Pattaya Pattaya song

... leben wie Gott in Thailand,
wieder Glück in der Liebe finden
und Reisen auf Thailands Trauminseln,

auch ohne viel Geld!

Mussten Sie auch stets hart arbeiten, aber hatten immer das Gefühl, nicht das Leben zu führen, das Sie eigentlich verdienen? Dann beginnt vielleicht auch für Sie schon bald eine Zeit, die es sich wieder zu leben lohnt.

Die Menschen tun ja instinktiv ihr Leben lang, was alle tun und versuchen das Beste daraus zu machen - aber auch nur so lange ...

... bis sie die Alternativen kennen!Click Here!

Elefanten Trekking in Phang Nga

Elefanten Trekking in Phang Nga.
. In Thailand sind keine gefährlichen Tiere. Ich fütterte den Elefanten Mensch. Thai-Elefanten. Um im Kampf einsetzen. War da der Strom auf den Elefanten Echg und Touristen zum Vergnügen fahren zugeführt.

Khao Lak - Lam Ru

Khao Lak - Lam Ru.


Traditionell ein Forest Park Seaside Hill sagte später, Ava hoch erhaben Dorf unter den drei Sub Kapong Bezirk Kapong Provinz schickte einen Brief an den stellvertretenden Minister für Landwirtschaft am 26. September 2527 an die angegebene Fläche im Stadtteil. Kapong. Und andere Waldgebiete. Um die Wasserscheide Gebieten der Provinz zu sparen. Der Wald ist reich. Fülle von Wildtieren. Es besteht aus einer einzigartigen natürlichen Schönheit ist eine von einer kleinen Wasserfall. Die Einrichtung eines Nationalparks Nr. 66 am 30. August 2534 genannt Khao Lak - Lam Ru. Auf einer Fläche von 78.125 Hektar oder 125 Quadratkilometer.
Topographie.

Das steile Gelände ist gebirgig, einschließlich der Haupt-Komplex, wusste er, er hatte seine goldene Holz, Glas, und das Ende der Tabelle. Ein Spitzenwert von etwa 1.077 Metern über dem Meeresspiegel. Der Ursprung der großen Flüsse der Provinz, darunter das Vereinigte Königreich. Und der NGA. Der Körper besteht aus vielen kleinen Kanälen und Flüssen der Gegend von Khao Lak - Lam Ru. Das Küstengebiet angrenzend an das Meer. Der steinige Strand Ökologie. Sandstrand Ökosystem. Und Korallen.
Klima.

Khao Lak - Lam Ru. Gelegen an der Westküste der Andamanensee. Wurden von der Südwest-Monsun beeinflusst. Der Nordost-Monsun. Die Niederschläge während des ganzen Jahres. Es gibt nur zwei Jahreszeiten: die Sommer-Saison von März bis Januar. Bis April. Regenzeit von März bis Mai. Bis Dezember. Es wird regen sein.
Vegetation und Tierwelt.
Im Allgemeinen ist die Wald.

Tropischen regen Wald mit dem Wald von vertikal in drei Klassen Baldachin unterteilt ist ein Baldachin von der Pflanzenart aus Gummi, mit Latex-Gummi, Hong Yang-, Schweine-, Gummi-Box, der Baldachin Schicht in den Mapring Gummi weißen Beiträge von dem Zelt oder Baldachin Schicht unterhalb der Ton. Die Canon Logic Die Logik Croton-milch und weiß ich versuchen, schüttelt den Dong Mao.
Die Strände an den Küsten Pflanzengesellschaften. Der Boden ist sandig. Das Meer und Felsen. Arten, die an den Stränden abhängen, ist ein Salz-tolerante Pflanzen. Da wurden sie von der Salzgehalt von Meereis beeinflusst. Die Küstengebiete angrenzend an das Meer. Pflanzen, die gefunden, um die Magie Malabar Bull zu spielen waren.
Und Tierwelt.
Tiere, Säugetiere, darunter Mungo, ein kleiner Gong, unter bestimmten Krahgon die Fledermaus Fauna von großen Säugetieren wie Tapir, Serow tragen.
Reptil Aufgeteilt in tagsüber lebenden Reptilien, wie Eidechsen, fliegende Flügel orange. Die stachelige Echsen und Warane, solange Tiere können direkt an der Schlange zu sehen ist eine Schlange, Schlangen-, Solar-Garten Laisa Kapa Schlange Viper und gelben Bauch.
Amphibien gehören Frösche, Ung Kuchen Hgocreg dieses Chaos wieder in den Schoß und Ung, schwarz usw.
Die Studie identifiziert Vogelarten im Park als Top 15 Familien, 108 Gattungen, wie zum Beispiel Falken, Tauben und Vögel Regenbogen grünen Tauben Pyaa ฟ große Teile eines großen Vogels in den drei Arten von Nashornvögel Mund schwarzen Papageien und Vögel gefunden. Nashornvogel
Schmetterlinge. Vor allem in tropischen Regenwald Bereichen gefunden. Vor allem die Regenwälder. Ein Bach oder Teich. Schmetterlinge, die als geschützte Tierarten, darunter Schmetterlinge, alle drei Säcke mit Gold-Standard eingestuft sind. Southern Gold Schmetterlings-Tasche. Umarmungen und Schmetterlingskönigin Frey.
Marine-Tieren, einschließlich Blutegel als Blutegel schwarzen Blutegel weiß Blutegel, Perlen usw. Die Gruppe wurde, wie Stachelschwein Stacheln, Gummi, etc. Die Nacktschnecken sind sicher, dass das Beispiel von Fischen wie Aal Morey Riese Ersatz Fisch Kratugehw Stachelschwein Stacheln lang, eine Gruppe von Federn, wie ein Stern. Gruppen wie Krabben, Garnelen Muscheln, Federn, Muscheln, Muscheln, Stacheln, etc. Leopard Prämien.

Fotos von Khao Lak - Lam Ru, Phang Nga Provinz.

Phangnga
Zum Nationalpark erklärt. August 2534 auf einer Fläche von 150 Quadratkilometern. Umfasst eine Fläche in Takua Pa Bezirk, Muang District, Kapong. Kreise und kreisfreien Städte. Attraktionen im Park sind.
 Khao Lak.
25 km auf der Straße von der Perth Bezirk Nr. 4 (Linie Laden - New York City) und biegen Sie bei Km links Bei 56-57 vor dem Laden des Bezirks nannte er seinen Sohn war das wichtigste Heiligtum.. Auf der gegenüberliegenden Seite des Haupt Er ist der wichtigste Strand, eine kleine felsige Strand ist zuvor. Und viele sind gesäumt.
            Auch. Ton Chong Fah. Oberhalb des Parks befindet sich ca. 5 km von Straßenschildern. 5 km entlang der Schotterstraße, drehen Sie das Auto leicht zu erreichen den Wasserfall.
Die Fahrt von Bangkok. Reisen mit dem Bus nach Phuket. Wenn Takua Pa bis 33 km um den Park zu Büro zu erreichen.

Nang Thong Beach

Nang Thong Beach, einem Küstenabschnitt, um den gleichen Bach eingerückt. Die weichen, weißen Sandstrand Pisten nach Norden in die Rückseite einer Natur, die vom Strand aus gesehen wird, hat goldenen Sandstrand ist das Zentrum der lebendigen Atmosphäre der Bücher hat er sowohl thailändische und ausländische Touristen gleichermaßen. Entspannen Sie sich. Schlendern Sie am Strand entlang, im Meer schwimmen. Sonne und Sand auf Leinwand, und werden auf der Basis von North Beach ist ein Ferienort Reise. Wir haben Nahrung, Unterkunft, Auto, Boot-Touren. Und anderen Einrichtungen.

Finding Handmade Handbags and Purses Online

Handbags may have served both women and men as a functional fashion accessories since as early as the Stone Age, when prehistoric hunter-gatherers -- some 20,000 years BC -- likely carried tools and wild edibles from place to place in crude leaf satchels or simple leather slings.

Egyptian hieroglyphs, several thousand years BC, depict the use of purse-like waist pouches. Later, in Europe between the 12th and 16th Century AD, men also wore small purses strapped about the waist, while women typically carried valuables in pocket-pouches sewed beneath their skirts. It was not until the 1800s that a wider variety of purse styles came into vogue in Europe (particularly as dresses became more shapely, leaving less room for bulky hidden pockets). Elsewhere in the world, culturally-themed handbags, clutches, and shoulder bags have served as essential fashion accessories for many many thousands of years; each culture featuring its own history of use and style.

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In the West, the past 100 years of fashion has featured a seemingly endless parade of increasingly diverse handbag styles, ranging from the utterly vainglorious to the elegantly sublime. Today, handbag fashions remain as capricious as they are numerous. Currently, just about anything goes, from trendy Kate Spade and Prada-style purses to culturally-themed handbags and clutches handmade by little-known designers around the world.

Fortunately for fashionistas today, the Internet helps support the fashion world's broad diversity of current styles, bringing a spectacular variety of handbag options to online buyers' fingertips. With just a few simple key strokes, buyers can find, compare, and purchase just about all of the most famous and most obscure designs today. An incredibly broad selection of handbags, purses, manbags, messenger bags, totes, clutches, pocketbooks, evening bags, unisex satchels, shoulder bags, backpacks, and computer carriers are readily available.

Handmade world-style handbags experienced a major fashion renaissance in the new Millennium, and have continued each successive year to increase in popularity and availability. Many famous designers offer variations on traditional region-based cultural themes, while the original ethnic designs -- upon which those designer models are based -- are just about as readily available online, often shipping direct from appreciative artisan-designers in remote locals.

When searching for handmade handbags online, be sure to shop with reputable retailers. Styles vary so widely, that the best stylistic recommendation -- and the luckiest aspect of the breadth of fashion today -- is simply to choose a look that resonates with you. You may find that you are drawn to fashion accessories -- including handbags -- that reflect your own a cultural heritage or regional fascination. Whatever the reason, be sure to select a handbag that truly appeals to you. We recommend this approach as much more fun and intriguing than purchasing duplicates of handbags that are already widely worn and talked about!

Regional styles vary considerably. Currently, Latin American designers and artisans offer a broad range of stunning and elegant leather handbags. Many artisan-designers in Asia include sustainable reeds and fibers in summery, earth-friendly traditional handbags. Hilltribe artists in Thailand and neighboring nations each produce their own characteristic tribal-themed handbags, many of which are available to purchasers around the world today. Also in Thailand, elaborate handmade sterling silver purses make some of the most exquisite evening bags available on the planet today, often featuring delicate floral details (consider such exceptional works of art for truly special occasions, including black tie dinners and weddings). Master artisans and designers in India likewise create some lovely evening bags, traditionally heavily-beaded and made of cloth.

In Brazil, so many exciting and wild styles define current trends that it is hard to suggest just one or two handbag themes to consider. In Rio, Neide Ambrosio has launched a star-studded handbag phenomenon these past several years with her fabulous collection of unique handmade soda-pop top handbags and matching accessories, all made from recycled soda-pop flip-tops -- collected by otherwise unemployed locals who are now helping "clean up" soda flip tops from the breathtaking beaches of Rio.

Novica's handbags department is a great place to go for an overview of dozens of cultural themes and hundreds of styles, available direct from artisan-designers around the globe. Many other wonderful online retailers likewise provide great options for discovering and purchasing handmade handbags from around the world. We are so fortunate to have so many choices in the world today -- in so many aspects of our lives, including fashion. Enjoy the search, and the many exiting options available!

Finding Handmade Handbags and Purses Online

A Simple Method That Will Essentially Guarantee Your Increased Sales

Setting up a business is all about making it appealing to the surfer to visit your website and then stay on it sufficiently to buy something, or at least show their interest by leaving behind their email address for your potential customer list. There is another need as well - the need of making it easy for your customer to do business with you.

What Does It Take To Promote The Ability To Do Business Best?

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First of all you need to have an excellently designed website which is clear, user friendly and easy to navigate. The surfer should be able to find what they are looking for with the minimum clicks possible. They should also be able complete their purchase once they made up their mind to buy something within maximum three clicks.

Now, let us imagine that you have drawn in this customer who is really impressed with what he/ she finds on your website and wants to buy something. However, when this customer goes for the checkout through your shopping cart system, he/she finds that your mode of payment is no suitable and therefore has the purchase canceled. A big loss to you - not only in the fact that you failed to make a sale when everything was positive and conducive for you, but also you wasted the effort (and most probably a lot of money in the advertisements) that had drawn in the customer in the first place.

The Importance Of Having Multiple Payment Methods

The plus point with the e-commerce is that it catapults you in one go right on to the global market. Your website (your "shop") could be accessed in USA as it could be accessed in Romania, Spain, Australia, Thailand or India. It is therefore important to offer varied methods f payment to your clients such as credit card, debit card, check, paypal, e-check, bank transfer, and so on. The more options you have the easier it would be for the client to close the sale. There are companies online that allows you to offer multiple payment options for your customers. This gives you a lot of flexibility, because the more payment options you offer, more potential sales could be made. The most popular ways to pay online nowadays are credit cards and such payment platforms like Paypal or Google Checkout, where people can easily send you money from their e-wallet account.

Whatever your business maybe - coupling it with a leading affiliate would make things extremely easy for you. For those who have not started yet, but have dreams of earning big on the Internet - here is your chance. You can easily join such companies as Click2Sell and find here all the tools you would ever need to have a completely functional and workable website. You can easily add your product to sell here. Just create a website and describe your product, then place buy now buttons on it. Once you have done this, people will be able to order your product right away. Such companies allow you to run an affiliate program of your product. People are able to signup and promote your products online, so this way you can easily earn much more money. Besides, your customers have a great way to pay with their credit cards, Paypal or Google Checkout accounts. It doesn't matter whether your customers have a credit card or not, they still can purchase your product or service.

The affiliate program gives a lot of benefits for merchants. First of all - you can easily place a simple link to your pre-made page for 'affiliates' and all your website visitors will be able to signup on your referral program and promote your products. This way affiliates could easily bring you an additional income without much of your own effort.

A Simple Method That Will Essentially Guarantee Your Increased Sales

Why On Earth Invest in Thailand's Bangkok?

Thailand investment potential for overseas property buyers are enormous. Expanding tourism, easy accessibility and low property prices make for an investors paradise.

Thai culture has always been greatly influenced by China and India giving an exotic blend for which The Kingdom of Thailand has become famous. Buyers in Thailand tend to be mostly investors who are looking to cash in on the booming tourist industry however with increasing demand this is set to change.

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Overseas investors will be pleased that Bangkok recently opened a new airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), often called New Bangkok International Airport, which is 25 kilometers east of downtown. This facility has flights from all over the world on most major airlines. The old international airport, Don Muang (DMK), is open for limited domestic flights.

The Bangkok real estate market is one of the best for international investors who are interested in the Asian market. Research shows that the property market here is much more affordable than other south Asian cities such as Hong Kong and Singapore. Bangkok has a very nice climate year round and is also close to many recreational activities, such as beaches and tropical resorts.

Because of low labour costs and relatively inexpensive housing, many multinational corporations have made Bangkok one of their overseas homes. This has, in turn, drawn a lot of international businessmen and expatriates to the city looking for high quality housing at reasonable prices. There continues to be a healthy demand for property, meaning that investments should continue to rise in value for the foreseeable future.

The city is one of contrasts, with its fast growing urban skyline and many old temples and historical sights. It is also growing increasingly cosmopolitan with high end shopping, entertainment and fine dining. Because of Thailand's strict foreign ownership laws, apartments and condominiums are the option of choice for most international property seekers in Bangkok.

The new property available in Bangkok is attractive to in the middle and upper-middle income buyers. These properties are typically one and two bedroom units ranging in size between 45 square meters to 80 square meters. Moving up towards the high-end market, new additions were seen in the Sathorn, Silom and Sukhumvit areas, with the majority of condo units offered being two and three bedrooms from 90 square meters to 190 square meters.

My other tip for the top in Thailand is the city of Pattaya which is to be found on the east coast of Tourism in this area appears to be increasing year on year. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand 5.8 million people visited Pattaya in 2006. The combination of its big, wide beaches, water sports, interesting attractions, sightseeing, shopping, makes Pattaya's a great place to buy property in Thailand.

In summary Thailand offers a host of opportunities for the international real estate investor.

Why On Earth Invest in Thailand's Bangkok?

Luxury Holidays - Experience One in Life

Finding various places on internet, paper, and magazine or from any other media source for the holidays is to difficult waste the time in searching. One spend the whole day in searching for a luxury holidays place but don't find a relevant. So here are some guidelines that can help to know, how to choose a perfect destination for a luxury holidays. First of all one has to make a list of the places which are very famous and the most popular one among other places in the world. There are plenty of places for example Hawaii, Bahamas, Maldives, Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai, New York and lot more. When it comes to luxury holidays one has to empty their bank account for experiencing the luxury holidays. One has to spend many on the expenses if one plans to go on a vacation in an island. For example if one has planned to get into the Bahamas Island then one can travel through carnival cruises instead of other transport. One can get proper facilities if they travel through carnival cruises to reach the selected destination. In this cruise one can just have a wonderful experience by just accommodating in their best rooms. The facilities available are not less than a city where one can get all the facilities and places. But one can get all this under one roof only in carnival cruises including shopping center, entertainment spot, and fun zone, rooms to accommodate and lot more facilities. In shopping center one can just wear shopping shoes and shop until you drop or can just have a window shopping with many gift items and products of branded companies.

In the entertainment spot there are club house where one can dance, party, eat, drink or can have a karaoke party. Another is the theater where one can watch movies, dances are been performed by the professional dance troops, magic show or nay other show which are arranged by the event coordinator. This entertainment attracts many people and even visitors come here t o visit and experience this entertainment. For kids and children there are special video games available from arcade, adventure, sports, and puzzle. These games are in plenty of stock so one can just play whole day in play station. Have any one see a water park in the cruise, only in carnival cruises there is a mini water park with so many thrilling and twisting slides which take down into the water. This water park seeks the attention of kids but also of adults. There are various resort style pools available where one can just relax in the sunny day with sipping the drink or reading a magazine. People often come in this carnival cruises either to spend a luxury holidays or just to celebrate the occasion. People come with their families, friends or with loved ones.

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In the carnival cruises one can find all generations having fun and enjoying at the best of it. These cruises either can be a transport to reach the certain destination or can just enjoy in this place. The best time here to spend is watching whales or dolphins the view is so beautiful that one can capture the moment in the camera. The restaurants here are amazing because they serve seafood which is made from fresh fish, crabs or lobsters. If all this can get in one thing then who wont refused to spend a luxury holidays.

Here are some places which are known for the best luxury holidays destination:

Maldives- the most beautiful place preserved with blue water and soft sands. If one can feel to accommodate then there are plenty of cottages situated in the water. Each cottage is made of woods and is so beautiful that the floor is made of glass that one can just sit on the bed watching the marine life.

Costa Rica- the popular place among other places present in the world. It belongs with the uniqueness and natural beauty. This beauty seeks many attention of the people can inspires them to visit here. The beaches are so beautiful with spectacular site and the sand here is white in color.

Hawaii- this place covers many beaches which are popular and it's a dream of every individual to visit here and have a fantastic Holiday. These beaches are so special on the coastline there are many palm trees and coconut trees. Hawaii preserves various sights and are the sunset of Hawaii is very popular and the adventure games too.

Luxury Holidays - Experience One in Life

All About Thai Pride

Beautiful scenery, rich history and plenty of places to go wild make Thailand an exciting adventure for all who go there. It's a country that satisfies a range of travellers, from tourist types looking to hit the beach and soak up some rays, to young backpackers on hedonistic journeys of discovery.

It's a particular darling of the latter set, with thousands of Brits heading to the country every year for a good few months of travelling around the country's islands and lush interior. There's a rich variety of great places to visit and things to do, and months can fly by without running out of activities. If you're travelling to Thailand soon, take a read of this article to find out more about three of the popular destinations.

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Ko Samui
Thailand's third largest island is situated in the Gulf of Thailand, while being a particularly popular option with backpackers in search of booze and sun. So the legend has it, the island was little more than a tiny self sufficient tourist community until 1979, when two tourists arrived via a coconut boat. What they arrived at was a series of beautiful beaches on bright blue waters, and since then tourism has boomed. Ko Samui is now a particularly popular choice with the suitcase brigade as well as the more hippy inclined backpacker set. It can offer the comforts of home on its beautiful beaches, and gives a welcome boozy respite for those who have ventured off the beaten path and want a return to civilisation.

Ko Chang
An island for those who want a little more than the offerings of the more tourist centric islands, Ko Chang is a rock that soars out of the sea, complete with jungle, rugged terrain and of course, many of its very own beaches. Located to the East of the Gulf Thailand near Cambodia, you won't find the regular sellers of knock off Ray-Bans and DVDs in a hurry, and the tourist hubbub is replaced by a more natural tranquillity. The island is home to an array of stunning wildlife that inhabits the scenery. Sea eagles, Andaman kites and hornbills all nest here, while you may even see a reticulated python if you venture inland! When visiting make sure you take on of the dirt pathways for a nature adventure.

Chang Mai
Chang Mai and the surrounding province of the same name are located to the north of the country. The city is one rich with history and culture, having being founded in 1296 while boasting more than 300 Buddhist temples and being surrounded by picturesque mountains. The most famous temple in the city is Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, built in 1383 and offering superb views over the surrounding area.

Chang Mai is also host of many Thai festivals. One of particular interest is Loi Kratong, which usually falls in November in the western calendar. Every year thousands of people float banana leaf containers onto the waterways of the city, while also launching sky lanterns into the air in a spectacular display.

All About Thai Pride

Market in the Clouds

The cool, refreshing air felt rejuvenating as I stepped out of the car. It's a far cry from the hot, humid weather of Kuala Lumpur where I live. The previous time my family and I came to Brinchang in Cameron Highlands (about 1500m above sea level) was about a decade ago.

My youngest daughter, Nisyah, suggested that we go somewhere cooler for the short school holidays to escape the heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur. The drive up to Cameron Highlands was a pleasant 2 1/2 hour journey across scenic lush vegetation dotted by many Orang Asli (Malaysian indigenous people) villages. As we climbed higher, the vegetation turned from tropical rain forest to a temperate land type.

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It was about ten in the morning when we arrived and there were already a large number of people at the well-known vegetable market near the Equitorial Hotel. Finding a place to park took quite a while but we managed to find a space not too far away from the market. The market has changed a lot with permanent brick shops arranged neatly in rows alongside the road compared to the previous scatter of wooden stalls.

"Can I have a strawberry balloon?" asked Nisyah, pointing to the many red colored strawberry-like balloons. As usual, she got her way and ended up with three different red strawberry balloons. My two other daughters, Syafiqah and Syahirah, and son, Khaled, were busy running from one shop to another admiring the many different kinds of fresh vegetables and of course, the strawberries. The current variety of strawberries grown in Cameron Highlands is now bigger, juicier and tastier than the ones grown a decade ago. You can find strawberry chocolates, jam, candy and tea, apart from the usual assortment of T-shirts, umbrellas, and other strawberry souvenirs here.

There were lots and lots of vegetables: colorful cauliflowers in unusual shades of blue, green and red apart from the normal white; large, shiny red and green chilies; numerous varieties of red and yellow succulent tomatoes; and a myriad assortment of leafy vegetables all laid out neatly on shelves in the shops. It was a difficult decision choosing which vegetables to buy, so, we ended up buying a bit of each. You can imagine the amount we bought.

Moving around the shops, I noticed something else that was different about the market - the people manning the shops were mostly Indonesians. As I looked around, I also spotted Bangladeshi and Vietnamese workers. Even our highlands have not escaped the influx of foreign labor.

It was time to leave as we still had a number of other places to visit. I couldn't help but praise how the market has improved. Its cleaner, more organized and the quality of the produce is definitely better. And oh, those strawberries - heavenly delicious!

Cameron Highlands is the smallest district in the state of Pahang which is located in the north-western corner of the state. It is the largest and most famous hill resort in the Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia bordering Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. It is near the Equator and has a tropical climate. For more information go to http://www.tourism.gov.my

Market in the Clouds

Guide to Malaysia

Despite its recent economic crisis, Malaysia continues to careen along the fast track of development. For visitors, this means that Malaysia is a comfortable country to explore, as the roads are smooth, public transportation is good, and familiar comforts abound in all but the smallest of kampungs (villages).

For centuries, Malaysia has been a crossroads for trade in materials, traditions, and ideas. The region was originally settled by the Orang Asli people and migrants from southern China; Indian traders subsequently spread their cultural and religious traditions throughout the area. Islam took root there during the 15th century, when Prince Sri Paremeswara--who founded the empire of Melaka--became a Muslim after marrying a Sumatran ruler's daughter. In 1511, the Portuguese invaded Melaka, only to lose power to the Dutch in the late 1600s. The Dutch maintained control of the region for almost three centuries, until the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1874 ceded the Malaysian kingdom states to the British. On August 31, 1957, the Peninsula was granted independence as the Federated States of Malaya. Singapore, Sabah, and Sarawak joined the Federated States of Malaya, which became Malaysia in 1963. Then Singapore assumed independence in 1965, leaving the peninsula, Sabah, and Sarawak as the Malaysia that remains today.

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Travelers seeking both relaxation and the stimulation of a different culture will find that Malaysia offers the perfect mix of serene coastline and spicy street life. Though Malaysia's beaches are not the most spectacular in Southeast Asia, stretches of coastline on the peninsula's east coast, as well as on islands such as Pangkor and the Pehrentians, offer seaside seclusion that is difficult to find in other parts of the world. Away from the lapping tides, the streets of Georgetown and Kuala Lumpur pulse with the energy of big-city life. Open-air markets attract throngs of people seeking fresh fruit and vegetables. Hawkers at sidewalk stalls dish out tasty pan-fried food like nasi kandar (curry rice) and ormee goreng (spicy noodles). There is also a spiritual flavor to the city streets--Islamic mosques stand beside Hindu and Buddhist temples, bearing testimony to the intertwined history of these Eastern religions.

Malaysia is a country on the move. Its official mission is to become industrialized by the year 2020. But despite the rapid pace of its growth, Malaysia will likely keep its welcoming atmosphere, as the warmth of the people is as unchanging as the tropical weather. The population is a diverse mix of ethnic Malay (58 percent), Chinese (26 percent), and southern Indian (eight percent). Though tensions exist, fomented by blatantly pro-Malay policies enacted by the majority government, interactions among ethnic groups remain remarkably open and peaceful.

Cameron Highlands

The Cameron Highlands is a lush area of mountaintop jungle in a remote corner of Pahang State. It's easy to see why the British chose this spot for retreat--the temperature is ten degrees cooler than low-lying Kuala Lumpur, and the landscape is an enchanting patchwork of rolling jungle and terraced plantations. There are three towns in the Cameron Highlands: Ringlet, Tanah Rata, and Brinchang. Tanah Rata is the main town, and it offers hostels and mid-scale hotels, as well as many restaurants and shops. Trails snake for miles through the jungle, leading to breathtaking mountaintop vistas and cascading waterfalls.

Cherating

Cherating lies off a quiet stretch of highway about 12 miles (20km) north of Kuantan. Hiding behind ramshackle restaurants is a beautiful half-moon beach, one of the most dazzling beaches on the peninsula. This is one of the top 10 windsurfing spots in the world, and every afternoon the ocean is dotted with colorful sails flapping in the breeze. Inexpensive but comfortable cabanas cluster in the shade of palm trees at the edge of the beach. Club Med owns a gorgeous section of coast a little more than a mile (2km) away from Cherating's main beach.

Kuala Lumpur

The bustling capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is proof of the country's movement into the industrialized world. KL (as it is commonly dubbed) received a citywide facelift for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, and since then the capital has boasted a buffed atmosphere of almost Singaporean standards. Travelers should see the Petronas Towers (the tallest buildings in the world), stroll in Merdeka Square, visit the elegant marble Masjid Jamek (a lovely mosque in the center of the city), and enjoy the booming nightlife in a city rivaling Singapore as a hotspot for clubs and bars.

Langkawi

The big island of Langkawi is one of 99 islands in the Langkawi group that cluster off the northwest coast near the border with Thailand. More so than perhaps anywhere else in Malaysia, Langkawi exhibits extremes in untouched landscapes and developed coastline. The island is lovely to drive around. There are many pristine beaches and waterfalls to see, as well as fishing kampungs (villages) and magnificent caves to explore. Because of its remote locale and relatively large size, those who stay for at least two full days best enjoy Langkawi.

Melaka

Whereas Kuala Lumpur is the Malaysia of the present and the future, Melaka is the Malaysia of the past. A virtual living museum, the old town makes for a pleasant stroll past crimson buildings in the Dutch square, around vendors hawking local handicrafts, and through the narrow alleyways of Chinatown. There are many fascinating museums housed in the old Dutch government buildings. The ruins of a Portuguese-Catholic-cum-British-Protestant church surrounded by Dutch tombstones is testimony to Malaysia's checkered colonial past. This is a good place to try nyonya food, a spicy blend of Chinese and Malay cooking.

Mount Kinibalu

Mount Kinabalu is located in the northern region of Sabah, on the island of Borneo. Kinibalu is Southeast Asia's tallest mountain, peaking at 13,451 feet (4,101m) above sea level and rising every year. Untouched jungle-covered mountain slopes surround Kinabalus' granite core; a breathtaking setting typifying many travelers' ideals of tropical Southeast Asia. Climbing to the Kinabalu summit is no small feat, and should be attempted by only those who are fit and prepared.

Penang

Though Penang's beaches are arguably the least interesting of all of Malaysia's island beaches, the island remains a highlight because of its combination of lovely coastline and the bustling cultural center of Georgetown. Georgetown is a feast for all senses. Open-air markets, congregations of food hawkers, and throngs of pedestrians and motorbikes are sure to excite young and old. The resorts at Batu Ferringhi offer an antidote to the Georgetown racket. The luxury hotels that line the northeastern coast of Penang are a perfect beachfront destination for those who like convenience and creature comforts.

Perhentian Islands

Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Island) and Pulau Perhentian Besar (Big Island) are located about 12 miles (20km) off the northeast coast of the peninsula. These isles are the perfect getaway destination for those who are willing to sacrifice resort-style luxury for solitude and pristine stretches of sand. The Small Island is famous for Long Beach, where the sand is wide and white and the water is ideal for swimming. The Big Island is less popular (though the west coast attracts young divers) and therefore offers more seclusion.

Pulau Pangkor

Pangkor is a small island off the west coast that is located roughly equidistant from Penang and Kuala Lumpur. In size and atmosphere, Pangkor is like Penang's and Langkawi's little sibling. The island is small enough to drive around in half an hour. Its compact nature lends the isle a charm conducive to relaxation. Pangkor's smallness also precludes monotonous strips of resort development, allowing for the simple enjoyment of sun, surf, and sand. The Pan Pacific Resort offers luxury accommodations and water sports on Golden Sands Beach; there are also mid-market hotels at Pantai Pasir Bogak and budget cabanas at Teluk Nipah.

Taman Negara

Taman Negara National Park, located in the center of the peninsula, is one of the last remaining areas of indigenous rain forest on the peninsula. Though the larger animals, such as elephants, tigers, rhinos, and leopards, rarely venture near the developed parts of the park, there are plenty of magnificent birds to be seen. The most convenient place to stay is the Taman Negara Resort, which runs a ferry service from Kuala Tahan. There are guided treks and a canopy walk that allows visitors to see the forest from planks suspended above the treetops.

Tioman

Though Tioman's land is becoming overcrowded, its waters are still a diver's paradise. The azure-blue waters are clear to a depth of more than 10 yards (or meters). Diving and snorkeling excursions depart from Kumpung Tekek and Kampung Salang. Those who simply want a peaceful retreat will find lovely chalets on stilts at Kumpung Air Batang (Bamboo Hill Chalets) and more isolated accommodations at the Juara Bay Resort, cut into the hills at Kampung Juara.

Top Cities in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur - Penang - Langkawi - Kota Kinabalu - Georgetown - Kuantan - Malacca - Johor Bahru - Kuching - Petaling Jaya - Cameron Highlands - Kuala Terengganu - Kota Bharu - Subang Jaya - Fraser's Hill

Top Hotels in Malaysia

Tanjong Jara Resort - Batu 8 Off Dungun A Famosa Resort - Jalan Kemus Simpang Empat Imperial Hotel - 76-80 Cangkat Bukit Bintang Cititel Hotel - 66 Jalan Penang Mandarin Hotel - 2-8 Jalan Sultan

Guide to Malaysia

Travel to Asia - A Plane Route With Star Alliance

Together with the Round the World route, Star Alliance has become famous for their multiple air passes for different regions. Today I would like to speak about the option they offer within Asia and South Pacific. First of all, let's see which countries this offer includes, as they use the term Asia excluding all the Middle East Region but including some South Pacific countries.

This travel pass can bring you to 17 countries, grouped in 3 regions: South-East Asia, North Asia and South-Pacific

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South-East Asia includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. You can travel to all those destinations if you want, but you can't fly to a country that is outside this zone and then come back to visit another one belonging to the zone. You need to finish the countries you want to see in this zone before going on.

The area of North Asia has the same rules as the one before, and the countries included are Hong-Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. Finally, the South-Pacific area includes only Australia and New Zealand.

The limitations and rules are pretty clear. There exist two options, one for 15,000 miles and the other for 18,000, with different prices and also depending on the class you prefer when flying. The minimum stay allowed is 3 days and the maximum is 6 months, taking into account that you need to do at least 2 stopovers during your route, you are allowed to land only once in each city, and you are forced to return to the origin city where you started the trip.

In the end, taking a look at all this, the plan seem very interesting for all Asia and South Pacific lovers, as this offer comes together with reduced prices and allows great flexibility, adapting to the needs of almost every passenger. If it has only one negative point, is that you must travel within the 3 sectors, drawing a circle, so in case that you have very few days, probably the price will not be worth and a local ticket that could apply to only one of the regions or to one country alone could be more price-saving. Of course you are allowed to visit the three regions in three days but... Do you really think you will enjoy a trip like this one?

Travel to Asia - A Plane Route With Star Alliance

Muay Thai Training Techniques to Improve the Way You Fight

Muay Thai is a form of mixed martial art that originated in Thailand but has now gained worldwide popularity. It serves a variety of purposes. Although the primary aim is to learn a means of self defense, but many people take up Muay Thai for the cardiovascular exercise and the general fitness that can be achieved through these sessions.

To be a good Muay Thai fighter, you should first have a lean and fit body. And the best way to get your body into shape is by running. Running not only tones the body but also gives shape and strength to your legs which is essential for Muay Thai fighting. You can start off slow and gradually increase the distance you run, up to 5-10 km every day. This will also help to increase your stamina. Skipping is also a good exercise, which, apart from keeping you fit, also helps to attain the balance and posture required in Muay Thai. Rather than jumping on both feet, hooping on one foot alternately will give you a better practice. But a lean and fit body alone does not make a good Muay Thai fighter. You should also focus on building strength. And the best way to do that is to train with lighter and mobile weights with several repetitions. These were just means to tone your body and make it ready for the actual fight.

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As far as perfecting the art of Muay Thai fighting is concerned, there is no alternative to practice. There are four possible practice methods for Muay Thai fighting. First is shadow boxing. Usually practiced in front of a mirror, you can follow your movements and simulate both your offensive as well as defensive moves. However, you need to remember two things while practicing shadow boxing. You should throw the full range of your punches or kicks rather than holding back and delivering half shots. Also, it is a means to better your fighting. So you should concentrate on your movements and posture rather than on your looks and muscles.

Next method is to practice with a punching bag. You should carefully select your bag after consulting with your trainer. Use your bag to perfect the placement and technique of your attacks rather than aimlessly pounding away at the bag. Next up in the regime is the practice with Thai pads, with either your trainer or a well trained partner donning the pads to represent targets for you to strike this can help you perfect your attack on a moving opponent as well as develop your defensive skills. And finally, once you are ready, you practice sparring with a partner to get a real life feel of the intricacies and maneuvers of Muay Thai.

Now, while sparring, there are a few subtle variations that you can bring about in your fight that can improve your fighting a lot. First, you should lean into your kick so that your body weight also goes into the kick. Thus rather than depending only on the speed of your kick, you can increase the force of your kick as well. Another simple trick is a follow through kick or punch, where rather than focusing your power on the target you intend to it, focus it at a point beyond your target. This will make the force of your hit drive through the target and do much more damage.

These few Muay Thai fighting techniques will help you to enhance your fighting skills.

Muay Thai Training Techniques to Improve the Way You Fight

Your Dream Wedding in Koh Samui

When you say forever, it just has to be perfect. And one of the best destinations for the exchange of wedding vows on your most unforgettable day would be by the beaches right in the heart of the Gulf of Thailand.

Known as one of the world's top vacation spots, Koh Samui is also renowned as one of the favorite places for weddings. With its white sandy beaches, charming coral reefs, and abundant natural resources, it truly makes a picture-perfect location for any wedding ceremony.

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Apart from its natural beauty, there's much to discover in Koh Samui, as it never runs out of interesting places to visit along with an exciting list of fun-filled activities! Tourists from all over the world cannot stop raving about Samui's popular spots such as the Lamai beach and the Chaweng beach. Apart from these beaches, some of the more quieter and relaxing beaches in Koh Samui include other such as Mae Nam beach, Tong Yang beach, Cherng Mon beach and Nar Ton beach. Apart from snorkeling, island-hopping, Thai boxing, and discovering the various Thai culinary delights, a series of events to look forward to throughout the year in Koh Samui include the Buffalo Fighting Festival, the Samui Regatta, the Ten Stars Samui Art Party, and more.

Koh Samui, which is the Kingdom's third largest island is also known as Coconut Island, as it produces for Thailand an average of 2 million coconuts in a month. Originally a backpackers' retreat, Samui is totally developed with modern infrastructure yet still retaining the image of a luxurious island paradise. Its location, offering direct flight links to Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong makes it the perfect base for discovering the rest of South East Asia.

If you are planning to get married in Thailand, we can assist you with the legal marriage registration as well as your wedding coordination requirements. Our team of planners and legal advisors can work together to ensure that your dream wedding becomes a reality, down to the last perfect detail.

Whether you are planning to have a Christian, Catholic, Secular, a traditional Thai Buddhist wedding, or any wedding ceremony of your own preference, be it at a five-star hotel, by the rolling landscapes, or along the immaculate white sands of this island paradise, having a Samui wedding is definitely one of the best ideas for the celebration of an everlasting union of love.

Your Dream Wedding in Koh Samui

Cheap Flights to Thailand - Why Advance Booking is Recommended

Since you probably are about to take a trip to Thailand, one thing you ought to know is that Thailand flights are often heavily booked. You should therefore book your flight well in advance and be sure to confirm your booking early enough subject to airline policies. Due to the heavy bookings especially during the peak season, getting cheap flights to Thailand can sometimes become a real task. However, some few tips will help you find a good bargain.

Choosing the time to visit Thailand is important as the airfares vary, albeit slightly, with the seasons. If your destination is Thailand's biggest island, Phuket, remember that the period between November and March is the high season as more and more people come to enjoy the pleasant weather around this time. The season March-September has fewer visitors owing to the heavy rain and humidity. That is why advance booking is recommended as booking early will help you avoid the inconvenience of overbooked and overpriced flights during the high season.

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The major airlines such as KLM, BA, Cathay Pacific, Thai Airways, PB Air, Air Asia, Bangkok Airways and Singapore Airlines all fly to the various airports in Thailand. For connecting flights, there are respectable airlines serving Thailand such as Kenya Airways, Emirates and Ethiopian. Hundreds of online agencies also provide information on the best ways to obtain cheap flights to the country.

For visitors from the US, there is a wide variety of cheap flight providers to choose from. A typical low fare from LA, for example, to Thailand's capital Bangkok, would be around 0. The easiest way to compare flight charges and ensure you get cheap flights to Thailand would be through using travel websites such as Travelocity. You will find this to be easy, effective and time-saving. All you need to do is enter your flight location, the departure date and probably the return date and within an instance you have will have up to tens of flight packages to compare and select from.

You can also get cheap flight packages by opting to make hotel plus flight bookings. Some travel agents will normally give you big discounts on your travel if you make flight plus hotel bookings. The savings when this arrangement is made tend to be quite substantial. Moreover, many airlines give discount coupons regularly and these also help to reduce the price of your air ticket.

Cheap Flights to Thailand - Why Advance Booking is Recommended

Cock Fighting in Thailand

Frequent visitors to Thailand would be very surprised to learn that Cock Fighting is actually a very popular 'sport' in the country. There is documentary evidence to show that it was taking place in 1562 but it is believed to have been common for many hundreds of years before that. It is not predominantly a city based activity however and most events are held in the outer suburbs and rural areas in the country's 70+ licensed venues. Illegal events are not unknown.

Cock Fighting was first introduced to Britain by Julius Caesar and very popular until it was made illegal by Queen Victoria in 1845. It still carries on as an illegal activity in many areas. In the USA it has gradually become against the law in each state until the last, Louisiana, banned it in 2008. In Asia however it is extremely popular in most countries and especially in the Philippines where it is almost the national 'sport'. It is more popular than traditional sports like football.

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Though gambling is illegal in Thailand it still operates in a round about way at Cock Fighting events with money exchanging hands as 'prize' or 'purchase' cash. This is one of the reasons that it is a popular activity. A Cock Fight will attract a large audience and coupled with drink and food on hand it become a day out as well as a very exciting event.

Large amounts of money will exchange hands on such days. With birds exchanging hands for up to 20,000 Thai Baht a time and ticket and 'prize' money it is not unusual for quarter of a million Baht to be made. Fights will take place all day and birds and their trainers move from venue to venue. Birds will even be taken over borders to neighbouring countries to take part in fights. Such birds had their own passports including photo and health certificate. During the bird flu epidemic in 2004 such activities were held up as a cause and a temporary ban placed on the movement of birds. Many birds had to be slaughtered and it was an economic disaster who earned their living by fighting cocks. Prior to the bird flu there was estimated to be 30 million fighting cocks in Thailand.

Today some people make their entire living in the fighting cock market. Birds are bred, housed, trained and sold. There is even quite a lucrative market in the export of birds which is reputed to make something in the region of a million Baht annually.

Cock Fighting is only legally allowed to take place on Sundays in Thailand. There have long been efforts to try and have the law relaxed but the judiciary are holding strong. The 'sport' is showing a resurgence in Thailand with International events being staged and even an attempt to make the 'sport' more 'humane'. In legal fights in Thailand the birds wear 'boxing gloves' to cover their spurs unlike other countries where the spurs are enhanced with blades.

Cock Fighting in Thailand

Retirement Speech Examples

When a co-worker retires, it is indeed a special occasion. It is the grand finale of a career.
It is ironically a happy and a sad time. No doubt, the organization will miss the retiree, and the retiree will miss the organization. Customarily, a retirement party is given in honor of the individual who is retiring. Someone from the organization or the industry gets the lucky job of giving a speech for the retiree.

Let's say it is You! But what do you say? How do you say it? How long do you say it?
First find out how many people will attend. Next, find out who the people are. For example, are they co-workers, or are they clients? It is an unwritten rule (up until now) that retirement speeches are somewhat humorous and lighthearted, but respectful. It is after all, a fine day for the retiree. One they will never forget!

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Below are two retirement speech examples. The first one is a sample speech, and the second one is a general outline. This outline could be adapted to fit almost any retirement occasion.

Retirement speech example:

Good afternoon members of the GREAT Industry and welcomed guests. I have been honored to speak on behalf of my dear friend and colleague, Mrs. Boss.

My first memory of Ms. Boss, was some 40 years ago, when she resembled Mary Tyler Moore, and her vision to become a voice for USA residents. And I remember thinking, she's going to take this town!

When Ms. Boss and myself entered in this business, all those years ago, the GREAT Industry was a completely different world, with a certain stigma. Our products were, in the beginning, quite small and quite common.

In 19XX, Ms. Boss was instrumental in the approval of the mass production, which is commonplace today.

She has had an impact at the State and National level in order to provide a cost-effective production solution for our customers. In fact, she has lobbied for more rigid production standards and licensing requirements, which have allowed our products to become superior.

This is a significant achievement, which allows our products to provide our customers with quality. Which meet or exceed the expectations of State and National goals.

Which means that we have in the excess of 20,000 happy customers.

Use this guide to prepare your own custom speech:

Retirement speech example outline :

1. I remember...think of how the industry was at the beginning of the retiree's career.

2. Mention Colleagues, other industry members that have had an impact on the industry or organization.

3. Mention major Milestones in the industry or organization.

4. I remember...try to describe an amusing story about the retiree.

5. Look to the future direction of the industry or organization. What will the next generation move toward?

6. What core values have been important to the industry or organization. How have they changed and how have they remained the same?

Retirement Speech Examples

Education in Third World

With the daily challenges posed by economic difficulty and other threats, governments in developing countries are working very hard to ensure that their educational institutions continue to provide a standard of education that can make its citizens at part with the educated people in more economically sound countries. To a certain extent, these Third World countries have succeeded in their crusade for quality education. The problem is that a good education comes with a price and it is often a price that many people in Third World countries are not able to pay. So, although quality education is available, it is still unreachable for a large segment of a developing country's population.

Certainly, it is impressive to see that developing countries have educational institutions that are world-class and which offer education that can rival that provided by wealthier nations around the world. There is a clear recognition of the role that education plays in overcoming hardship and poverty. However elusive it may be, a good education is still viewed as the best way to a better life.

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Among the developing countries that have superb educational systems are such "emerging markets" as Mexico, India, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Egypt, South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, much of South America and several of the Persian Gulf Arab States.

Obviously, the poorest of the poor in these countries will have a hard time getting into the best schools in their vicinity. Of course, there are always scholarship programs available but these are few. Besides, people at the lowest spectrum of the economic scale are more concerned with more pressing issues related to their mere survival such as where to find food and money for clothing and shelter. After these basic needs are met, that is the only time that parents can really focus on their children's schooling. In fact, studies indicate that once their basic economic needs are met, the first priority of most poor families is how to send their children to a good school.

India recently launched EDUSAT, an educational program aimed at giving quality education to even its poorest citizens. Among the group's first initiatives is the development of a 0 laptop which the government hopes to distribute by 2007 to public schools all over the country.

Education in Third World

Top 10 Best Places and Interesting Destinations in Thailand For Vacationing Family With Children

Thailand is the best place to spend family vacations. The country has plenty of beautiful and attractive places which parents and their children will definitely love. There are top ten best places in Thailand where most families from around the world love to visit. Here is the list of the ten most recommended vacation destinations in Thailand:

1.    Pattaya, Thailand - located along the Thailand Gulf. It is the most popular ocean site resort in the Southeast Asia. Pattaya has 300 affordable hotels to choose from, which are perfect for vacationing families of any size. There are also a number of markets and shopping malls. Lots of affordable restaurants are also found in Pattaya serving the delicious Thai delicacies.

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2.    Phuket - the most popular tourist destination in the country with its beautiful white sand beach coasts. Phuket is also known as the "pearl of the South". Here, one can find the best variety of restaurants offering the best of Thai cuisines.

3.    Koh Samui - perfect to spend family summer vacations. Koh Samui has a large number of beach hotels where one can enjoy the amazing beauty of the white sand beaches along the coastlines. Resorts offer good budget accommodations which will surely please families.

4.    Chiand Mai popular tourist destination mostly because of the best shopping experience it offers. Here, one can buy a lot with just a dollar. Tourists often swarm the market of Chiang Mai that opens from 5pm and opens until midnight daily. The night marketplace has many products that will surely suit and satisfy everyone. Goods such as clothes, baggage, souvenir items, shoes and a lot more can be found here. There are also clubs in several places which offers very affordable prices. This is definitely a place for any family vacation.

5.    Koh Chang Thailand - is a marine national park which attracted thousands of visitors worldwide. The island has a nick name of "the last untouched paradise in the Southeast Asia", because much of its place are not yet been discovered by modern explorations and haven't been built in with establishments and infrastructures. Here, one can fully appreciate the pure gifts of nature. Koh Chang has everything nature has to offer. Perfect getaway place for families who wants to have a quiet and peaceful vacation. Families can rent natively designed bungalows where they can feel at ease and comfortable all throughout their stay.

6.    Krabi, Thailand - an island territory of Thailand that has fine-looking coastline and offshore islands. This location was used in the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo di Caprio. These beaches are truly pictures perfect panoramas, together with the coconut palm trees and the blue waters of the ocean. Krabi has been a favorite place for vacationers coming from different countries.

7.    Hua Hin - a place which combines pleasure and beach holidays and also a place for several sports. Golf has been the most famous sport here wherein visitors can play under the shade of the coconut trees.

8.    Chiang Rai - a located in the mountainous regions of Thailand, which are said to have retained much Thailand's culture. Popular attractions here include the White Temple, which is the only handcrafted temple in Thailand with striking botanical gardens. Visitors love to visit here and take a look at the Buddha statues built in Buddhist temples which truly spectacular.

9.    Cha-am Thailand - located 160 kilometers south of Bangkok, about two hours drive via car.  Cha-am beach resort is known as the longest white sand beach in Thailand. It is also a place for golfing which many of vacationers enjoy to play. Perfect for vacationing families.

10.    Bangkok - the main attractions in Bangkok are the magnificent temples and shrines along the city. These religious buildings were made with artistic architecture design which are truly captivating to the eyes.

Top 10 Best Places and Interesting Destinations in Thailand For Vacationing Family With Children

Thailand Broadband Internet Comparisons - AIS - TOT - 3BB

I will compare Internet speed tests for three different Internet broadband connections I've had the opportunity to use in Thailand. If you are going to be in Thailand, hopefully this comparison will help you to make a decision on which Internet broadband provider to choose. Of the three services tested, one utilizes a mobile wireless system that uses GSM Edge to connect to the Internet. The other two are standard ADSL services from competing companies in Thailand. All of the tests were performed using the same laptop, at approximately the same time of day. Tests were performed within 5 KM of each other in Chiang Rai Thailand.

The first broadband type I tested was the AIS wireless Edge solution. I purchased a USB Edge card from 7-11 convenience store which are everywhere Thailand. The USB card cost me 1200 Baht (around USD). The price included 20 hours of wireless time.

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You can purchase additional hours to the card. Adding 20 hours of time is 150 Baht (around .50 USD) The USB card itself houses a SIM card just like the SIM card that goes into your phone. In fact, you can swap AIS SIM cards between your phone and USB card if you want. The USB card has software built-in and I successfully Installed it on Windows XP and Windows 7 laptops. I was not able to get the card to work with Mac OS X. The software works just like any other dial-up/3G/4G modem where you click a button to connect and disconnect from the Internet.

Why test Edge and not 3G? Well, Thailand is currently caught up in legal problems with wireless carriers about allocating 3G frequencies so the current 3G offerings are very limited. Edge is the best option for nationwide coverage unfortunately. In fact, Thailand might be better off leapfrogging 3G and going straight to a 4G technology such as WiMAX or LTE. I wrote an article for Network World magazine in 2009 regarding a Cisco pilot program testing WiMAX at a University in Northern Thailand. I've had the opportunity to see 4G in action both in Thailand and In the United States and in both locations, I came away very impressed...much more of a true competitor to DSL than 3G wireless.

That being said, if you travel frequently, the AIS Edge is not a bad option...as long as you do not require much bandwidth. AIS claims a maximum download speed of 512 Kbps, in my tests I received 115 Kbps download and 63 Kbps upload speeds. Not very impressive but it does the job when just browsing the Internet. I even was able to do a Skype video call using this card although the video quality was pretty bad. Audio calls worked fine.

The second speed test I attempted is a DSL connection from TOT in Thailand. Most people that have DSL opt for the lowest offering which is 4000 Kbps download and 512 Kbps upload. Currently, the monthly cost for this service is 590 Baht ( USD) a month which includes a DSL modem/router The speed test showed a much lower download number receiving approximately 1779Kbps down and 371Kbps up.

Lastly, I tested a second popular DSL carrier in Thailand called 3BB. The ADSL tested is identical to the TOT offerings being 4000 Kbps download and 512 Kbps upload speeds. The monthly price for the service with an included DSL modem router is also the same as TOT at 590 Baht per month. Unlike the TOT service test, the 3BB download speeds were spot on. In terms of upload speeds, 3BB was a little bit lower than the TOT ADSL connection that was tested. The 3BB speed test found speeds of 4060 Kbps down and 310 Kbps up.

Please keep in mind that this is just one persons test. Your results might vary depending on location and time of day. Based on these tests, if I were to choose a DSL provider, I would go with 3BB for the far superior download test. If I really relied on frequent uploads, I would choose the TOT DSL connection. Lastly, if I needed a mobile Internet solution, I would have to go with AIS's Edge...although 3BB's upload speeds were fairly close and seem to burst at higher speeds.

Thailand Broadband Internet Comparisons - AIS - TOT - 3BB

Unit Rates and Thai House Plans To Estimate the Cost of Building a House in Thailand

This article is based on my recent experience of actually going through the process of obtaining estimates of the cost of building a house in Thailand including getting quotations from builders in Thailand and also using unit build rates (how much square meter) to build a retirement house in Thailand.

It will be useful to anyone retiring in Thailand or planning to retire to Thailand and build a retirement house.

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The Two Main Two Ways To Estimate the Cost of Building a House in Thailand

There are basically two ways of pricing a building project in Thailand.

1. Using Unit Build Rates To Estimate The Cost Of Building A House

The first and simplest method is by using Unit Build Rates, i.e. how much per square meter it costs to build the house in Baht/m2. There are a range of Unit Build Rates for houses in Thailand and these vary according to the standard of the building and the location in the country.

There are other factors that affect the price of building a house in Thailand and these are not normally allowed for in unit build rates.

Just one example is that the cost of building depends greatly upon the particular builder chosen as quotations for the same property from different builders varies greatly.

Unit rates for use in estimating the cost of house construction are readily available where I live in the United Kingdom (UK). There are many websites that list these unit rates and also there are pricing books that give rate per square metre for a range of building types and sizes. This method is commonly used in Great Britain, and other Western countries to work out a budget cost for building a house.

However, in Thailand the situation is different. I have not seen any 'official' Unit Build Rates for Thailand but several websites, notably those Forums catering for expats living in Thailand, give some rough figures from people who have built their own retirement house in Thailand.

But that's all they are - a guide - and really barely worth using even for budgeting purpose.

Two Examples from Thai Websites of Unit Rates for House Build Cost in Thailand

From A1Real.com

Bangkok: "As of March 2006, buyers had to pay 81,975 baht/m2 in average to acquire a condominium unit in central area of Bangkok compared to 72,596 baht/m2 in the last twelve months".

From Thai-AirPark.com

Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand: "A house built to western standard will cost between 160 to 300 Euros / m2″ (At 45 Euros/Baht (Jan 2010) that works out at 7,200 to 13,500 Thai Baht per m2).

Notice how the unit rate for these two examples are so different.

Another way to get unit rates for Thailand is to approach Thai builders and architects. Unit Build Rates recently sent to me by one of Thailand's leading Bangkok-based design-and-build companies are in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 Baht/m2.

The method of application of the Unit Build Rates is simple. You work out the total floor area of the proposed building including all floors and multiply by the unit rate. There is no need to find or involve a builder for this method once you have decided on the the unit rate to use.

There are inherent inaccuracies in this approach because the mix of different types of usage will be different in different building.

For example, using my own proposed property in Pak Chong, Thailand, as an example, the house is a typical 'post' house and half of the ground floor is left 'open' to be made into usable rooms at a later date and the other half simply has blockwork walls to for a workshop.

Clearly the unit rate for these areas is different and different from the first floor that contains kitchen, bedrooms and other living area.

Another example of different type (and hence costs) of building usage using my Pak Chong house as an example is that on the first floor I have a very large (compared to the rest of the house) patio area and also another semi-open area both of which would be a much lower cost to construct than the living accommodation areas.

The fact is that new build houses in Thailand are very often of completely different style and layout to other houses. This is in comparison with the UK where new houses are often built in their hundreds all to the same design. Everyone knows what you will get in a '3 bed semi-detached house' in England. In this situation unit rates can be safely applied.

So what area is used in the cost calculation? Do you use the total area including the ground floor open area and workshop and the first floor patio and semi open area plus the living accommodation areas? Or do you use the unit rate just for the living accommodation and take a percentage of the unit rate for the lower cost areas?

The problem is that I don't know the basis for the unit rate in the first place. i.e. whether it was for a property similar to mine with the open areas included, or whether it was for a property with a greater percentage of actual living area.

In conclusion the Unit Build Rates method in Thailand can only be used to get a very rough idea of the likely cost and is really not accurate enough for establishing a budget.

2. Obtaining A Quotation From A Thai Builder For Building A House In Thailand

This method depends upon finding a builder to prepare a quotation based (usually) a set of drawings (also called house plans) for the property in question. (The house you want to build to retire to in Thailand) Obviously, the more accurate and detailed the house plans, the more accurate the quotation can be.

Other documents may also be provided to supplement the house plans and these include a Scope Of Works describing the scope of the project (not normally produced in Thailand) and Schedules. The Schedules are typically a schedule of finishes, schedule of doors, ironmongery etc.

There are three major difficulties with this method.

1. Obtaining The House plans And Other Documents

I'm lucky in that I can use the Autocad Computer Aided Drawings (CAD) software package and am familiar with building design so I was able to produce my own CAD drawings and schedules for my planned retirement house in Thailand.

Also, I didn't start with a blank sheet of paper, instead I downloaded some existing Thai house plans from the Thai Government website (Search for 'download Thai Government House Plans') and selected one to use as a starting point for my own Thai house design.

If you don't fancy this do-it-yourself approach you will have to find someone to make the house plans for you. Whilst this is easy in (if somewhat expensive) in the UK, if you try to find a Thai Architect to do this for you then you may have problems.

Firstly finding an Architect in Thailand is not easy although I did find an architectural and construction company in Bangkok and I subsequently appointed then to make the construction drawings for my own house - but that is another story.

Secondly, how do you explain to an Architect what you want? This is particularly difficult (impossible?) if you don't already have your own preliminary drawings as I did and if you aren't in a position to sit down in the same room as the architect and pour over ideas and concepts.

Doing that by email from starting from scratch from outside of Thailand is next to impossible.

2. Translation Of The Documents Into The Thai Language

This is not so difficult if you are prepared to pay for a translator in Thailand.

A translator can easily translate the schedules but adding Thai to CAD drawings in not easy unless the translator also knows how to use the CAD software! My own house plans and schedules are in English only and I was able to get a quotation from a Thai builder.

You might try English only and just get the translator to translate the technical phrases that the builder doesn't understand. Again, much easier to do if you are in Thailand alongside the translator and builder.

3. Finding A Builder In Thailand

This can be one of the most difficult tasks you have to do.

My wife has contacted at least six builders from within Thailand and only one has produced a price. That price was based on the house plans and schedules that I produced but was about double what we expected, at 2.1 million Baht, which works out at 16,000 Baht/m2.

The answer we get from most of the builders is that they are too busy to work on providing a price for a small house build job. It seems that many builders are engaged on large projects in the coastal resorts of Thailand (e.g. Phucket) and that our tiny little project in Pakchong is not worth their while.

The method I used to find builders consisted of knocking on doors "You have a nice house, can you tell me who the builder was?" I find it easy to approach people and one day I was chatting with the Security Guard at our hotel, "The Mansion" at 8/8 Soi Tedsaban 8, Mittrapap Rd., Pakchong, Thailand, and he announced that he could get a price from at least two builders.

We took him up on that offer but never received the quotations. One was too busy and the other wanted 5,000 Baht up front before preparing a quotation in case we didn't select him as our builder! By the way, the Security Guard said that his commission was 10 percent!

In this short discussion on how I obtained budget estimates for a retirement home in Thailand I have covered the two main methods, using unit rates and house plans, to secure a budget price and the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Also I have explained the three difficulties you will face when trying to get a builder in Thailand to give you an estimate for building your retirement house in Thailand.

Unit Rates and Thai House Plans To Estimate the Cost of Building a House in Thailand

Similan Island Diving

There are lots of little and enchanting islands close to the primary island of Phuket. You are able to get through to these islands in approximately an hour or two from Phuket. Several from the islands supply fantastic vacation spots for snorkeling and scuba diving and quite a few of them possess pleasant seashores for soothing.

Phi Phi islands is yet another destination for the tourists. It's based within the Krabi realm of Thailand. The Pearl white sandy beach locations supply absolute pleasure. This tropical isle is mainly composed of two islands, the Phi Phi Don Island and the Phi Phi Ley Island. Phi Phi Don offers holiday accommodation and lots of sporting water fun-based activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving; together with carefully guided tours on the other hand Phi Phi Ley is not inhabited. These are typically the second commonly well-liked island after Phuket.

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Similan Islands are mainly consisting of a group of 9 islets. These islands entice divers as well as the non-divers.Similan Islands are perceived as to be one of the very best diving destinations within the world. Similan Island Diving is one of the main events that most of the tourists wait for in going to this astonishing place. For anyone who isn't in line with diving, they could go for journeys in jungles or basically relaxing on the clean exotic beach locations and take pleasure in the breathtaking perspective from the aquatic views.

Surin Islands are positioned not too distant from the Burmese national boundaries. It's an archipelago of five islands. They possess fantastic underwater existence. Sharks could be witnessed within the waters close to these islands together with manta sun rays. Only one particular island offers accommodation for travelers and guests. The islands also possess fantastic trekking locations and one may well appreciate the fauna and flora within the rainforest.

Krabi is one from the most stress-free locations on the entire world. Spectacular landscape, great pearly white sand seashores, a coast along with more than 200 Island along with a marketplace protected internal exposing towering caves, limestone cliffs, exotic wildlife and waterfalls.

Diving is one of the most exciting activities that majority of the tourists certainly enjoyed among any other activities. On the abovementioned Islands, Similan Island is truly fun spots for diving that most of the travelers prefer. Similan Island Diving offers an exquisite feeling, by plunging from the highest point.

Are you ready to take the challenges that offer by Similan Island Diving? Be ready to take the plunge!

Similan Island Diving

Sapphire: A Gemstone of Wisdom and Purity

All corundum (aluminium oxides) that is not red is called sapphire. The word sapphire comes from the Greek ‘sappheiros’ meaning blue. However, sapphire does not occur only in blue color. Sapphires can be yellow, green, brown, purple or pink, depending on the presence of various types of minerals. For example, the presence of chromium produces pink sapphire and the presence of iron produces yellow and green sapphires.

Sapphires are mainly found in Sri Lanka, India and Burma. Indian sapphires come from Kashmir. They are cornflower blue in color and are regarded as the finest blue sapphires. Sri Lankan sapphires are the most common and are typically light to medium blue in color. The majority of fancy-colored sapphires available in the jewelry industry are from Sri Lanka. The most common of these fancy sapphires are yellow, or golden, and pink in color. The pinkish orange ones are the rarest and most expensive.

Thailand

Sapphires are also found in Thailand and Australia, and they are dark blue in color. The gems obtained from these two countries generally belong to the category of the inexpensive to average priced range of sapphire gems in the jewelry market. Montana is the only important source of sapphires in the United States. The sapphire produced is of an attractive metallic blue in color. China, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria have recently also become sources of sapphires.

Most of the sapphire gems being sold today have had their color enhanced, most commonly by heating. The purpose of heat treatment is to enrich the color and improve the stone’s clarity. With this method of treatment, colorless or paled-colored stones can be turned into brilliant blue or yellow ones. Depending on the original material and the type of heating process, heat treatments of gemstones can produce a variety of results. For example, sapphires that have rutile (titanium dioxide) crystals can be treated by heating and then being cooled rapidly. This would result in the rutile crystals dissolving into the corundum and the gemstone becomes clearer. Colorless or pale-colored stones after undergoing heating without the presence of oxygen would turn to rich blue color. However, if these stones are being heated in the presence of oxygen, they would turn into intense yellow color. Most yellow sapphires have been treated in this manner.

Sapphires have been of great significance to past societies. For example, the Mystical Jews considered the blue gemstones as a secret message from the beyond. The Persians believed that the world is resting on a giant sapphire and the sky is a reflection of the color of the stone. In Europe, during the Middle Ages, sapphires were believed to be an antidote against poisons. Although sapphires occur in a wide variety of colors, traditionally blue has been the most popular and valuable. The blue sapphire gem was widely used in jewelry of royalty and was considered the most appropriate stone for ecclesiastical rings. It is known to be the bestower of truth and good health.

Gemstones are considered beautiful, rare and durable. The beauty of a gemstone is undiminished with time. A gemstone could sparkle as brightly many years from now. It has lasting value and is well liked by many. Hence, beautiful pieces of gemstone jewelry are created and widely used for personal adornment as well as gifts for friends and loved ones. Presenting these beautiful items as gifts is always well loved and cherished.

Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September. As such, a piece of jewelry with this gemstone makes a perfect elegant birthday present for those who were born in that month. Sapphire is also the anniversary stone for the 5th and 45th year. A piece of jewelry with this gemstone can also be a great anniversary present in these years. You will be amazed how this beautiful gemstone can be made into different jewelry items such as rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, brooches and pendants. With such a wide variety of items, you will never experience any shortage of gift ideas.

Some people buy gems for the purpose of collecting them. They find these gems fascinating and enjoy having a collection of the pieces that they like.

More information on gemstone jewelry can be found in =>Sapphire Gemstone [http://www.internetbizcenter.com/gemstone/Sapphire.htm]

Sapphire: A Gemstone of Wisdom and Purity

Unit Rates and Thai House Plans To Estimate the Cost of Building a House in Thailand

This article is based on my recent experience of actually going through the process of obtaining estimates of the cost of building a house in Thailand including getting quotations from builders in Thailand and also using unit build rates (how much square meter) to build a retirement house in Thailand.

It will be useful to anyone retiring in Thailand or planning to retire to Thailand and build a retirement house.

Thailand

The Two Main Two Ways To Estimate the Cost of Building a House in Thailand

There are basically two ways of pricing a building project in Thailand.

1. Using Unit Build Rates To Estimate The Cost Of Building A House

The first and simplest method is by using Unit Build Rates, i.e. how much per square meter it costs to build the house in Baht/m2. There are a range of Unit Build Rates for houses in Thailand and these vary according to the standard of the building and the location in the country.

There are other factors that affect the price of building a house in Thailand and these are not normally allowed for in unit build rates.

Just one example is that the cost of building depends greatly upon the particular builder chosen as quotations for the same property from different builders varies greatly.

Unit rates for use in estimating the cost of house construction are readily available where I live in the United Kingdom (UK). There are many websites that list these unit rates and also there are pricing books that give rate per square metre for a range of building types and sizes. This method is commonly used in Great Britain, and other Western countries to work out a budget cost for building a house.

However, in Thailand the situation is different. I have not seen any 'official' Unit Build Rates for Thailand but several websites, notably those Forums catering for expats living in Thailand, give some rough figures from people who have built their own retirement house in Thailand.

But that's all they are - a guide - and really barely worth using even for budgeting purpose.

Two Examples from Thai Websites of Unit Rates for House Build Cost in Thailand

From A1Real.com

Bangkok: "As of March 2006, buyers had to pay 81,975 baht/m2 in average to acquire a condominium unit in central area of Bangkok compared to 72,596 baht/m2 in the last twelve months".

From Thai-AirPark.com

Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand: "A house built to western standard will cost between 160 to 300 Euros / m2″ (At 45 Euros/Baht (Jan 2010) that works out at 7,200 to 13,500 Thai Baht per m2).

Notice how the unit rate for these two examples are so different.

Another way to get unit rates for Thailand is to approach Thai builders and architects. Unit Build Rates recently sent to me by one of Thailand's leading Bangkok-based design-and-build companies are in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 Baht/m2.

The method of application of the Unit Build Rates is simple. You work out the total floor area of the proposed building including all floors and multiply by the unit rate. There is no need to find or involve a builder for this method once you have decided on the the unit rate to use.

There are inherent inaccuracies in this approach because the mix of different types of usage will be different in different building.

For example, using my own proposed property in Pak Chong, Thailand, as an example, the house is a typical 'post' house and half of the ground floor is left 'open' to be made into usable rooms at a later date and the other half simply has blockwork walls to for a workshop.

Clearly the unit rate for these areas is different and different from the first floor that contains kitchen, bedrooms and other living area.

Another example of different type (and hence costs) of building usage using my Pak Chong house as an example is that on the first floor I have a very large (compared to the rest of the house) patio area and also another semi-open area both of which would be a much lower cost to construct than the living accommodation areas.

The fact is that new build houses in Thailand are very often of completely different style and layout to other houses. This is in comparison with the UK where new houses are often built in their hundreds all to the same design. Everyone knows what you will get in a '3 bed semi-detached house' in England. In this situation unit rates can be safely applied.

So what area is used in the cost calculation? Do you use the total area including the ground floor open area and workshop and the first floor patio and semi open area plus the living accommodation areas? Or do you use the unit rate just for the living accommodation and take a percentage of the unit rate for the lower cost areas?

The problem is that I don't know the basis for the unit rate in the first place. i.e. whether it was for a property similar to mine with the open areas included, or whether it was for a property with a greater percentage of actual living area.

In conclusion the Unit Build Rates method in Thailand can only be used to get a very rough idea of the likely cost and is really not accurate enough for establishing a budget.

2. Obtaining A Quotation From A Thai Builder For Building A House In Thailand

This method depends upon finding a builder to prepare a quotation based (usually) a set of drawings (also called house plans) for the property in question. (The house you want to build to retire to in Thailand) Obviously, the more accurate and detailed the house plans, the more accurate the quotation can be.

Other documents may also be provided to supplement the house plans and these include a Scope Of Works describing the scope of the project (not normally produced in Thailand) and Schedules. The Schedules are typically a schedule of finishes, schedule of doors, ironmongery etc.

There are three major difficulties with this method.

1. Obtaining The House plans And Other Documents

I'm lucky in that I can use the Autocad Computer Aided Drawings (CAD) software package and am familiar with building design so I was able to produce my own CAD drawings and schedules for my planned retirement house in Thailand.

Also, I didn't start with a blank sheet of paper, instead I downloaded some existing Thai house plans from the Thai Government website (Search for 'download Thai Government House Plans') and selected one to use as a starting point for my own Thai house design.

If you don't fancy this do-it-yourself approach you will have to find someone to make the house plans for you. Whilst this is easy in (if somewhat expensive) in the UK, if you try to find a Thai Architect to do this for you then you may have problems.

Firstly finding an Architect in Thailand is not easy although I did find an architectural and construction company in Bangkok and I subsequently appointed then to make the construction drawings for my own house - but that is another story.

Secondly, how do you explain to an Architect what you want? This is particularly difficult (impossible?) if you don't already have your own preliminary drawings as I did and if you aren't in a position to sit down in the same room as the architect and pour over ideas and concepts.

Doing that by email from starting from scratch from outside of Thailand is next to impossible.

2. Translation Of The Documents Into The Thai Language

This is not so difficult if you are prepared to pay for a translator in Thailand.

A translator can easily translate the schedules but adding Thai to CAD drawings in not easy unless the translator also knows how to use the CAD software! My own house plans and schedules are in English only and I was able to get a quotation from a Thai builder.

You might try English only and just get the translator to translate the technical phrases that the builder doesn't understand. Again, much easier to do if you are in Thailand alongside the translator and builder.

3. Finding A Builder In Thailand

This can be one of the most difficult tasks you have to do.

My wife has contacted at least six builders from within Thailand and only one has produced a price. That price was based on the house plans and schedules that I produced but was about double what we expected, at 2.1 million Baht, which works out at 16,000 Baht/m2.

The answer we get from most of the builders is that they are too busy to work on providing a price for a small house build job. It seems that many builders are engaged on large projects in the coastal resorts of Thailand (e.g. Phucket) and that our tiny little project in Pakchong is not worth their while.

The method I used to find builders consisted of knocking on doors "You have a nice house, can you tell me who the builder was?" I find it easy to approach people and one day I was chatting with the Security Guard at our hotel, "The Mansion" at 8/8 Soi Tedsaban 8, Mittrapap Rd., Pakchong, Thailand, and he announced that he could get a price from at least two builders.

We took him up on that offer but never received the quotations. One was too busy and the other wanted 5,000 Baht up front before preparing a quotation in case we didn't select him as our builder! By the way, the Security Guard said that his commission was 10 percent!

In this short discussion on how I obtained budget estimates for a retirement home in Thailand I have covered the two main methods, using unit rates and house plans, to secure a budget price and the advantages and disadvantages of each method. Also I have explained the three difficulties you will face when trying to get a builder in Thailand to give you an estimate for building your retirement house in Thailand.

Unit Rates and Thai House Plans To Estimate the Cost of Building a House in Thailand

The Illuminated Night of Loy Krathong

Loy Krathong is conceived as a renowned festival in Thailand. The word "Loy" means to float and "Krathong" is a banana leaf cup made of natural materials such as a banana trunk, banana leaves and lotus petals. It is laden with a candle, incense sticks, flowers and coins to ensure an auspicious life. People will flock to the river and then make a wish before drifting their Krathong onto the river. The floating of Krathong is intended to banish all sufferings and ask for apologies to the Goddess of the River in contaminating her waters. Some believe that the ritual is meant to worship the Buddha's footprint on the bank of the Narmada River whilst others say that it is to pay respect to Phra Uppakhut, one of the Lord Buddha's great disciples.

The illuminated night of Loy Krathong comes with various entertaining activities. Thai people of all ages and from all walks of life can marvel at plenty of delightful activities after gliding their Krathong away. There are folk entertainments, light and sound presentations, dance parades, local product fairs as well as many other genres of traditional and cultural performances. The highlight of the festival will be the most beautiful Krathong contest and beauty pageant set in memory of "Nang Noppamas", a legendary woman in the Sukhothai period. Significantly, the lighting of fireworks is always done in the same spirit as when lighting candles in an act of worship. Firework displays have become a quintessential element of this vibrant festival.

Thailand

The exact origin of Loy Krathong is supposed to begin more than 700 years ago in Sukhothai, the ancient capital of Thailand, when farmers held a lantern floating festival shortly after sowing seeds in their drenched paddy fields. One talented woman named Nang Noppamas or Thao Si Chulalak who resided in the palace of King Phra Ruang marvelously created special lanterns for this festival. Unlike other conventional lanterns, they were made of banana leaves devised in the shape of lotus petals. The lanterns so astounded the king that he commanded once a year on the full moon night a grand ceremony should be celebrated through floating lotus shaped banana leaf cups. This practice has been thoroughly upheld up to the modern day.

This year Loy Krathong is as always commemorated nationwide during 31 October - 6 November in a different manner especially in Sukhothai, Ayudhya, Chiang Mai, Tak and Bangkok. The theme of Loy Krathong accentuates Colorful Water-Loy Krathong Great Festival. Sukhothai, the site of origin of the festival, celebrates Loy Krathong and Candle Festival. The most interesting aspect of the festival is a light and sound show and the "Dawn of Happiness" activity that will be organized in the age-old setting of the Sukhothai Historical Park. Some more fascinating activities comprise firework displays, cultural performances and a procession of offerings carried by pretty girls to pay homage to the statue of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great.

"Loy Krathong Festival by Bangkok Guide"

Also a well-known place to celebrate Loy Krathong is Chiang Mai. The festival is called "Yee Peng" when the largest Krathong is marched along the city on an ornately embellished truck. At night the colorfully lit Krathong form a luminous parade as they make their way to the river. People also rejoice the festival with thousands of candlelit "Khom Loy" or floating lanterns consisting of "Khom Fai" - a fire lantern - and "Khom Khwan" - a smoke lantern that are released into the night sky based on the belief they are to pay respect to the Buddha#@*s holy relics and Phra Chula Manee in the heaven. These balloon-like lanterns are as well said to send away calamities. Ideal venues to visit are the Tha Phae Gate and the banks of the Ping River.

Tak similarly celebrates the festival of "Loy Krathong Sai" that is reflected through a long line of Krathong made of coconut shells lit with candles as well as threaded together as a string of floating lights on the Ping River. When the lit Krathong are floated onto the right current typically one after another they would wander along and make a breathtaking and twinkling curving line or "Sai" in Thai amidst the darkness of the night. This represents the accord and oneness of local people when they assemble on the river banks where they sing and dance with utmost bliss. Tourists will also have a mesmerizing occasion to relish the atmosphere of Krathong Sai contest and water curtain presentation relating to "The Legend of Krathong Sai". In "the City of Angels", the banks of the glorious Chao Phraya River are the prime location to celebrate the festival. So as to revive an old custom of the ancient capital, Loy Krathong is arranged to preserve the royal ritual of the early Rattanakosin period in which several types of traditional Krathong were set afloat onto the Chao Phraya River and its waterways. Many riverside hotels and restaurants also hold special celebrations for their guests. For a more stunning night of Loy Krathong in Bangkok, meticulous tourists are earnestly invited to partake in this yearly festival and join the crowds along the Chao Phraya River, the Rattanakosin Island, the Santichaiprakarn Park, the Rama VIII Bridge, the Taksin Bridge and the Krungthon Bridge.

Thai people from all walks of life are gathering on the nearest river with their hands holding a fine-looking banana leaf cup. The rivers and waterways are illuminated with glittering lights whilst the historical remains and commercial buildings along the banks of the majestic Chao Phraya River are adorned with electric decorations. The joyful festivities like firework displays, traditional performances as well as light and sound presentations are just around the corner.

These are the common scenes awaiting you on the colorful night of Loy Krathong.

The Illuminated Night of Loy Krathong