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Thanks & sincerely,
Boone

Songkran - The Water Festival

So hot and humid in the mid April, what else would you be doing in Thailand to keep yourself fresh and cool. No problem, as virtually wherever you are the Water Festival is the answer. With the temperature potentially rising up to 40 degree centigrade and with presumably ample amount of fresh water despite the dry season, water plays a big, central role throughout the country -- Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Phuket, you name it! Starting already from as early as the beginning of the month, people in provincial towns throw water to passerby on major streets. But, the real festivities are on April 13th - 15th when the Thai people travel purposefully to see their families. The Water Festival is also considered the traditional Thai New Year with its legacy dated back to more than 10 centuries. The Thai New Year had been practically used as the start of the year in Thailand until 1940, when it adopted the solar calendar system. Traditionally, this festival teaches people to respect the elderly by paying a visit, to express gratitude to those having fostered them, to make boon (according to the Buddhism's doctrine), and in short just to be with the family. I personally find this well compares with Christmas in the West, though the climate differs greatly. So, we throw water to other people out off the bowl, splash off the bucket, squirt off the hose, yet most mobile, shoot off the water pistol; and thereby, cool ourselves down.

The Water Festival is just so much fun, so much water, so much wet, and so much cooling you down as you would like to expect!

Now, let's take a glimpse of the Water Festival "Songkran" at this official invitation footage 2006:



Contrast to to the Thai traditions, see how Westerners and also some Thais enjoy water fighting. Here is a clip from Koh Samui:



Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)

Factoid: Chakri Day

April 6th is a public holiday, "Chakri day". Workers have the day off in remembrance of the current Siamese dynasty of Chakri. The dynasty dates back to 1782 and have ruled the monarch with 9 kings!

Chiang Rai - the Northern Most of Siam

Less than two hundred kilometres away from the northern capital of Chiang Mai lies the sister Lanna province of Chiang Rai -- the northern most of Thailand with borders to both the Union of Myanmar and Lao People's Democratic Republic. Though it is not considered a main-streamed touristic destination like its larger sister, Chiang Rai is very well worth a visit. With the age of older than 800 years, it hosts a lot of historical evidence and cultural heritage in the ancient Lanna days, not to mention a countless number of genuine Buddhist temples or Wat. Apart from that, the country side landscape is ideal for doing outdoor sports -- no matter your tests are, there is something for you. Mountain biking, hiking, white-water rafting and elephant riding are amongst the most popular activities here. Thanks to its relatively high altitude and latitude, the climate is unbeatable countrywide. You can smell the fresh mountainous air, soothing from outside in, while doing such open-air activities. If not for these moderate and comfortable weather conditions, Somdej Phra Srinagarindra Boromarajajonani or the Princess Mother of Thailand would not have chosen Chiang Rai as her seasonal palace at old age. The inhabitants, in particular those in hill tribes, are all grateful for her kindness to have helped gradually transform the planting and cultivation of illegal opium into all those valuable flowering plants. Chiang Rai is now renowned for its hospitable environments for growing many of Western cold flowers. The tribe population also await visits from the rest of the world to share their unique cultures. To say the last, spend a day or two to Chiang Rai whenever you plan a trip to the North, and you will see a contrast similarity to Chiang Mai that you couldn't otherwise see.

Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)

Chiang Mai Night Safari

A safari is an expedition to observe or hunt animals in their natural habitat, which usually refers to the dark continent. Chiang Mai Night Safari is however not a place to hunt beasts right in their natural home; but it is a place to observe, study and learn to love wild lives in imitated jungle environments which somehow blends very well to the hosting hilly landscape of Chiang Mai. This night safari is claimed to be the largest and the third of its kind with more than one thousand nocturnal animals.

These night-owl animals are living, eating and reproducing in their closest natural environment. The whole extensive foothill area is spreading along Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, covering 3 districts of the province of Chiang Mai. It is a real big piece of Chaing Mai's land, and it has a lot to offer. There are three main routes: Jaguar Trail, Predator Prowl and Savanna Safari. The ticket price is only 500 Baht (or roughly 10 EURO) for all thrilling and awesome routes and yet more. Right behind the main entrance stands the majestic view with the thumping surround sound of the gigantic fountain laser performance. This is so beautiful and attractive that I spent an hour to see it three times. Make sure that you arrive just after dusk (around 6-7pm and a bit earlier during the winter time) to make the most of Chiang Mai Night Safari.

Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)

Factoid: Official Language

Though Thai is the only official language, English is widely taught as the first foreign language as early as primary schools. It's allegedly claimed - despite what have been said - that the proficiency is low.

Royal Flora in Chiang Mai

In a perfectly similar sense for Phuket, the northern province of Chiang Mai also has a nickname - "The Rose of the North". Some tourists give it an even broader credit as the Rose of the Southeast Asia, in particular, after the biggest exhibition it ever hosted. Not only biggest in Thailand, the Royal Flora is reportedly the largest plant exposition in Southeast Asia. To add to this magnitude it is also the largest international horticultural exposition as well. It was just so big that no-one would ever have seen every spot in fine detail. This might be one of the reasons why the event had been planned for 92 days. To show the scale in short, it requires 80 hectares (almost a square kilometer) of overall space with more than 7 kilometers of strolling path, swirling around 30 international gardens and 80 domestic gardens. These one-hundred-and-ten gardens take up only less than a third of the area. More than two million visitors have come to witness this, to witness how faithful the Thais love their King. This event was organized by Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Department of Agriculture Horticultural Science Society of Thailand in respect and honor of His Majesty the King. The main aim was to highlight HM invaluable contributions to Thai agriculture that have helped advance technologies, increased the agricultural productivity, and shaped the way of life of the people in this country at large.

Though the event is over, many still remember and smile at what they have experienced. Thanks to YouTube, here is a nice video clip of the exposition.



Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)

Factoid: from Siam to Thailand

Siam was used as the country's official name only until June 24, 1939. It has then been changed to Thailand, with the word "Thai" meaning freedom as reflected by the revolution and slave abolishment in the era.

Can't Scuba Dive!

No problem at all. You can still enjoy the colorfulness of marine lives. What you essentially need is simply a snorkeling set, viz. a mask and a breathing tube which is better familiar as a snorkel. These two pieces of equipment usually come as a single package with an elastic strip holding both together. To increase mobility at the skin of and under water, a pair of fins are particularly quite helpful, though not indispensable. Once putting on these, you are good to go. I met several non-swimmers who could get along with this equipment very well and had had a great time at the sea level. Snorkel is absolutely an amazing device; its structure and technology are fairly simple, but its usability and effectiveness are enormous. You might be able to stay in the pool water for ten minutes, trying to keep your head above the water. You could most likely do much shorter in the sea water if the waves are a little raging. But with the tube, you could stay for in for the whole afternoon. It helps slow down the state of exhaustion, as you no longer need to push yourself vertically. The head stays literally underwater most of the time, gazing at those fish and seahorses. All your body energy is then used most economically to kick the fins and propel yourself to that cluster of sea fans. The time really does not matter any more as it stops right there. I once felt that the whole afternoon was just a short moment that I needed it prolonged, until I realized the burning pain on my back and shoulder because of the sun. After that trip, the scarfskin on those parts started to peel off, and it felt really strange!

It's a lot cheaper to go on a snorkeling trip than a scuba trip due to lower equipment requirements. The experience may not be quite identical as of scuba diving, but I am sure you will get quite a lot out of it. To give some idea, a snorkeling day-trip to the Coral Island or Koh Hae (just 15 minutes offshore off Phuket's south by speedboat) including equipment and lunch costs from only 500Baht (roughly equivalent to 10EUR or 13US$)

Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)

PS: Be informed that fins are normally not included in the package and hardly be available even with extra cost. Instead, a live vest is provided for the novices. The only reason is to protect shallow-water corals which are usually hard and get broken easily when being walked upon. Some people walk -- with fins on -- on the hard corals and thereby damage them with no bad intentions. These corals takes decades to naturally grow, so please help protect them. Fins are a great propeller for divers but at the same time a great danger to the beauty we are after.

Scuba Diving at Phuket Island

The Pearl of the Andaman Sea is given as a metaphorical name of the provincial island of Phuket. Tourists to Thailand usually know this province best -- if not Chiang Mai -- after the capital metropolitan of Bangkok. The name is justified by its impeccable location just offshore the west coastline of the Thai South. The island itself hosts several white-sandy beaches enticing to lie on, but Phuket is much more than its island proper. There are several satellite islets and colorful coral reefs clustering around. Hence, scuba diving is one of the most popular activities at Phuket. It offers a large selection of dive sites ranging from as shallow as 8 meters to as deep as 40 meters. No matter what level your skill and experience, there is always something for you. Last time, we went diving for 2 dives at Koh Racha Yai (Big Royal Island) at the depth of 9-18 meters. The day was bright, the water was crystal clear, and the tide was still. In all, it's such a memorable smiling activity in the land of smiles ;-)

Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)

Smiling Land is the Land of Smiles

Many Westerners choose southeast Asia as their destinations for a long holiday -- an annual vacation. Most of them have been to the region for more than a single time, so there must be something nice, something they are after, that lures them back years after years and attracts even more & more newbies. You know what I'm talking about already, don't you. One of the main purposes for making this blog happen is to share the first (and second and third and so on, as long as they are useful) hand experience and knowledge about traveling and smiling in the land of smile, the Kingdom of Siam or as we all know of these days Thailand. So stay tuned and let's see what we have to show and share!!

Sincerely,
Boone (http://smilingland.blogspot.com)