Talon to travel

Songkran Festival

2011-04-20T19:59:00.002+07:00

Songkran Festival

Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14 is Wan Nao which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok which the New Year begins.
Songkran means “movement” or “changing” since according to Thai astrology, the sun will move into a new sign of the Zodiac on this day. Songkran is also called the “Water Festival”. Water is believed to flow and wash away all bad omens during this time. Thus, it is a time for cleaning; houses, villages, temples and spirit houses.
In the Thai tradition, the New Year begins early in the morning when faithful Thai Buddhists give alms to Buddhist monks. After that, they release caged animals, especially birds and fish. Elders and parents will be visited and respected by their children and grandchildren. The young pour scented water over their elder’s hands, they in return, wish them good health, happiness and prosperity. This tradition of paying respect, is called “Rod Nam Dam Hua”. April 14 is called “Family Day”.

In the afternoon, Thai Buddhists sprinkle scented water on Buddha images. After that, they sprinkle perfumed water on, or throw clean, cold water over each other. Songkran is observed with excitement in the North, especially in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

A lot of people from around the country will head up north to participate in the festivals organised there. A Miss Songkran Pageant will be held and a long and beautiful parade will be organised.
In Bangkok, the Buddha image "Buddhasihing" is brought out from the National Museum for people to sprinkle lustral water at Sanam Luang, opposite the Grand Palace. Anyone who goes out on the street is likely to get a thorough soaking. People believe that water will wash away bad luck, and splashing water over friends or anyone will give them a New Year blessing.

Sukhothai in Northern Thailand

2011-02-21T10:47:00.000+07:00

Located in the valley of the Yom River, Sukhothai (meaning “Dawn of Happiness”) is a province in northern Thailand which verges on the central regions. It is around 427 kilometres north of Bangkok and covers around 6,600 square kilometres. The province was founded in the 13th century and was the first independent Thai Kingdom - the Sukhothai kingdom. It is most famous for the historic city of Sukhothai, the kingdom’s capital. The province’s temples and monuments have been restored to their former glory and Sukhothai Historical Park – a place with countless sites of historical interest – made into a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other places of interest include Ramkhamhaeng National Museum, Ramkhamhaeng National Park, Sri Satchanalai National Park and The Royal Palace and Wat Mahathat.

Sri Satchanalai (National Park)
Sukhothai is generally recognised as a place of historical significance. However, it is also home to a very beautiful National Park. Sri Satchanalai National Park is around 300 acres of flowers, greenery and wildlife with mountains throughout the parks length. One of the focal points of the park is Tad Dao – a 40-meter high waterfall. Others are Kang Kao cave, Tad Dean Waterfall and Pong Nam Dean. The one of the highest peaks in the park is Wang Chang which offers some tremendous views from its summit. The park also houses a number of ruins, comparable to those available at Sukothai Historical Park, although of another era. Although a World Heritage site like Sukothai Historical Park, Sri Satchanalai’s ruins are not as well restored, but this adds to the its charm and authentic feel. Some of the key sites to visit inside the park include:

• Wat Chang Lom
• Wat Khao Phanon Phloeng
• Wat Chedi Jet Thaew
• Wat Nang Phaya
• Wat Phra Si Ratanan Mahatat
• Wat Chao Chan
• Chaliang - an ancient city to the southeast of the park with two temples

Details: The park is open 08:00 to 18:00 and admission is 40 Baht. If you are have a vehicle you will be charged for that, too. The fees are 40 Baht for a car, 30 Baht for a motorcycle and 10 Baht for a bicycle.

How to get there: The following buses will get you there from Sukothai town:

Bus number: 27B

Air-conditioned Bus Number: 38B

You will need to ask the driver to drop you off so give him/her this:

Sri Satchanalai National Park written in Thai

Contact:
Sri Satchanalai National Park
P.O.Box 10 Tambol Bannkang
Amphur Sri Satchanalai
Sukothai Province
64130
Tel: (055) 619-214-5

Sri Satchanalai National Park
Sukhothai is generally recognised as a place of historical significance. However, it is also home to a very beautiful National Park. Sri Satchanalai National Park is around 300 acres of flowers, greenery and wildlife with mountains throughout the parks length. One of the focal points of the park is Tad Dao – a 40-meter high waterfall. Others are Kang Kao cave, Tad Dean Waterfall and Pong Nam Dean. The one of the highest peaks in the park is Wang Chang which offers some tremendous views from its summit. The park also houses a number of ruins, comparable to those available at Sukothai Historical Park, although of another era. Although a World Heritage site like Sukothai Historical Park, Sri Satchanalai’s ruins are not as well restored, but this adds to the its charm and authentic feel. Some of the key sites to visit inside the park include:

• Wat Chang Lom
• Wat Khao Phanon Phloeng
• Wat Chedi Jet Thaew
• Wat Nang Phaya
• Wat Phra Si Ratanan Mahatat
• Wat Chao Chan
• Chaliang - an ancient city to the southeast of the park with two temples

Details: The park is open 08:00 to 18:00 and admission is 40 Baht. If you are have a vehicle you will be charged for that, too. The fees are 40 Baht for a car, 30 Baht for a motorcycle and 10 Baht for a bicycle.

How to get there: The following buses will get you there from Sukothai town:

Bus number: 27B

Air-conditioned Bus Number: 38B

Contact:
Sri Satchanalai National Park
P.O.Box 10 Tambol Bannkang
Amphur Sri Satchanalai
Sukothai Province
64130
Tel: (055) 619-214-5

Sukhothai Historical Park
Sukhothai Historical Park is the main attraction in Sukothai Province. Located 12 kilometres from Sukothai town on the Sukhothai-Tak Highway, the Historical Park is a place of ruins and temples although certainly part of Thailand’s heritage, it also regarded as a World Heritage site under the auspices of UNESCO and the Thai Fine Arts Department. The capital of Thailand’s first Kingdom (founded in 1238), Sukothai has considerable historical significance and is a pleasure to visit. There the original city was surrounded by walls with 4 city gates. Today the walls house a number of sites worthy to visit. These include:

• The Royal Palace
• Wat Mahathat,
• The Ramkhamhaeng National Museum
• The Ramkhamhaeng Monument
• Wat Si Sawai
• Wat Traphang Ngoen
• Wat Traphang Thong
• Wat Chana Songkhram,
• Wat Sa Si
• Wat Mai
• San Ta Pha Daeng (the Deity Shrine)

Alongside these a further seventy worthy sites lie in the immediate vicinity. Sukhothai Historical Park ranks alongside Wap Phra Kaew as one of Thailand’s premier places to visit. As such, if you plan to visit the area, this is one place you ‘must see’.

Details: The site is open daily from 08.30 to 16.30. It is separated into five zones (north, south, east, west and central) and admission to each is 30 Baht, with the exception of the central zone where the admission fee is 40 Baht. Probably the easiest way to move around the zones is by rented bicycle which are available from the park at 20 Baht a day. However, a tram also moves from site to site and costs on 20 Baht per person.

How to get there: Possibly the easiest way to get to the ‘Old’ City from ‘New’ Sukothai is Songtaew – the fare is around 10 Baht from Jarot Withithong Road near the Yom River. Many people stop off at Sukhothai City Walls and Gates to take a look before moving on the Historical Park.

Contact:
Sukhothai Historical Park
Sukhothai
Amphoe Mueang - Muang Kao District
Sukhothai Historical Park
Sukothai
Tel. (055) 613-241 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (055) 613-241 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Tourist Service Center: (055) 613-241 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (055) 613-241 end_of_the_skype_highlighting)

The Royal Palace / Wat Mahathat
The Royal Palace is in the centre of old Sukothai. This is a large site covering around 160,000 square meters containing two main compounds and completely surrounded by a water moat. The first of the main compounds is Noen Phrasat (the Royal Building), a site containing a stone inscribed by King Ramhamhaeng. The second is Wat Mahathat, Sukhothai's largest temple. The temple’s main ‘chedi’ is intact showing the traditional ‘Lotus’ style which demonstrates the Khmer influence particular to this area. The chedi sports Buddha images on its pedestal and images of a number of Buddhist disciples in adoration at its foot. Inside the temple's ‘viharn’ is an 8-metre-high Bronze Buddha image. The site also features figures of demons and animals with angels riding on their backs. The temple offers authentic Sukothai art and its crypt has a number of excellent murals. Wat Mahathat is a very important temple, supposedly the spiritual centre of the old Sukhothai. There are around 200 chedis within the temple compound and so there’s plenty to see and wander around. Well worth a visit.

Details: Sukhothai Historical Park is open daily from 08.30 to 16.30. The Royal Palace / Wat Mahathat are in the central zone and admission is 40 Baht.

How to get there: Possibly the easiest way to get to the ‘Old’ City from ‘New’ Sukothai is Songtaew – the fare is around 10 Baht from Jarot Withithong Road near the Yom River. Many people stop off at Sukhothai City Walls and Gates to take a look before moving on the Historical Park.

Contact:
Sukhothai Historical Park
Sukhothai
Amphoe Mueang - Muang Kao District
Sukhothai Historical Park
Sukothai
Tel. (055) 613-241 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (055) 613-241 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Tourist Service Center: (055) 613-241 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (055) 613-241 end_of_the_skype_highlighting)

Article Source: http://www.discoverythailand.com/Sukhothai.asp

Tao Island (Ko Tao)

2011-02-16T15:42:00.000+07:00

Tao Island is composed of 21 kms of rocks and coconut trees, surrounded by shallow beaches. It is located 45 kms north of Samui and 40 kms east of Chumphon. On the west coast Mae Nam, the main town, is the residence of most of the local population. The busiest beach is Sairee Beach north of Mae Haad where you can have the widest choice of accommodation. The second most famous beach is Ao Chalok Ban Kao south of Mae Hadd. Other small bays and beaches are difficult to access by road.

Ko Tao, meaning turtle island, is named after the topography of its central mountain which resembles a turtle's back. The small tropical island amid the deep blue sea is encircled by miles of coral reefs and pinnacles where you can find some large, deep-water fishes such as mantas and whale sharks.

Most tourists come here for diving as its diving industry is reaching a higher and higher peak. Yet, Tao Island still has other charms of a tropical island; beautiful and quiet coves, wide stretches of sand, transparent seas, cheap accommodation, and a peaceful atmosphere. However, the beaches are not nice and the sea is too shallow for swimming.

Although there are a variety of choices of accommodation to choose from, the facilities on the island are simple and basic, but are improving. Electricity on the island comes from the generator which is shut down at 7 pm. However, most bungalows and resorts provide 24 hour electricity service and some have air-con rooms.

How to get there
From Samui: There are speedboats leaving Bophut and Maenam piers at 8.30 am for the price of 450 baht. Speedboats leave Nathon at 12.00 am and it takes a half hour to get to Ko Tao. Or else you can take Songserm Express boats from Nathon leaving at 12.00 to Mae Haad via Phangan for the cost of 450 baht. For cheaper transport, there are slow boats running from Maenam - departure at 9.30 am to Mae Haad via Thongsala for 100 baht.

From Phangan: Speedboats run from Thongsala to Mae Haad leaving 8.30 and 12.30 am for a fare of 250 baht.

From Chumphon: There are speedboats leaving Chumphon pier at 7.00 and 8.00 taking almost 2 hours to Mae Haad with a fare of 500 baht. Another alternative is Songserm Express boats leaving at 7.30 am for the cost of 400 baht.

Article Source: http://www.thailand.com/

Muay Thai

2011-02-13T17:45:00.001+07:00

Muay Thai or Thai Boxing is the Thai name for a indigenous form of martial art practiced in Thailand and several southeast Asian countries including Cambodia (where it is known as Pradal Serey) and Myanmar where it is generally known as Lethwei.

Traditional Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand as a martial art used by the military. The military style of Muay Thai is called Lerdrit, while today's "Sport Muay Thai" slightly varies from the original art and uses kicks and punches in a ring and with gloves similar to those used in boxing. Muay Thai is referred to as "The Science of Eight Limbs", as the hands, feet, elbows, and knees are all

The training of a Thai boxer and particularly the relationship between boxer and trainer is highly ritualised. When a boxer is considered ready for the ring, he is usually given a new name by his trainer, usually with the name of the training camp as his surname. For the public, the relationship is perhaps best expressed in the ram muay (ritual dance) that takes place before every match.

The ram muay ceremony usually lasts about five minutes and expresses obeisance to the fighter's guru (khru), as well as to the guardian spirit of Thai Boxing. This is done through a series of gestures and body movements performed in rhythm to the ringside musical accompaniment of Thai oboe (pii) and percussion. Each boxer works out his own dance, in conjunction with his trainer and in accordance with the style of his particular camp.

The woven headbands and armbands worn in the ring by fighters are sacred ornaments which bestow blessings and divine protection: the headband is removed after the ram muay ceremony, but the armband, which actually contains a small Buddha image, is worn throughout the fight. After the fight begins the fighters continue to bob and weave in rhythm until the action begins to heat up. The musicians continue to play throughout the match and the volume and tempo of the music rise and fall along with the events in the ring.

Published At: www.Isnare.com

Buffalo Racing

2011-02-13T17:42:00.001+07:00

You could be forgiven for thinking that a domesticated buffalo is not built for sprinting, but in Chonburi town, the gateway to resorts along the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, farmers have managed to tweak a turn of speed from these working animals that is nothing short of amazing.

The annual Buffalo races, 13 October, are a hotly contested series of sprints across on an open space in front of the town’s municipal offices.
Tourists and the town’s residents turn out for these amazing races that have been featured in the past on CNN and the BBC as a must-see event.

The races are taken very seriously by the owners of the buffaloes. Prizes for the first nose past the finishing line guarantee owners go to considerable lengths to ensure their buffaloes are in tip-top condition.
Clouds of dust rise as these hefty animals pound down the short course at an alarming speed, reminiscent of a stampede. The crowd roars in support of the favourites and the atmosphere is as an enthralling as watching thoroughbred race horses.
Admittedly, mites slower than a race horse, but the buffaloes are no slouches when it comes to making a short dash for glory.

Although this day of fun and competition would succeed with just the buffaloes as the celebrities, there are other activities to make it a worthwhile outing for families.
A fair with food stalls and handicrafts appeals to visitors who love authentic Thai food, snacks and sweets. Then there are the rides for children, concerts of folk music and, of course, a beauty contest where the prize is the honour of being declared Miss Buffalo.
Not exactly the most adhering of titles for an aspiring beauty queen, but it does not seem to deter contestants from seeking the limelight of the catwalk.
Here is a festival that provides photo opportunities to capture an unusual adaptation of the 100-metre dash. Well worth seeing, is always the conclusion of those who make the effort to travel to Chonburi.

If the more traditional version of four-legged races is more appealing then the venue should be the Horse Show, 23 October at the Sanctuary of Truth, also in Chonburi province, on the outskirts of Pattaya The show is organised to commemorate the reign of King Rama V, the Great, on a day set aside as a national holiday to honour a ruler who initiated many of the developments that ultimately encouraged the economic and social transformation of the nation.

Travel with Khao Sam Roi Yod Mountain Thailand.

2011-02-10T09:22:00.001+07:00

Khao Sam Roi Yod Mountain Prachup Khiri Khan Province Thailand.

Khao Sam Roi Yod, The height from M.S.L. : 605 meters

Location : Kiu Buri District and Kho Sam Roi Yod Sub-District, Prachup Khiri Khan Province.

Thung Sam Roi Yod is a big pond this is the habitat of various kinds of bird, both local and migrated ones, altogether about 316 kinds.

Khao Daeng scenic viewpoint is around 400 meters away from The National Park-5.00 P.M is the best time to do so, as you can see the sunset and watch birds returning to their Sanctuaries in the evening.

This spot is 1.5 kilometers away from The National Park Headquarter.
Praya Nakhon Cave Praya Nakhon Cave is big and beautiful. At its roof, there is a hole where the sunlight can get in through. The most outstanding thing in there could be "Koo Ha Karue Had Pavillion" with four gable wall.
Laem Sala Beach Laem Sala Beach is the sand beach nearby "Ban Bang Pu". You can reach there in 2 ways :
- By Boat : Take a boat Ban Bang Pu for about 20 minutes.
- By Foot : From Ban Bang Pu intersection go to Khao Thien. Walk across the mountain for around 530 meters from Wat Bang Pu Temple.Mountain surround the beach.

Keaw Cave Keaw Cave is around 13 kilometers away from Headquarter. In the cave you will see beautiful Stalagmite and Stalactite.

Sai Cave Sai Cave is another beautiful cave in this area. It is in "Kung Ta-nod" village, 9 kilometers from Headquarter. You can park the footthill and walk further for about 280 meters.

Source: ArticleTrader.com

North of Thailand - NAN

2010-11-12T14:50:00.002+07:00

General Information

A quiet and tranquil province, Nan nestles in a verdant valley in northern Thailand. About 668 kilometres from Bangkok, it covers an area of 11,472 square kilometres and is made up of the following districts: Mueang, Wiang Sa, Na Noi, Pua, Chiang Klang, Tha Wang Pha, Thung Chang, Mae Charim, Ban Luang, Na Mun, Santi Suk, Bo Kluea, Chaloem Phra Kiat, Song Khwae, and Phu Phiang.

The people of Nan descend from the Lan Changs (Laotians). Their forebears moved to settle around present-day Pua district which is rich in rock salt deposits, about 700 years ago at the time when Sukhothai was becoming the kingdom of the Thais. They subsequently moved south to the fertile Nan River basin which is much more extensive.

Nan's history is deeply involved with its neighbours, in particular Sukhothai which played an important role in both political and religious terms before Nan became a part of Lanna, Burma and Thailand in that order. Today Nan is still the home of numerous Thai Lue and other hilltribes who retain highly interesting customs and traditions.

How to get there

By Car

From Bangkok, take Highway No. 32 to Nakhon Sawan and use Highway No. 117 to Phitsanulok, Highway No. 11 to Amphoe Den Chai, then take Highway No. 101 to Nan via Phrae, a total distance of 668 kilometres.

By Bus

Transport Co. Ltd. operates bus services from Bangkok's Mochit 2 Bus Terminal to Nan every day. Call 0 2936 2852-66 or visit www.transport.co.th for more information. Other private companies are such as Phrae Tour Tel: 0 2245 2369 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0 2245 2369 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, Sombat Tour Tel: 0 2936 2495-6 and Choetchai Tour Tel: 0 5471 0362 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0 5471 0362 end_of_the_skype_highlighting (Nan Office).

By Air

PB Air flies from Bangkok to Nan. Visit www.pbair.com for more information.

Distances from Amphoe Mueang to Other Districts

Ban Luang
Chiang Klang
Thung Chang
Na Muen
Mae Charim
Song Khwae
Tha Wang Pha
Na Noi
Bo Kluea
Pua
Wiang Sa
Santi Suk

76 kilometres
86 kilometres
80 kilometres
45 kilometres
38 kilometres
75 kilometres
43 kilometres
60 kilometres
133 kilometres
60 kilometres
25 kilometres
32 kilometres

Published At : www.tourismthailand.org
Permanent Link :http://www.tourismthailand.org/destination-guide/nan-55-5162-1.html

SEA of Mist : Amazing Wonders in Thailand

2010-11-02T23:11:00.002+07:00

If traveling to discover nature is like taking a journey to fulfill your life, then to witness a natural phenomenon such as the sea of mist would not be different from a reward for the travelers, who only wish to savor its spectacular sight. Seeing the sea of mist is considered a sort of luck, as the weather is unpredictable, there is no guarantee as to what you will get.

Waiting to see the sea of mist in the morning is like waiting for the stage curtain to unveil. As the pale sunlight reveals the vast mass of vapor over the forest, the sun appears over the horizon, then comes the moment you witness the sea of mist in its full splendor.

The sea of mist is extraordinarily beautiful in winter, especially in the North. However, it is also possible to see it in some parts of the North East and Central Thailand as well.

There are many places you can go to see the sea of mist.

The North

Popular spots to see the sea of mist in the North are:

Huai Nam Dang National Park, Chiang Mai
There is no need for trekking to see the sea of mist here. From December to February, you will also get to see blooming Sakura as a bonus.
Phu Chi Fa, Chiang Rai
This is the number one classic spot for sea of mist in Thailand. From the cliff, you can see the breathtaking view of the sea of mist spreading over Laos. In addition, Doi Pha, which is only 20 km. away is another well-known spot to see the sea of mist.
Mae Noei National Park, Tak
It is the perfect spot from October to February. Nearby tourist attractions are Mae Usu Cave and natural hot springs.
Mokoju Peak, Mae Wong National Park, Kamphaeng Phet
With some effort, you will get through a long and difficult trekking to see the picture perfect sea of mist. Peak season is from November to February.
Khao Kho, Phetchabun
The viewpoint is conveniently located in the resort among the mountains.
Doi Hua Mot, Amphoe Umphang, Tak
Namtok Thi Lo Cho (Falling Rain Waterfall) and rafting activities are also a must.
Phu Thap Boek, Phetchabun
Here, you can put up your tents and wait for the sea of mist in the morning and the “stars on earth” at night.
Other viewpoints in the North are:
Doi ,Si Nan National Park, Nan
Khun Chae National Park, Chiang Rai
Chae Son National Park, Lampang
Chiang Dao National Park, Chiang Mai
Doi Khun Than National, Lamphun
Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan
Doi Luang National Park, Phayao
Taksin Maharat National Park, Tak

The North East

Pha Nok Aen Cliff, Phu Kradueng National Park, Loei. From October to January.
See pine woods, waterfalls, and maple leaves changing colors.
Phu Reua National Park, Loei. From December to January.
A natural rock garden and morning dew awaits you.
Pha Taem National Park, Ubon Ratchatani. From November to December.
The place where the sun rises before anywhere else in Thailand.

Also:

Na Heao National Park, Loei. From November to December.
Hin Chang Si Viewpoint, Nam Phong National Park, Khon Kaen. From October to December.
Phu Phan National Park, Sakon Nakorn. From November to February.

Central Thailand

Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchaburi. All year round.
Khao Laem National Park, Kanchanaburi. From November to January.
Srinagarindra Dam, Kanchanaburi. From September to February.
Pang Sida National Park, Sa Kaeo. From October to December.
Phu Toei National Park, Suphan Buri. From September to November.
Kui Buri National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan. From October to February.

For more information on the sea of mist at the above national parks,
please visit www.dnp.go.th

Article Source : www.tourismthailand.org

Waterfalls on Doi Inthanon - Chiang Mai

2010-10-30T20:22:00.001+07:00

Mae Ya Waterfall: The North of Thailand is famous for its many waterfalls and one of the most beautiful in Chiang Mai province is Nam Tok Mae Ya. This waterfall is thought to be the highest in Thailand and is well worth the extra effort to get there.

Nam Tok Mae Ya is a beautiful, fanning cascade, dropping down an ever-widening series of steps. The water tumbles down a 100 m cliff in a series of spectacular leaps and National Park officials estimate that the Mae Ya River plunges more than 250 m at this point. At the bottom is a cool pool where children can swim and enjoy the pleasant picnic area. It is without a doubt, a photographic favorite for most visitors.

The 14 km route to get to Nam Tok Mae Ya begins in Chom Thong village. Mini-buses labeled in English Doi Inthanon Park can be hired at either Chom Thong or Mae Klang for the trip to the summit; the cost is about 500 baht for the round trip.

Mae Klang Waterfall: The Nam Tok Mae Klang Waterfall lies 66 km southwest of Chiang Mai city at the foot of Doi Inthanon Mountain. This unusual waterfall has been visited by Thai people for many years and is easily Chiang Mai's most photographed waterfall. Visitors continue to come in large numbers on any sunny day in the year to swim or simply unwind in this beautiful natural setting.

The waterfall is reached via Highway 108 to km 57 (just 1 km before the village of Chom Thong). Turn right onto Highway 1009 and continue 8 km to where the road forks. Mae Klang is 300 m straight ahead. The summit road forks to the right, reaching Park Headquarters near km 31 and the summit of Doi Inthanon at km 48. Once there, the waterfall provides a picturesque setting for picnics and relaxation. The area is fast becoming popular with many international visitors as well as local Chiang Mai families who own homes along the riverside.

The rapids and waterfall spill over a wide exposure of granite and can be approached closely. Rocky paths climb up beside the 30 m high falls and if you reach the top there is a fine view. Visitors are asked to exercise caution around the waterfall area and while swimming either above or below the falls. There are food, drink and souvenir stalls at the entrance and below the main falls. Across the bridge are the beautifully laid out gardens of the northern branch of Wat Chai Monkon, a famous Bangkok temple. In the grounds is a spectacular chedi containing a lift. There is also an enormous Buddha statue made out of one piece of Canadian greenstone. A well-maintained trail leads up the side of the waterfall and continues to the Visitor Center and beyond.

Mae Sa Waterfall: The Nam Tok Mae Sa Waterfall is 26 km from Chiang Mai city and is located at km 7 on the Mae Rim - Samoeng Road. This eight-tiered delightful waterfall occupies a natural setting among gigantic towering trees and always impresses visitors.

Wachirathan Waterfall: Nam Tok Wachirathan waterfall is on the route to Doi Inthanon and is a thirty-minute drive from Nam Tok Mae Klang. It is a beautiful scenic spot for picnics and is reached by a short, easy trail from the parking area. Nam Tok Wachirathan tumbles down a granite escarpment, creating a misty veil of great beauty. Visitors should be very cautious, as three people have tragically fallen to their deaths while taking photographs.

Just a short distance on the main road beyond the waterfall is the small Karen hill tribe village of Ban Sop Had. If you turn right just past the bridge you will find the village a few hundred meters up the dirt access road.

Siriphum Waterfall: Access to the Nam Tok Siriphum Waterfall is via the road intersecting with the main summit road on Doi Inthanon at km 30.4. The waterfalls are actually twins: two parallel plumes named for His Majesty King Bhumibol and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. An excellent view of the waterfalls can be enjoyed by walking along the track that forks left from the main road - just beyond the entrance to the guesthouse compound.

Phangan Island (Ko Phangan)

2010-10-25T18:54:00.000+07:00

Located just 12 km north of Samui, Phangan can be easily accessed by a half hour boat ride. Once it was just a backdoor neighborhood of Samui. But it is getting a new look.

Since Samui has begun to target up-market tourists, more and more backpackers and budget travelers have found the great hideaways here. It becomes increasingly attractive to other travelers who discover that Samui has nothing matching with their interests. Less expensive and less crowded are two main advantages experienced by backpackers. There are 160 places to stay around the190 square km of the island, at a cost of about 100 baht. Except for Rin Beach, many of the beaches are nearly deserted.

The island has two main attractive sites: Rin Beach and others. Rin Beach is a center for parties and hanging out while other beaches are tropical escapes with untouched nature and breath-taking scenes. Phangan has long been famed for its astonishing beauty which attracted King Rama IV to make regular visits here. Thong Nai Pan, one of the top five of Thailand's best beaches, was his long time favorite.

There is not the full range of modern development and tourist entertainment like the atmosphere of Samui. Not to mention no airport, big resorts, hotels, or paved roads. But it is a real paradise for all the senses, with undamaged nature and raucous parties, which may seem to be a contradiction, but the island has a certain magnetic power which makes it magically possible.

Getting There: Speedboats leave Samui daily from Maenam and Bophut piers to Thongsala at 8.30 am at a cost of 250 baht and also leave Nathon at 12.00 am, then return from Thongsala at 10.30 am for the price of 150 baht.

Songserm Express operates express ferries from Thatong, Samui to Thongsala via Nathon. The ferries leave Thatong at 8.30 am, arrive at Nathon at 10.30 am, then leave Nathon at 11.00 am and arrive at Thongsala at 11.45 am. They also run a car ferry service from Kanom to Thongsala via Na Thon. The ferries leave Thongsala at 6.30 am, arrive Na Thon at 8.00 am, and reach Kanom at 9.30 am. The return trip from Kanom leaves at 6.00 pm, arrives Nathon at 7.30 pm and reaches Thongsala at 9.00 pm.

Longtail boats run from Maenam pier to Phangan at three main destinations: Rin Beach for 120 baht, Tien Beach for 150 baht and Thong Nai Pan for 200 baht.

For an alternative route, but a longer trip, you can take nightboats from Ban Don, Surat Thani to Thongsala. The boats leave at 10.00 pm and take six hours and a half for the price of 170 baht.

Getting Around: It's recommended to take a songtaew as it's the fastest and most convenient means of transportation on the island. Fares depend on the destination, but are not higher than 100 baht around the island. Or else you can hire a motorcycle which is pretty much more expensive depending on how great you are at bargaining. There is crowd of motorcycle taxis outside Bovy Supermarket near the pier at Thongsala.

The interesting beaches and natural attractions on the islands include:

Thongsala: Thongsala is the only main port and it is also the only town on Phangan, houseing most of the island's residents. It provides all kinds of necessary facilities you may need including banks, ATMs and a post office. Aside from that, there is not much of interest about the town, just a small under-developed Thai village with some construction in progress.

The town is busy during the day because crowds of tourists come and go. At least, if you have to hang out waiting for the boat, there is a line of restaurants along the road leading toward the pier. There are lots of alternative choices here to enjoy local and western style food. For a more entertaining moment, you can absorb the Thai art of boxing at a boxing stadium within Thongsala. Or there are a few karaoke restaurants that create a bouncing atmosphere. Tourists go wandering away from Thongsala at night and the local people are left with a quiet and sleepy town.

Rin Beach and Full Moon Parties: On the far southeast of Phangan, Hat Rin is the liveliest and craziest beach. It has been marked as "something different" from all other places in Thailand, and probably the world. It now has become a spot for a travelers' community whose members truly believe in hedonism.

Rin is composed of two beaches: sunrise on the east and sunset on the west. Sunrise beach is a wide stretch of white sand in a stunning curved bay while sunset beach is not really as nice. All ranges of accommodation from low budget to air-con bungalows are concentrated around the two beaches. There are no comfortable and luxurious five-stars hotels and resorts here as Rin's reputation is for cheap and wild living.

Rin Beach is the ideal for all kinds of pleasure that the young and young at heart are searching for. It is a venue for the world famous Full Moon Party happening every month on the sunrise beach. Hanging out, going to parties, meeting wild and weird people, matchmaking, listening to techno, garage, house music, marijuana, drugs and spiritual awakenings all can be experienced at Rin Beach. Hat Rin has all kinds of music to fit with everyone's tastes and you'll not be disappointed.

The party starts when the first gleam of golden moonlight touches the white sand. The beach is lighted up with thousands of lamps and is full of thousands of travelers until dawn. Have fun and get wild!!!

Thong Nai Pan Beach: Thong Nai Pan is a magnificent double bay which is split by a narrow cape creating two wide beaches of white sands: Thong Nai Pan Yai and Thong Nai Pan Noi.

As a major attraction for members of the Thai royal family, the beach has long been kept as a secret and hidden place away from the crowds. There is not much development going on around here and it has the old and authentic atmosphere of Thai beach village. You may have to put in some effort to go there, but it is well rewarded with perfect beaches and friendly people.

On the southern bay, Thong Nai Pan Yai, the bigger of the two, is the residence of nearly all the local population. The beach has a wide sandy beach and a small village encircled by coconut plantations. There are a few bungalow resorts along the beach, two shops and a few bars and restaurants and the locals own most of the businesses here. Thong Nai Pan Noi, the quieter of the two, is a magnificent long beach of white sands with coconut trees in the background and surrounded by mountains. There are plenty of beach huts and bungalows along the beach. Thong Nai Pan Noi is a good place for pleasurable swimming and snorkeling.

There are two ways of commuting to Thong Nai Pan. You can take a pick-up songtaew from Thongsala and it can be accessed by boats from Thongsala, Rin Beach and Maenam.

Yao Beach: On the west coast of the island, Hat Yao means Long Beach. It has almost one and a half kms of white sand with deep water making for good swimming. There are just a few basic and low budget bungalows on the beach, but a more comfortable and expensive resort is in the process of construction.

One main thing to be informed of is that Hat Yao is quite a laid back village, but under development. Once Hat Yao was quite difficult to reach because there was no proper paved road, but now the situation is better as the road from Thongsala to Hat Yao is almost finished. Not everywhere in Hat Yao has electricity yet. All the electricity used during a few hours each evening comes from the main generator. So no nightlife entertainment at all.

Than Sadet Waterfalls: Than Sadet Waterfalls means "Royal Stream" as many members of Thai royal family have made frequent visits here, including King Rama V, King Rama VII, and King Rama IX, the present king. For a confirmation, the three kings left their signature on the rocks below the falls. So it could be assumed that the waterfalls must have some sort of extraordinary beauty to attract even the rulers of the country to come for a vacation. The falls have been guaranteed and it's really worth it to prove it for yourself.

Situated at Thong Nang Village, you can reach it by taking the road from Ban Tai Village to Thong Nai Pan Beach. Then turn-off about halfway up the road and head east toward Sadet Beach at Thong Nang Village. The trail follows a river along which you can see a series of waterfalls.

Phaeng Forest Park Waterfalls: About halfway between Thongsala and Chalok Lam there's a turn-off heading to the waterfalls. The waterfalls themselves are worth a visit, but you can have some pleasure absorbing the magnificent nature and stunning viewpoints on the way. Uncountable coconut trees, pure white sands and deep blue sea colored with a bright blue sky can be seen from here. Along the trail to the falls there is a marble Buddha Image which is said to be one of the finest statues on the island.

The best way is to get a motorcycle to explore the splendid vistas. It is most convenient to rent one. You need at least 125cc to travel up and down the hills because some roads are dirt tracks which are sheer and uneven.

Doi Angkhang in Chiang Mai

2010-10-24T12:23:00.003+07:00

One of the coldest places in Thailand, Doi Angkhang in Chiang Mai, is renowned as a scenic wonderland of orchards, flowers and forests. The area attracts tourists to enjoy the chilly beauty of this picture-perfect valley in the mountains 1,400 metres above sea-level. Here, the ever-present influence of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, can be sensed at the Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang which has done so much to effect the greening of the valley, bringing agricultural affluence and a better quality of life to the ethnic people there.

Royal Intervention

It was not always such an attractive place to live. In the 1960s, Doi Angkhang was remote, isolated, with no roads and off limits to outsiders. Its occupants — refugees from Yunnan in China and Black Musers — grew opium, peaches and rice, living in poverty with no proper access to education or medical treatment.

King Bhumibol learnt about Doi Angkhang while travelling nearby in 1969. “As we had a helicopter, the King decided to fly to the top of the mountain to see for himself,” explained His Serene Highness Prince Bhisadej Rajani, Chairman and Director of the Royal Project Foundation. “There were poppies and peach trees, but the hillsides were extensively deforested through slash and burn cultivation.”

It was time for intervention. The King purchased land to set up the first research station for temperate fruit, vegetables, trees and flowers. According to Prince Bhisadej, “His Majesty asked us to find temperate fruit to grow on Angkhang, because he thought that income from the fruit would be higher than from poppies.”

It was. The Royal Project persuaded two or three families to grow some fruit. “We helped them cultivate the fruit, harvest and sell it. They earned a lot of money. Once word got around about the income coupled with the King’s influence, everyone wanted to grow fruit,” recalls Prince Bhisadej. “After that it was easy.”

Today, the Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang is the flagship for the Royal Projects, and the premier research station in Thailand for temperate fruits, testing new strains and cultivating fruit saplings for extension throughout the Royal Projects.

Other goals set by King Bhumibol are also evident. The hillsides are covered in new forests and agricultural plots that have helped eliminate poppy cultivation; four schools provide education for children; a small medical centre keeps everyone healthy; and there are now good roads to the outside world.

Attractions

Flower Gardens
Tourists love to visit Doi Angkhang to experience the cold weather (it can dip below zero in December and January), and to enjoy the scenery and burgeoning plant life. The Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang is actually a research station for temperate climate fruit. During the winter, temperate fruit trees shed their leaves and plants do not bloom. “Visitors used to complain that the trees were dying and there was nothing to see,” says Prince Bhisadej, who decided to introduce something for tourists “to see.”

Military Base
A small military base right on the border with Burma next to Nor Lae village provides security for Doi Angkhang, and is also a popular scenic spot. The soldiers are friendly, welcoming visitors and providing insights into the tough life of being a Thai soldier on border patrol.

Junior Guides
Nine years ago, Kru Riem started the Junior Guide Programme, training school children to show tourists around their villages at weekends and holidays. It was a popular special activity that helped the children gain confidence to talk to adults, and to develop interpersonal skills.

When the Ministry of Education introduced curriculum changes to include one local subject for upcountry schools, Kru Riem proposed the Junior Guide Programme. It was accepted as a compulsory subject in the new curriculum. Makoo Techasophon of Angkhang Nature Resort and Royal Project staff were roped in as part-time teachers.

Today, Junior Guides are stationed at their villages every weekend, ready and eager to show tourists about life in the village. However, tourists are not allowed to take children outside the villages in their cars. There is no charge for the service, but donations can be placed in a special box to be split up every month — 60 per cent shared among the Junior Guides, 40 per cent going to the schools to fund summer camps and field trips.

Reforestation
Restoring forests to denuded hills is an important goal of the Royal Project. Doi Angkhang’s reforestation programme began in 1982, in a cooperative effort between Thailand’s agricultural university, Kasetsart, and the Taiwan government, with technical support from National Taiwan University. Various temperate tree types were tried until five fast-growing species were found to respond well to the Angkhang climate — Taiwan acacia, Griffith’s ash, Camphor tree, Fragrant maple, and Paulonia.

To date, 681 rai of land is under new forest cover, with a further 118 rai extended as community forest to be looked after by the villagers, who can cut down and utilize the wood, provided they replant the trees. Visitors can discover the beauty of the forested slopes with treks along ten marked nature trails, all just over a kilometre long.

Good wood, including wood purchased from the community forest, is dried and shaved into straight pieces used to make outdoor furniture, boxes, baskets and other items that are in the process of development. Shavings from the wood processing are mixed with leaves and vegetation to make compost for the organic farms. Visitors are welcome to see the production process, or purchase wooden items from the Royal Project shop in the Flower Garden.

Buffaloes Everywhere
Smiling buffaloes seem to be everywhere. Initially King Bhumibol donated two pairs of buffaloes to the Musers to help in their rice cultivation. However, they earned so much money from temperate climate produce, they stopped growing rice and buy it instead. Now the buffaloes having nothing to do but eat and multiply. The Musers refuse to sell or even eat them “because they are a gift from the King,” as one Muser farmer explained.

Marketing
The agricultural development of Doi Angkhang succeeds because the Royal Project guarantees to purchase all fruit, vegetables and flowers at good prices, provided they meet set standards of quality. Agricultural areas, especially the organic farms, are inspected by Royal Project staff prior to harvest. Then the produce is taken to the pre-cooling factory in the Royal Station, where it is checked, graded, packed, and stored in a cooler ready to transport to the Royal Project production plant in Chiang Mai.

Currently, Royal Project produce is sold under the Doi Kham brand to leading hotels in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, restaurants, and to corporate entities like Thai Airways International. The airline is a strategic partner of the Royal Project and its largest customer, using fruit and vegetables in its inflight menus, airport restaurants and outside catering. The general public can also buy through supermarkets like Tesco Lotus, Tops, Big C, Carrefour, Golden Place as well as Doi Kham shops.

In Father’s Footsteps
Makoo Techasophon has spent over ten years on Doi Angkhang as general manager of Angkhang Nature Resort, learning much about the lives of people inhabiting the mountain and the important role King Bhumibol has played in improving those lives. To give visitors a better understanding of life on Doi Angkhang, two years ago Makoo launched his “To Follow Father’s Footsteps” programme, which he conducts himself with support from staff at the Royal Station.

Taking groups for two days and a night, the programme is basically a walking tour through villages and agricultural areas, ending at the Royal Station, and talking with people along the way about their lives and how they met King Bhumibol. “I tell my groups that the King has walked everywhere on Doi Angkhang. We are merely following in his footsteps,” explains Makoo.

The tour begins at Khob Dong school, where Kru Riem introduces her children who accept donations from the visitors and then perform some ethnic dances. It then heads to Khob Dong to meet Ja Mor, the Muser witchdoctor, who has drunk tea with King Bhumibol and is one of his most ardent supporters.

Occasionally quite strenuous, the walk continues through the development areas of strawberries and organic vegetables to Nor Lae village, and a possible meeting with the headman who originally petitioned King Bhumibol for the Palong tribe to stay on Angkhang. Following a picnic lunch of northern Thai food, the walk continues through tea plantations and forests, ending at the Royal Station. Not everything is done at once, but planned in advance depending on how much the group wants to see.

Makoo does not charge for the tour. It is his personal tribute to the work of King Bhumibol. Although aimed primarily at groups, during the December and January high season the tour is run regularly for individual visitors who really want to know more about the King Bhumibol’s work and are prepared to follow in his footsteps.

In-Flight Meals
To celebrate King Bhumibol’s 80th birthday on 5 December 2007, Thai Airways International has created special onboard menus using Royal Project produce to be served on all international flights departing from Bangkok in the 4-6 December period. Passengers in all classes will be able to enjoy such dishes as grilled prawn with apple and orange salad, marinated tabtim fish with spicy lemongrass, carrots and French beans, and Royal Project chayote gateau.

Royal Project Festival

13-16 December 2007
At the Chiang Mai University Convention Hall
Fruit, vegetables and a variety of other produce grown at Royal Project centres throughout northern Thailand will be on sale at the Royal Project Festival 2007 to be held at Chiang Mai University Convention Hall, 13-16 December. An extensive exhibition of King Bhumibol’s work in the Royal Project will also be on view.

Angkhang Gourmet Tour
To promote visits by tourists to Doi Angkhang during the warm season, the Royal Project plans two gourmet tours — at the end of both February and March 2008. Each tour for up to 80 persons will be three days, two nights and feature a special gourmet meal prepared by a guest chef, a briefing on the work of the Royal Agricultural Station Angkhang and a guided tour organized by Royal Project staff.

The cost is 14,000 baht inclusive of return airfare, accommodation, and gourmet meal. Norbert Kostner, Executive Chef of The Oriental Bangkok, will create a special meal for the February tour. Interested persons should call the Royal Project’s public relations office tel: +66 (0) 53 810 765-9 ext. 104.

Web site: www.angkhang.com (Thai only)

Getting There

Doi Angkhang is located on the Thai-Burma border, 160 kms north of Chiang Mai city in Fang District. This involves a three-hour drive with very steep roads up the mountain that cannot accommodate large tour buses.

On request, Angkhang Nature Resort offers a pick-up service by van from Amari Rincome Hotel or Chiang Mai airport, at a cost of 5,000 baht for the return journey.

Alternatively, visitors can make arrangements with various travel agencies in Thailand that offer guided Doi Angkhang tours:

Article Source: http://www.tatnews.org/emagazine/3576.asp

Interesting Articles - Siam Cultural Park

2010-10-24T12:18:00.001+07:00

Siam Cultural Park

When people think about tourism, most of the time they usually think of beaches, waterfalls, and mountains which are natural tourism. However other than those natural ones, Thailand also house many interest human-made tourist attractions. Like recently in Ratchaburi province, a newly built attraction opened for the public renowned Siam Cultural Park. Siam Cultural Park situates in Wangyen sub - district the district of Bangpae close to the famous Dumnurnsaduak Floating Market just a kilometer from Bangpae intersection on Petkasem road.The park was originated with the aim to conserve Thai traditions, cultures, and arts along with the shady natural park .

The park was originated with the aim to conserve Thai traditions, cultures, and arts along with the shady natural park . The Park is divided into six zones covering area more than 42-rai. The fist zone is housed to the Hall of Fame building which exhibits well-know important persons both Thai and foreign for example, M.L. Pin Malakul, H.E. Professor Dr. Sanya Dhammasak, President Ho Chi Minh, and Mother Terasa. Just a few steps from the Hall of Fame building and right before entering into the second zone, there are amazing and difficult-to-find-one trees in which a sugar palm tree surrounded by a bo tree, the tree the lord Buddha enlightened.

The second zone is called the Terrace of Buddha Image of Three Periods. The Buddha images reproduced from historical parks from three different periods, Ayutthaya , Sukhothai and Chiang Saen also known as Lanna. This zone gives an opportunity to explore three historical park in three different provinces in one place. The third zone is housed to a Jutaka Light and Sound Cave where the story of the Buddhist Saga Vessantara Jutaka is told with the aim to show the result the endless greed of human beings. Next to the cave lies a Herbal Drink house where a tradition refreshment drinks like Chrysanthemum, Rosella, Bael fruit, Lemon Grass, and Longan and Thai tradition sweets are served. The forth zone is exhibited Buddhist Monastic Cells which divided into regional styles where each cell housed two famous monks from the region. Crossing the bridge to the other side of the canal would bring visitors back to the past with the Thai traditional houses style in the fifth zone. This zone is also divided into regional styles where each styles has its uniqueness of architecture and design. Inside each house are artifacts to tell about the way of life of the people in the region. Crossing the second bridge would take visitors to the water-fall front for taking photos and enjoy coffee, tea, Thai sweets, ice-cream, and herbal drinks served by the Coffee House. After enjoy taking photos and the refreshments, walking along the footpath would finally take visitors to the footpath would finally take visitors to the last zone the Terrace of Avalokitasvara where the area is beautifully decorated with trees and flowers for the last shot before leaving the Park.

Siam Cultural Park is a very interesting tourist destination which shouldn’t miss in Ratchaburi province

Operating Hours

Monday -Friday : 9.00-16.30

Saturday -Sunday : 8.30-17.00

Annual holiday : 8.30-17.00

Ticket

Adult 50 B

Child 20 B

Article Source : www.tourismthailand.org

Top 10 Cultural Tourist Attractions in Glasgow

2010-10-24T12:07:00.001+07:00

Glasgow is a complete treat for all due to having wide range of entertaining options. Glasgow is the gateway to the Scotland’s cultural heritage and cultural values. It has few of the finest gothic era architectural wonders that are now the part of the cultural heritage of Glasgow. However, Glasgow has so many tourist attractions such as it has finest eating out options, family entertainment choices, nightlife enjoyment spots, precious theatres etc but among all cultural attractions has got the number one position. We have enlisted top ten best cultural tourist attractions in Glasgow that are really “must visit” places.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

This is an inimitable art gallery and museum in Glasgow that remains over flocked with over million tourists and foreign visitors every year. It underwent in major refurbishment and currently serving as one of the finest art galleries and museums in Glasgow. Kelvingrove art galley and museum is the most visited historical museum in entire United Kingdom while simultaneously being the number one tourist attraction in Glasgow. It has extensive collection of greatest and historical artists. The great collections consist of arms and armour and natural history. The artworks consist of European artworks, French Impressionists, Scottish Colourists, and Dutch Renaissance etc. The main building of this art galley & museum is itself a great piece of Spanish architectural artwork. It is made up of red sandstones that are blocked in a Spanish Baroque style and offering an eye catching view.

Great Architectural Works from Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Glasgow is blessed with the great and historical architectural works of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Mackintosh contributed a lot in the art and craft assets of Europe and specially those of Scotland. There is a great number of historical buildings and art collections by Mackintosh that are located in Glasgow. Few of the most significant architectural wonders by Mackintosh include: The Glasgow School of Art, the Mackintosh House, the Willow Tea Rooms, Ruchill Church Hall, Queens Cross Church, Martyrs’ Public School, and the Lighthouse etc. The Glasgow School of Art is a world famous art gallery that gets a huge traffic of foreign and local visitors every year. It is considered as the most significant masterpiece of the Mackintosh architectural works. The Willow Tea Rooms are another perfect example of the masterpiece buildings of the Mackintosh. This place was recreated partially while its various parts are preserved in their original shape. This place is perfect for having relaxing and private time with friends and family. Lighthouse is the perfect place to stroll around and believe me it would take your many hours without making you feel of time. Just take your camera with yourself while visiting Lighthouse.

The Burrell Collection

It is a great art collection gallery located in the world famous Pollok Country Park, Glasgow, Scotland. It is attracting millions of tourists and foreign visitors every year. This great art gallery contains extensive collection of gothic artworks including stained glasswork, tapestries, oak furniture, gothic weapons and armour, artifacts belong to ancient China and Egypt, Islamic artworks, Impressionist works by Cezanne and Degas, modern artifacts and sculptures etc. It is very easy to reach this great artwork collection venue in Glasgow. You can reach it through Pollokshaws West railway station.

Glasgow Cathedral

It is the heart beat of Glasgow and arguably inimitable architectural wonder that is gifted to the Glasgow city from the Gothic era. This cathedral is the most popular cathedral in Glasgow and it is also world famous for its historical and religious values. It remains open for tourists and foreign visitors but on charges while for worshipers there is no entry fee. The must see and popular points within this cathedral are the tomb of St. Kenitgern, Nave & Millennium entrance, and the Creation and the Clock.

Gallery of Modern Art

This is one the finest art galleries in Glasgow that is based on the collection of contemporary artworks. It is more commonly known as GoMA. This magnificent gallery is the home of various exhibitions and workshops, as well and attracting millions of tourists every year. This art gallery is ideally located in the centre of Glasgow city. The main building of this art gallery is itself worth to see because it is based in the neoclassical building within the Royal Exchange Square. The exhibites at this gallery include the great artworks of David Hockney, Sebastiao Salgado, John Bellany, Ken Currie, and Andy Warhol. There is a lot to do inside this gallery and tourists can easily keep exploring places in this gallery such as underground learning library, Education and Access Studio, cafes etc. There is a wonderful statue of the Duke of Wellington with a traffic cone. This cone is replaced on occasions by the officials and makes the statue more attractive.

People’s Palace

The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens are the significant glasshouse and leading museum in Glasgow. This people’s palace was originally built to provide a cultural centre to the people of Glasgow. The People’s Palace has now become the only museum in Glasgow that tells the entire story of Glaswegians and Glasgow city. Currently this place consists of museum, picture gallery, museum, glasshouse, and the gardens. This museum is a perfect place to learn about the history of Glasgow, its native people, and their lifestyle. This great museum and glasshouse gets heavy traffic of local and foreign visitors every year.

Museum of Transport

Wow! What a unique place with an extensive collection of transport models including ship models, road vehicles, railway and tramway models etc. This museum gets over half million tourists and foreign visitors every year. It has now closed and undergoing in renovation. At the same time it is relocating to new place and its reopening is expected soon. This museum contains the oldest cycling pedal and collection of Scottish built cars such as Argyll, Arrol Johnson, Albon, popular cars including Hillman Imp, Chrysler Avenger, Chrysler Sunbeam, ship models including Comet, the Hood, the Howe, the Queen Mary, and the Queen Elizabeth I & II etc.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens & the Kibble Palace

It is a wonderful place in Glasgow that is dedicated to the common public of Glasgow and tourists. It consists of various glasshouses and among them the most significant is the Kibble Palace. It is a must visit place that worth your attention. The Kibble Palace will cast a spell on you and will keep you under its magical influence for a long time period. Take your camera and enjoy a wonderful time with your family and friends.

Glasgow Science Centre

It is a totally a tourists place that also remains over loaded with local visitors. This centre was built purposely and consisting of three distinct buildings that are: the Science Mall, an IMAX cinema, and the Glasgow Tower. Glasgow Science Tower is the tallest tower in the world that is also the part of Guinness book of world record.

University of Glasgow

It is a historical university in Glasgow and the fourth oldest in United Kingdom. It is also the top ranked British university in the world. This university is one of the significant and most visited cultural heritage sites in Glasgow. It can only be explored via guided tour on particular days and timings. This university holds great importance in Glasgow and attracting literally millions of tourists every year.

Above mentioned detestations are the most significant and precious world famous cultural attractions in Glasgow. Each destination is unique for its unique features and values. While visiting Glasgow we highly recommend you these top ten cultural tourist attractions to be seen.

Credit by: http://www.book-european-hotels.com/Glasgow-Attractions.php

Top 10 Things to do Whilst on Holiday in Barcelona

2010-10-22T14:45:00.000+07:00

10) Turn up the heat with Flamenco dancing...

Set those pulses racing at a live Flamenco show. A great place to do this is Tabloa Flamenco Cordobes situated at Las Ramblas, 35. You can have dinner followed by an incredible display of rhythm, dance and live music.

9) The Nou Camp Stadium...

See the world's most beautiful game at the world's most beautiful stadium in an atmosphere like you've never experienced. If you're not lucky enough to get hold of tickets then go for a Barcelona FC stadium tour instead.

8) Take a master class in Paella...

Prepare one of Spain's tastiest dishes in a truly unique experience at Lifestyle Barcelona. Your three-hour gastronomic package includes a trip to the Boqueria Market before learning how to paella the authentic way. Wash down your culinary creation with complimentary wine.

7) Barcelona by Helicopter...

What better way to appreciate the beauty of Barcelona than from 2000 feet? Take in panoramic views of Tibidabo, Agbar Tower and Montserrat Mountain. This is a must for romantics and thrill seekers alike.

6) Scoot around the city in style...

Bored of the usual guided bus tours? Then explore the city in style with a scooter tour. If you're looking for something that little bit different this is a cool and adventurous way to get around all of the famous sights.

5) Romantic hot air balloon ride over Catalonia...

Okay, so you're slowly drifting high above the tranquil Mediterranean Sea soon followed by the majestic Pyrenees. Sound appealing? Balloon flights are widely available near Barcelona. An experience of a lifetime!

4) Barcelona Canyoning experience...

Could you abseil down a raging waterfall? Or launch yourself from a 20-foot ledge into a deep rock pool? This is Canyoning in Catalonia. Many packages take you to the neighbouring Pyrenees and are popular with holidaymakers looking for something different and adventurous.

3) VIP Tour on a Harley Davidson...

Experience Barcelona in a completely different way on the back of the king of all motorbikes - a Harley Davidson! You don't need a license to enjoy this unique experience because a private Chauffer will take you wherever you want to go. VIP Harley Tours are available at Cooltra.

2) Unwind with a Chocolate Massage...

Yes, you read correctly - a chocolate massage! You don't need a sweet tooth to enjoy this amazingly unique experience as you're covered from head to toe in chocolate and almond oil. Apparently it's great for your skin too. Is there a better way to enjoy chocolate without piling on the pounds? Who cares - I want one! For more details visit Lifestyle Barcelona.

1) Drive a Lamborghini Gallardo...

It's understandable if some of you are still preoccupied with thoughts of chocolate but this has to be the ultimate in flashy self-indulgence. Feel the power of 509 horsepower engine on a Spanish Formula 1 racetrack under the guidance of a Lamborghini driving instructor. So what are you waiting for... buckle up and push the peddle to the metal for the ride of your life.

Credit by : http://flights.jet2.com/barcelona/barcelona-top-10-guide.htm

Flamingo Ecology

2010-10-22T14:38:00.001+07:00

For many years, great studies have been done on Flamingoes especially on the Great Rift Valley lakes of Kenya and Tanzania. One of these lakes is the famous Bird watchers paradise - Lake Nakuru national park. It is here where over 1.5 million flamingoes wallow the shoes of alkaline waters rich in blue green algae. Many visitors on African Safaris are amazed with the panoramic view of the spending with great photos taken on vast African horizons and rocky cliffs.

Although the alluring ecstasy to take more snaps is immeasurable, there is need to pick on a frew facts about the Flamingo and why there is great need to conserve them and their few delicate habitats.

Species

There are 6 species of flamingoes in the world, At first glance, they may look similar to each other, but certain features such as size, leg colour or beak allow easy identification.

Today, we will major on the lesser Flamingo as we explore their vast and diverse facts as follows;

Behavior;

Flamingoes are itinerant species adapted to respond to changes in local environmental conditions, and thus depend on a network of suitable sites. They feed on species of microscopic cyanobacteria and benthic diatoms found only in alkaline lakes.

The characteristic feeding is primarily by swimming and filtering the algae and diatoms with a specialized bill that contains up to 10,000 microscopic lamellae. The Lesser Flamingos depend primarily on shallow saline/alkaline lakes, pans, wetlands and coastal areas within easy flying distance (i.e. 120-180 km) of a good feeding site for the parents.
They feed several hours each day when the surface of the water is sufficiently calm to enable them to feed. If the surface of the water is not calm, they are unable to feed and are confined to the limited areas of wet mud.

Species Classification

They are classified as "Near Threatened", nearly qualifying as threatened under criteria A3c: (A population size reduction of 30%, projected or suspected to be met within the next 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer -up to a maximum of 100 years), based on a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat.
It is also listed in Columns A and B of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds (AEWA) Action Plan, Appendix II of the Bonn Convention (CMS) and Appendix II of the CITES convention.

Conservation

There are four separate populations recognized for conservation purposes;
1. The largest population, estimated to be 1.5 - 2.5 million individuals, occurs on the alkaline-saline lakes of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.
Smaller populations occur in the
2. North-western India, estimated to be approximately 390,000 birds.
3. Southern Africa, estimated to be 55,000 - 65,000 birds.
4. West Africa, estimated to be 15,000 - 25,000 birds.

Maturity

They reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age and they breed following seasonal rains that provide the flooding necessary to isolate remote breeding sites from terrestrial predators and the soft muddy material for nest building. Nests are built from mud substrates where they lay eggs. The mean incubation is 28 days and Fledging is approximately 70 days.
The selection of breeding site is chosen in regard to; Inaccessibility to terrestrial disturbance from humans or animal predators and subject to seasonal flooding that is sufficiently shallow (and calm) to enable the construction of the traditional conical mud nests without them being washed away, but sufficiently deep and long lasting to prohibit terrestrial predators from reaching the nesting colony.

Threats to flamingo conservation

Most critical threat to the survival of the Lesser Flamingo (a factor causing or likely to cause very rapid declines >30% over 10 years or three generations) is the degradation of its specialized breeding and feeding habitats through
1. Altered hydrology and water quality
2. Wetland pollution,
3. Extraction of salt and soda ash
4. Disruption of its few breeding colonies by human activities

There are also threats of High importance (factors causing or likely to cause rapid declines (20-30% over 10 years or three generations)
• Poisoning (heavy metals, pesticides & cyanobacteria toxins)
• Diseases - Avian flu, cholera, mycobacteriosis
• Disruption of its few breeding colonies by human activities (particularly from nearby settlements).
and finally, threats of low importance (factors causing or likely to cause negligible decline)
• Human disturbance of non-breeding sites
• Collision with man-made structures
• Predation
• Competition with other species for food and breeding sites
• Harvesting of eggs and live birds.

Therefore, while doing your African Safari, please take time and give back to the conservation of this endangered jewel while at the same time minimize any interference that may contribute to them being more endangered.

Enjoy your view of Flamingoes.

Source: ArticleTrader.com

Italy Travel Guide

2010-10-21T15:00:00.002+07:00

Italy Holidays – Italy Tours & Adventure Travel Guide

Tours Italy Holiday Highlights

Culture & History – Museums throughout Italy showcase incredible collections of artifacts, archaeological finds and famous artworks. Visit Galleria Borghese in Rome, or the La Torre di Pisa in Florence. Italy has remained the center of European life for centuries and all is there to view in the historic sites and displays. Ruins of ancient Rome are still silhouetted against the skyline at twilight and the Christian Rome life is visible to the naked eye.

Sightseeing – You’ve often heard about or seen pictures of the famous spots in Italy, revered by those who have already visited. There are too many to list, but a few of those you must see are the Pincio Gardens, Quirinal Hill and the Spanish Steps in Rome. In Florence you have to visit Michelangelo's "David," of course, and stop by Piazzale Michelangiolo for some unbelievable sights. All through Italy, no matter your destination, there is sightseeing enough to keep you occupied for weeks and weeks.

Trekking – Along the coast and through the mountains of gorgeous Italy, the choice of adventures is yours on your tours Italy. A trekking holiday in Italy will show you the charm and beauty of this fabulous country, filled with history and incomparable sights. Take a pilgrimage route from Rome or hike Tuscany. The options are many and your enjoyment is guaranteed.

Cycling – Italy is a paradise for cycling, with safe roads and lovely views. Italians are gracious and respect the rider in all parts of the country, often calling out words of encouragement as you are touring. Pedaling the narrow streets of a tiny village, you will feel you are in some dream landscape. As you climb a pass in the mountains to the north, you will begin to believe you are on another planet. Try some remote secondary road between Milan and Lake Como. Cycling in Italy, among the rolling hills and vineyards, will win your heart.

Water Sports – With Italy surrounded on three sides with the azure seas, you can imagine that water sports are popular in all areas. Swimming and sailing, water polo and diving, rowing and motorboat racing all can be found at the seaside resorts. Play water basketball, invented by Italians, or water ski in the brilliant yet caressing sun. Beach holidays are wonderful in Italy.

Winter Sports – For the best in Italian winter sports you will go to the Italian Alps, with the major resorts and accommodating facilities. There the skiing will be challenging and exciting. Cross-country skiing is a favorite in Northern Italy, and in Central Italy you can find popular resorts such as Abetone and Campo Imperatore. But skiing isn’t everything. You will have plenty of opportunity to try your hand at ice hockey, figure skating or bobsledding.

Climbing – Rock climbing in Italy provides everything you’re looking for, from the big walls to navigating the pinnacles, from scaling the towers to one pitch climbs. Adventures on a climbing holiday in Italy highlight the diversified landscapes of this beautiful land, and you can be a part of it.

When to Go

The best time to travel to Italy is from April to June and in late September to October. At these times the temperatures are the mildest and there aren’t huge crowds. From June to the middle of September, the summer crowds can be busy. August is when the heat is intense and many Italians take a vacation for the entire month.

Top Tips

Wear comfortable shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking on your holiday.
There aren’t many public toilets. You can find some in large railway stations. Sometimes you have to pay for their use. And carry some toilet paper with you, as many public toilets won’t have any available.
When traveling on the train, ensure you get your ticket stamped at a yellow machine along the track. If you fail to get it stamped, the conductor on the train can hand-stamp it for you if you explain the situation.
Making phone calls within Italy will require a telephone card, which can be purchased from a tobacco shop with sign of a white letter T on a black background.

Italy Holidays In Focus

Culture and History

Rome is the best place to begin your cultural holiday in Italy. You can see many sides to this city, from ancient to medieval or from Christian to Renaissance. The Capitoline Museum in the Piazza del Campidoglio offers fragments from a gigantic sculpture of Constantine and artifacts range from those of the 1st century BC to the 17th century AD. The Keats-Shelley Memorial House is the apartment where the English poet, John Keats, spent the last months of his life. You can see memorabilia and paintings of Keats, Shelly or Byron. At Galleria Borghese you’ll discover several paintings by Caravaggio and some Bernini sculptures.

You must also visit the Napoleonic Museum and the Vatican Museum on your tours of Italy. The Colosseum and the Pantheon, as well as the Roman Forum go without saying. In Florence, see how the Medicis lived by touring the Palazzo Pitti. See the incredible leaning tower of the La Torre di Pisa and climb to the top for an aerial view. It’s 294 steps to the top and you are allowed only 30 minutes each visit. The Baptistery in Florence is also a place you must see, with descriptive artwork praised by Michelangelo. Climb the Campanile for a panoramic view of Florence.

Sightseeing On Tours Of Italy

Incredible sightseeing awaits you in Italy. There is probably no other country in the world so filled with such sights and sounds as that of this lovely country. In Rome the Arch of Constantine commemorates the Battle of the Milvian Bridge and you can see where the ancient temple of Jupiter stood on Capitoline Hill. Walk to the top when on the Janiculum Walk so you can see the lovely views of the Alban Hills.

At Pincio Gardens you will also find unbelievable vistas of Rome, especially at sunset. On Quirinal Hill, the highest of hills in Rome, you can discover St. Peter's dome in the distance. In Via del Corso you will see the famous street where in the 19th century numerous cafés, boutiques, and bookstores thrived. Now you can visit the present-day shops and cafés.

Don’t pass up a chance to see Michelangelo's "David" in Florence, or the inspiration of the Neptune Fountain, surrounded by delightful sculptures. Ponte Vecchio was built in 972 AD and is lined by the best goldsmiths and jewelers in Florence. You will have the opportunity to pick up some wonderful souvenirs and trinkets at Mercato Nuovo (New Market) and also see this fascinating market that has been in operation since the sixteenth century.

Trekking

Among the places that are popular trekking on an Italian holiday are the Valcamonica, where you can view incredible rock art, and along a pilgrimage trail called La Via Francigena. Hike the Cinque Terre or around the Ligurian Mountains for a terrific wandering journey. Tour the Amalfi coast and don’t miss the Island of Capri. See the rock carvings by trekking the Val Camonica in the Cal Camonica valley. Through small villages with narrow streets, past women draped with shawls and old men whittling on the stoops, you will see the best in Italy on a trekking tour.

Cycling

When in Italy in May, you can first take part in some spectator sports by watching the Giro d'Italia, a famous long distance bicycle race. But you want to cycle this lovely country yourself, cycle through Imperia and see breathtaking views with rich natural sites to see along the way. Bike the Ligurian Alps and perhaps catch a glimpse of some alpine hares or a golden eagle. In Lombardy, one of the largest areas in Italy, you will not only see wonderful hilly sections of the country, but also enjoy the lakes in the foothills of the Alps. Sleepy villages in the Veneto highlight the age-old tradition of cycling in Italy. One of the smallest regions of Italy can offer immense pleasure in your biking adventure as you cycle past plains, beaches and lagoons so you’ll find that Friuli-Venezia Giulia is magical in its wonders.

Probably the most fascinating area to travel is Tuscany. Moving along from the Tyrrheanian coast through the wooded slopes of the Apennine Mountains, you will be able to observe workers in the fields, thick forests and historic villages. If cycling is your passion then Italy will charm you with its incredible history and landscapes.

Water Sports

With over 5,000 miles of coastline, Italy has become one of Europe’s best summer holiday destinations. Facilities can be found to make your holiday more enjoyable, like deckchairs being made available for a small charge. You’ll find whatever you desire at the major resorts. There’s a large 219-mile stretch from France to Tuscany, which is known as the Italian Riviera, and the Adriatic or Amalfi coasts are also top choices. Surf in Mauro or go diving along the coast of Tuscany or Liguria. Rivers in northern Italy offer some great fishing. You can go sailing on any of the lakes throughout the country, such as Como, Lugano, Maggiore or Garda.

Winter Sports

The Italian Alps are the perfect choice for skiing and winter sports in Italy. Anywhere you find skiing, you’ll also find other winter fun, like snowboarding, bobsledding and snowmobiling. If you head west of Turin, you’ll be able to experience the resorts of Sauze d’Oulx or Sestriere in the Piedmont region. In the eastern regions of Italy, you can visit the Dolomites, but continue east and you’ll find some great skiing destinations and the resorts of Madonna di Campiglio and Cortina D’Ampezzo.

Further north, the Aosta Valley will be the area to visit, where you can take one of the highest cable cars in all of Europe and see the Matterhorn, Monte Bianco, and the Monte Rosa with a number of fabulous ski resorts. In Central Italy, Abetone in Tuscany and Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo to visit on your Italy holidays.

Climbing On Italy Holidays

For the best in climbing, you can try out the Dolomites, with multi-day excursions, retracing the paths of the pioneers such as Buhl, Solda and Comici. You will experience the peaks of the Alps, the Lake Garda Range and the Brenta Range. The Brenta Range actually belongs to the Central Alps and is bounded on all sides by valleys. You can spend many summer days here climbing a number of fine routes, with various levels of difficulty. At the north edge of Lake Garda, you’ll find a quality rock climbing area with about thirty limestone crags. Another place of choice is Lake Como, which offers a range of climbing experiences on vacations Italy. Try Muzzerone for some sea cliff climbing and exciting rock climbing near Naples.

Classic Itineraries For Vacations Italy

Take a canal boat tour in Venice to discover the charm of the world’s most unique city.
Visit the Pantheon in Rome and explore the history of this fabulous monument, saved from plunder and invasion through 20 centuries.
See the Galleria dell'Accademia museum in Florence and view one of the most famous statues anywhere, Michelangelo's David, portraying the ancient hero who killed Goliath with a little slingshot.
Tour the major cities of Italy by train, and see Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice in two or three weeks.
Take a tour of museums in Tuscany, in popular cities like Florence, Siena, Arezzo, and Livorno.

Article source by : http://www.puretravel.com/Guide/Europe/Southern_Europe/italy

Backpacking in Thailand - North

2010-10-21T14:53:00.000+07:00

AYUTHAYA

When arriving at the Bangkok international airport, one leaves the air-conditioned airplane into a wall of humid heat. It was 38 degrees C (100 F) in early June. One gets used to it quickly, but it sets the pace for the rest of the trip - leisurely walking is the only way to avoid breaking into a sweat all the time, and one contrives to stand near fans a lot.

I arrived with no plans where to go next, so I had a hotel booked in Bangkok to get a feel for the country before I set off. This was unnecessary; Thailand is very well suited to just hopping on a bus or train and going off on a whim. I used a train from Bangkok's Hualamphong train station to Ayuthaya, the next morning; it would have been better to go there right from the airport.

Ayuthaya was the capital of Thailand until 1757, but now it is just a large field of ruined wats like the one in the picture to the right, and at the top of this page. From the train station it's a short walk to the ferry, an old wooden pier with shaking stairs and a boat driven by an ancient open diesel motor. The town begins promising on the other side, but peters out very quickly, like a toy town built by a child with too much space and way too few houses. Nice wats, all ruins.

I stayed for one night in the Wieng Fa hotel, not very fancy but not bad for a Thai budget hotel.

WAT?

A wat is a buddhist temple compound. There are wats in every village that are well-maintained and staffed by monks in their orange clothes. Cone-shaped chedis can be found in all wats, either in the pointy Thai style or the older rounded Khmer style. Almost all the wats in Ayuthaya and Lopburi are ruins.

All the buildings in Ayuthaya and Lopburi are built from bricks and covered with plaster. Most of the plaster has fallen off, and the brick structures are not very well preserved - they keep crumbling, and some buildings are merely huge overgrown piles of bricks, like the temple behind the Buddha at the top of this page. In many cases, the ground the chedi was built on has sunk over the centuries, so that formerly straight floors now curve up and down, and many chedis are strongly leaning to one side.

Khmer chedis like the ones in the picture have very steep stairs leading to a door. The inside is basically hollow, with a ceiling tapering to a tip. Originally, there were shrines inside, Buddha statues and sacrifices. It is possible to climb up there and look in but entering is difficult because of the stench of the bats that found a home in the dark caverns.

Wats also contain countless Buddha statues, all in one of the seven standard poses. They are usually covered with gold leaf, sometimes smoothly applied and sometimes loosely attached by worshippers; sometimes, if there isn't enough money, there is a single gold patch on the right breast. In the ruined wats, many statues are broken and headless.

LOPBURI

I took the train from Ayuthaya to Lopburi. Trains are very convenient, they run frequently and are extremely cheap. I went third class, which means benches running along the sides, fans on the ceiling, and open windows. Lopburi, unlike Ayuthaya, is a real small town with shops and markets, and much more interesting than Ayuthaya. Right across from the train station, there is a wat not unlike the ones found in Ayuthaya, where the picture on the right was taken.

Lopburi also has an old palace, parts of which are in ruins and parts of which are still in use. They are all set in a large garden that is used by the locals as a park. Another wat is crawling with monkeys, who also run free in the town, looking for food. The little guy on the left was alarmed by the camera I stuck in his face.

In general I'd recommend staying in Lopburi, not Ayuthaya. There may be fewer and less prominent wats but there is just more to do there.

CHIANG MAI

The next stop on many people's itineraries is Sukhothai, another former capital, but I decided not to spend another day looking at ruins so I went straight to Chiang Mai. (Looking back, a day in Sukhothai would have been better spent than a day on the southern islands.) I used a sleeper on the night train from Lopburi, lower berth, which is about the most expensive thing the railway offers (about $12). The beds are a bit short for a Westener (Thais are generally shorter) but comfortable. Earplugs made sleep possible; train tracks in Thailand are not continuously-welded and the wheels rattle. Anybody used to whispering European trains will be shocked by the noise! In second class it's bad; In third class it's deafening.

Chiang Mai is a large city but much smaller than Bangkok, without the smog and the traffic chaos but with all the amenities. The picture on the right shows a typical side street - some old wooden buildings, many new concrete buildings, shops, market booths, and food vendors and little taxi cabs and people everywhere. Very few places in Thailand have that sparkling designed look of western shopping streets; people just use any space available and make do with what they have.

Of course, Chiang Mai has its share of wats and shrines. The one on the left shows the interior of the building that houses the Buddha shrine, with an especially elaborate ceiling. On the steps of the altar, smaller statues, burning incense, and offerings are placed. The rug in front is used by kneeling worshippers. To the right is a picture of King Bhumibhol of Thailand, who is greatly respected in Thailand and whose picture can be found everywhere.

As I write this, I sit in the hotel garden by the pool under palm trees, watching the boats on the Maekong river which flows through Chiang Mai. If you can afford B1800, stay at the River View Lodge. They took care of my excursion plans and flight arrangements, and when the hotel's excursion offers didn't quite meet my expectations they found another agency that had just what I wanted. Every once in a while I like to relax in a good hotel, avoiding all the hassles like cold showers and insects in the cheap ones, and the River View Lodge was one of these.

Like all towns, Chiang Mai has a variety of "markets", which are really bazaars of haphazard booths of all kinds, like in the picture on the left. The typical booth offers food or clothes, but there are specialty markets too (in Bangkok there is a large "hi-fi market" where the stalls offer BNC connectors and little bags of transistors and cable drums and all kinds of other electronic parts!). In between there are food vendors, small carts with a display case full of meat and vegetable bowls, a gas cooker, and nicely arranged food.

If you are so inclined, there is always a mini-mart selling Pringles potato chips and Danone yoghurt nearby, but why Thailand visitors would eat pizza and cheeseburgers is beyond me. I started carefully at hotel restaurants for fear of upsetting my stomach, but when nothing happened I switched to random Thai places, and as nothing continued to happen I started sampling from street vendor carts. No problem. I avoided tap water and unpeeled fruit though. The pineapples and mangos are wonderful, unlike any I have ever eaten before, but OJ is poor - polluted, excuse me, fortified with artificial flavors and color. There are 7-Eleven stores all over Thai cities, and they count as upscale shops here, even air-conditioned and full of Western wares.

ELEPHANTS, HILL TRIBES, AND RAFTING

Chiang Mai is an excellent starting point for excursions into northern Thailand, and there are travel agents everywhere offering them. The point where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar (formerly Burma) meet is called the Golden Triangle, a supposedly beautiful area but rather far away, and an excursion takes many days so I chose something closer to Chiang Mai. I ended up with an excursion by Panda Tours (phone 278296) that included elephant riding, river rafting, and hiking up some hills to visit mountain tribes and see waterfalls.

Elephants are used as work animals in rural Thailand, carrying timber or doing heavy farmwork. They are a tourist staple too. They mount a wooden saddle on an iron frame on the back for two people to sit, while the driver, a small boy in my case, sits right on the bare head of the elephant, guiding it with his feet behind the elephant's ears. Elephants walk with slow, pondering, pounding steps, up and down hills on narrow paths. We rode for an hour until we got to the end of the trail.

From there, we continued hiking up the hill to visit hill tribes. That's what they call them; they are really immigrants from adjoining poorer countries trying to get Thai citizenship. I was assured that they don't mind being gawked at by tourists... They live in primitive huts built from roughly cut wood and palm leaves, but not so primitive that they wouldn't sell Coca Cola to thirsty tourists or watch TV. We visited several; it was a fairly long hike involving several shaky wicker-and-bamboo bridges like the one on the left.

We also passed some small rivers and a waterfall, where some people went swimming. The water is very warm, but in some places, especially still water, one can catch quite interesting diseases such as small worms that burrow through the skin and swim to the liver where they live happily everafter, so I skipped that opportunity.

The final item on the agenda was river rafting. The rafts were built from bamboo, tied together with old bicycle tires. There was a guide standing in front who guides the raft through the faster sections of the river with a long pole, and two or three tourists, one of whom stands in the rear with another pole. Water levels were fairly low so there were no difficult rapids, but there were large boulders and sand banks we had to maneuver around. In one place we got stuck and had to get off into the water, and then collided in mid-stream with the next raft...

Rafting on a small river through the jungle is great fun. It's not a jungle in the Tarzan sense, but there are dense forests, mangroves, ferns, and reed; with birds and small animals everywhere. Snakes, too; we saw one. They are small but poisonous. We were warned that it would get wet, but compared to true white-water rafting it was slow and quiet.

This excursion was certainly worth its cost ($20). It was fairly short, but travel agencies in Chiang Mai offer anything from half-day to week-long tours, from seeing some wat somewhere to hiking through the forests of the Golden Triangle. Some day I'll come back and spend more time here. Chiang Mai was the best part of the entire trip.

Phanom Rung Historical Park - Buriram

2010-10-20T12:05:00.002+07:00

About 120 kilometres from Korat city, Phanom Rung Historical Park is one of the most diverse national parks and certainly one of the most important and most visited Khmer sites in Thailand. Based on Phanom Rung Hill, an extinct volcano that forms a gentle arc across the horizon, the park houses the largest number of Khmer monuments in Thailand.

The whole site has been brought back to its’ full glory after nearly two decades of restoration and the result is extremely impressive. This is a vast site boasting temples, towers, Buddha images – all with a distinct Khmer architectural influence. The site also includes a Hindu Saivite (Shiva) monastery and sculptures of Vishnu. A 400-metre walkway leads up to the site’s main sanctuary and passes a number of different ruins. Many of these ruins contain images depicting Hindu Gods, Brahma and scenes from the Ramayana. Set against a scenic countryside backdrop, the site has massive impact.

There’s a power about the place that is at once mystical and eerie – it is very a feel of stepping back in time and stepping into another world. It is difficult to cover every aspect of this site in a short description. However, suffice to say that this site is comparable to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Very close to the park is Muang Tam – a site of significant value in its’ own right. It features a main building with five towers positioned around it alongside a series of ponds.

Details: Admission to the park costs 40 Baht and it is open daily from 08:00 to 17:30.

How to get there: There is a bus from Buriram city to Ban Ta-Ko and from there you can get a songtaew to Phanom Rung.

The first thing visitors see when they arrive at the site is the grand stairway from the foot of the hill up to the top. Most of the buildings of the sanctuary were made of laterite and sandstone, all with elaborate designs. The buildings are lined all the way to the main pagoda. This layout is according to Hindu belief of the layout of the heaven of the god Shiva. The main pagoda is a large one with a square base and facing east. The designs on the pagoda, columns, doorway, and lintels are exquisite, most telling a story of gods in Hinduism.

From these designs and the architecture, it was surmised that the pagoda, the stairway and the Naga bridge were built during the 12th century. Each building has descriptive designs telling people the purpose for its construction, its usefulness and the beliefs of ancient people. Phanom Rung is open daily from 06.00-18.00 hrs. Getting to Phanom Rung by car is easy. The sanctuary is 64 kilometres to the south of Buri Ram town. There are 2 ways to get there. Visitors can proceed from Nang Rong to Prakhon Chai (Highway No. 24) and upon reaching Ban Tako, there is a 12-kilometer road to Phanom Rung. Alternatively, if visitors proceed from Prakhon Chai, there is a road from there to the sanctuary with a distance of 21 kilometres.

This route passes a branch road into Muang Tam sanctuary. Visitors can rent air-conditioned vans in town. Visitors traveling by bus from Nakhon Ratchasima can take the Nakhon Ratchasima-Surin bus and get off at Ban Tako (124 kilometres from Nakhon Ratchasima). From Ban Tako, a motorcycle service is available to take visitors to the site (fare according to agreement). There is 1 accommodation near the site.

Article Source: http://www.discoverythailand.com

Festivals and events in Thailand

2010-10-20T12:02:00.001+07:00

Elephant Round Up Show:

Month: November
Venue: Surin province

Surin is a rarely visited province in the northeast. But once a year, on the third weekend of November, the spotlight is very much directed at the province as the venue for one of the most exciting spectacles of the year-the annual Elephant Round-Up.

Surin has long been associated with elephants. The folks here are well recognized for their skill in capturing and rounding up wild elephants as well as training and taming them. Surin is often known as the 'province of elephants'.

Many of Surin's elephants and their mahouts travel to places like Bangkok to earn money for much of the year. But in November, they all head back to their native province for the big occasion.

Every year, more than 100 elephants take part in this event. The Elephant Round-up displays the amazing grace, strength and intelligence of this huge creature in games of soccer, log carrying, and the tug-of-war against human teams. The talent and playfulness of the pachyderms never fail to draw cheers from the spectators.

The highlight of the show is the mock battle, which best shows the talent and strength of this lovable animal. In times past, elephants played a key role in wars against invading armies.

Previously, the elephant round-up was a state ceremony presided over only by the King. Prayers and citations were devised for the ceremony and for the taming of the captured elephants afterwards.

The annual Elephant Round-up is by far and away the most popular festival of Surin and perhaps the whole of the northeastern region. Don't miss this unique opportunity to witness the incredible skill and intelligence of the elephant - Thailand's national symbol.

Khao Phansa (Candle Festival)

Month: July
Venue: nationwide (with special highlights at Tung Si Muang, Ubon Ratchathani and Phra Phutthabat shrine, Saraburi)

With the arrival of the eighth lunar month in July, Thai Buddhists all over the kingdom celebrate Khao Phansa, one of the most important events in the religious calendar. Celebrations are held in Buddhist temples all over Thailand, but the most colorful can be found in Saraburi and Ubon Ratchathani.

'Khao Phansa', in Thai, refers to the beginning of the Buddhist Lent. During this time, Buddhist monks are restricted to their temples for a period of three months. Young men over 20 years, who have not yet ordained as monks, may take this opportunity to enter the monkhood to observe Buddhist teachings.

Stories of the Buddhist Rains Retreat can be traced back to the beginning of the Buddhist era. At that time, the Lord Buddha saw that monks wandering outside the temple compound might damage growing crops or accidentally kill insects, so he proclaimed that it would be better for the monks to observe the teachings and practice meditation at the monasteries instead.

Celebrations for the start of the Buddhist Lent take place all over Thailand but the most elaborate ceremonies are held in Saraburi where there is 'Tak Bat Dok Mai' (offerings of flowers to monks) and in Ubon Ratchathani, where the Candle Festival is held.

In Ubon Ratchathani, 629 km northeast of Bangkok, the Candle Festival is the province's most popular annual event. On the days before the event, the local authorities will be busy preparing the venue at Thung Si Muang, a public field, similar to Bangkok's Sanam Luang. At the same time, local artisans make ornately carved beeswax candles of various sizes and shapes. On the day of the festival, the fabulous candles are paraded around the town on colorful floats, accompanied by displays of religious devotion. After the procession, they are presented to local temples.

Saraburi, just 108 km from Bangkok, holds the 'Tak Bat Dok Mai' festival to mark the beginning of the Buddhist Lent. The event takes place at the shrine of the Buddha's Footprint (Phra Phuttabaht shrine). The event draws devout Buddhists from all parts of Thailand.

Long Boat Racing Festival

Month: September
Venue: Nationwide

In September, when the rivers and waterways are in full spate, boat-racing festivals are held in several provinces of Thailand. The Pichit, Phitsanulok and Narathiwat festivals are best known, but other notable provinces include Nan, Angthong, Pathum Thani, Surat Thani and Ayutthaya.

Long-boat racing is a traditional event for the Thais who are used to living by the rivers. Although not restricted to any particular region, boat racing can be traced back to Ayutthaya, some 600 years ago. At that time, boat races were held to keep the young men physically and mentally fit in preparation for invasions by rival states. Today, boat racing is considered a national sport.

Usually, boats are hewn from a single large tree trunk. Each can accommodate as many as 60 oarsmen sitting in a double row. Oarsmen in the same team usually dress in the same brightly colored attire. The boats, built along the same lines as the original battle vessels, are brightly festooned with flower garlands and ribbons.

Boat races are colorful and exciting spectacles that attract thousands of cheering spectators. The impromptu narration of the professional announcers makes the event even more boisterous and plenty of fun.

Loy Kratong

Date: On the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month (usually in November)
Venue: Nationwide

On the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, the tide in the rivers is highest and the moon at its brightest, creating a romantic setting ideal for lovers. The Thai people choose this day to hold the 'Loy Kratong' festival, or the 'festival of light.' Loy Kratong is one of the two most recognized festivals in the country.

Loy Kratong is probably the most picturesque and beautiful of all Thai celebrations. 'Loy' literally means 'to float,' while 'kratong' refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water. Originally, the kratong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. A kratong contains food, betel nuts, flowers, joss sticks, candle and coins. The making of a kratong is much more creative these days as many more materials are available.

The Loy Kratong ritual is a simple one. One needs only to light the candles and the joss sticks, make one's wishes and let it float away with the current of a river or a canal.

On that day, thousands of people will gather beside the canals and rivers. With kratong in hands, they light the candle, put some coins in the kratong and silently make a wish, and carefully place their kratongs in the water and release them to the current.

They watch intently as the float drifts silently downstream, hoping that the candle will not go out. Its flame is said to signify longevity, fulfillment of wishes and release from sins. Altogether it is considered a romantic night for couples or lovers. Couples who make a wish together on Loy Kratong are thought to stay together in the future.

Origins
Different legends surround the origins of Loy Kratong. The most popular version is it was an expression of gratitude to the goddess of water 'Phra Mae Kongka' for having extensively used, and sometimes polluted, the water from the rivers and canals. It is also in part a thanksgiving for her bounty in providing water for the livelihood of the people.

Some believe the festival originates from Buddhism. They say the offering of flowers, candles and joss-sticks is a tribute of respect to the footprint of the Lord Buddha on the sandy beach of the Narmaha River in India, as well as to the great Serpent and dwellers of the underwater world, after the Lord Buddha's visit to their watery realm. It is possible that this is derived from a Hindu festival that pays tribute to the god Vishnu, who meditates at the center of the ocean.

Others believe that the floral kratong is offered to the pagoda containing the Lord Buddha's topknot, which was cut off at his self-ordination and is now in heaven. Another explanation is that it is a way to pay respect to one's ancestors.

Whatever the true origin, the practice of Loy Kratong first began in the ancient kingdom of Sukhothai in the 13th century. A young queen named Nang Noppamas was believed to be the one who made a small boat laden with candles and incense and floated it down the river. The name Nang Noppamas has been associated with Loy Kratong ever since.

Today, Loy Kratong offers a unique occasion to celebrate. It's a good time for people to make wishes and look to the future as they float their floral offerings along the waterways.

Where to celebrate
Although celebrated nationwide, Loy Kratong is particularly delightful in the provinces of Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok.

As the place of origin of the festival, Sukhothai rightly remains the focal point of the celebrations. The festival comes with a spectacular light-and-sound show held in the ancient and traditional setting of the Sukhothai historical park.

Chiang Mai is another prime site to celebrate Loy Kratong. The festival is known in northern dialect as 'Yi Peng.' The largest kratongs are decorated floats, paraded through the town on trucks. The colorfully lit floats form a long glittering parade as they make their way to the river.

Meanwhile, up above thousands of 'khom loy' (floating lanterns) drift into the night sky. These large balloon-like lanterns are released at temples and sometimes from private homes in the hope that misfortune flies away with them.

The Chao Phraya River is one of the main waterways to celebrate the Loy Kratong festival. In Bangkok, riverside hotels organize special celebrations for their guests. In some hotels, swimming pools are turned into a temporary river for the Loy Kratong celebration.

Environmental Issues
Although Loy Kratong is an old Thai tradition, celebrated continuously since ancient times, the use of modern foam materials to make the kratong has taken its toll on the environment.

Today, instead of synthetic foams, natural materials such as the original banana leaves or even bread have been used to make the floats. In addition, kratong are increasingly being released in small canals or swimming pools to prevent pollution in the rivers. In this way, the old tradition can still be preserved while our rivers and waterways remain in pristine condition for future generations.

Ok Phansa

Date: End of the Rains Retreat (October-November)
Venue: Nationwide with spectacular events in the northeast and south

After three months restricted to their temples, learning dharma and practicing meditation, the Buddhist monks once again return to their social duties. At the end of Buddhist Lent, it's also time for another big celebration, referred to as 'Ok Phansa.' Thai Buddhists celebrate this occasion by offering food and lavish gifts to monks.

The legend of Ok Phansa has it that the Lord Buddha retreated to heaven to deliver a sermon to his mother who had died seven days after his birth. After staying there for three months, the Lord Buddha completed his mission and returned to earth. People welcomed his return with great joy and excitement. Even the gods and goddesses joined in the ceremonies welcoming the Lord Buddha.

Descending from heaven on the triple stairways of gold, silver and precious gems were an escort of angels, the monks who followed Lord Buddha to heaven and the Lord Buddha himself at the center. The people made special offerings of foods, flowers and gifts to celebrate the return of the Lord Buddha.

From this legend, it became a tradition that Buddhist monks also need three months of retreat. During this time, they study the scriptures and practice meditation. They are forbidden from staying elsewhere outside the temples. After three months, the monks will once again adopt their social responsibilities that include preaching and teaching dharma to the people.

In many Ok Phansa ceremonies, a Buddha image is placed in a decorated cart and brought down from a hill, just like the legendary descent from heaven. People line up along the route and place offerings of food in large alms bowls before the image and also to the monks who follow.

In the succeeding days after lent, monks are offered new robes in a ceremony called 'Thod Kathin'. This merit-making ceremony lasts for a month and is practiced nationwide.

On this occasion, lavish celebrations are organized throughout the kingdom. In the central region, the ceremony is called 'Tak Bat Devo' which means "offering of food to the Buddhist monks.' The people in the south call the ceremony 'Chak Phra', which means the 'pulling of the Buddhist monks.'

Chak Phra is celebrated in southern provinces such as Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Phattalung, Songkhla and Yala. But the most impressive celebrations take place on the Tapi River in Surat Thani where the ceremony is organized both on land and in the river.

People in the northeastern region also celebrate this auspicious occasion. Outstanding ceremonies in the northeast include the Wax Castle festival in Sakon Nakhon and the Lai Rua Fai festival in Nakhon Phanom. Both are well-recognized Ok Phansa celebrations. The events are made all the more impressive with decorated traditional boat races, cultural performances, parades and regattas.

Phi Ta Khon Festival

Date: July
Venue: Dan Sai district, Loei province

Everyone loves a good ghost story. The gruesome, the spiritual and the supernatural arouse an instinctive curiosity in all of us. In the west, ghostly fervor reaches a peak with Halloween on October 31. In Thailand, the spirit-world comes closest to us in June with the Phi Ta Khon festival, an event filled with fun, mischief and of course, a touch of the unknown.

The Phi Ta Khon Festival is quite unique to Thailand and unrivalled by any other ghost festival. Held in Dan Sai district of Loei province, about 450 km north of Bangkok, Phi Ta Khon is part of a Buddhist merit-making holiday known locally as 'Bun Pha Ves.' The precise origin of Phi Ta Khon is unclear. But it is believed that the roots of the festival revolve around an important tale of the Buddha's last life, before he reached nirvana.

According to Buddhist folklore, the Buddha-to-be was born as Prince Vessandorn, a generous man who gave freely to the people. One day, he gave away a white elephant, a royal creature, revered as a symbol of rain. The townspeople were so angry for fear of drought and famine, that they banished the prince into exile.

The prince left the village for a very long journey. Finally, the king and the people got over their anger and recalled him to the city. When he eventually returned, his people were overjoyed. They welcomed him back with a celebration so loud that even the dead were awakened from their slumbers to join in the festivities.

Phi Ta Khon is held with the arrival of the sixth or seventh lunar month. Young male villagers prepare their ghostly attire and masks, while children roam around town playing tricks. Sheets or blankets are sewn together to look like shrouds while traditional wooden bamboo containers used to store sticky rice (huad), are creatively fashioned into bizarre hats. The huge masks are carved from the bases of coconut trees. The spirit masks are the integral part of the celebrations, which last for three consecutive days.

The first day is marked by a masked procession, accompanied by rejoicing, music and dancing. On the second day, the villagers dance their way to the temple and fire off bamboo rockets to signal the end of the procession. Along the way, they tease onlookers as they accompany a sacred image of the Buddha through the village streets. Monks recite the story of the Buddha's last incarnation before attaining enlightenment.

The festival organizers also hold contests for the best masks, costumes and dancers, and plaques are awarded to the winners in each age group. The most popular event is the dancing contest among those dressed up as ghosts.

On the last day of the event, the villagers gather at the local temple, Wat Ponchai, to listen to the message of the thirteen sermons of the Lord Buddha, recited by the local monks. The ghost dancers then put away their ghostly masks and costumes for another year, return to the paddy fields and continue to earn their living with the onset of the new crop season.

Poi Sang Long Festival

Date: April
Venue: Mae Hong Son

During the school break between late March to early April, the Tai Yai ethnic group in Mae Hong Son province hold a special religious ceremony called 'Poi Sang Long'.

Poi Sang Long is a Buddhist novice ordination ceremony, but unlike any other ceremony of its type in the country. Young boys aged between 7 and 14 are ordained as novices to learn the Buddhist doctrines. It's believed that they will gain merit ordaining for their parents.

The origins of this festival lie in Buddhist legend. It is believed that the tradition is probably following in the footsteps of Prince Rahula, the Buddha's own son, who gave up his worldly life to follow his father's spiritual teachings. Prince Rahula became the youngest ordained monk and the first novice in Buddhism. Subsequently it became a tradition that young boys should ordain to learn Buddhist teachings.

With such high reverence to the Buddhist religion, the people here consider that the celebrations should be as grand as possible.

The festival lasts for three days. On the first day, the boys have their heads shaved. Then, they are bathed and anointed with special waters and dressed up elegantly and colorfully while their faces are superbly embellished. By this time, the boys are known locally as 'Sang Long' or 'Look Kaew' (jewel sons).

On the second day, a colorful procession is held displaying offerings for the monks. On the third day, the procession once again proceeds through the town and the boys are taken to the temples for the formal ordination ceremony.

The colorful festival is one of the most delightful in the north, attracting people from far and wide. The local authorities and the Tourism Authority of Thailand consider this festival to be unique to Mae Hong Son, the so-called 'Province of the Three Mists.'

Buddhist Ceremonies

The majority of the Thai people are ardent Buddhists who celebrate the frequent Buddhist holidays with fervor. According to Buddhist belief, the most important days of the year are Makhabuja Day, Visakhabuja Day and Asarnhabuja Day. These major Buddhist holy days are also national holidays.

Makhabuja Day falls on the full moon of the third lunar month. It is to commemorate the day when 1,250 disciples, all ordained by the Lord Buddha himself, gathered together to hear the Buddha preach, all without prior arrangement.

Visakhabuja Day falls on the full moon of the sixth lunar month. It is to commemorate the day when the Lord Buddha was born, reached enlightenment, and entered nirvana. All happened on the same day of the year. Visakhabuja Day is considered the holiest day in the Buddhist calendar.

Asarnhabuja Day falls on the eighth lunar month. It commemorates the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to the first five disciples.

These ceremonies were initiated by former monarchs. The ceremonies usually begin with offerings of food to monks in the morning, the strict observation of the Buddhist Canons among lay people, and a candle light ceremony in the evening.

Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival

Month: May
Venue: Phya Thaen Park in the Northeastern province of Yasothon

The rocket festival, known in Thai as 'Bun Bang Fai,' is an ancient local festival that has been carried out continuously till modern times. It is popularly celebrated in Yasothon, a province in Thailand's northeast, and is usually held in the second week of May.

In Thailand, the month of May is the beginning of the rainy season and farmers are ready to begin planting their rice fields. The festival is associated with traditional beliefs in the supernatural powers that help promote the production of rice crops for the coming planting season.

The legend has it that once there was a rain god named Vassakan who loved to be worshipped with fire. The townspeople created a rocket or 'Bang Fai' to send to heaven, where the god resided. They believed that the god would hear their entreaties and bless them with plentiful rain for rice cultivation. So the celebration is entirely to the god of rain.

Like several other Thai festivals, Buddhist monks would be in attendance for the ceremony. The rockets, launch platforms and other decorations for this event are prepared for several weeks before the actual event. An average rocket is some nine metres in length and carries 20-25 kilograms of gunpowder

Originally the rockets were made out of natural materials, but these days, they are slightly more sophisticated. Rockets are packed with several kilos of gunpowder instead. In order to make the rocket festival much more fun, various competitions for the biggest and highest flying rocket are held, all conducted with the undying Thai spirit of 'sanook'.

On the festival day, rockets are paraded to the launch site. Villagers dress in colorful traditional costumes, playing, teasing and dancing, to accompany the procession.
The climax of the festival is the launch time. The rockets are fired from their launch platforms one by one. Noisy folk music and cheers can be heard for each liftoff. The rocket that reaches the greatest height is declared the winner. The owner of this rocket dances and pushes for rewards from the crowds. The owners of rockets that exploded or failed to fly are thrown in the mud.

Whether or not their wishes are granted as they believe, the festival helps strengthen and promote harmony among the villagers, which will be needed when the new crop season begins.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Date: Ninth Chinese lunar month (around late Sept to early Oct)
Venue: Phuket town

Phuket is recognized worldwide for its spectacular beaches and islands. But if you come to Phuket during September to October, you will be witnessing one of the most unusual and bizarre festivals in Thailand-the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.

The period traditionally falls on the 9th Chinese lunar month. The celebration lasts for nine days from the first to the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. During that time, devout Buddhist Chinese descendants undertake a strict vegetarian diet, wear white clothes and observe ten rules in order to purify their minds and bodies. The event also attracts Chinese Buddhists from different parts of Thailand and from nearby countries.

The most impressive and perhaps shocking part of this event is the ritual procession of devotees performing remarkable acts of asceticism along the route. Those devotees, called 'the soldiers of the god,' perform unbelievable and often quite gruesome feats.

In preparing themselves for the event, it's a must for devotees to fast for several days beforehand. Besides, they must abstain from sexual intercourse, killing, quarrelling, telling lies and residing in hotels during the previous three weeks.

The most astonishing feats include walking barefoot across hot coals, climbing ladders with rungs made of knives, a ritual of bridge-crossing and a street procession in which the mediums, in a state of trance, have their cheeks pierced and bodies spiked with hooks, skewers and various other sharp objects.

The processions are accompanied by the long parade of the lion dance while on-lookers throw fire-crackers, making the entire atmosphere one of religious frenzy.

During the celebrations, the townspeople can find food at various shrines.
Besides, various rituals based on mythical beliefs are performed at Chinese temples.

You will never see such an incredible event in Phuket at any other time of the year. If you happened to be on the island in late September, don't miss this truly amazing event.

History
It's unclear how the vegetarian festival originated but it may have come from south-eastern China, near Fujian province.

Some say it was celebrated in Phuket for the first time in 1825. A troupe of actors enacted the rites as an offering to the gods and celestial beings to protect Phuket and its people. People also took this opportunity to make merit and save animals from being killed for food.

Article Source: http://www.discoverythailand.com

Thailand National Park Chiang Mai : Huai Nam Dang National Park

2010-10-18T19:25:00.000+07:00

The park occupies an area of 180 square kilometers in Mae Taeng Sub-district, Chiang Mai and Pai Sub-district, Mae Hong Son Province. The mountain, which is mostly ranged highlands, has verdant forests that are the sources of tributaries and various streams. Notable attractions in the park include Huai Nam Dang Viewpoint and Doi Kiu Lom, which overlooks Doi Chiang Dao. To get there, drive along Mae Malai-Pai Road to between Km. 65-66, and then take a 6-kilometer access road to the park office.

Another attraction, Doi Chang Viewpoint, is located 20 kilometers beyond the Huai Nam Dang Viewpoint and is only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle. The scenic views of natural mountain ranges and early morning sea of clouds can be seen from this view point. Camping is possible provided that visitors bring their own tents and food. Nearby attractions in Mae Hong Son Province worth visiting include Tha Pai hot spring (Pong Nam Ron Tha Pai) and Mae Yen waterfall.

Thailand Nation Park Chiang Mai : Huai Nam Dang National Park

Top 10 Cities of Chinese Food

2010-10-18T19:18:00.001+07:00

Chinese cuisine and recipes have been spreading around the world rapidly. Whether you are in the mood for basic comfort foods like egg rolls and chicken lo mein, or more sophisticated selection like grilled octopus salad and Peking duck, these spots will satisfy your craving for a taste of the Far East. So pick up your chopsticks and dig in at one of these Top 10 Chinese cuisines, listed in cities with the most famous food and cooking.

1. Beijing - Roast Duck

As the capital city of China, Beijing is home to almost all kinds of cuisines and foods in China, and tourists can taste any flavors that you want. Although Beijing accepts the Western food in recent years due to the rapid development, the local food is still the most popular attractions for the tourists. Roast Duck is no doubt the best representative of Chinese cuisine, which has a centuries-old history seeming to be even more popular than Donald Duck. The roasted duck with bronzed crispy shin and tender, succulent meat, served by dozens of restaurants, among which Quanjude and Bianyifang are the best famous. Besides, Beijing Imperial Court Food, Beijing Snacks, Imperial Official Food, Medicinal Food and Hot Pot are also the best and special flavors of Beijing City.

2. Guangzhou - Roast Suckling Pig

Guangzhou is universally known for its excellent food, and Cantonese cuisine is one the famous eight in China with different flavors and styles, by using diverse and delicate materials, exotic spices and various cooking skills. There is a saying: "Except for the Plane and the stool, Guangzhou people eat everything in the sky and on the earth", through which we can get some idea of the variety of Guangzhou's delicacies. The most famous foods include the Roast Suckling Pig, Dragon Fighting against the Tiger, Taiye Chicken, Stewed Wild Dog Meat, Shuang Pi Nai, Jidi Zhou, Yuntun Mian, Chang Fen, Guiling Gao and many special fruits.

3. Tianjin - Goubuli Steamed Stuffed Bun

Tianjin Dinging culture is renowned throughout China and the world, and not only the traditional Tianjin snacks, but also the cuisines from other regions of China can also be found because of its long and rich history and culture. Food Street is a fairly good place for tourists to sample these cross-cultural Chinese dishes and its traditional and famed snacks cannot be missed should you ever come to visit this charming municipality. Goubuli Steamed Stuffed Bun, Ear-Hole Fried Cake, Fried Dough Twist, Chatang, Guobacai, and Tangdui are the most famous and popular snacks in Tianjin and tourists always come to the Food Street to taste all of them.

4. Shanghai - Da Zha Xie

Shanghai, with so many business people rushing in, is not only China's economic and cultural center, but also a "Grand View Garden" for dinners of all tastes. Actually, Shanghai does not have a definitive cuisine of its own, but refines those of the surrounding provinces such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Known as Hui Cai among the Chinese, Shanghai cuisine is the youngest of the ten major cuisines in China, with a history of only 400 years. Shanghai Dishes aim at lightness in flavor, and beautifulness in decoration. The raw materials are well cut, and the colors harmoniously arranged. Sweet and Sour is a typical Shanghai taste. The Dim Sum of Shanghai foods and snacks are the Sheng Jian Mantou, Xiao Long Bao, Four Heavenly Kings, Da Zha Xie, Crispy Chicken, and Congshao Crucian Carp.

5. Chongqing - Hot Pot

Chongqing dishes are rich in flavor and use almost 40 different cooking methods in their preparation, and it is largely a hybrid of Sichuan cuisine and local specialty dishes. It would seem that people in Chongqing are never weary of eating, and thousands of restaurants and eating malls are scattered throughout every corner of the city, luring tourists from home and abroad with their different specialties. As one branch of Sichuan cuisine, Chongqing cuisine is noted for its distinctive spicy and pungent flavors, and they are spicier and stronger in taste. Chongqing is the birth place of the hot pot in China, designed to protect against the low temperatures and frigid winds of the winter. Nowadays, it has become more and more popular, widely enjoyed by people regardless of seasons and regions.

6. Foshan - Shuangpi Milk

Foshan is the hometown of delicious food of the Pearl River Delta, and eating in Foshan is a great praise for Foshan in history. Foshan chefs can cook almost everything into gastronomic delicacies, whether it is meat, vegetable or fruit. Influenced by its diversity of local flavors and specialties, Foshan has created a rich variety of dishes and snacks, and has formed its own food culture through hundreds of years of development and innovation. Additionally, the locals prefer to drink morning tea and evening tea, accompanied with some dim sum. The most featured snacks include the Foshan Manggong Cake, Double-Skin Milk, Nine Layers of Cakes, Wonton Noodle, Jidi Porridge, Goose Palm with Orange Peel, Sliced Frogs, and much more.

7. Hangzhou - Dongpo Pork

Hangzhou cuisine is the representative of Zhejiang Cuisine, one of China's eight cuisines, and it wins the reputation for freshness, tenderness, softness, smoothness of its dishes with mellow fragrance. A great poet of Song Dynasty once praised it as follows: there is no food that can compare with the Hangzhou cuisine. Famous dishes like West Lake Sour Fish, Dongpo Pork, Longjing Shrimp Meat, Jiaohua Young Chickens, Steam Rice Flower and Port Wrapped by Lotus Leaves, Braised Bamboo Shoots and Lotus Root Powder are widely known and popular among both local people and tourists. The best way to describe Hangzhou cuisine is the wide use of southern ingredients cooked in the typical northern manner, and this combination leads to a unique taste combing the dainty and the smooth, the crisp and the tender, the simple and the elegant, the small and the exquisite.

8. Nanjing - Salty Duck

Nanjing cuisine has fine cutting techniques and is skillful in timing, hence, it has thick flavor with tastiness of the four directions and caters to tastes of people from eight directions. It wins over many specifically by its freshness, fragrance, crispness and tenderness. The most famous delicacy streets are Dashiba Food Street located near the Confucius Temple and Shiziqiao in Hunan Street, and the restaurants situated in Xinjiekou and around Nanjing University are recommended. The most featured snacks and dishes include Nanjing Salty Duck, Baked Duck, Duck Blood and Sweet Potato Starch Noodle Soup, Fried Beef Dumplings, Steamed Dumplings, Soup Dumplings, Sour Vegetable Fish Soup, Crawfish, Return to Sauce Tofu, Stinky Tofu, and much more.

9. Changsha - Chou Dofu

Hunan Cuisine is one of the eight famous kinds of cuisines in China, known for its delicate use of pepper, which results in a pungent flavor. It consists of more than 4,000 dishes, among which more than 300 are very famous, characterized by its hot and sour flavor, fresh aroma, greasiness, deep color, and the prominence of the main flavor in each dish. In Changsha, you can taste the most authentic Hunan dishes, such as Spicy Young Chicken, Zuyan Sark's Fin, Braised Eel, Chicken, Dove and Sparrow, Changsha Maren Crispy Duck, etc. Tourists can never miss its most featured and delicious foods include the Bean Curd with Odor, Changsha Maren Crispy Duck, Deyuan Steamed Bun, Liu Defang Tangyuan, Kouwei Shrimp, and much more.

10. Chengdu - Hot Pot

Chengdu food and dishes culture is very famous at home and abroad, and there is a saying that "All good foods can be found in Chengdu". As the priority of the Eight Great Cuisines in China and famous all over the world for its richness and variey, Sichuan Cuisine is characterized by spicy and pungent flavor with a myriad of tastes, emphasizing the use of chili, red hot peppers and garlic. In Chengdu, there is a strange feature: lots of restaurants assemble to operate on the same street. Especially on the Yangxi Line, there are hundreds of restaurants operating different dishes: Sichuan Cuisine, Cantonese Cuisine, Chaozhou dishes, Northeastern Cuisine and even Korean Food. The most featured foods and dishes include the Hot Pot, Smoked Duck, Kung Pao Chicken, Twice Cooked Pork and Mapo Dofu.

Article source : http://www.chinatouristmaps.com/top-10s/top-10-cities-of-chinese-food.html

Doi Phu Kha National Park ( Nan National Park )

2010-10-18T19:11:00.000+07:00

Weather Condition

Three main seasons are characteristic in the park. There is they rainy season, May to October, with the peak rainfall in August and September. The cold season (November-February) is the most popular time to visit the park.

Location and Journey

Doi Phu Kha National Park
Phu Kha Sub-district,, Pua, Nan, Thailand 55120
Tel. : 0 5470 1000, 0 5473 1362 Fax : 0 5473 1362
Head's name : Poonsatit Wongsawat Position : Technical Forest Officer 7

By Car

To get to the Doi Phuka National Park, take route Nan-Pau for 60 kilometers. There is park sign mark that will take you up to the Headquarters of the park with 25 kilometers.

Accommodations

Booking can be arranged through in this website or telephone booking at +66 2562 0760. Reservation can be made 60 days in advance. Payment at Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, needs to be done within 2 days after the reservation is being made.
Foreign clients who perform online accommodation booking from outside Thailand must transfer the accommodation fee (except bank service charge) to Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, Thailand, account number039-6-02816-0.

Nan Thailand National Park : Doi Phu Kha National Park

Galapagos Islands

2010-10-17T09:45:00.001+07:00

Galapagos Islands - one of the best places in the world to experience Mother Nature at her best

Ecuador and its Galapagos Islands are only small but are actually regarded as one of the 17 most diverse countries in the world! And the Galapagos Islands are a haven for wildlife inspired by Charles Darwin himself and his theory of evolution.

Ecuador is equally as fascinating with its diverse landscapes, from sandy beaches to the high peaks of the Andes. Being the second smallest country in South America, the first thought is there is not a lot on offer, but quite the opposite: one day you can be walking through the market in Otavalo with its traditional Ecuadorian feel and the next day trekking through Mindo Cloud Forest admiring its beautiful and diverse range of wildlife and plants, in particular the humming birds.

Ecuador holidays are fantastic for a lover of the outdoors trekking through jungles and through the Andes along with other outdoor activities such as horse riding and surfing.

The Galapagos are made up of 14 main islands and over 40 little rocky islands and lay peacefully in the Pacific Ocean one thousand kilometres of the coastline of Ecuador. A nature lovers paradise, the Galapagos Islands are the perfect place to see phenomenal amounts of diverse wildlife up close as they are very tame and used to having people around them.

The Galapagos Islands are also home to the Charles Darwin Research station, which gives a insight as to what wildlife thrive on these islands, including flamingos, penguins, the blue footed booby, giant tortoise, albatrosses and many more. P

erhaps what the Galapagos Islands are most famous for it the diving! Diving in the Galapagos Islands is a truly unique experience where you will be met with friendly seals, turtles, non aggressive sharks, rays and many species of exotic fish.

Both Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands are one of the best places in the world to experience Mother Nature at her best. A holiday to Ecuador can be active and cultural where as a trip to the Galapagos Islands are relaxing and an amazing way to see some of the most diverse ranges of wildlife in the world! So why not do both!

Nong khai - The end of the line no more

2010-10-17T09:32:00.002+07:00

Until the completion of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in 1994, Nong Khai was, in many respects, the end of the line. All bus and train service in the Northeast ended here, in this quiet town on the banks of the Mekong River, just a stone throw from the Lao Republic, and outsiders were few and far between. The completion of the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in 1994 put Nong Khai on the map, so to speak, and has increased the number of visitors to the area. Despite these changes, however, the town still remains extremely quaint and the people are as friendly as people can get.

Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

This bridge is perhaps the biggest attraction to Nong Khai, as it has opened Laos up to foreigners and Thais alike. This impressive structure was completed in 1994, and was the result of a joint Thai-Lao-Australian effort. With just one lane in each direction, this bridge spans over 1170 m, and cost a total of approximately US $30,000,000. This is the first bridge to span the Mekong River between Thailand and Laos, and has had significant political consequences. Plans are currently underway to add a rail link across the bridge and into Vientiane.

Phu Thok

This solitary mountain peak is located in the Bung Kan district of Nong Khai, nearly 185 km from the town of Nong Khai. At the top of the mountain stands a temple, Wat Chetiya Khiri Vihan, which can be reached by a seven-level wooden spiral staircase. This staircase itself is rather impressive, taking nearly 5 years to complete, as are the views from the top. In addition, the mountain has a series of caves. This wat is relatively difficult to get to, however it can be reached by an early bus to Ban Siwilai, followed by a songthaew to the entrance. This wat is visited regularly by Thais seeking merit, and is best enjoyed in the early morning.

Than Thip Waterfall

This picturesque waterfall, located some 110 km from the town of Nong Khai, along the scenic Nong Khai-Sri Chiang Mai highway, is one of the most beautiful natural attractions in the province, especially during the months from June to October. During this period, water levels rise, and this two-tiered waterfall swells into a rather impressive spectacle. The only drawback to this waterfall is that it is a long walk from the road. Than Thip Waterfall can be reached by bus or car, via the Nong-Khai-Sri Chiang Mai highway.

Thailand National Park Chiang Mai : Doi Suthep - Pui National Park

2010-10-17T09:24:00.001+07:00

Doi Suthep - Pui National Park is in the area of Amphoe Mae Rim, Amphoe Hang Dong and Amphoe Muang, covering 262.5 square kilometers. Doi Suthep - Pui National Park is noted for its dense forests and watershed areas and is blessed with the most beautiful environment housing important places of historical and religious interest.

The park is only 5 kilometers from Chiang Mai and accessible from the Huai Kaeo - Chiang Mai University - Chiang Mai zoo road which goes to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Voraviharn. From there you can walk upwards for a short while and then turn right toward the office of Doi Suthep National Park.

Thailand National Park Chiang Mai : Doi Suthep - Pui National Park

Camping on Doi Suthep - Pui National Park