koh samui - chaweng beach - green mango

thailand koh samui chaweng beach green mango new year 08



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C36sEwnWvS0&hl=en

Buddhism- New Year

Thai buddhism new year



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELtJpTgQfkI&hl=en

Visiting Beverly Hills and Hollywood on Your Los Angeles Vacation

Inhabited by many movie stars since 1920, the district of Beverly Hills has developed according to some strict rules. The color, the size of houses, the signs and the pedestrian movement are all strictly regulated.

Nevertheless, the district of Beverly Hills is beautiful, like the television series of the same name. The streets are nicely wooded with palm trees, sycamores and oaks. The houses are beautiful and perfectly aligned. The architecture recalls the European bourgeois neighborhoods with a touch of Victorian style and bold colors sometimes. The gardens are also flawless, blooming and well shaded. Beverly Hills is America in all its glory, the only planet that we all would dream to live!

For the fans of People magazine, that is, almost everyone, you can search the homes of celebrities, living or dead, from special plans (Home Star Map) sold in every newsstand in Los Angeles. Among the many stars to have lived in Beverly Hills, included Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Tom Cruise or Humphrey Bogart.

Finally, the district of Beverly Hills also requires its luxury shops where you will make amazing items in beautiful surroundings. Obviously, the price is also extraordinary. A passage from the famous Rodeo Drive is still a highlight of the visit. The shops are wonderful and they are an enjoyable ride... though a little frustrating. This is where Julia Roberts comes to shopping in Pretty Woman... with the credit card of Richard Gere!

By visiting the district of Beverly Hills by car, do not stop at a house to take pictures... is very bad and theoretically forbidden. Take pictures through the window gently rolling... Yes, you still have the right to slow down.

Obviously, it is impossible to get to Los Angeles and not visit Hollywood, the movie kingdom, a symbol of the American dream where any stranger can become overnight an international star...

However, there is less than a century since Hollywood was a land covered with fields and farms. In 1911, the first studio moved to Hollywood, fleeing New York because of the fees required by the company of Thomas Edison for the use of moving images. Another advantage is the climate of California, which allows shooting movies outdoors 10 months a year.

In less than 10 years, many other Hollywood studios joined to become the capital of the film industry. The area is developing very quickly and the Hollywood Boulevard hosts gradually restaurants and luxury hotels. In 1923, a developer put up giant letters on the hill with the inscription "Hollywood Land". Thus, a legend is born!

Today, Hollywood is a legendary district that attracts many tourists who are willing to see the traces and signatures of the biggest stars of cinema.

The footprints in cement are located at the famous Mann's Chinese Theater. The entrance to the cinema recalls the shape of a Chinese pagoda. Before the building, you can see and touch imprints of hands and feet of the biggest stars like Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse, the robot R2-D2 or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While walking on the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard, you will enjoy the Walk of Fame that consists of more than 2000 stars, each star dedicated to one artist. You can have fun, like everyone else, in finding the star of your idol. The star of Elvis Presley, John Lennon and James Dean are particularly sought.

Los Angeles vacations are fun for the whole family. When looking at vacation packages and travel deals to Los Angeles make sure to bundle and save your vacations. Buying the car, flight, hotel, and activities all at once will increase the savings on your trip.

Looking for another destination? I would suggest also looking at Las Vegas vacations for some fun in party city.

Thailand Exchange Rate Crises In 1990

According to economists, there are five principal reasons for the East Asian currency Crisis or IMF of July 1997 that caused a period of economic unrest and turmoil in Southeast Asian financial markets. The countries that were mainly affected during the crisis included Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea. Inadequate foreign exchange reserves, improper handling of fund allocations and inadequately developed financial sectors in the developing Asian countries have been held as the prime reasons for the drop in the local currency exchange rates against the US dollar during the period.

The entire episode of economy crisis started due to inappropriate speculations. Speculators forecasted a decline in international market growth and started selling South East Asian currencies. With this, there was a currency depreciation and sudden drop in the value of Thai baht, Malaysian ringgit, Phillipine Peso and Indonesian rupiah. Due to this, all these markets had to sell their dollars to buy back their currencies. This caused a rapid decline in the foreign exchange reserves. In the second stage of the crisis, the lower value of the neighboring currencies affected other Southeast Asian currencies like Taiwan dollar, South Korean Won, Singaporean Dollar and Hong Kong Dollar. Governments raised the interest rates for the purpose of defending the local currency and inviting foreign capital. Due to the rapid decline in the economy, investors started removing their investments from the markets, thereby initiating a fall in the stock prices. IMF with the assistance of World Bank and Asian Development Bank arranged support packages of around $120 billion in order to rescue these markets.

Certain economists believe that the distorted macroeconomic policies and the fixed exchange rate of the currency as a major cause for the economic crisis in 1997.

Check Out More Articles:

Thailand Travel Information, Airline Travel Safety Restrictions, Alpena Vacation Getaway,

Loi Kratong

The kind folks over at Destination Thailand and Travel Asia and Beyond invited me to host a couple of their television shows recently. It was quite an experience. If you've never seen yourself of television before, it can really come as quite a shock - especially when you totally ad-libbed all of it and you should have had a proper haircut. Still, I'd do it again in a second. I have no pride. Loi Kratong is a holiday that takes place in November all over Thailand. In most parts, "kratongs" ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZHV1en4eVY&hl=en

Thailand Vacation

If you are planning your vacation, you want to consider Thailand. Thailand has become one of the most loved travel destinations in the world. It has many types of landscape on offer. The mountainous regions of the north, the plains in the central, eastern and northeast area, and with southern Thailand offer some of the most attractive beaches and islands on the planet. Thailand's infrastructure is one of the most modern in the region. Transport, banking, and telecommunications are all excellent and it makes Thailand's remotest regions convenient and easy to visit. Thailand's nightlife is legendary and a major attraction for visitors and its restaurants and bars help complete an irresistible package with some of the best cuisine and entertainment available. The numerous galleries and museums housing treasures of bygone ages offer visitors a genuine visual delight.

Thailand's climate is tropical, high in temperature and humidity, and dominated by monsoons. April and May are the hottest months. June sees the beginning of the South West Monsoon, which continues intermittently until the end of October. From November to the end of February the climate is better, with a cooling North East breeze and a reduction in the humidity level. This is also the main tourist season, and the best time to visit Thailand. The north and north-east are generally cooler than Bangkok in winter, and hotter in summer. Annual rainfall is about 1520 mm in the northern, western, and central regions, about 2540 mm or more on the Thai portion of the Malay Peninsula, and about 1270 mm or less on the Khorat Plateau.

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Beach Travellers | BTTV Episode 8 | BT CHALLENGE

8th episode of BTTV: This episode showcases the BT Challenge on a Southern Island in Thailand. Our travellers took part in 7 events across the Island including a chicken run, kayaking etc. Weekly episodes every Sunday showcasing guides, events, and random on-goings in the life and times of Beach Travellers. ... "BT Challenge" "Beach Travellers" beachtravellers beachtravelers "beach travellers" thailand "travel thailand" kayaking "chicken run"



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw0hRiOcn1E&hl=en

Joey's Trip

My journey travel around Korea, Turkey, Silk Road, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Bali.....etc. ... adventure travel food fun korea turkey silk road vietnam cambodia hong kong japan bali log joey



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCnYcP_ghhc&hl=en

Travel Cheap to Thailand

Thailand is for many people one of the favorite destinations. And the reasons are pretty much obvious. Even if tourism has really grown during the recent years, Thailand still offers some pretty much unspoiled territories, precious beaches and an amazing cultural shock that you will probably prefer to miss your plane back home rather than coming back to your everyday's life. But to travel cheap to Thailand you really need to find out the right places or you will be abused as most tourists are.

Travel deals when it comes to flying there are many, as competence for Thailand is very high and in this case travel agencies are strongly fighting one with each other. This, in the end, lets us find some very good deals. The idea of the article is in a general way to encourage you to always look for this special offers in order to travel cheap to Thailand and to anywhere in the world, to never limit yourself to what you see on your first searches, but furthermore, and being aware that this is a limited time offer, I wanted to share with you for free one of my findings early this morning.

This offer is specially good for all Europeans, as departures are from London, and as I never get tired to say, you can reach London for 20 Euros the round trip with everything included with Ryanair. From there, with flights included and 14 nights in hotels in Thailand, you will get it for the price of 585 UK Pounds (813 Euros) I could kill myself for promoting offers like this for free, as I have no relationship with any travel agency at all, but certainly I am convinced that everybody should have the goal to help people, so here we are.

The way you can book in this case is not online, but online you will find a web-page that offers you the possibility to travel cheap to Thailand and a number in the UK that you can call to get more information. I haven't tried, but I imagine that you will be able to make the booking by telephone.

Together the possibility to travel cheap to Thailand, this guys have other interesting things specially related with traveling to Asia, but also many other offers to other regions, as flights to Auckland for 934 Euros, which is by far the best offer I have ever seen in the market from Europe to New Zealand. Also you can find 21 days campervan plus the flights to Auckland for just 1152 Euros. Again, is the best offer I have ever seen to get to the region. All this offers are generally valid until the 15th of June 2008, but if you wait for the beginning of January, the new offers for the summer and the first September discounted vacations will begin to appear.

They are also offering many possibilities to discover Africa, including some Safari packages, for relatively low prices. Africa is not my area of expertise, so I won't promise they have the cheapest option, but the numbers look pretty good compared to what I have seen up till now.

In any case, just feel free to take a look at their page and you will find out which offer adapts best to your needs if you are planning to travel Asia, Africa or the South Pacific from Europe.

You can write to me to know further details. My e-mail is in this web-page: Travel to Europe

To learn where I get 80% discounted hotels, you can check here: Free Hotels

For general information on traveling around the world: Travel Addicts

Dani Alonso

Songkran in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Thai New Year, the 'Water Festival' in Chiang Mai, Thailand.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrtsO2Ho2tg&hl=en

Thailand Hotels - Providing Decent Tourist Stay

Thailand, the country of tropical beaches, beautiful hills, and architectural monuments has been one of the popular tourist destinations in the world. Thronged by countless number of travelers from different corners of the world every year, the country has sustained its identity as a beautiful tourist destination. Also, there are various Thailand Hotels situated around the popular locations that provide comfortable stay to visitors.

The best time to visit Thailand is during the cool season from November-February. These months have sunny days and less chances of rainfall are there. Moisture in whether is also lower during these seasons. You can enjoy all its major destinations during this shiny season. The country's tourism is prospering in nature. Tourism is one of the mainstays of its economy.

Thailand offer glittering cities, wonderful beaches, ancient temples, picturesque riversides and shopping malls that are considered as some of the major tourist destinations. The country possesses various astonishing locations, which are located in its popular destinations such as Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Bangkok, Koh Chang, Lampang, Pattaya and Phuket. Wat Arun Temple, The Khlong Bangkok Noi and Khlong Bang Yai-Royal Barges Museum, Wang Suan Pakkard in Bangkok are very famous. Similarly, The Sanctuary of Truth, Khao Pattaya View Point and Wat Khao Phra Bat, UnderWater World, The Bottle Art Museum in Pattaya are the other major tourists' attractions of Thailand. Likewise, The Airport Plaza, Kad Suan Kaew, Warorot and Lamyai Markets, The World Insects Museum and Orchid Farms are the major attractions in Chiang Mai.

Along with these involvements there are even numbers of comfortable accommodations in Thailand that are located at convenient places that enable the tourists to visit the nearby attractions easily. From standard hotels to premium hotels, each and every kind of hotel is available in most of the famous hotspot cities of the country thereby providing cozy stay to the guests. Good in-room and hotel facilities are provided at hotels as per their specific star category. Some of the Thailand hotels such as Chiang Mai Plaza Hotel, Kooncharaburi resort and Sailing Club, and Dhevan Dara Resort and Spa are well known hotels that provide comfortable stay with good facilities to guests. Being at Thailand Hotels make you feel dignified.

So, in what so ever city of Thailand you plan your vacation or event, it is for sure that with the availability of wide range of hotels you can attain a safe and secure stay.

Book the Thailand hotels of your choice through AsiaRooms at reasonable price and make your journey joyful and pleasurable.

Shopping in Thailand - Learn Thai with Langhub.com

Learn some Thai phrases to use while shopping in Thailand. This is especially helpful if you want to shope at markets, where haggling is a must. Traveling to Thailand soon? Living in Pattaya? Planning to move to Bangkok soon for work? We can help you learn to speak and read Thai. More free mp3 audio and mp4 video files are available for download at www.langhub.com.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DnTVDYMrQE&hl=en

Nang Yai Shadow Puppet Drama

Nang Yai shadow puppet drama is a traditional dramatic art form of Thailand that excels in combining different artistic crafts into one. A lot of attention goes into designing elaborate and detailed design of characters which is done by a master artist. Once the design is made, it is applied onto a piece of leather and etched very carefully. After that, the etched leather piece is mounted onto sticks and life is given to each character by a master puppeteer in the form of a classical drama performance which is replete with live Thai music and singer to provide the narrative.

Evidence shows that Nang Yai shadow puppet drama was already in existence during the Sukhothai era. But it is almost certain that this art form was a leading source of entertainment during the Ayutthaya era and it remain that way until early Rattanakosin era during the reign of Rama V (King Chalalongkorn).

The Nang Yai shadow puppet drama was first established at Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi during the reign of Rama V. Today, in Thailand, Wat Khanon is the only important location for this art form. Even today, a lot of effort goes into preparing the puppets and the performers still maintain their high standards of performance. The drama group from Wat Khanon performs all over Thailand and they are greeted with a lot of enthusiasm by the audience.

Wat Khanon also has a Nang Yai Exhibition Hall where the puppets are on display and one can see the intricate work that has gone into the puppets. You will surely appreciate these exquisite works of art once you see them in person.

About Author:

Pauline Go is a professional writer for many website like Thailandbuddy.com. She also writes other great articles like Thailand Travel Information, Thailand Real Estate Industry Analysis, Facts on the Stonehenge

Bringing Western Values to Thailand

More and more westerners are making Thailand their home. We all bring with us our own set of core values deeply rooted from our upbringings and the societies from which we come. They are the rules by which we live our lives; the principles and moral guidelines that govern our actions and decision making process. We do not all have the same set of values but whatever values we hold, the likelihood is they are different to those held in Thailand.

Many ex-pats in Thailand are the breadwinners for their families, own their own businesses or are employed in management positions. We therefore often find ourselves in a position of authority or influence over Thai people. This leads us to a dilemma. To what extent should we enforce our own set of western values onto the Thai people over whom we have influence?

I greatly respect and enjoy Thai culture. I happily embrace many of the values of my new homeland. However, I also have my own set of values and I cannot leave them all behind just because I am now in Thailand. Many of them are too deeply entrenched in my psyche. Enforcing my set of western values into my life inevitably means also forcing them into my wife's life. My wife is Thai and does not always believe in the same things I do.

A good example of westerners and Thais holding contrasting values is the subject of road safety. Most Thais do not believe in wearing crash helmets or seatbelts. They usually do wear them but they do so to avoid a police fine rather than for the sake of safety. Westerners generally accept that safety precautions are a good idea. We may not like our governments enforcing them on us by law but still we believe in the principle of taking safety precautions.

It is easy to understand the reasons for this difference in outlook. Thais are fatalistic. It is part of their Buddhist religion. They believe that what will be, will be. If something is going to happen then it will happen and there is little you can do about it. In the west, we believe in controlling our own destinies. We believe our actions have implications that will affect future actions.

So we have a possible cause of contention. I know some ex-pat westerners who will not start their car until all their passengers have put on their seatbelts. I know others who will not take pillion passengers on their motorbike unless they wear a helmet. These are not only commonly held western safety principles but also laws of Thailand. But still these westerners are forcing their values on Thais who do not hold the same values. We are coming to their country and forcing them to act like us. Is this right?

I have no doubt that our western outlook is the right one on this subject. I am sure most accidents are avoidable and if not you can at least take safety precautions to reduce their impact. However, that is not the point. It is not a question of who is right or wrong but whether it is right to force western values on people in our host nation who do not believe in them. One of my moral beliefs is that it is wrong to force my beliefs on other people. So I take the attitude that if people want to ride in my car or on my motorbike without taking safety precautions then it is their choice.

But what if you are responsible for that person's safety? What if that person is a child?

When we had our first child I assumed we would buy a baby seat for the car. It is what we would do in the west. My wife was surprised when I suggested we go shopping for such an item. Why would we want to strap our baby into the back of the car? She would hold the baby while I drove.

I still believed a baby seat was a good idea so we went shopping. Of course, you will not find baby seats in most Thai shops. They are something most Thais would not think of buying. We went to look at the selection in Robinsons Department Store. They were expensive and they all needed rear seatbelts to attach them. Our car does not even have rear seatbelts so as well as buying the baby seat we would also have to get the car modified. At this point I accepted we would not buy one.

I still believed we needed one but it was just proving too hard working against the Thai belief that we didn't. Even the sales girls agreed it wasn't necessary.

There are many ways that westerners settling in Thailand bring parts of their home country's lifestyle with them. In Phuket we can get western style houses, furniture, kitchens, appliances and satellite TV. I love Thai food and in our household we eat Thai food most of the time but still sometimes I want to eat western food. That will never be a problem in Phuket.

There is nothing wrong with building your own little piece of home in your new country if that is what you want. The problem is when your home values start invading the lives of Thai people who do not want them.

Western culture is very invasive. We see western fast food outlets popping up all over Thailand. High profile advertising campaigns make them seem trendy and exciting ignoring the fact that the food is not as good or nutritious as the local fare. The result is lots of little fat Thai children. New 7-eleven convenience stores are popping up in every neighbourhood while the local Thai grocery stores close. The Christian religion has a history of vigorously promoting itself in non-Christian countries. The United States has a policy of promoting 'the American way' across the globe.

We seem to have an ingrained belief in our own rightness. We do not easily accept other nation's cultures or values. We expect them to change to be more like us. It is an issue about which we need to be careful when living in another culture. We do not need to lose our own identities and values but we do need to find a way to integrate them into our lives without smothering the local culture or offending local people.

The author has lived in Phuket, Thailand for seven years. If you want to read more about the colourful island of Phuket then visit Phuket Articles where you will find more articles and visitor information.

The big trip

Me and my friends travelled around in Asia for eight month... ... Asia Laos Indonesia Bali Thailand India Travel Party Malaysia Sulawesi



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ErF4Ep4-yI&hl=en

4 Reasons Why You Need to Go to Thailand

Thailand is known all around the world as the free country but this is not the only reason why tourists and travelers flock to it. Thailand is an interesting country to travel to, whether it's because of the unspoiled culture or its natural Asian beauty. It is definitely worth visiting and here are some of the reasons.

Sport You Should Try

With all the glorious mountain formation that Thailand is blessed with, it has been discovered that it is one of the most ideal places to go rock climbing. Although it is usually a sport for adventure tourists, rock-climbing is definitely something everyone should try. Rock-climbing is not an organized sport so there are no rules to learn and there are no points to earn. It's just you, some wires and some big old rocks to conquer. Not to mention, the view from the climbing points is said to be phenomenal.

Thailand has been such a popular place for rock-climbing that companies that oversee the rock-climbing sport. There would be no need to worry about lack of equipment or instruction because many specialty companies on rock-climbing are available in Thailand.

See The Elephants

Elephants are endemic in Thailand and are also a big part of its culture. It would be a waste to visit the country without seeing them once and experiencing why they are culturally significant. Elephants have attracted so many tourists that the country already has elephant parks to house them. The best thing about these elephant parks is that tourists are frequently permitted to interact with these magnificent animals.

Spots For Great Tours

Thailand is rich in several natural phenomena and formation that are worth looking at. A standout nature point for the country is its rainforests. The rainforests are usually viewed by amazing ziplines that cut across the canopy layers of the rainforests. It sounds like a dream tour and the rainforests that you are now imagining may pale in comparison. This is yet another reason why Thailand is a place worth visiting. The beaches and the rock formations are there, but the rainforests are really something to behold.

The Festival

Imagine Thailand, the beautiful country that it is, during summer. Being a true part of Asia, summers in Thailand are extremely hot. The country's culture itself, however, remedies this. The Songkran festival is celebrated during one of the hottest months of the year, April and in this festival, throwing water on as many people as possible is customary. However, the Songkran festival is not all about bathing even complete strangers in water. It also celebrates the starts of a new Solar Year.

Thailand is interesting country. It's filled with natural beauty and adventures that travelers seek. Remember these Thailand holiday ideas.

Preparing For Thailand

Majority of people in Thailand speak the Thai language. If you are planning to visit Thailand, then learning some of the local dialects and phrases will be useful. Apart from sightseeing, there is also fun in interacting with the locals. The Thai are well known for their hospitality and their happiness doubles if they see a foreigner or a traveler trying to speak their language. Many Thais cannot speak English. Therefore learning their language would definitely be an added advantage for you.

You will not only learn a new language but will also gain a rich insight into the culture and heritage of Thailand. You also have the advantage of moving around easily in Thailand if you are equipped with the Thai language.

When you speak the language, you should end the sentence with ‘Krab’ if you are male and ‘Kha’ if you are female. Thai language has a musical lilt to it, ranging from high, medium to low pitch tones. Stressing on a word or stretching the word longer may even change the meaning of the word and the sentence. If you hear the Thai speaking, then you will have a better idea of how to speak this lovely sweet language.

To mention a few Thai phrases, ‘Sa-wat dee’ means Hello and Goodbye, Khorb koon means Thank you, Gee bath? means How much?, Arai means What, Sai means Left, Kwaa means Right, Gai mai? means Is it far?, Tum mai means Why? and Chai/Mai chai means Yes/No.

If you go shopping in Thailand, you can use some of the phrases such as, ‘Ra ka thao rai?’ meaning How much is this?, ‘Paeng pai’ meaning That is a little expensive, ‘Lot noi dai mai’ meaning Can you make it cheaper?, and Ja ma mai meaning ‘ I will come back later’.

These phrases will help you to find your way during traveling, interaction with shopkeepers and talking with the locals.

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Chiang Mai News 11/11/09

www.openchiangmai.com ... chiangmai thailand video event news travel accommodation



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8sqyxZAEFk&hl=en

Departures Deleted Scene: Brass knuckles made of gold

Deleted scene from "Departures" where Justin tries to buy some brass knuckles. ... Travel Departures Scott Wilson Justin Lukach Log adventure Thailand Brass knuckles pirated dvds



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0saLl47JkUY&hl=en

Authentic Travel in Northern Thailand - 10 Tips How

Now that so many spots in Northern Thailand have become commercialised by tourism how does one get to see the real side to this country? Well there are still opportunities that exist for this kind of experience, a little bit of time and research can help you get off the tourist trail. Here are some tips:

1. As a rule of thumb, the further away you venture from developed areas the more likely you are to find natural and authentic areas that remain true to Thai culture and way of life

2. It does not take a lot to reach these places, just an hour outside of Chiang Mai you can be in the rural hinterlands. There are regular public buses to Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai, if public transportation is not for you then I would suggest hiring a car and guide

3. Surprisingly hiring a driver with a car is not much more expensive than driving yourself. In addition to this a guide can be hired for approximately 800baht a day

4. Although hiring a guide costs a little bit more, their contribution to an authentic experience can be invaluable

5. Without a guide your travel will probably be only observatory, missing out on a lot of valuable information and cultural insight. A guide not only acts as translator but a valuable and educational source of information. A good guide will be able to offer opinions and information outside of what you can read in a travel book

6. Thailand is renowned for its friendliness sand hospitality. A friendly encounter with a local can turn into an invite to his home and there you have it an authentic experience right before you

7. Venture down the little lanes that run off the main roads called 'sois' look carefully and you will find intimate aspects of local life

8. Homestays are also a great way to experience how locals live. Outfits now offer homestays with a Thai family or in a hill tribe village. This accommodation option is often cheaper than staying in standard hotels but offers a much richer experience

9. Take a visit to the local markets which are a great introduction to regional cuisine and produce. The Thais love their markets, at least a handful can be found in every town

10. A common cause of why people do not venture further afield is that they do not allow enough time, so factor in travel time to get off-the-beaten-path. Quantity of time will bring you a quality experience

Melissa Ah-Sing is the co-founder of Thailand Hilltribe Holidays a responsible tourism outfit in North West Thailand http://www.thailandhilltribeholidays.com/

Thai Movie Kao Kao 05

Thai band "Possible" travel to the future ... Thailand Thai movie film joey boy music



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Ku8d7A6FY&hl=en

Visit Bangkok - The Capital Of Thailand

Krung Thep is the Thai name for Bangkok. The Thais never call their beloved capital Bangkok. In fact, it is said that people living in some remote areas of Thailand may not have heard of Bangkok at all. Krung Thep, the capital of Thailand, is located on the east bank of the river Chao Phraya, which is forty kilometers from Gulf of Thailand. The population of the city is around 10,068,000.

Ayutthaya was the old capital of Thailand. After a period of 417 years, the capital was shifted to Bangkok or Krung Thep by King Rama I in 1782. The old capital was the main target of the invading countries and it fought several wars trying to defend its boundaries. King Rama I decided to move the capital city to a more secure place and he decided that nothing could be safer and more secure than Krung Thep. So, the capital was moved to the city of Krung Thep. The King felt that this place would be difficult to penetrate as the enemy armies would have to cross a river to enter the city and this would be difficult for them to do so.

Krung Thep is the short form of the actual name of Bangkok. The real length name of the city is so long that it was recorded in the Guinness book of records as the world’s longest place name. The full name is;

Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

The meaning of the name is roughly translated as:

The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.

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Eating Gross Food Stuff (Grasshoppers) Grossest Things to Eat

Eating grasshoppers is tame compared to what else I eat here in Thailand. Don't miss the eating a Scorpion gross video that put me in the hospital! More at this channel and www.thaipulse.com in the videos section. ... eating eat taste gross stuff grasshoppers things disgusting grossest sickest nasty nastiest dinner snack thai food thailand tiland thialand tailand thiland siam southeast asia travel vacation touring backpacking



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soGYPq3ovuw&hl=en

Bangkok - Thailand

The biggest urban area of Thailand and also the capital city of the country, Bangkok has now gained the position of being a social, political and economic hub of Thailand. The city of Bangkok became the centre of business in the late 80's and 90's. During the time of growth of Bangkok many of multinational organizations opened their offices in the city. Bangkok also sometimes is referred to "Global City" because of its fashion, culture and because of many other aspects.

Bangkok is a city which has a lot of architecture in it and the specialty in the buildings of Bangkok are basically the temples. Bangkok receives heavy amount of tourists from all over the world because of these locations and beautiful places. In these architectures "The Grand Palace" and "Vimanmek Palace" are the sights which are mostly the destinations for tourists. Bangkok is a very beautiful city which includes a number of parks and beautiful natural scenes which basically make Bangkok a beautiful city. Almost 11 million tourists visit Bangkok every year and in this way Bangkok earn and generate a lot heavier part of the total revenue. It is believed to be a fast moving and very dynamic society and also very influential.

Bangkok in total has a population of about 6,355,144 people, according to January 2008 statistics. Bangkok is actually a very civilized and industrialized city. Being an industrial city is one of the basic reasons why Bangkok's economy faces a rapid growth.

Thecity's covered area is approximately 606 square miles. And according to these statistics Bangkok is the sixty eighth largest province of the country. Bangkok is also considered as one of the largest cities of world. This is because of the reason that the total covered area of Bangkok is mostly covered by Bangkok city.

The climatic conditions in Bangkok are very hot summers and not very cold winters. The city's highest ever experienced temperature is recorded as 40 degrees. The lowest ever temperature is recorded as 9 degrees. The temperature is not very cold during winter as the city mostly receives sunshine's on a daily basis.

Economically the city is very strong and is considered as the backbone of Thailand's economy. The city itself in the world is regarded as a very strong economy. Most of the financial institutions of Thailand have their headquarters and financial assets in Bangkok which are equal to billions of dollars.

In the city there are number of temples, and mosques. As majority of population of Bangkok is Buddhist so there are around 400 Buddha temples in all of Bangkok. Also there are 2 temples of Hindus and 1 religious gurudwara for Sikhs. For public entertainment there are a number of beautiful places and parks in Bangkok. Also the city is rich in greenery and natural beauty and the people of Bangkok have utilized this natural greenery in the construction of the parks. The most famous park in Bangkok is the "Lumphini Park". It is commonly known as Bangkok's central park.

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A Visit to Malaysia - Thailand Border Area

My thoughts recalled my visit to Southeast Asia some time back on the invitation of then Sri Lankan High Commissioner for Malaysia, Mrs. Rosy Senanayake. I wanted to crossover by land the Malaysia-Thailand border, though many friends advised me it was too risky. Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand is a major problem in Southeast Asia.

Though I had the visa to travel to Thailand from Malaysia, I stopped my journey from Kuala Lumpur at the Butterworth station and visited the Penang Island of Malaysia, the one-time British colonial capital of Malaysia. I thought of the risk at that time as the turmoil was very high in crossing the Malaysia- Thailand border. I had to study more ground realities and situations before I stepped into the border.

While I was waiting for the Kuala Lumpur Express at the Butterworth station, there was a Malay young lady waiting for the same train at the next table. My casual chat with her had given me a chance to weigh the ground realities better than I assumed. She was from the neighboring Keda state of Malaysia bordering Thailand's Muslim province.

When I spoke to her about the political unrest of Thailand's southern Muslim areas, she came out with sorrowful stories. She told, "The Muslim province in southern Thailand was annexed by Thailand in 1902 as a buffer against British Malaya" and she further went on, "the Islamic Sultanate of Pattani is considered by some to be the cradle of Islam in Southeast Asia".
She told about the history of the origin of the Muslim insurgency in Thailand. She said with a smile that the southern Thailand Muslims are only a reflection of Malaysia's rural Muslims.

I little understood her worries and as she had visited these areas, she was not only well informed about the problems but emotionally attached to those areas and problems too. She came out in a disappointing voice that the Thailand government's oppressive policies had not been beneficial to the Muslims. She pointed out, "the southern provinces of Thailand where the Muslims are located are some of the country's poorest and undeveloped provinces to date".

She continued, "The reason for this is the corrupt officials pilfered funds earmarked for development. The mis administration of the government combined with the high- handedness of the army personnel aggravated the alienation that was already prevalent. The daily life in the urban areas was affected by common banding and lawlessness making it difficult for the authorities to differentiate activities from that of the separatists or militants".

After a brief interval I asked her what their needs were if the situation was prolonged without any solution. She thought for a moment and came out with the fact that southern Thailand remains relatively poor, alienated, and misunderstood by Bangkok's government and military officials.
The Muslim way of life is based on survival and they are not benefiting from the development of large industries in their provinces.

She also pointed out importantly that in fact, as these industries continue to expand, the Pattani are being pushed farther and farther out of their markets. Agriculturists were needed to teach the small-scale land owners how to get the most out of their land. She further went on to say that the Muslims do not object to the government or its representatives but they do object to the oppressive and exploitative nature of these entities' presence.

She enumerated some of the flawed policies of the government such as, the village fund programme and legalization of lotteries in the area which are against the tenets of Islam.

Rajkumar Kanagasingam is the author of the fascinating book - German Memories in Asia......A collection of memories by the author in his discussion with German university students who have been volunteering in Asia on the sensitive issues of Early Human Migration, Asian & European historical events especially the German since the Roman Empire era to the times of First & Second World Wars and about the Germans around the world and their Migrations, Life styles, Encounters and Assimilations since the ancient times, his experiences in an American NGO as an officer in the rebel-held war-torn jungles and then in a tsunami relief mission there with German students, and the German students' life and fashion in Asia....

The book could be ordered at over 30,000 retail outlets world wide & is listed on Amazon.com & more...

More about the book: [http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~41609.aspx]

Fun Facts About Thailand

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Thailand is bigger than the United Kingdom, Iceland, Belgium and Austria combined.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. Bangkok is one of the most beautiful places in Asia, a city where East meets West.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Her Majesty the Queen Sirikit was one of the most beautiful women in the 20th century.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Different from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam,Thailand is not among the Asia´s poorest countries.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Thailand is famous for its hospitality, and the average visitor will have no difficulty in adapting to local customs.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Pornthip “Bui” Nakhirunkanok became the second Thai to win the Miss Universe title after Apasra Hongsakula in 1965. The year was 1988.The place was exotic Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Thailand has hosted the Asian Games four times in the past century: 1966, 1970, 1978 and 1998.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Miss Universe 1992 Pageant was held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand. Miss Namibia, Michelle McLean, was crowned Miss Universe 1992.The judges were: Khunying Sasima Srivikorn (businesswoman), Luis Enrique (singer), Miriam Makeba (singer and anti-AIDS activist), Ron Duguay (sportsman), Vijay Amritraj (sportsman), Kim Alexis (supermodel), Robin Leach (actor), Estelle Getty (actress)…

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

UNESCO has declared Historic City of Ayutthaya (1991), Historic Town of Sukhotahi and Associated Historic Towns (1991), Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Santuaries (1991), Ban Chiang Archaeological Site (1992), and Pong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex (1995) World Heritage Sites. Certainly, Thailand is a country of ancient culture, history and beautiful landscapes.It is a world in a country.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

In 1984, Pope John Paul visited Thailand.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Between 1970 and 1996, Thailand´s economy was one of the most dynamic in the world.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Thailand has great athletes:Paradorn Srichaphon (tennis), Kamsing Somluck (boxing), Wijan Ponlid (boxing), Manus Boonjumnong (boxing), Udomporn Polsak (weightlifting), and Pawina Thongsuk (weightlifting).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Thai cuisine is famous all over world.There are many Thai restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Rome and London.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Thai boxing is the national sport in Thailand.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer.Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He´ve studied political science and journalism.He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, Olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso".He is an expert on foreign affairs. Furthermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). His favorite film is "Gorillas in the Mist".Some of his favorite books are “The Return of Eva Peron and the Killings in Trinidad” (by V.S.Naipaul), "Las Mujeres de los Dictadores" (by Juan Gasparini) and “Murder of a Gentle Land” (by John Barron and Anthony Paul).His personal motto is "The future is for those people who believe in the beauty o f their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt.

Ban Bo Luang of Thailand

Ban Bo Luang is a village in Bo Klue District in Nan Province in northern Thailand. For centuries now the people of Ban Bo Luang have been producing salt from the brine they have been collected from two wells in the mountains, which are situated some 1,900 meters above sea level.

The people of Ban Bo Luang still make salt the good old way. They boil the brine until it crystallizes and then they dry the crystals in bamboo baskets on boiling pans. The salt that is produced using the age-old method is pure, clean and perfect for consumption. Even iodine is added to the salt before it is packaged. The wells are truly unique. Although some years the brine is less, the wells never dry up.

In Ban Bo Luang, there are 20 families involved in producing salt. All the families have access to the brine without any problems and they produce salt and sell it to customers all over the country.

According to legends, the salt was first discovered in Nan when a hunter accidently finds reserves while chasing wild animals. Later, Chao Luang Phu Kha, the first king of Nan, came to know about the salt reserves so he dispatched his aide Chao Bo Luang to check out the area. The aide returned with affirmative answer and then the king decided to develop the area into a village. People from Chiang Saen were requested to move to Ban Bo Luang and this led to the digging of the two wells, which we see even today.

Every year in February, the people of Bo Klue hold a three day ceremony to pay respect to Chao Bo Luang, who is considered to be the guardian spirit of the district.

About Author:
Pauline Go is an online leading expert in travel industry. She also offers top quality travel tips like:

Maps Of Thailand and Thailand Visa Information

Beach Hua Hin : Thailand

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Suphanburi Trip 2008

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