Recently, I participated in a 10k running event called 12th August Half Marathon 2025, also called “Run for mom“. It is organised on the Thai mother’s day every year on the birth day of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother of Thailand. The event is held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center also bearing her name.
The run was quite fun because we had to go over 2 flyovers and the last one had a view of the river, although it was a bit too dark to see it.
Here’s a comparison with the same run last year.
12th August Half Marathon 10k 2024 vs 2025
I was able to shave 9 mins off the overall time, same date, same route a year apart.
12 August Half Marathon 2025 10k HR Zones12 August Half Marathon 2025 10k splits
As you can see the splits, I had a slow start because I was stuck behind slow runners, but was able to pick up the pace in the 2nd and 3rd km. After that, I healed a steady pace, but slowed down for kms 7-9. I was able to push through on km 10 and finish the race.
My heart rate was in Zone 5 most of the time.
12 August Half Marathon 2025 10k finisher medal12 August Half Marathon 2025 10k finisher medal
Depiction of farang as a stone guard at Wat Pho in Bangkok; circa 1824–1851
As per Wikipedia, the word Farang loosely translates to someone of caucasian descent. In practical use in Southeast Asia, it is more widely used to refer to white men; less frequently women.
In this article, I cover a specific class of Farang living in Southeast Asia – The ones who consider themselves authentic (travellers, not tourists kind) and come to Asia to (re) discover themselves. Most of them are jobless, mooching off social security in their developed countries or have remote jobs and stay here on tourist Visas. In my experience, they constitute less than 10% of total white people living here.
For most of them, the bubble bursts real soon and they end up leaving, but some of them survive for years.
Now, my problem is not with how they themselves are, but with how judgemental they are about others and how they think that anyone who is not like them is a fool. Not to forget, their colonial mentality.
Using my guide below, you too can become one such insufferable Farang.
Exclusive Guide to be an Insufferable Farang
Eat tasteless, flavourless bland food and judge others for eating different. Lecture them on how asians don’t have evolved taste buds that can appreciate finer tastes only they can.
Hainanese Chicken & Rice, the staple dish of Insufferable Farangs
Ride around on extremely busy roads on e-scooters or monowheels and if a crack on the road or a gentle sideswipe sends you sprawling on the streets with broken teeth, go cry on Reddit.
A group of Farangs with e-Scooters in Bangkok
Show great enthusiasm for learning the local language and/or Muay Thai and judge others (who have actual jobs to do) if they can’t. The hypocrisy is that after the initial phase, most of them maintain the same 20 word vocabulary for years. Occasionally, pretend to enjoy Thai-dub movies.
Eat in street side stalls & judge others who prefer going to nice places. Then, when you eventually get diarrhoea, go beg on Reddit for free local medication recommendations because you can’t/won’t afford to go to a doctor. Also, drink shitty bottled beer in windowless joints.
Judge people for going to shopping malls, because shopping malls are huge symbols of corporate greed and hanging out on the side-streets is what authentic people do.
Get beaten up by prostitutes frequently. Bonus points if the prostitute is a ladyboy.
Educate others on how they should live their lives at any chance you get. But be considerate by prepending your sentence with “I am not showing a colonial mentality but….”
Live in cheap shitty hovels and hostels. Judge others if they do/want to live in nice places.
Bad mouth Indians all the time, but if you need help with work, feel free to ask them.
If married, dump your white wife and share (unknowingly) a Thai girlfriend with 10 other insufferable Farangs. When you find out, cry on reddit.
Hail taxis off the streets. Judge others for using ride-hailing apps. Then complain on Reddit when you get ripped off. For bonus points, pick a fight with the taxi driver and cry on reddit when your teeth get knocked out.
Use the cheapest phone possible (if possible, with a cracked screen and a battery pack permanently taped to the back) and judge others if they prefer nicer phones.
Judge people who don’t participate in adventure sports.
Bash Nestle whenever you see one of their brands anywhere. While not knowing why you’re bashing it, in the first place.
Get restless if you haven’t been in a swimming pool for more than 48 hours.
My second run of the year was the Bangkok 21k park Run 2025. This was my second time participating in this run, having done it in 2024, too. This is one of my most favourite running events in Bangkok.
Like before, the run was in the scenic Suan Luang Rama IX park. Like last time, it was raining the entire week, but surprisingly didn’t rain on the morning of the race.
Bangkok 21k Park Run 2025 Race Map for 10k
Since this is a race I did twice with a gap of 1 year, it is a good opportunity to compare the metrics.
1 Year Metric comparison
Bangkok Park Run 2024 vs 2025 statistics
As you can see, I was able to shave almost 10 mins off the race time.
Bangkok Park Run 2024 vs 2025 splits
As you can see, there’s an improvement of approximately 1 minute for each split, consistently. This time, I was able to maintain sub-6 minute splits almost throughout the race.
Bangkok Park Run 2024 vs 2025 HR Zones
This time, I seem to have much less time in Zones 3 and 5 and more time in Zone 4. Also, post-workout recovery seems to be much better.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the improvement in performance and hope to improve more by next year.
Bangkok Park Run 2025 MedalBangkok Park Run 2025 Medal
Continuing my series, this is about my first race of 2025, in an event called Bumrungrad Race to Heal 2025. All the proceeds from this race went to charity, so I was keen on participating.
I was quite excited for this race because having done a sub-1 hour 10k before, I wanted to see if I could do it again.
I left home by grab bike at 5:00 AM. The race was in the beautiful Queen SiriKit Park at Chatuchak, Bangkok. The park has long, winding running tracks and beautiful lakes. It was a treat watching the sun rise here.
Bumrungrad Race to Heal 2025 10k map
This race was comparatively small scale compared to most others I have participated in.
I was able to maintain a decent sub-6 minute pace for most of the run. Unfortunately, I forgot to start & end the run on my watch on time, so couldn’t gauge my performance immediately. However, I checked the official race records after I got home and was pleased to see that I had improved my time further.
Bumrungrad Race to Heal 10k finisher certificate
With each passing race, I feel fitter and more confident.
Bumrungrad Race to Heal 10k heart rate zonesSplits: Bumrungrad Race to Heal 10kBumrungrad Race to Heal 2025 10k stats
I came home by MRT. Overall, a great start to running in 2025.
Bumrungrad Race to Heal 10k finisher medalBumrungrad Race to Heal 10k finisher medal
As December came back around, it was time for another (my second) Amazing Thailand Marathon 2024. Last year’s was my first marathon, so I wanted to do it again this year.
Getting There
Getting there was the worst part. I made the mistake of taking a Grab and due to extensive road closures, got dropped off 5km away from the start line. With the clock ticking, I started running towards the venue. On the way, I came across a shuttle bus which was ferrying people who had abandoned the 42k/21k and hopped on it. However, soon, its way was blocked by runners and I spent 20 mins in it while it was sitting stationary while 2 women fainted.
Eventually, I got back off and ran the rest of the way to the starting line & reached just on time.
The race
This race was special, because Eliud Kipchoge was running with us (yes, in the 10k).
They put me in Block D at the back (1h45m finish) and it was agonising trying to outrun the slow pokes and move ahead. The first 2 splits were spent trying to find openings to overtake them. After that it was much easier to run freely.
The weather was cool enough to be comfortable. The route was pretty scenic, passing next to some of the most well-known and beautiful landmarks of old Bangkok.
Scenic route of Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok 2024
I was surprised to catch-up to Kipchoge (and the queen), around the 5th split and it was exhilarating passing them. It was nice to see that instead of showing-off and leaving everyone in the dust, he took it slow and let many people pass him. He certainly inspired me and hopefully thousands of others to push harder.
Unlike other 10ks, I did quite well, relatively, in the second half (buoyed by the presence of Kipchoge) and for the first time in my life, finished a 10k below 60 mins.
Recently, I participated in a 10k running event called Garmin Run Asia Series 2024. As the name says, it is organised by Garmin every year, in different cities, across Asia. This time, the Bangkok run was organised at Rajamangala Stadium, where I went a day before to collect the race pack.
Rajamangala Stadium on Race Pack collection day
The Run
Since the run started in the stadium, it had a sporty feel to it. However, outside the stadium, most of it was in the back-alleys behind.
It had rained the night before, so the weather was cool, although humid.
Overall, I didn’t find the run as well-organised as the others I have done before. I couldn’t see any pacers in our run, although the event page did say they would be there. Also, it was a bit scary running on roads with buses whizzing by at high speeds inches from you. Even though there were traffic cones, one slip on the wet roads would have sent someone under the buses.
Garmin Run Asia Series 10k Heat Map
The Statistics
Unlike my previous runs where I go all-in for the first 5k and then sort of fizzle out, this time, I maintained a more or less steady pace throughout.
Garmin Run Asia Series 10k statsGarmin Run Asia Series 10k splits
You can see how the heart rate was more or less steady, rather than a sine-wave like before.
Garmin Run Asia Series 10k Heart Rate
As always, my favourite part was riding back after the run and watch the sun rise. Bangkok is beautiful early in the mornings.
Garmin Run Asia Series 2024 Participation MedalGarmin Run Asia Series 2024 Participation Medal
This was also my new watch’s first 10k, after I sold my older one.
Continuing my series, below are some motorcycle rides I generally do within Bangkok. These are when I only have a few hours, but still need to fulfil my wanderlust. What better way than to explore the city I have been living in for more than 3 years, but have hardly explored?
This is probably my favourite ride (Till now). I cross the Asok intersection to Ratchadaphisek Road and take the flyovers to Rama 3 road. I take the scenic section next to the river past Terminal 21. Past it, I cross the river on the Krungthep bridge, parallel to Rama III bridge, turn north and then back east crossing the river for the second time over the much bigger King Taksin the great bridge. Then cross Sathorn, Lumpini Park and back home.
This is a slightly longer ride I do when I want to grab a coffee and also do a ride. I take new Phetchaburi Road, then turn on to Srinagarindra Road where I follow the Yellow Line Monorail, till I reach Bang na-Trat road and turn left.
Meteor 350 on Srinagarindra Road
I generally go to this Starbucks on the highway, have a coffee and make a loop around the airport and come back via a different route.
Recently, I participated in a 10k running event called 12th August Half Marathon 2024, also called “Run for mom“. It is organised on the Thai mother’s day every year on the birth day of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother of Thailand. The event is held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center also bearing her name. It was my fourth 10k in Bangkok.
In previous runs one of my main problems was getting transport to the venue so early in the mornings. However, thanks to the motorcycle, it was not a problem this time.
The Run
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center
The run was very well organised and started on time. This run also attracted some important people, including the governor and a handful of ambassadors. Coming from India, it was weird to watch them running with regular people and no security around.
The run was quite fun because we had to go over 3 flyovers and the last 2 had a view of the river, although it was a bit too dark.
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center
The Statistics
12 August Half Marathon 2024 10k statistics
I did slightly better than the last run, but still could not break the 1 hour barrier.
12 August Half Marathon 2024 10k SplitsHR Zones in 12 August Half Marathon 2024 12 August Half Marathon 2024 10k Heat Map
I made very good time for the first 5K, but kind of died after that.
12th August Half Marathon 2024 10k participation medal12 August Half Marathon 2024 10k participation medal
Keeping in mind that I am not getting younger, I don’t think my performance will get significantly better anymore.
However, turning 40 next year, I would be among the youngest in the next age bracket.
This was also probably my watch’s last 10k, as it is at the end of its legs.
As you can see from my last post, I bought a new motorcycle. Since then, I had been bitten by the wanderlust bug. My hands had been continuously itching to take the motorcycle on the highway. So, the soonest I could, I decided to drive from Bangkok to Pattaya Beach.
I have done this trip before, but that motorcycle was not suitable for highway riding and I wanted to do it again, the right way.
Bangkok to Pattaya
On the morning of the ride, I woke up to find the city soaked in rain overnight, so I left with caution. The way out of the city was painful with morning traffic, but outside, I opened up the throttle a bit.
Since the motorcycle is new, I had to follow running-in restrictions. I drove at a steady 60kmph with occasional 10-20 second bursts up to 70kmph. At this speed, I could not keep up with traffic on the motorway, so had to drive on the frontage road.
Frontage road at Bang Phli
The motorway from Bangkok to Pattaya is highly developed, with 22 lanes (8 lanes on the upper level, 8 lanes in the lower level and 6 lanes frontage) in most places. There are restrictions on where motorcycles can be driven, so need to pay close attention to Google Maps, which is mostly correct as long as you select the motorcycle option.
On a bridge over Khlong near Bang PakongNear a lake at Bang PakongAt a PTT station
Stopped to take breaks many times to give the engine a break (and also sneak in some photos). Was quite impressed with the low-end performance of the engine. Gear shifts were mostly not required, as the bike can thump its way up in 5th gear from as low as 35kmph.
In Si Racha district, the view is quite nice as the road passes in between various hills.
Near a hill at Si Racha
Pattaya Beach
Because I stopped so many times, it almost took me 3 hours to get there. Once there, I spent some time chilling at Pattaya beach.
At Pattaya beachIn front of Pattaya BeachAt Pattaya Beach
After getting my feet wet, I went to a cafe to drink some coffee and have a snack. It was typical below-average tourist fare.
Coffee at a cafe at Pattaya beachBruschetta at a cafe at Pattaya beachView of Pattaya beach from a cafe
Pattaya to Bangkok
On the way back, I focused on making good time and only stopped at one place to take the below photo of the Bang Pakong river.
At a bridge over Bang Pakong river
On the way back, it only took me 2 hours to get back home.
Tripper
The Tripper proved its worth, as it provided very clear directions and I didn’t have to stop and look at my phone (which was nested safely away in my saddle bag) even once. On the 3 hour ride to Pattaya, my phone lost 23% charge, with tripper navigation as well as audio streaming (And the occasional photo).
Also, found a weird bug in that the tripper’s display and my polarised sunglasses seem to have the same polarisation plane when I am seated normally, which completely blanks out the tripper. If I move my head 10 degrees to the left or right or rotate my head 10 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise, the display comes back.
This happens only with polarised glasses, regular sunglasses work fine.
Lessons Learnt
Learnt the below lessons which I plan to apply to my next trip(s).
Need to buy thick handlebar grips, as the factory default is too thin and cramps up my hands.
Always wear AirPods even if I don’t want to listen to anything. Active (and worst case Passive) Noise Cancellation is worth it to protect ears from traffic and wind noise.
Always wear sunglasses during the day time, even if it is not too bright, to protect eyes from the wind (I cannot, for the life of me, see through any helmet visor And keep it lifted up).
The USB charger is quite slow. So rather than wait for battery to drain and then charge the phone (Phone gained only 11% on the 3 hour trip back on charge, with navigation and audio), it is better to keep it connected from the beginning.
This trip also pushed my motorcycle over the first stage of running in, next trip should be faster.
I did have my eyes set on this one, but after a test ride, I didn’t find its riding stance suitable for long highway rides. Coming from a long history with the RE Thunderbird, the natural progression would have been to buy an RE Meteor 350, but at first, I didn’t like the Meteor 350 I saw on Royal Enfield’s website (I found it too modern, especially the allow wheels and the powered coated engine) and I found the Super Meteor 650 too busy, so initially decided to buy the Classic 350.
2022 Royal Enfield Meteor 3502022 Royal Enfield Super Meter 650
Royal Enfield Classic 350
However, when I went to the showroom, I saw the new Aurora Blue variant of the Meteor 350 and fell in love immediately and decided to buy that one.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 in Aurora Blue
Anyways, these are my views after 10 days/200km, specifically, comparing it to my previous motorcycles.
The Good
The engine is so refined, I can hardly believe it is a Royal Enfield engine. There’re hardly any vibrations and absolutely no clanking. I am so glad they removed the pushrods and replaced them with a chain and overhead cam system. Even with a reduced stroke, the bike pulls quite well at low RPMs.
There’s still the trademark thumping. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the exhaust actually sounds good/better than the completely muted Thunderbird Twinspark. The exhaust-to-engine noise ratio is vastly improved. When cruising at constant speed, you can hardly hear the engine, only the soft, bass-rich exhaust.
I really like the dual-tone design, the chrome parts and the overall retro look compared to the regular Meteor 350. I love the spoke wheels, although that does mean giving up on having tubeless tyres.
The new rider seat is quite comfortable with a subtle but useful back-rest.
The LED headlamp is quite nice and illuminating at night.
The Tripper is useful, but a bit limited. I will dedicate a separate section for the Tripper.
Overall switchgear feels refined and comfortable to use.
The USB port for charging is very useful.
I didn’t like how the windshield looks, but I found it immensely helpful at moderate-high speeds. Allows me to keep my helmet visor open.
The Neutral
I am not entirely sure I prefer the new digital cluster as compared to analog dials. I don’t really like or hate it.
I don’t care for the ECO indicator or the gear indicator.
Because of the refinement, the engine feels the same every time I ride, which is different from the carburettor Thunderbirds I was used to, which felt different based on temperature, humidity etc.
This is my first motorcycle with a rear disc brake. The Dual-channel ABS is nice to have. The brakes do feel a bit mushy compared to what I am used to, though.
The Bad
I really-really miss the tachometer. I won’t forgive Royal Enfield for removing it.
They removed the kick starter to simplify the engine design. This means if the battery dies, you are screwed.
The engine does get hot during start-stop traffic in the city and could have benefitted from liquid cooling. However, unlike the carburettor motorcycles, it does not cause the Idle RPM to runaway or cause knocking during acceleration, thanks to the ECU.
The fuel level indication is wonky.
Meteor 350 at Bangchak Bang Na
The Tripper
Tripper on the Royal Enfield Meteor 350
The Tripper is a pseudo-navigation system developed by Royal Enfield. Here are my thoughts on it:
The tripper connects to the Royal Enfield app on your phone and receives instructions from your phone, hence is dependant on it. However, unlike doing navigation directly on the phone, using the tripper uses much less battery on the phone itself (I measured 6-7% drain per hour on my phone, all inclusive).
It uses Google maps data, so navigation is quite accurate. Supports live re-routing and previewing multiple routes before starting the trip. Has the regular Google Maps options to exclude things like tolls, ferries, highways etc.
At first, I struggled to understand tripper’s instructions and found myself stopping and reaching for my phone. However, once you make an effort to understand the symbols, it feels quite useful. I am now forcing myself not to look at my phone.
This has also increased my directional awareness of and I find myself paying more attention to the road and signs instead of my phone.
Meteor 350 at a pit-stop at Nonthaburi
Technical comparison with Previous Motorcycles
Here’s a comparison of specifications of different motorcycles I have had over the years (All single cylinder):
