Lanna 101: new magazine about Northern Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pai, etc)

If you travel to Thailand or Bangkok, you will probably already know about Bangkok 101 magazine, which is the best-selling lifestyle, travel and 'what's on' type magazine about the great many goings on in that city.

Now comes Lanna 101: your definitive guide to northern Thailand.

It covers the region from Sukhothai north (one of the dramatic ancient capitals, roughly 350km northwards of Bangkok is considered northern Thailand).  So Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai (which turns 750 next year), Pai (Thai tourists' favourite winter retreat), Mae Hong Son (interesting border city), the intriguing The Golden Triangle (where Laos and Burma meet Thailand on the Mekong River),  Loei (near Isaan and the Mekong), and one of my personal favourite cities Nan (an up and coming Pai, full of coffee shops, hanging flower baskets, and a well-preserved Lanna culture).

So what is Lanna? Essentially it was the Kingdom of One Million Rice Fields which spread from what is now eastern Burma down through this region in the 12-18th centuries under the guidance of founder King Mengrai ... well, he wasn't around for all of those 500 years, of course, but you understand what I mean.

The first issue of the magazine is on sale at the news stands NOW, but you can also jump online at www.lanna101.com to see the best of travel, accommodation, arts, community, wellness, nightlife, etc, etc, etc.

It's bloody brilliant. I know, because I edited it, jing jing.

Oops -- I got it wrong about the Thailand election.

These are words you will rarely -- if ever! -- hear from me:

I. Was. Wrong.

Wrong about what? The aftermath of the recently completed Thai elections. With all the build-up in the past couple of years, the red shirts, yellow shirts, polka-dotted purple shirts, blah-dee-blah-dee-blah, I thought there was no way that the election result would simply be announced and people would say "Oh, Ok" and get back to work.

But that is exactly what has happened in Amazing Thailand in the last few days. Thankfully. There WAS no aftermath.

I have covered the country from Krabi to Phuket to Bangkok to Koh Samui to Bangkok (again) and now Chiang Mai in the last week, and have seen not one hair out of place. Nothing amiss. Nothing simmering that I can gauge from my humble viewpoint. Even though a good percentage of people (like in any democracy) didn't get the result they wanted.

May I say for the record, as a foreigner, I am absolutely apathetic and not involved in the politics of this , or indeed any, country.

So, the point -- you knew I had one to make EVENTUALLY didn't you?!? -- is that if you're thinking of travelling to Thailand but were a little worried or thinking What if? or whatever ... take a leaf out of Nike's book and Just Do It.

Confirm your flight and get on over here to Amazing Thailand now ... jing jing.

Coming up in July from Krabi, Trang, Phi Phi and Phuket Thailand

Dear readers,

Painting at Anantara Si Kao

You're in for a treat in July, as I visit a part of Amazing Thailand I've never been before (Trang and Krabi) and revisit some areas I first went to in 1988 (such as Phi Phi Island and Phuket).

Among the hotels, resorts, activities and attractions I'll blog about on Thailand Jing Jing as I criss-cross Phang Nga Bay are:

Anantara Si Kao Resort and Spa, near Krabi
Red Ginger Chic Resort, Ao Nang, Krabi
Pakasai Resort, Ao Nang, Krabi
Bhu Nga Thani Resort and Spa, Railay Bay, Ao Nang
Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort and Spa
Koh Yao Yai Village
Kayaking through limestone and mangroves in Phang Nga Bay.
Snorkelling on Phi Phi Island
Jungle Splash Water Park, Phuket

I resisted the urge to visit the Ritz Carlton at Pulay Bay where the stunningly beautiful Hangover 2 movie wedding scene was shot, though I did speak to one hotelier whose location was rejected after the producer got seasick!

Many of these blogs will take a wellness angle, with wonderful spa treatments which have me oiled up and steaming and creaming, and some take an eco-angle, kayaking and snorkelling and doing my bit to save your earth.

Oh, by the way, do not call Phi Phi Island part of Phuket. It is part of Krabi province, and a good way to annoy the locals by getting it wrong, jing jing.

Friday Funny: A good Happy Hour deal from Koh Samui?

It looks like a good deal, but is it really? Read closely.

Photo taken at Samui Subzero 'Drink n Dive' party at Moby Dick's Bar, Chaweng, Koh Samui, Thailand.

Friday Funny: the longest city name in the world (clue: not Bangkok Thailand))

When I was growing up the Guinness Book of World Records always featured the longest place name in the world as some endless unpronounceable town in Wales, where the name ran so long they had to extend the railway station platform just so they could fit the full name on it.

Ok, so I made that last bit up.

But ... BUT ...

The longest city name in the world is actually the full name for Bangkok (aka known as Bangers, BKK,  even Bankok in social media circles), the bustling, mad-cap, edgy, fun, crazy, stylish capital city of Amazing Thailand.

Are you ready for this? Take a deep breath and repeat after me:

"KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT."

Thais actually learn this almost like a sing-a-long nursery rhyme at school to help them remember it, jing jing.

So what does it all mean? Well, roughly “The land of angels, the great city of immortality, various of devine gems, the great angelic land unconquerable, land of nine noble gems, the royal city, the pleasant capital, place of the grand royal palace, forever land of angels and reincarnated spirits, predestined and created by the highest Deva(s).”

This name has been in place since 1782, so shame on Guinness World Records for not knowing this and attributing it earlier.

But before you rish down to your travel agent to book your flight to KRUNGTHEP MAHANAKHON BOVORN RATANAKOSIN MAHINTHARAYUTTHAYA MAHADILOKPOP NOPARATRATCHATHANI BURIROM UDOMRATCHANIVETMAHASATHAN AMORNPIMAN AVATARNS ATHIT SAKKATHATTIYAVISNUKARMPRASIT, you'll be relieved to know, Thais just call their capital by one word, Krungthep, which means City of Angels.

Of course, you can also simply request a flight to Bangkok. That works too.

The happiness index in Amazing Thailand, the Land of Smiles.

Although it literally translates as 'Land of the Free', Amazing Thailand has long been known as 'The Land of Smiles' for the very good reason that it seems a smile is naturally not very far away from the lips of most Thais.

As any traveller will tell you, you usually receive excellent return on investment every time you offer a smile and a polite greeting to a Thai. (Compare this with trying to get a smile and a hello out of someone passing in the street on a grey winters day in, say, Frankfurt.)

But are Thais really happy people or is this just some sort of cultural defense mechanism?

I've done some rummaging about for you, and there are several answers ...

The Bangkok Post recently published an article that indicated that Thais have grown happier each year since 2008 according to the National Statistical Office who publish a 'Happiness Indicator' each year. The Happiness Index scores have risen nearly 6% since then.

Further, they found the happiest residents on average -- and presumably the largest Thailand smiles -- in Phang Nga (that's south near Phuket, not to be confused with Phangan where the smiles are more to do with mushrooms), followed by Trang (south, near Krabi), Maha Sarakham (no idea, look it up yourself), Narathiwat (deep south) and Tak (halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, and deemed to be the starting point of Northern Thailand).

Now get this ...

In the Happy Planet Index 2009, Thailand ranked 41st of all countries. Hmmm, not very high satisfaction you might think. But look at some other results: UK - 74th! Australia 102nd! USA 114th!

Now any Americans reading this and questioning the methodology, etc, had better listen and listen good. Because here's a second opinion. And not just any opinion, but one from a North Korean Happiness Index report on the internet, so you know it's objective, reliable, impartial and accurate, jing jing.

North Korea ranks China as the happiest country in the world, followed by North Korea 2nd. Last place? The USA. So there you have it.

So look around you ... are people largely smiling or frowning? Now go for a walk down the street and smile at someone ... did you get a big sunny grin in return that threatened to split their cheeks -- or did they threaten to call the cops on you?

If it was the latter, perhaps it's time to travel to Thailand, the land of smiles.

If you enjoy reading Thailand Jing Jing then ...

Dear readers

Thanks to your support, we have now had over 20,000 pages of my Amazing Thailand travel blog stories downloaded ...

So, I thought you might also like to know I have another blog called THAILAND FACES AND PLACES.

In it, I set out to get locals (and long-term farangs living in Thailand) to invite you into their life story, and then take you to their top 5 places.

We go way waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond touristic Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui, and Chiang Mai. Instead you'll find yourself in known-only-to-locals back streets, coffee shops, stores, noodle houses, Thai restaurants, and so on in places like Pai, Nan, Chonburi, Koh Turatao, etc.

Check it out, and tell your friends about it too. It's the best travel blog since Thailand Jing Jing. Jing jing!

Aleenta Phuket Thailand scoops the pool in Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2011

The Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga in Amazing Thailand walked away from the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards 2011 with no less than four awards:


- Best Small Hotel, Thailand
- Best Small Hotel, Asia Pacific.
- Best Sustainable Hotel, Thailand
- Best sustainable Hotel, Asia Pacific


 The luxury resort will now go into the final round and compete against winners from other regions including Africa, the Americas, Arabia and Europe for the World's Best Small Hotel and Sustainable Hotel in January 2012 in London. 


In line with the 'Thailand Go Green' drive, I hope to check out this responsible tourism option personally sometime soon. Purely in the interests of professional research, jing jing.


Stay tuned for details. Better still, go check in there soon before it becomes too famous and popular for you to get into.