This blog is the story about my life in Thailand – and how it could become your story as well.

It’s an insider account about living, loving, traveling and finding a home in a beautiful country.

Every story reflects my personal experiences, how I saw it and how it happened to me. These are all beautiful memories for me, and I hope that they will entertain and inspire you as well.

You won’t find negative or critical stories here. I am not a social activist and I am not in the business of fixing other countries. You can find problems in any country in the world, and you can find good and beautiful things everywhere as well. It just depends what you focus on.

My New Life

I have found a home in Thailand and I have also found the love of my life here, my wife, my partner and my life’s companion Jang.

Thailand and my wife changed my life in a major way, in a good way. It was my “mid life crisis” resolved.

Here is what you will find on this site:

• Fascinating stories and insights about living and traveling in Thailand  which you won’t find  in travel guides.
• The “Relationships in Thailand” article series is a real eye opener – you won’t be taken by surprise if you ever come here. Enter the sometimes strange world of cross-cultural relationships, even if only for the fun of reading about it.
• You will find many great pictures, candid shots, and videos of colorful festivals, life, travel and scenery in Thailand, and even some other southeast Asian countries.
• You will never be taken by surprise or experience culture shock when you visit Thailand because you know the inside story from someone who has lived here for many years.
• You will learn the real story about Thai Massage, Thailand’s unique healing massage system: how to find and evaluate good therapists, how to experience great massages and avoid not-so-good ones, how to understand the benefits of Thai massage, and even how to learn it – without ever visiting Thailand.
• You will find stories that touch your heart, tickle your travel bone, open up a new world of thinking and living, and put a smile on your face.
• If you need help with something or have specific questions, you can email me at shama@shamakern.com and I will try to help you by sharing what I know.

How did I end up staying in Thailand?

No, it wasn’t the pretty girls or the good food or the beautiful beaches or the splendid temples or the friendly people. Don’t get me wrong – these are all great, but they were not my main reasons.

For me it was the Thai Massage which I fell in love with when I arrived here for the first time in 1999.

I mean, where else in the world can you get a great massage for five or six dollars an hour? Soon after this discovery I became inspired to study Thai Massage.

Thailand inspired a new career

To make a long story short, I ended up founding  Thai Healing Massage Academy. This has by now become the top online training institute for Thai Massage.

We helped thousands of people learn Thai Massage from all over the world right from their home. This has been a rewarding journey for me gave my life purpose and meaning.

Thai Massage Resources

Although this blog is not primarily about Thai Massage, there are thousands of people who come to Thailand every year to learn this healing art.

If you want to find out what Thai Massage is all about, you can get a great introduction through Thai Healing Massage Academy’s FREE introductory video series here:

If you are seriously interested in Thai Massage, or you are are a therapist or yoga teacher already and want to add to your skills, you can get a first class Thai Massage education through one of our many online training programs. You can find them all here:

I truly hope that you will find inspiration and entertainment and useful information through the stories, pictures and videos on this site.

Maybe it will motivate you to visit Thailand. You never know what will happen. As for me, I have found a new life here, a wife, a vocation and many wonderful moments.