Weather in Thailand Today

Tue 34° 40% Chance of Drizzle	Wed 32° Rain	Thu 34° Rain	Fri 34° Rain	Sat 35° Very Hot	Sun 35° Very Hot	Mon 36° Very Hot
Tue Night 26° 40% Chance of Rain	Wed Night 25° Rain	Thu Night 25° Rain	Fri Night 26° Rain	Sat Night 26° Warm and Humid	Sun Night 26° Warm and Humid

BOMBS SHATTER BORDER TRUCE

Fragile truce between Thailand and Cambodia has been blown away Sunday evening when fresh fighting between both countries' border troops erupted, sending villagers fleeing for cover.
The troops exchanged artillery shells at disputed border areas adjacent to the Preah Vihear, jeopardising calls and proposals for permanent peace.
"Cambodia lighted up fireworks at 6.40 p.m. and then fired artillery and rockets into Thai side. We retaliated in the same proportion," said army spokesman Col. Sansern Keowkamnerd.
Local residents in villages along the border rushed to seek shelters and bunkers to protect themselves from the shells. "A lot of shells flying over our heads _ in and out _ but we don't know where they landed," a villager told The Nation via telephone from a bunker in Si Sa Ket's Roung subdistrict.

About 10 Thais were injured, eight of them soldiers, initial reports say.
Cambodian troops reportedly launched artilleries and rockets from their stations at Phu Ma Khua hill and Chong Don Aou to many Thai villages along the border.
There were reports of Thai planes flying near the disputed area but were not fired at or involved in military action. Cambodian TVs' reports about fighting portrayed Thai troops as aggressors, sources said.
The area of fighting was about 3 kilometres from the historic Preah Vihear temple, a UN World Heritage Site which is the source of both countries' border conflict.
Earlier Sunday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called for national unity amid border tension and mounting pressure from nationalistic People's Alliance for Democracy which has been demanding tough stance against Cambodia over territorial disputes.
During his live TV program on NBT, Abhisit was reacting to the resolution of the People's Alliance for Democracy to oust him from office.
Abhisit said he wondered why the PAD would intensify the protests to force him out of office when he shares the same stand with the PAD regarding to the border disputes.
Abhisit explained that his government was the first government that was opposed to Cambodia's unilateral registration of Preah Vihear Temple as a world heritage site.
He said he was also against the use of the 1:200,000 map cited by Cambodia to carry out border demarcations.
"PAD, this is the first government which is clearly opposed to the [1:200,000] map and registration of Preah Vihear as heritage site so I am surprised why you came out to demand the government's ouster," Abhisit said.
"My government shares the same stand with you so I wonder for what you are making your campaign."
The prime minister also urged the public to listen to information of all sides instead of listening only to the PAD leaders.
He said his government could not comply with the PAD's demand to withdraw Thailand from the Unesco World Heritage committee.
Abhisit said if Thailand pulled out from the committee, the committee would listen only to the Cambodia's side and Cambodia might be allowed by go in to manage the part of the land that belongs to Thailand.
"And I cannot tolerate that," Abhisit said.
Abhisit also noted that keeping the memorandum of understanding with Cambodia on border disputes would benefit Thailand more than annulling it as demanded by the PAD.
Abhisit said the MOU, which was signed in 2000, helped return calm to the disputed border area after two days of clashes.

Abhisit said without the MOU, troops of the two countries could have clashed everyday.
To criticisms that MOU could not have prevented the clashed on Friday and Saturday, Abhisit replied: "I'll say the calm has returned partly because of the MOU".
He also insisted that Thailand has not lost its territory to Cambodia as alleged by the PAD.
"I have no interests in exchange for giving away our land to foreigners," Abhisit said during his live TV program on NBT.
"Had I done it, i should not only be removed as the prime minister but I should also be expelled from the country," Abhisit said

Mv. กินตับ-จีวรบิน

The Film of The Year

More Strange Comedy from Thailand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where to go and What to do Kho Chang Part 2

  The Shrine of Chao Po Koh 

ChangLeading up a steep road on the west coast to Ao Sapparos, not too far from the pier, you will see the shrine of Chao Po (literally the Deity of Koh Chang)  and Chao Mae Koh Chang on the right. This is a highly revered shrine especially for local people. Fishermen struck by monsoon or lost their directions in the sea put their faith on Chao Po Koh Chang.

       Legend has it that many prayers have been answered, and the locals have been praying to Chao Po Koh Chang concerning various hardships, from low yield harvests to sickness or other miseries.

 

Mu Koh Chang National Park

 

 

Measuring 192 square kilometers by 458 square kilometers of surrounding ocean, respectively, Koh Kood and Koh Maak are the two biggest of 52 collective of islands comprising Mu Koh Chang National Park. Less urbanised than their neighbor Koh Chang, the islands are well priced and offer great dining and resting opportunities with everything from camp sites to luxury boutique resorts available.

  Easily reached by chartered boat or kayaks, visitors can choose between making their own way or going as part of an arranged tour.

Koh Chang Waterfalls

Koh Chang's mountainous terrain has created some spectacular waterfalls for you to enjoy. If you're visiting this remarkable island, you definitely don't want to miss out on viewing some of its amazing waterfalls.

In these areas you will find some good hiking treks and trails for those of you that want to have closer contact with the nature on Koh Chang. The Best time for hiking is in the mornings, when the sun is rising and shining onto the lush rain forest and the heat of the day is not to intense.

Koh Chang Monkey School

A popular attraction with animal lovers, Koh Chang Monkey School can be found just a short walk for White Sand Beach, near a whole host of cheap Koh Chang hotels. The talented monkeys here are taught to pick coconuts and fruit from trees at the Koh Chang Monkey School, while displays of the monkey’s many talents are held three times a day in order to amuse and delight adoring audiences.

Thai music at it's Best

Where to go and What to do Kho Chang Part 1

White Sands Beach (Had Sai Khao)

White Sand beach or Had Sai Khao as it is called by the locals, is some 2kilometers in length and although it probably the most developed area of Koh Chang it is still offers a magnificent backdrop of jungle clad mountains, fine powdery white beach sand and spectacular sunsets. It is the most popular place to stay on the Island and offers the most diverse ranging from simple shacks to 5 star luxury units. White Sand Beach is with a doubt the tourist center of the island, a wide variety of restaurants, shopping plaza, mini-markets, Internet café’s, banks and ATM’s which take all sorts of bank and credit cards. Recommended hotels are listed below, please check out the reviews

Islands of Thailand

Over the next few blogs we will look at the many Islands that surround Thailand.There are literally hundreads of beautiful Islands ranging in size and culture.For a start we will concentrate on the larger well known Island of which there are about 15.Later we will explore the smaller islands in more detail.

“ Find the beauty and find the Peace, then just relax in the Sun and let your days be filled with grace and harmony”

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The First of the Islands we will be looking at is Koh Chang

Koh Chang is about 30 kilometers long, 14 kilometers wide with an interior of about 217 square kilometers,which is mountainous and covered with tropical rainforest. The highest point  is Khao Salak Phet, which is 743 meters above sea level.




View Larger Map
 

On the Island are 8 villages, Ban Salak Phet, Ban Salak Khok, Ban Chek Bae, Ban Dan Mai, Ban Klong Son, Ban Klong Prao, Ban Klong Nonsi, and Ban Bang Bao.

The west coast  has the sandy white Beaches

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Recommended Hotels on the Island.

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 Weather

During November and February there is plenty of sunshine During March and April, average temperatures  30-34 deg/c. During May to October watch out for  rain . As with all islands the weather can varry from coast to coast..

Tomorrow..What do and where to Go

Every wondered what Heaven & Hell looked like.....so did I until I came across this in a local village

The Buddhist Concept of Heaven and Hell

The wise man makes his own heaven while the foolish man creates his own hell here and hereafter.

		Heaven……. VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

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		Hell…………. VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The Buddhist concept of heaven and hell is entirely different from that in other religions. Buddhists do not accept that these places are eternal. It is unreasonable to condemn a man to eternal hell for his human weakness but quite reasonable to give him every chance to develop himself. From the Buddhist point of view, those who go to hell can work themselves upward by making use of the merit that they had acquired previously. There are no locks on the gates of hell. Hell is a temporary place and there is no reason for those beings to suffer there forever.

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The Buddha's Teaching shows us that there are heavens and hells not only beyond this world, but in this very world itself. Thus the Buddhist conception of heaven and hell is very reasonable. For instance, the Buddha once said, 'When the average ignorant person makes an assertion to the effect that there is a Hell (patala) under the ocean he is making a statement which is false and without basis. The word 'Hell' is a term for painful sensations. 'The idea of one particular ready-made place or a place created by god as heaven and hell is not acceptable to the Buddhist concept.

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The fire of hell in this world is hotter than that of the hell in the world-beyond. There is no fire equal to anger, lust or greed and ignorance. According to the Buddha, we are burning from eleven kinds of physical pain and mental agony: lust, hatred, illusion sickness, decay, death, worry, lamentation, pain(physical and mental), melancholy and grief. People can burn the entire world with some of these fires of mental discord. From a Buddhist point of view, the easiest way to define hell and heaven is that where ever there is more suffering, either in this world or any other plane, that place is a hell to those who suffer. And where there is more pleasure or happiness, either in this world or any other worldly existence, that place is a heaven to those who enjoy their worldly life in that particular place. However, as the human realm is a mixture of both pain and happiness, human beings experience both pain and happiness and will be able to realize the real nature of life. But in many other planes of existence inhabitants have less chance for this realization. In certain places there is more suffering than pleasure while in some other places there is more pleasure than suffering.

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Buddhists believe that after death rebirth can take place in any one of a number of possible existences. This future existence is conditioned by the last thought-moment a person experiences at the point of death. This last thought which determines the next existence results from the past actions of a man either in this life or before that. Hence, if the predominant thought reflects meritorious action, then he will find his future existence in a happy state. But that state is temporary and when it is exhausted a new life must begin all over again, determined by another dominating 'kammic' energy. This repetitious process goes on endlessly unless one arrives at 'Right View' and makes a firm resolve to follow the Noble Path which produces the ultimate happiness of Nibbana.

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Heaven is a temporary place where those who have done good deeds experience more sensual pleasures for a longer period. Hell is another temporary place where those evil doers experience more physical and mental suffering. It is not justifiable to believe that such places are permanent. There is no god behind the scene of heaven and hell. Each and every person experiences according to his good and bad kamma. Buddhist never try to introduce Buddhism by frightening people through hell-fire or enticing people by pointing to paradise. Their main idea is character building and mental training. Buddhists can practise their religion without aiming at heaven or without developing fear of hell.

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Thai Television at it's Best

Welcome to the strange and wonderful world of Thai comedy T.V

The Durian ( The smell of paradise??)


The durian is a highly unusual fruit produced in tropical countries in Southeast Asia. It is extraordinary in several aspects: In size, it is among the largest fruits in the world, second only to the breadfruit and the jackfruit. In appearance, the hundreds of hard spikes on its skin are unique. In price, it is the most expensive even in a producing country. In taste, its rich, exotic flavour is incomparable. Yet, in smell, it is considered fetid and offensive by some, especially foreigners who have not tasted the fruit before.
It is this contradiction between its taste and smell that caused people to form opposite opinions about the fruit. Some ranks it as the king of all fruits and not a few foreigners are known to have made a trip to Thailand in May or June with the sole or principal purpose of eating the fruit to their heart’s content. In contrast, some people, especially Westerners, dislike it so strongly that most hotels in Thailand ban the consumption or storage of durians on the hotel premises, though it seems paradoxical that the king of fruits should be treated like narcotics or prostitutes.
For those who like the durian, they would consider it a matter of regret if they hadn’t had a chance to taste the fruit before. In that case, they would never have known that there is such a wonderful flavour in the world. For this reason, they would strongly recommend the newcomers to try to overcome their initial feeling of revulsion and give the fruit a fair chance. It is a mere psychological obstacle and should not be difficult to surmount. Once this is done, you will find that the experience is worthwhile and will be glad to obtain an exotic addition to your taste spectrum.
To help make your task easier, you should realize that not all durians have the same strong odour. There are more than a score of different strains with different degrees of sweetness and smell. Beginners are advised to try kan yao, which means “long stem” it is weaker in smell and taste than some other species like chani, kop or kampan. They may also try monthong, which means “golden pillow”. It is almost odourless but has thick, and tender pulp that is very agreeable to the taste.
Formerly, durians were sold as whole fruit and it was difficult for ordinary people to tell the taste of the contents. Most buyers had to depend on the recommendation of the vendor and sometimes found that they had been cheated. But now, most vendors sell their durians by weight. They will remove the husk and give you only the seeds with pulp. If the pulp is in light yellow, that means that it is just right to eat. If it looks wet and soft, it is over-ripen and tastes bitter and is unfit to eat.
The numerous hard spikes on the skin of the durian make one wonder whether the fruit is specially created for man to enjoy, for no other animals are clever enough to break it open. It is said that monkeys are sometimes seen in a wood sitting besides a fallen durian and crying, because they have no means to open it. If the fruit is indeed meant for man, there is more reason for man to eat it.
But the durian is not as difficult to break open as it may seem. The husk is not as solid as it looks. It is divided into a few segments, each containing a few seeds which are covered with edible pulp. There is a seam between segments. It is easy for a vendor or an experienced housewife to find the seams and cut along them with a knife. Of course, this is still too difficult for a monkey to do.
The durian grows in a loose moist soil in a tropical climate with an average humidity of no lower that 75%. In Thailand, durian trees mostly grow in the southern provinces, and in some provinces in other regions. Until a few decades ago, only those grown in Nonthaburi province just to the north of Bangkok were the most famous. But the area of durian orchards in that province has been much reduced as a result of economic development. And Rayong on the Eastern coast has replaced Nonthaburi as the No.1 durian producer both in quality and quantity.
It takes about four to over six years for a newly planted durian tree to begin to bear fruit. The time depends on the species of the tree. The larger the size of the fruit, the longer the time needed. The tree begins to blossom in early or mid-December and the fruits will be ready for gathering from mid-May to mid-July, again depending on species. The price varies from 25 baht to over 100 baht a kilogram according to the species and the season as well.
Thailand began to export durians in 1978 with Hongkong as its most important market. Other markets include Singapore and other neighbouring countries, Europe and the United States.
About the name of the fruit, it is called durian in English, thurian in Thai and liulian in Chinese, all derived from the Malay word, duri, which means a thorn. By the way, its scientific name is Durio Zibethinus.
In addition to eating durians as fruit, Thai people also use the fruit, sticky rice and coconut cream in making a popular dessert. The fruit is also made into a preserved confection called thurian kuan, which is on sale in supermarkets throughout the year. But much of the good taste of the fruit is lost in the preparation.
The Thais enjoy eating durians not only because the fruit is delicious, but also because they widely believe that it is highly nutritious. Not a few are even convinced that it is efficacious aphrodisiac, too. But they never mix the fruit with an alcoholic drink because in their traditional belief, both are considered of hot nature, and a combination of the two would become explosive inside the human body.

Som Tam - a world in itself

For great Thai recipes and my favorite in particular please click on this Link to visit recipe-thai.blogspot.com

Temples around Thailand

Around Thailand there are 31,200 Buddhist temples . In the Thai language they are called wat. These temples are divided into two main groups.Ones where religious functions are carried out and ones where monks will live,work and study.

There are two types of temple, Royal and Common and as the name suggests, Royal temples fall under the patronage of the Royal family.There are approx 200 Royal temples in Thailand.
Please click on the names of temple for a link to google maps


1. Wat Phra Chetuphon, Bangkok

2. Wat Mahathat, Bangkok

 3. Wat Suthat, Bangkok

4. Wat Arun, Bangkok

5. Wat Phra Pathom Chedi, Nakhon Pathom Province

6. Wat Phra Buddhabat, Saraburi Province

Temples are divided into three areas.

The Living Area called the Sungkawat

Kuti-A residential building where the monks live and sleep.Kuti come in lots of different shapes and styles from single simple wooden structures to modern interconnected blocks made of more substantial materials.

Gabpiya Kudee-A kitchen and food storage area where offerings from the faithful are kept and if necessary cooked. Spare food is given to temple boys and animals.

Vajakudee-Toilet facilities.

Ho Chan-Dining hall-may be used for other function too.

Sala Kanparian-A place for studying Buddhist teachings.

Ho Trai-A place to keep religious texts.

The Sacred Area

In Thai this is known as the Phuttawat.

Ubosoth or Bot-An ordination hall, not always the largest structure but usually very grand with lots of Buddha images and intricate art work. There is only one ubosoth per temple.

Bai Sema-The Ubosoth can sometimes be identified by the “Bai Sema,” which are boundary markers to signify the sacred ground. There are usually eight around the outside of the building. They are often quite ornate in their design.

Luk Nimit-Very occasionally, where a Wat is still not complete, you may see some round stones about the size of a cannonball waiting to be put in place. Luk Nimit is the name for these sacred stones and there are usually nine, eight are placed in the Bai Sema markers outside the completed Bot and covered whilst the ninth usually larger in size goes under or infront of the main Buddha statue inside the Ubosoth.

Wihan House-Represents the living place of Buddha and is used by monks and laity for religious services Many temples have more than one wilhan.

Chedi-Also known as a Stupa is a bell or dome shaped structure in which there might be relics or texts. You may find lots of Chedi at a temple.

Ho Rakhang-A belfry that houses the temple bell, usually quite large. This is used to summon the monks to prayer.

Sala Thai-open side building used by the general public for meetings and as a rest place

The Public Area of a Thai Wat.

In Thai this is known as the Thoraneesong.

Often found at the back of a temple the public area usually houses the crematorium(if the temple has one)and an open area for social activities.The crematorium is often ornate and has a long slender chimney atop. May also include several Sala.