TAT launches first Amazing Thailand eBook of all destinations, special interest activities and maps nationwide

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has compiled more than 200 of its amazing destination brochures, leaflets, books, maps, and media covering all aspects of Thai tourism into one easily-searchable eBook platform to make it easy for visitors to find their place and activity of interest.

The Amazing Thailand eBook allows both domestic and foreign tourists an easy one-stop opportunity to explore all 77 provinces as well as Emerging Provinces, Top Destinations, Special Interest activities and Thai culinary locations including 12 Tourist Maps and guidebooks.

Designed both as an app and website, the Thai-English guidebook can be accessed via smartphone and tablets with clear categorisation for searching and downloading the information.

Tablet and smartphone users can either scan the QR code or visit the App Store for Apple iPhone users and Google Play for Android users. Then, type the word 'amazingthailandebook' (no space between the letters). The application can be downloaded for immediate use or accessed via the website www.amazingthailandebook.com.

Special kiosks with the QR code have also been placed at the TAT offices at the Head Office building, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang International Airports.

For further information, please check out https://www.amazingthailandebook.com

Thai Folk Tales: The Water Elephant

"Do not follow that little stream," said the hermit, "true, there are some very fine mushrooms to be found along its banks. But it is not safe for young people like you to wander about there."

WIN THAILAND HOLIDAY

It’s a double celebration this year! Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways International are Celebrating 60th Anniversary.

We’d like to invite you to join our celebration and you can enter to ‘Win Thailand Holiday Now and travel later’

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https://amazingthailand.com.au/thailandweek/competition

One good thing about being stuck at home is that getting out into the big wide world will seem so sweet. If escaping to Thailand is on your wish list, here's your chance to win a trip to tantalising Thailand, or win a stay at a luxury hotel in the mesmerising hotspots of Phuket, Samui, Krabi or Bangkok.

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https://amazingthailand.com.au/thailandweek/competition

Banyan Tree Bangkok - Reach for the Skygarden

Skygarden

Bangkok is a city overflowing with amazing quality accommodation and dining options. The choice can be overwhelming, but some properties just keep shining through. One such beacon is iconic The Banyan Tree, located in the upmarket Sathon district.

The 61-floor, 5-star all-suite hotel has recently completed upgrades to its signature Saffron offering which includes the acclaimed fine dining venue and Sky Garden on the 52nd floor.

Whether dining inside or out, the unobstructed view is spectacular right across the city and provides the perfect location to enjoy their Award-winning contemporary Thai cuisine which includes such stand-out dishes as seared Tasmanian salmon with crisp pork crackling and a spicy citrus dressing, banana blossom salad with perfectly grilled and marinated prawns served with a coconut dressing and fried banana flowers.

Resident guests can further enjoy the newly upgraded products of Serenity Club, located on the very top floors. These expansive suites also afford exclusive access to the 19th floor Club Lounge with complimentary happy hour, buffet breakfast, laundry as well as express check-in and out among other benefits.

Two Bedroom Suite

The pick of the rooms is certainly the Two Bedroom Suite with space for up to four guests, making it perfect for either families or good friends. Rollaway beds can even be added and each bedroom enjoys its own ensuite bathroom and comes with a rain shower, and jumbo bathtubs.

The Banyan Tree Bangkok also offers outstanding event and meeting spaces as well as the Spa with such signature treatments as the Thai Blossom Romance and Tropical Rainmist for a total mind and body experience.

The Banyan Tree Bangkok is rated 4.5/5 by TripAdvisor.

Memories of wild animals in Thailand

Reliving the distant memories of a childhood in Thailand, fast-forwarding two decades to the memories of revisiting the place I was born and then snapping forward another two decades into today's experiences, I am left wondering what happened to the wild animals of Thailand.

Monkey training on Koh Samui 

On my journeys into Thailand and rediscovering the memories of my youth, I often wondered of the wild animals that once roamed freely throughout dense jungles of the kingdom; tigers, black panthers and spotted leopards, deer, snakes, birds, monkeys and the myriad of insect life.  Elephants and buffaloes for hundreds of years have been enslaved to the greater human needs but the more exotic animals I suspect, based upon the length of teeth and related ferocity, have been hunted out of existence as farming and urbanisation took over once pristine jungles.

Certainly, there are still snakes of all sorts as there are birds. Of insect, reptilian, amphibian and fish life forms, one only needs to visit any of Thailand's thousands of fresh food markets and street vendors to know what has befallen the populations of wildlife...  As there are mouths to feed, there are uncountable recipes for any of the above and more unmentioned animals.  One thing for sure though, most Thais don't like snakes and give them a wide berth should any be encountered.  By the very nature of snakes and Thai peoples' disdain of them, it could be said that their future in the wild is assured.

Of monkeys, I am not so sure of their existence in the wild except to say they still remain in the small town of Lopburi, just north of Bangkok.  There, outside the railway station is a large statue of a monkey, attesting to that very fact that this is where monkeys live. Pulling up at the railway station, one can be greeted by the "oh so usual sight" of people leaning on or squatting along a concrete wall and wooden picket fence, while interspersed between them will be any number of monkeys...Person, monkey, person, person, monkey, person, monkey, monkey, person...

Other than that, I recalled that monkeys abound in Koh Samui and the island's large coconut industry.  To find out if that was still the case, I decided to venture to the Gulf of Siam and explore Koh Samui.

Arriving at the airport aboard a domestic Thai Airways flight, I was greeted by the slap of extreme humidity that instantly replaced the gentler embrace of the airconditioned aeroplane's interior during my brief flight from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport to the island.  Outside of the airport and on the way to my hotel, I totally forgot about monkeys and the once-thriving coconut industry as I became concerned about my own existence in the face of a barrage of motorcycles, racing shuttle buses, cars and trucks all vying for the same strip of concrete which lines the entire island.

Not a coconut could be seen being delivered...where there used to be an island industry of coconuts, many of the lands used for that have now been turned into resorts, urban complexes and shopping centres.  The industry has been sidelined in favour of the tourist dollar.  So too have the monkeys of Samui been sidelined.  Where before there used to be a laid back island lifestyle of gentlefolk and monkeys going about the toils of gathering coconuts for a living, Koh Samui's monkeys are so few now, relegated to performing shows of agricultural history.

Waking up early on the last morning of my stay at the island, I heard what sounded like a monkey calling out.  Further off in the distance, I heard another return the call.  Yawning, I thought I might have been imagining things as surely they were birds of some sort...   

The Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson House (bangkok.com)

Jim Thompson, an American who was born Greenville, Delaware, in 1906 practiced architect prior to World War 11, he volunteered for service in the U.S. Army, campaigned in Europe, and came to Asia as part of the force that planned to liberate Thailand. However, the war ended before the operation. He arrived in Bangkok a short time later as a military intelligence officer attached to the O.S.S. After leaving the service, he decided to return and live in Thailand permanently.

The hand weaving of silk, a long neglected cottage industry, captured Jim Thompson's attention, and he devoted himself to reviving the craft. Highly gifted as a designer and textile colorist, he contributed substantially to the industry's growth and to the worldwide recognition accorded to Thai silk. He gained further known through the construction of this house combining six teak buildings which represented the best of traditional Thai architecture. Most of the houses were at least two centuries old and were easily dismantled and brought to the present site, some from as far away as the old capital of Ayudhya.

SEE ALSO: Jim Thompson House: Much more than silk

In his quest for authenticity, Jim Thompson adhered to the customs of the early builders in most respects. The houses were elevated a full story above the ground, a practical Thai precaution to avoid flooding during the rainy season, and the roof tiles were fired in Ayudhya employing a design common centuries ago but rarely used today. The red paint on the outside walls is a preservative commonly found on many old Thai buildings. The chandeliers were electrified as a concession to modern convenience, but even they belong to a past era, having come from 18th and 19th century Bangkok palaces.

Jim Thompson at home with his silk. His disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

All the traditional religious procedures were followed during construction of the house, and on a date in the spring of 1959, decreed as being auspicious by astrologers, Jim Thompson moved in. The house and the art collection soon became such a point of interest that he decided to open it to the public with proceeds donated to Thai charities and to projects directed at the preservation of Thailand's rich cultural heritage.

On March 27th 1967, Jim Thompson disappeared while on a visit to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Not a single clue has turned up in the ensuing years as to what might have happened to him. His famous Thai house, however, remains as a lasting reminder of his creative ability and his deep love of Thailand. In 1976, the Thai Court appointed administrator for the property of Jim Thompson received permission from government ministries of the Kingdom of Thailand to legally establish the James H W Thompson Foundation.

By virtue of its presence and the dictates of its charter the Foundation is committed to the preservation of Thailand's rich artistic and cultural heritage. The foundation supports a wide variety of research, publication and seminar projects in furtherance of this aim. All these activities require funds, and the James H W Thompson Foundation welcomes any contributions.

==

Open everyday from 9 AM - 6PM
Last tour begins at 4:30 PM
Jim Thompson House and Museum
opposite The National Stadium (BTS exit 1)
6 Soi Kaseman 2
Rama I Road, Bangkok
Tel: 02-216-7368

My 'Jackie O' Moment

by Kerrin Trenorden

I'm at dinner with a group of amazing ladies from Melbourne, at one of the most beautiful hotels I have stayed in, the SALA Hotel Phuket. I overhear one of them speaking about something they referred to as ‘Their Jackie O Moment’.

She was explaining to other members of our group, how during her afternoon free, she was laying on her sunbed in her private pool villa under the massive sunhat that was supplied in the room, she had to stop and appreciate that this was as close as she was going to get to a life like Jackie O – her Jackie O moment.

This comment made me stop and think about all the ‘pinch me experiences’ I have had on trips to Thailand. Experiences that I would not be able to have or really afford in other countries I have travelled to. It also made me realise that this feeling is my favourite thing about this country – the realisation that anyone can indulge in a moment of luxury for a fraction of the price at home or other destinations.

With Australia’s strong dollar and the amazing deals on offer to travellers, Thailand gives us the ability to stay in a top level room at a beautiful hotel in a better area for your family/honeymoon/boys or girls weekend away. You can also enjoy $3.00 cocktails, a $30.00 seafood buffet dinner after your hour-long $10.00 massage – and this is before I even mention the shopping!

Thailand’s ability to allow travellers to experience what I am referring to as ‘affordable luxury’ is why I believe that everyone should visit Thailand once in their life. I strongly believe that everyone deserves the chance to have their own Jackie O moment………

Backtracking a bit – what has been my Jackie O moment you ask? I have been lucky enough to have many! Most of them in Thailand and all quite different but that is a story for another time!

Below had to be in the top 5 however with thanks to SALA Phuket!
For those wanting their own Jackie O moment, it's time to contact your local travel agent or visit www.thaiairways.com.au

Chiang Dao: Elephants, ferns and crispy grasshoppers

Just an hour north of Chiang Mai is the community of Chiang Dao, a gateway to trekking in the mountains and a hub for elephant camps. Chiang Dao is where the rice field meet the jungle and home to a weekly market full of ethnic charm. Villagers from miles around head for Chiang Dao every Tuesday to shop for essentials and trade their home grown harvests.

The market stretches for a kilometre through the main street. Most vendors are selling fabrics or fried food, like deep fried bananas or spicy fish cakes (todd man pla). My favourite patch is a shady corner where charming old ladies sell rare forest foods from deeper in the hills. Tree ferns and wild greens are easy to find, but keep a close eye out for wasp larvae, river crabs, edible orchids and crunchy fried grasshoppers.





In the cooler months, the roads leading into Chiang Dao are thick with roadside stalls selling Khao Lam, sticky rice stuffed into bamboo sections. Red beans and mushrooms with wild herbs are used to add flavour to the rice, and the bamboo pieces are roasted over hot coals so the contents inside steam themselves to completion.



Most tourists to Chiang Dao get as far as the elephant camps and then head home to Chiang Mai, but some head deeper into the hills and spend a few nights in bamboo guesthouses. It's much cooler after dark than down in Chiang Mai, and you need to rug up a little. Mist often fills the valleys in the first light, until the sun comes out to brighten the jungle.

As a guest of some hill tribes or a day visit from Chiang Mai the charms of Chiang Dao are worth your time. You'll need a break from the temples and fancy night market eats of Chiang Mai anyway.

Like these images? You can join a photo tour with Ewen Bell and take your own.