Derek explains in some detail what led up to his bitter divorce in England and the doubts he had about moving to Thailand to be with the woman he had met on a Thai dating site.He describes what eventually made up his mind. But even then, there were times when he was unsure if he was making the right choice in getting involved with a Thai lady and living in a very different culture.There are many twists and turns in this true story of his first years in Thailand when he was ...

A Thailand Diary: volume 1 is the first in a series of easy-to-read diary entries of life in the Land of Smiles.Some entries are short, some entries are humourous, All are true descriptions of events which actually happened. Only names have been changed.48,000 words covering each day between I January and 30 June.You may sometimes be surprised at what you read. This is the Real Thailand. Through the book's pages you will meet Thais from all parts of...

An inside look at a middle-class funeral in Northern Thailand, Cultural observations from behind-the-scenes

A Thailand Diary takes you into the lives of ordinary Thais through its 365 entriesThailand Take Two is a comprehensive analysis of Thai lifestyle and culture over 10 chapters

A true and verified story of a ruthless Welsh Godfather, J.O.Williams, and his criminal activities. And how the mafia family he founded finally became legitimate under his grandson, my schoolboy friend, Johnny Illsley.

With real people and real events, take a virtual tour of everyday life in the Land of Smiles by browsing this selectopm of Diary Entries.Meet some interesting characters (only names have been changed) and I suspect you'll be surprised at some of their stories.Thailand wil never cease to amaze.Enjoy a Thailand that visitors seldom see through the daily entries in this July - December volume. Every story or event is true.

This book is a collection of all 11 episodes of The True Story of a Welsh Godfather.

He was too charismatic and ruthless a businessman for them to ever have a chance of controlling him. They were both gaining financially from working with him. In that sense, they were part of this extended mafia family. A mafia family is not solely comprised of blood relatives.I first met J.O.Williams, the Welsh Godfather, when playing with his grandson, Johnny Illslay, in the extensive grounds of the family home.Neither Johnny nor I had any idea that his grand-dad was the ...

Matt has written this true account of the activities of a Welsh Godfather in collaboration with his childhood friend, Johnny Illsley. Neither knew anything of those activities until after Johnny's parents had died and personal letters of the Godfather, J.O.Williams, were available.Because the UK and Newfoundland governments were involved in J.O.'s activities in Port Hope Simpson, a new settlement in Newfoundland, and because there were other vested interests, not all the archive ma...

Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles. But never assume that smiles mean the same as they do in the West. Smiling is quite automatic in Thailand. A monk once told me that Thais were born with smiles on their faces!Matt Owens Rees discusses 13 different types of smile and gives examples from everyday life in Thailand. If you have observed any other type of Smile Matt would be keen to hear from you and will give you credit for your contribution.Look at the examples of these...

Some Christmas Reading on Thai lifestyle and social culture by MattOwensRees.Quite a selection from four of my most popular books. Over 35,000 words in total .The Death of a Thai Godfather is a novel which you may find is a remarkable resemblance to the truth in parts.The Extracts from A Thailand Diary come from the 365 true entries of A Thailand Diary drawn from real life events and experiences. Although names have been changed, the characters are...

Escape to ThailandThe true story of an English man who emigrated to ThailandThe Death of a Thai GodfatherAlthough a novel, you may see some reality as this story of a Thai mafia family unfolds