Where is Thailand ? Why do you want to go ?

Talk about Thai food

2012-09-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

When we talk about Thai food, the famous dishes tourists know are Tom-Yum-Kung or sour prawn soup and Pad-Thai or Thai fried rice noodles. The main ingredients of Thai food mainly consist of herbs, vegetables, and plants. That’s because Thailand is an agricultural country. The main ingredients in dishes are coconut milk, garlic, lime juice, lemon grass, fresh coriander, etc. Other than that, sauces such as fish sauce, tofu sauce are also added to make Thai dishes tasty. Throughout Thailand, rice is eaten almost every meals like bread in western countries.

Another famous Thai cuisine is curries. All kind of curries are mixed with coconut milk. The coconut milk is also used in Thai desserts.

Traditionally, Thai people like to eat meals together. They eat steamed white rice as their main dish and share several dishes. In the old days, meals were eaten by hand. Rice was pressed into small round balls. Today a spoon and fork are used instead, and chopsticks are also used for certain kinds of food such as noodles.
Taste of the North

If you have a chance to taste the typical Northern cuisine, you will find that most dishes are generally milder than those of other regions. Northern people prefer steamed glutinous rice, kneaded into small balls and used to soak up sauces and dips.

Kaeng Hang Le, is a spicy pork curry. The main ingredients are ginger, tamarind, and turmeric.

Khao Soi, a curry of egg noodles and meat (it originated in Burma) It’s heavily laced with coconut cream, and served with spring onions, pickled cabbage and slices of lime.
Nam Prik Ong, another delectable accompaniment, is a northern-style chilli-dip served with dried shredded pork and freshly cooked vegetables.

Miang (tea leaves) is also Burmese and is eaten as an hors d’eruvre.
The unique method for serving northern food is on a Khan Toke (small circular (round) table) it’s placed in the middle. Diners sit on the floor around the table and help themselves to assorted dishes. Deep fried pig’s skin and fermented pork are also the typical northern-style cuisine.

Taste of the Northeast
Northeasthern food (or Isan) reflects the influence of neighboring Laos in a number of dished. Glutinous rice is the staple diet, and all food is highly seasoned. Most of the dishes are very tasty. One of the most favorite dishes is SomTam or green papaya salad. It has now become popular nationwide and even in Thai restaurants overseas. This is a spicy salad made from raw papaya, dried shrimp, crab, lime juice, garlic and chillis. For the genuine Isan version, Pla Ra, fermented fish, is also added to the dish.

Lap is minced or chopped meat, chicken or pork, cooked in heavily seasoned dried chilli, lime juice and fish sauce.

Nam Tok, medium rare barbecued meat is cooked with spicy sauces, lime juice, fish sauce and dried chillies.

Kai Yang, or grilled chicken, is another dish that is always ordered with Somtam, Namtok, Lap. It is eaten with a sweet sauce used as a dip.

Taste of the Central Plains
People in the Central region eat rice as their essential element of evey meal like the bread the westerners eat. Various kinds of curries are part of their food.

Kaeng Phet, or curry, is eaten with rice. Tom Yam Kung or sour shrimp soup is the most frequently ordered dish all over Bangkok. The main ingredient of Tom Yum is the meat of shrimp, chicken, fish, shells or squids. It depends on what people like. The meat adds the sweet taste to the dish. But the similar main ingredients of the dish are lemon grass, chillies and kaffir lime leaves. This makes the dish smell good and tastes wonderful.
Kaeng Khieo Wan, a spicy green curry. The main ingredients are coconut milk, sweet basil, eggplants and chillies.

Tom Kha Kai, a thick coconut milk curry make with chicken or other kinds of meat with galangal.

Kaeng Som, a spicy-sour soup with fresh vegetables, shrimps, or fish.
Kaeng Liang, a traditional herbal, mild and spicy soup with various kinds of vegetables. (Chilli paste) Phat Prieo Wan, sweet and sour fried vegetables usually tomatoes, pineapples and chillies. It tastes sweet and sour.

Phat Phak, or fried vegetables with oyster sauce.
Yam, this spicy salad dish is full of chillies. It is quite popular and often ordered as appetizers.

Nam Prik, the most original Thai dish of all, offers a variety of different versions, all have a strong smell to a foreign nose.

Taste of the South
The most popular southern dish is Kaeng Tai Pla, it’s cooked from fish kidneys with added vegetables.

Kaeng Luang, a yellow curry with fish and bamboo-shoots.
Khai Mok Kai, the main ingredients are saffron rice and marinated chicken.

Drinks
Thailand is abundant in an incredible variety of nutritious fruits. The all-purpose term for fruit, you can get that kind of fruit juice. For example, nam som is orange juice, water melon juice (nam teang mo) or pineapple juice (nam sapparot). When a blender or squeezer is used, we will call it squeezed juice. (eg. Nam som kkan) When ice is mixed in a blender, we call it “nam pan” or smoothies or shakes in English. You will often see vendors at night markets. They specialize in juices and shakes.

Thais prefer to drink fruit juices with a little salt mixed in. Unless a vendor is used to serve farangs (foreigners), your fruit juice or shake will come slightly salted. If you prefer unsalted fruit juices, specify “without salt”

Sugar cane juice is a Thai favorite and a very refreshing accompaniment to curry-and-rice plates. Many small restaurants or food stalls that don’t offer any other juices will serve customers with freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.

Where is Chaigrai ?

2012-08-31T06:03:00.003-07:00

Chaigrai is the northernmost province of Thailand. Myanmar is to the north. Laos is to the east. It was discovered in 1269, only five years after Sukothai was founded as the capital. Burma ruled Chiangrai for 35 years and it gained independence and became part of Thailand four years after Bangkok was established as the capital of the country.

Since Chiangrai is located in the north, most of the area is mountainous. King Mengrai Statute, Pra That Doi Tung, Chiang Saen Museum, Golden Triangle, Hiitribes, Doi Mae Salong, Mae Sai border and some beautiful waterfalls.

King Mengrai Staute is the bronze statue. He was the founder of Lanna Kingdom. Many tourists visit this monument to pay respect to the ancient king and to have pictures taken as souvenirs.

There are several Buddhist temples in town. Wat Phra Sing is famous among local tourists. It is the place where the Emerald Buddha image was first found, but now it is in the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Phra Thai Doi Tung is another famous temple. It contained the left collar bone of the Lord Buddha. It is located on the top of the mountain, so we can have a breathtaking panorama of the border areas.

About 7 kilometers from the temple is a beautiful royal palace residence built for the Princess Mother in celebration of her 90th birthday. Because of its scenic beauty, it is another place that draws a lot of tourists each year. The garden is beautifully decorated.

Doi Mae Salong is another popular tourist spot of the province. It is located on the mountain. A lot of hilltribe people live there peacefully. Tourists can enjoy the way of life of each hilltribe in both culture and costume. Up there tourists can appreciate the natural beauty as well as the unique way of life of the Chinese and hilltribe people.

This place has a fascinating history. After the Communists took over the mainland of China in 1949, a division of the Nationalist Chinese army fled to the Thai-Burmese border areas. Some of them were allowed to settle down on a border mountain called Mae Salong in 1961. Tourists can enjoy the lifestyle of the Chinese up there. The village now becomes well-known for its enchanting scenery and tranquil atmosphere. Besides a lot of large tea plantations and tea production can be seen on the hill. There are guest house to accommodate tourists and the typical Chinese food is very delicious.

How to go

- You can go by bus. Both air-conditioned and ordinary buses are available at the northern bus terminal or Morchit near the Sunday Weekend Market. (Jatuchack Park) It normally takes about 9 hours.

- You can go there by train. It leaves from Hualampong Railway Staion. You can take a sleeper and arrive in Chiangmai in the morning and then take either a bus or a plane to Chiangrai.

- Another more comfortable and time-saving is to take a plane. It normally takes about one and a half hour from Suwanaphumi Airport.

The 7 wonders of Amazing Thailand (Brochure)

2012-08-29T23:54:00.001-07:00

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A trip of a lifetime - long stay in Thailand (E- brochure)

2012-08-29T23:47:00.001-07:00

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Thai Sport - Takraw and Sepak takraw

2012-08-29T10:05:00.002-07:00

Takraw

Takraw is a kind of Thai game. It is typically Thai. It’s very easy to play because the rules are very simple.

Players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands.

They stand in circle. They have to keep the ball in the air by bouncing it off the head, feet, knees, shoulders, chests or chins.

They score by hitting or kicking the ball into the basket hanging above their head.

The harder players hit the ball into the basket, the better scores they get.

Players can use almost all parts of the body to hit the ball, but some parts of the body are difficult to manipulate. For example, if players hit the ball with their head, they will gain better scores than kicking.

sepak takraw

There is another popular kind of game. It is called sepak takraw. There are two sides. They play against each other like playing volleyball. Player can use knees, feet, elbows, shoulders, heels, heads, almost all parts of the body to make the ball fall on the other side and the player on that side cannot get it. This is the way they earn scores.

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2012-08-29T04:04:00.002-07:00

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Grand Canyon of Thailand

2012-08-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Sam Phan Bok is known as The Grand Canyon of Thailand.

It is located in Ban Phong Pao, Moo 4, Lao Ngam sub-district,Pho Sai district, Ubon Ratchathani.

Sam Phan Bok is the big cataract of a large stone in the Mekong River.

Sam Phan Bok means Three thousand holes.

Sam Phan (Thai language) = 3,000

Bok(Lao language) = Hole

This beautiful scene is only appeared in the dry season or summer (January - April).

This is because the cataract itself is under the Mekong River.

When the rains come, the Mekong rises and covers this entire area.

How to go

You can drive a car from Ubon Ratchathani town, go along Highway No. 2050, passing Trakan Phuetphon County to Phosai County,then go to Songkhon Village, continue driving for a further 3 kilometers to reach Hat Salueng where you can hire a boat to Sam Phan Bok.

You can take a boat and float along the river and to explore the sandy beach, fascinating caves,unique local fishing villages and more to Sam Phan Bok.

You can take a daily flight from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani .

You can take a bus from Mo-chit 2 station (Northeastern Route),which is available daily.

You can take a train from Hua Lamphong station or Bang sue station on Bangkok-Ubon Ratchatani route, which is available daily.

Sam Phan Bok is a new destination for you to watch beautiful sunsets and to spend the night on the fantastic rocky ground with your friends and family .

If you have long vacation or holiday, Sam Phan Bok should be one of your next trip destinations.

Come and see how the “Grand Canyon of Thailand” really looks like.

You’ll be amazed.

Attractive Thailand (Thai way of greeting)

2012-08-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Thai way of greeting : WAI

Wai is the most charming and universal greeting that Thai people are pound of.

It’s very easy. Just raise both hands, palms joined, and place them in the middle of the chest and bow your forehead to touch them.

We wai when young people greet older people.

We wai when we meet and part.

We wai when we want to apologize.(When we do something wrong.)

We wai when we want to show our appreciation.

We wai when we want to show respect to holy things such as shrines or spirit houses.

We wai when we pay respect to Buddha images.

When we wai a Buddha image, we do it for three times. The first for the Lord Buddha, the second for his teachings and the last one for monks.

We kneel down when we pay respect to Buddha images.

When someone younger than you was, you may do the same or just bow your head and say

“Sawasdee” which means “Hello” in English.

If you’re not sure if the other person is older than you. You just do the same thing and greet him or her with “Sawasdee” or “Hello” in English. It has nothing to do with sex.

Don’t point foot at person. The feet are considered the lowest part of the body. Pointing them at someone is rude.

Sitting with your legs crossed and one foot is up and pointing at someone is also rude even though you don’t mean it.

It’s best to avoid crossing your legs when sitting opposite someone.

Avoid patting people on the head because the head is the highest part of the body.

Touching someone’s head is considered rude.

Bow your head when you walk past the older.

Kiss, hugging and all kinds of public displays of affect in are considered improper.

Kissing, hugging in front in front of a lot of people are considered improper.

We adopt this culture from the west.

At the end of the statement, say “ka” if you are female and say “krab” if you are male.

They like the words “Sir” and “Madam” in English. They show that you are polite. (civilized)

Let's see this conversation .

Tourist: Last night Natalie greeted the audience with the Thai “wai” at the beginning of a talk show. I was so impressed with her greeting gesture. I think she could do it more beautifully than many Thais.

Could you please teach me how to do it?

Guide: With great pleasure. Start with putting your hands together palm to palm. Make sure that your fingers are close like this. Next place your hands in the middle of your chest. Be sure the tips of the fingers point upward. Keep your elbows to the sides of your body and bow your head a little.

Guide: Well, almost all occasions. When you greet or pay respect to the person of the same age or status as you, you just bow your heads a little. When you greet a senior, raise the hands higher. Place the thumbs at the nose and bow your head the same way . When you pay homage to monks, place your thumbs between the eyebrows, but when you pay homage to principal Buddha images in the temple, do the same but sit (to the right side/ to the left side) and bow your head till it touches the ground for three times.

Super cool Thai boxing!

2012-08-27T08:41:00.004-07:00

Super cool Thai boxing!

Tourist: What's happening there? Why are there a lot of people?

Guide: It’s the national boxing stadium.

Tourist: Is it difficult to play?

Guide: It’s not difficult. What you need are stamina and constant practice. Thai boxing is considered as a very ancient Thai martial art.

Tourist: I wonder how they play it.

Guide: Well, if you want to play it, you can go to the boxing club. But today I will take you to watch it.

Tourist: How do I prepare myself?

Guide: You don’t need to prepare anything. I’ll take you there at 2 pm.

At boxing stadium

Guide: The match starts with a combination of shadow-boxing and dancing. The boxers pay respect to their teacher this way. (It’s a ceremonial salute to their teacher.)

Tourist: It’s unique and beautiful.

Guide: You know. Thai people take it very seriously about the gratitude. They believe that it will bring bad luck if they don’t express their gratitude. In addition, it’s a demonstration of technique which serves very well to threaten the opponent and it’s a warm-up for protection against serious injury and triumph over his opponent.

Tourist: Well. It’s similar to wrestling. Wrestlers need to shout out loud, bluff each other and show their biceps to threaten the opponent. How is the game played?

Guide: Boxers can kick, punch, and shove. Boxers can’t bite, spit or wrestle. (Biting, spitting or wrestling are forbidden.) They use bare feet, legs, knees, elbows, shoulders and fists.

Tourist: It look more cruel than western boxing.

Guide: Of course. But it’s fatal if you don’t practice well enough and you have to be focused.

Tourist: How can the boxer win the match?

Guide: They can do whatever they can to floor the opponent and the referee counts until ten. If the opponent can’t get up, it mean that opponent lose the match.

Tourist: Wow! It must be a very exciting fight because they can use almost every part of the body.

Guide: Certainly, it’s very thrilling. People with heart attack are not recommended.

Tourist: What is the fatal tactic they use in defeating the opponent?

Guide: A vicious kick in the throat, an elbow smash to the eyes, a knee into a stomach or a whiplash kick in the groin can immediately floor the opponent. This way can end the action in a bloody knockout.

Tourist: It’s very frightening.

Guide: If you flirt Thai girls, you’d better ask if she can box or you will end up the same way.

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2012-08-26T06:38:00.001-07:00

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attractive places in Bangkok.

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Where is Thailand?

2012-08-24T07:42:00.013-07:00

Where is Thailand?

Have you ever been to Thailand?

I'd like to invite you to visit my country.

Thailand is a country located in Southeast Asia on Indochina. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Burma. Bangkok is our capital.

Thailand was known as Siam. Our country is a constitutional monarch. Head of state is King. Head of government is Speaker of Parliament.

There are 513,000 square kilometers in Thailand.

It’s as large as France. If you look at the map, it's shaped like a halberd.

Thailand is divided into 77 provinces .The population is 65.4 million.

The majority is Thais. The largest minority group is Chinese.

Most of Thais are Buddhists. The second largest religious groups in Thailand are Muslims.

Our language is Thai. It would be great if you can speak some Thai while living in Thailand because most of Thai people do not speak English.

How many provinces in Thailand?

Thailand is divided into 77 provinces.

Do you know some provinces in Thailand?

Here is the list of Provinces.

1.Amnat Charoen

2.Ang Thong

3.Ayutthaya

4.Bangkok

5.Bueng Kan

6.Buriram

7.Chachoengsao

8.Chainat

9.Chaiyaphum

10.Chanthaburi

11.Chiang Mai

12.Chiang Rai

13.Chonburi

14.Chumphon

15.Kalasin

16.Kamphaeng Phet

17.Kanchanaburi

18.Khon Kaen

19.Krabi

20.Lampang

21.Lamphun

22.Loei

23.Lopburi

24.Mae Hong Son

25.Maha Sarakham

26.Mukdahan

27.Nakhon Nayok

28.Nakhon Pathom

29.Nakhon Phanom

30.Nakhon Ratchasima

31.Nakhon Sawan

32.Nakhon Si Thammarat

33.Nan

34.Narathiwat

35.Nong Bua Lamphu

36.Nong Khai

37.Nonthaburi

38.Pathum Thani

39.Pattani

40.Phang Nga

41.Phattalung

42.Phayao

43.Phetchabun

44.Phetchaburi

45.Phichit

46.Phitsanulok

47.Phrae

48.Phuket

49.Prachinburi

50.Prachuap Khiri Khan

51.Ranong

52.Ratchaburi

53.Rayong

54.Roi Et

55.Sa Kaeo

56.Sakhon Nakhon

57.Samut Prakan

58.Samut Sakhon

59.Samut Songkhram

60.Saraburi

61.Satun

62.Si Saket

63.Singburi

64.Songkhla

65.Sukhothaï

66.Suphanburi

67.Surat Thani

68.Surin

69.Tak

70.Trang

71.Trat

72.Ubon Ratchathani

73.Udon Thani

74.Uthai Thani

75.Uttaradit

76.Yala

77.Yasothon

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