A DUNFERMLINE author has released a light-hearted travel memoir about a year living as an ex-pat in a provincial town in the central plains of Thailand.

Liz Chalmers, born in Dunfermline in 1949 and raised in the Kingdom, has followed her oil worker husband, Mo, all over the world.

While their move from Scotland to Thailand was always planned, his company needed him earlier than they thought.

Liz originally believed that she would have the entire summer holidays to pack up her life and rent out her house but plans change quickly and she finds herself packing up to join her husband as quickly as possible.

She said: “Whilst unpacking yet again, I unearthed the latest tome in my romantic novel file.

"I had spent the previous 14 months living out of suitcases trying to make another pretend home for me and my husband.

"Sitting in a café watching the world go by whilst surreptitiously eavesdropping, I thought, why not write about my own experiences?"

Khao Phat for Lunch follows her as she tries to navigate the tonal difficulties of the Thai language, customs and the subsequent embarrassing consequences, the traffic, noise and hubbub of daily life.

The Pits, as the town is affectionately known to the tiny ex-pat community, none of whom can ever pronounce its name correctly and where very little English is spoken.

And there's also the cockroaches, weevils, geckos and chitchats that became part of everyday life.

Meeting other ex-pats along the way, she finds herself in situations she could never have dreamed of.

Originally teaching in the UK, Liz packed up and travelled wherever Mo's job took him.

His final posting was to Mississippi but, while living there, their home was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

From there, they rebuilt and retired in Scotland before moving to the Algarve in Portugal, where they currently reside.

Full of stories about her travels, it was her time in Thailand, however, that she decided to make into a novel.

Liz recalled: “After discovering I had accumulated a lot more material than I realised, hastily scribbled during my numerous encounters with locals and occidentals, who, like us, had struggled to come to terms with the Thai language, customs and culture, I started to write...”

Khao Phat for Lunch is now on sale and can be purchased for just £9.99.