Thailand Travel Guide

Firefly story...at the floating market Amphawa

2010-09-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

For this trip will take a trip if that is not far from the city much. The car ride one moment it arrived. I will take you to see floating market at Amphawa. Samutsongkram province. Many people might have or ever heard ago. It is perhaps the city near the capital ecotourism much another. Way of life here is still the traditional not much has changed. This house is adjacent to the waterfront travel or trade the vehicle is used boats. Every weekend evening, you will see a merchants row the boats to sell foods or fruits at floating market. Many sea foods here are fresh and low cost. Any way walk along canal Amphawa is there a trade for the rest of the length. You can shopping for as a purchases satisfaction with snack, foods, clothes, and so many other souvenirs. Every holiday has both Thai and foreign tourists come here so much. For events of interest here is a boat bringing you to pay homage at the temple. You can choose whether to have the programs that are available. Back to see the beautiful of the various temples ago. Dinner time just you can choose the favorite food as pleasure. A wide variety of food types. Then in the evening. You can take a boat to see the magic of fireflies twinkling beauty of feeling a very impressive picture.

At floating market have many home stays or resorts for rent. You can choose to stay as satisfaction. If you prefer to learn a way of life of the villagers. You can be to stay in home garden. The house has many services. There are also places much more interesting. If you have a time much more you can travel to the places of important here. Each of which is located not far from the floating market. The transportation is convenient. At the floating market is open at 10 am. - 9 pm. Fri – Sun only. I hope you will enjoy for this trip. See you at the floating market Amphawa.

Article by : Tonmaipai

Light of River at Loy Krathong Festival

2009-01-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

Loy Krathong is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.

"Loi" means "to float". "Krathong" is a raft about a handspan in diameter traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk (although modern-day versions use specially made bread 'flowers' and may use styrofoam), decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles, incense sticks etc. During the night of the full moon, many people will release a small raft like this on a river. Governmental offices, corporations and other organizations also build much bigger and more elaborate rafts, and these are often judged in contests. In addition, fireworks and beauty contests take place during the festival.
Launched Khom Fai
Thousands of Khom Fai in Mae Jo

The festival probably originated in India as a Hindu festival similar to Deepavali as thanksgiving to the deity of the Ganges with floating lanterns for giving life throughout the year. According to the writings of H.M. King Rama IV in 1863, the originally Brahmanical festival was adapted by Buddhists in Thailand as a ceremony to honour the original Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama. Apart from venerating the Buddha with light (the candle on the raft), the act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. People will also cut their fingernails and hair and add them to the raft as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself. Many Thai believe that floating a krathong will create good luck, and they do it to honor and thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha.

The beauty contests that accompany the festival are known as "Noppamas Queen Contests". According to legend, Noppamas was a consort of the Sukothai king Loethai (14th century) and she was the first to float decorated krathongs. The Loi Krathong festival is also associated with the start of vegetable carving.

The Thai tradition of Loy Kratong started off in Sukhothai, but is now celebrated throughout Thailand, with the festivities in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya being particularly well known.

In Chiang Mai Loi Kratong is also known as "Yi Peng". Every year thousands of people assemble to float the banana-leaf krathong onto the waterways of the city, honouring the Goddess of Water. A multitude of Lanna-style sky lanterns (khom fai) are also launched into the air where they resemble large flocks of giant fluorescent jellyfish gracefully floating by through the skies. These are believed to help rid the locals of troubles and are also taken to decorate houses and streets.

Kelantan also has the same celebration, especially in the Tumpat area. The ministry in charge of tourism in Malaysia recognises it as an attraction for tourist. Many people visit the celebration each year.

Cradit : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong

Boon bung fai Thai Rocket Festival

2009-01-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

Rocket Festival is one of Thailand's very interesting events held in the second week of May of each year. The festival is also called Boon Bang Fai. The festival is held in the rainy seasons as the farmers get ready to cultivate their paddy fields. The festival is an important event in the Thai calendar already filled with many interesting events. The festival is usually celebrated in the north eastern provinces of Thailand like Yasothorn and is actually an appeasement to the rain gods for giving plenty rain in the rainy seasons coming. The Rocket Festival has a very important folklore attached to it where it recounts the story of a rain god named Vassacan who loved fire and thus villagers were forced to send him rockets. The villagers and natives make rockets under the guidance of the Buddhist monks and scholars and usually the rocket contain 20-25kilograms of gunpowder and ideally a rocket is 9meters in Length.

The Rocket Festival sees natives carrying rockets in the processions to the site. All those who gather to see the events are dressed in very colorful clothes and costumes. There is also singing and dancing to accompany the festival and the most important time of the event comes when the rockets are ignited and launched from the sites. As the rockets are lit there is cheer from the noisy crowds who gather and the person whose rocket goes up to the highest level is adjudged the winner. The winner then leads the way for the natives to follow and the losers are thrown in to a mud pit. This year's event would see women performing with others carrying the rockets in the shape of snakes.

Thus come and be a part of this very colorful event as the madness unfolds during the day.

Cradit : http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/thailand/thailand-festivals-&-events/rocket-festival.html

Bang Saen

2009-01-19T20:26:00.000-08:00

Approximately 13 km from the city of Chonburi, Bang Saen is a famous beach that has enjoyed lasting popularity among local tourists and short trip-makers. What makes Bang Saen beachfront a recognizable landmark is its wide stretching sand beach, rows of coconut trees, lines of deck chairs for rent and stacks of rubber rings that local tourists use as floatable rings in the sea. Bang Saen has been through renovation and now enjoys hosting visitors with neat and orderly location.
Creadit : http://www.circleofasia.com/Bang-Saen-Thailand.htm

Water War at Songkran Festival

2009-01-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

Songkran Festival
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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. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in the city usually return home to celebrate the festival. Thus, when the time come, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.
Songkran is a Thai word which means "move" or "change place" as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac. It is also known as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck.
The Songkran tradition is recognized as a valuable custom for the Thai community, society and religions. The value for family is to provide the opportunity for family members to gather in order to express their respects to the elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grandparents and to present them gifts including making merits to dedicate the result to their ancestors. The elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity.
The values for community is to provide the opportunity to create unity in the community such as to jointly acquire merits, to meet each other and to enjoy the entertaining events. And for the society value is to create concern upon environment with cooperation such as to clean houses, temples, public places and official buildings. Thais value the religion bye means of merits acquisition, offerings alms to monks, Dhamma Practice, listening to sermon and monks-bathing.
In the afternoon, after performing a bathing rite for Buddha images and the monks, the celebrants both young and old, joyfully splash water oon each other. The most-talked about celebration takes place in the northern province of Chiang Mai where Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to 15. During this period, people from all parts of the country flock there to enjoy the water festival, to watch the Miss Songkran Contest and the beautiful parades.
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.

Cradit : http://sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/special_event/songkran/index.html

Ayutthaya

2009-01-16T19:45:00.001-08:00

Ayutthaya is the Age of Siam(Thailand). Phranakhon – Si – Ayutthaya or Krung – Si – Ayutthaya or Ayutthaya in short , used to be the capital of

Thailand for 417 years. The city was founded by King Rama I (King U – Thong) on April 3 , 1350 and ruled by 33 monarchs until 1767.After being destroyed in 1767 , the city of Ayutthaya was in bad disarray. It was so severely burned and unsuitable to be the capital any longer. However, Ayutthaya was not abandoned because it was a fertile plain and prosperous for growing rice. Ayutthaya was also the economic and transport center in the region. Around 60 years later, Ayutthaya became a crowded and civilized city. Nowadays, Ayutthaya is the center of the upper - central part of Thailand.Due to the continuing glories of Ayutthaya for many reigns , there are a number of historical sites which
have been noted to be the land of history , arts and cultures, traditions and customs, varieties of knowledge and local wisdom which represent Thailand until now. Ayutthaya is the spiritual center for Thai people to recognize ancestors. On December 13, 1991 UNESCO had declared Ayutthaya Historical Park to be a World Heritage Site at Cartage, Tunisia.

Cradit : http://www.ayutthaya.go.th/english_version.htm