Northern Thai Cuisine
Thai food of the north, in some way, is cooked with the sole thought for the taste for the northern people. The recipe consists of vegetable and ingredients available in their immediate vicinity. The common meal includes steamed glutinous rice, chili sauces which come in a host of varieties, such as “namprik noom”, “namprik dang”, “namprik ong” and chili soups (gang) such as gang hangle, gang hoh, gang kae. In addition there are also, local sausages such as sai ua, and nham; steamed meat, roasted pork, pork resin, fried pork, fried chicken and vegetable to go with them.

Tags: Beef,Chicken,Duck,Food,Pork,Rice,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
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One thing first-time visitors to Thailand find intriguing is the spirit house, ubiquitously found in the yard of almost every Thai home or building. In Bangkok, the biggest and most popular spirit house is that located in front of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel at the corner of Rajadamri and Ploenchit Roads. Built in 1956, long before the current hotel came to be, this spirit house has over the years emerged into a major Bangkok shrine, drawing busloads of devotees not only from Thailand but also from people across Asia - Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore, even Malaysia.

Tags: Bangkok,Erawan Shrine,Thailand
Categories: Bangkok
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Day tour for less than 100 Baht.

Why would anyone go through the trouble of traveling kilometres away for a piece of pottery? It doesn’t make sense, especially if you take a forty Baht skytrain ride to Sapan Taksin for a boat trip to Nonthaburi. That almost half of the sixty or so passengers of the boat you took were all headed for Nonthaburi - and ultimately to Koh Kret, the pottery island - made it all the more mind-boggeling.

Tags: Bangkok,Food,Koh Kret,Pottery,Thailand
Categories: Bangkok
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In Thailand there are four allies in maintaining stability of Buddhism: Buddhist monks, the King, the government and Buddhist lay people.

1. The Order of Buddhist Monks (Sangha)
The Sangha or the Buddhist Church is a sacred and spiritual institution of Thailand. There are about 30,000 wats (Buddhist Monastery) and about 5,000 hermitages in the kingdom. There are about 300,000 monks and novices living in those wats.

In addition to monks and novices, there are about 10,000 nuns who live in their own nunneries or in their living quarters near some wats.

Tags: Buddha,Buddhism,Monk,Thailand
Categories: Buddhism
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Silom - Surawong - Sathon
From end to end, these parallel streets are full of big blocks of multi-story buildings, housing many banks, finance firms, insurance companies, export-import houses, hotels, airlines offices, restaurants, shopping arcades, department stores, and entertainment establishments. This area is busy not only in the daytime, but also in the evening, when people come to eat, to meet buisness friends or to seek enjoyment.

There is a small area in this district which, for about 30 years, has been very well known to foreign visitors for its bars and nightclubs. Known as Patpong, this famous place offers various kinds of entertainment - wine, beer, music, dancing, etc. In this area, there are both skytrain and subway stations.

Tags: Bangkok,Bangna,Downtown,Rama,Siam,Silom,Sukhumvit
Categories: Bangkok
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In the early stages of the Second World War (1939-1945) Thailand continued receiving its opium from countries like Iran and Turkey, but after the Thais sided with the Japanese Empire late in 1941, these markets were quickly cut off. In May 1942 the Thai Northern Army, commanded by General Phin Choonhaven, moved into the Shan States of northeastern Burma in support of the overall Japanese invasion of that country, establishing its headquarters in the town of Kengtung and thereby gaining access to the locally grown product as well as Chinese opium.

Tags: Golden Triangle,History,Opium,Thailand,War
Categories: History
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Some time ago I came up with the theory that it would be possible to live comfortably in Pattaya for 1000 Baht per day. In order to test it, since 1 January 2003 I have kept records of every baht I have spent, where I spent it and what I spent it on. Now, after two full years, it is possible to analyze the records to either confirm my theory or put it to rest. If you are a retired millionaire or someone for whom money is no object, don’t read on. What follows will only be of interest to the 99% of us with limited resources.

Tags: Accommodation,Cost,Food,laundry,Living,Pattaya,Telephone,Thailand
Categories: Pattaya
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Wat Suan Dok in Chiang Mai is one of the many places of interest for tourists visiting the area. Dating back to the 14th century. the monastery has abundant historical significance and admirable architecture. And for those visitors less enthusiastic about history, the glossy travel brochures also point out that it is probably the best place to see the most beautiful sunset in Chiang Mai.

Tags: Chiang Mai,Monk,Talk,Temple,Thailand
Categories: Buddhism
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Of all the feasts and festivals in Thailand, which are many, the Songkran Festival is the most striking, for it is widely observed not only in this country but also in Burma, Cambodia and the Lao State.

Tags: Festival,Monk,Pagoda,Songkran,Thailand
Categories: Thailand
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Well, Thailand’s beaches have certainly got a lot of attention this year, although much of the media spin hasn’t been exactly fair. I’m talking, of course, about the big wave. Don’t fret though, gentle reader, that was months ago and things are back to normal now. You’re pretty unlikely to notice much change in Phuket and it was the west coast and the rest of the country is fine. Indeed, down south they just want the tourists back so everyone can get on with their lives and forget about the whole thing.

Tags: Beach,Hua Hin,Koh Samui,Koh Tao,Pattaya,Phuket
Categories: Thailand
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