiver for my mother.
My mother had liver cirrhosis from acute hepatitis B, followed by a fall. She also started showing signs of dementia. With care and monitoring her diet, her liver did not deteriorate further but her dementia got more and more advanced.
I have moved to Thailand with my mother for a few years. At first, it was supposed to be a short trip but due to the excellent health care system, as well as enabling me to deepen my practice into Buddhism, we have decided to extend our stay. In May 2021, my mother’s Alzheimer’s have moved to end stage and she developed dysphagia (unable to swallow). The compassionate healthcare system in Thailand saved her life. I am very grateful for the help and support that I have received.
For more articles related to Nasogastric Tube Feeding for Dysphagia/Alzheimer’s/Dementia, please refer here.
What you can find on this site:
During the initial years of this blog, I share about the many places in Thailand I have visited. Until now, the culture, food, places and people never seems to amaze me. The Thai people’s compassionate nature and strong filial piety resonates deeply within my heart.
There would always be posts about places, food or things I find interesting about Thailand. But in 2021, as my mother’s Alzheimer’s has advanced, I am touched by the Thailand’s compassionate healthcare system. I believe there are many foreigners who plan to retire in Thailand and may face health challenges as we move into old age. I plan to write more articles related to the healthcare.
Aside from that, I have been a long time Theravada Buddhist practitioner, specifically having affinity with the Thai forest tradition. I have created a separate section in this blog where I would share about Buddhist practices in Thailand.
I have another travel blog which is http://visit-malaysia.yinteing.com/. Just like this blog, originally it begin with sharing about interesting places in Malaysia but now has evolved in a different genre of content.
ADVERTISEMENT IN THIS SITE
All my sites runs on advertisements by Google. It is run on auto ads, ie the placements of the ads are done automatically. The revenue of the ads mainly goes to help to pay for the hosting as well as some software that I am using. I use SiteGround, which is a good hosting company hence I need the revenue from the ads to cover the cost. When I was working, I actually had turned off ads and paid for expenses from my own salary. Now that I am a caregiver, I need the site to be able to run and cover their own expenses.
I sincerely apologise if the ads are intrusive. However, having ads helped me to pay for the cost and enable me to be able to afford to maintain my passion of writing and sharing.
CONTACT:
You may contact me by leaving a comment below. Alternatively you may send me a message in Facebook via my FB page https://www.facebook.com/yinteingdotcom.
