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Manila – Philippines
2008-05-07 12:52:00
Population: 9mArea code: (+63) 2Time zone: GMT +8Currency: Philippine peso (P) = 100 centavosClimate: Tropical; average temperatures 21°C /70°F - 30°C/86°F (Jan); 24°C/75°F - 34°C/93°F (May)Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL): 7km/4 milesView of Manila ‘Four hundred years under the Cross followed by fifty under the greenback’ – nowhere does the misquote of the popular aphorism describing the Philippines ring more true than in the heart of its sprawling metropolis. Admittedly, Uncle Sam’s legacy seems at times to have swamped the Baroque scenario left by the Spanish conquistadores, but especially at fiesta time the city’s Latin heart still throbs palpably beneath the star-spangled trappings of pop music and fast food. Despite its all-too-manifest shortcomings, Manila remains an indomitably cheerful place, the optimistic charm of its nine million citizens as triumphant as the exuberant jeepneys thronging the streets, even in the face of poverty, housing shortages...

PHILIPPINES
2008-05-07 12:13:00
It is tempting, but misleading, to fall in line with the oft-quoted descriptions of the Philippines as a misplaced Latin-American enclave adrift in the South China Sea. At first glance, the reasons are obvious enough: architecture, national character, lifestyle, religion, even the cuisine all seem to echo their kinship with the Caribbean or maybe Mexico. (Thor Heyerdahl could perhaps find a more primitive explanation than merely the quirks of more or less recent history). Western affinities notwithstanding, however, the country remains firmly Asian in family loyalties, consciousness and aspiration.Down the millennia, the mountainous archipelago of 7,107 islands scattered across the Pacific between Borneo and Taiwan remained largely untouched by the waxing and waning of the mighty empires throughout the rest of the continent. The 16th – century conquistadores searching for the Spice Route found neither Hindu temples nor Buddhist monasteries, and the handful of Muslim sultanates in ...

Fine Dining and Hang Out Place in Singapore
2008-04-22 05:20:00
The Business LunchLes AmisShaw Center 02-16, 1 Scotts Road;Closed: Sunday; May Day; Chinese New Year.Cuisine: FrenchThe Power Lunch with a private touch is a parade of tycoons and tai-tais and little people who look great, at least. Plate-glass window front for casual waves, granite-and-glass dining room for cool chic and French cuisine for gourmets.The Business DinnerLatour – Hotel Shangri-LaCuisine: French/International.A lower of the good life in luxury on the hill: the Shangri-La was probably voted among the best hotels of the world as much for its status restaurant as for its service. It attracts the city’s elite, for Don Ashton’s interior. The Latours date back to before the independence of the state.The Social LunchTiffin Room – Raffles HotelCuisine: Tiffin curryThe chic melee in the Raffles’ pillared dinning room has taken to heart Rudyard Kipling’s advice to “feed at the Raffles when in Singapore ”. How much more beauty can you expect? Film-set-spa-like inter...
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Hotels in Singapore
2008-04-22 01:58:00
The HeadquartersRitz-Carlton Millenia – 610 rooms (22 suites)7 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039 799The newest lighthouse on the shores of the ‘Lion City’ is also its most brilliant. 32 floors of grandiose accommodations (the rooms, all with a spectacular view over city or harbor, are the largest and most luxurious in the city) and grand living (between the futuristic SUNTEC convention complex and the glassed-in shop-yourself-to-death Marina Centre). You will find all of the Ritz-Carlton amenities you are used to, even a little more impressive than in Hong Kong or Seoul. The gardens form a beautiful passé-partout, the interior décor an atmospheric ambiance and the service a home-away-from-home feeling. And in the Ritz-Carlton Club life is led at the top not only geographically. Fitness centre, pool and tennis for a physical balance, restaurants with Cantonese, Mediterranean and Californian cuisine for bodily pleasures and the knowledge of being in the ‘right hands’ for spiri...
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Singapore Sights and Attractions
2008-04-15 04:08:00
Chinatown Street MarketTake a stroll along the Chinatown Night Market for a unique night market shopping experience! Delight yourself with an array of traditional and modern merchandise ranging from street opera masks to handmade ornaments, traditional clothing to unique fashion accessories, you will be spoiled for choice with the eclectic mix of merchandise on offer.Immerse yourself in the old world charm of these Chinatown shophouses as you browse the selections at every stall. For those looking back to kick back and relax, there are also traditional and modern dance performances to entertain you in the evenings. Don’t forget to check out the wide variety of local finger food stalls at Trengganu Street too!Location:Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and Sago StreetLittle India StreetOne of the main ethnic enclaves in Singapore , Little India has become a popular tourist destination. This neighborhood has the patronage of people of all races who wish to eat or buy something specific ...
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SINGAPORE
2008-04-05 06:34:00
Population: 2.7mArea code: +65Time zone: GMT +8Currency: Singapore dollar (S$) = 100centsClimate: Tropical, with northeast monsoon winds in summer, thunderstorms in Arp/May and Oct/Nov; aver temp, 23°C/ 75°F - 30°C/887°F all the year round.Singapore Changi International Airport (SIN): 25 km/15.6 miles.Is it Zurich-in-the-tropics of Hong Kong after a clean-up? Suspended by the Jahore Causeway from the Southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula, the tiny island state of Singapore is also isolated from the rest of the continent by its almost fanatically organized prosperity. Nonetheless, behind the squeaky-clean façade and flower-filled boulevards there still lurks enough Oriental mysticism to justify the self-styled ’Instant Asia’ tag.View of Singapore's buildingsSingapore shares its potpourri of races and religious with its neighboring countries. Although there are sizable Malay and Indian minorities and a sprinkling of virtually every other nationality under the sin, it remai...

Kandy – Sri Lanka
2008-03-16 09:26:00
Kandy Lake with the Temple of the ToothPopulation: 700,000Area Code: (+94) 8Climate: Tropical; average temperatures: 31C/88F – 17C/63F (Jan-Mar); 29C/84F – 21C/70F (May-Aug); 28C/82F – 18C/64F (Sep-Dec).For over two hundred years it was the defiant last capital of the kings of Sri Lanka . It thwarted the Portuguese before finally succumbing to British rule in 1815. Reclining serenely beside an artificial lake on the wooded lower slopes of the Hill Country after which it was christened, Kandy became a religious center during the 13th or 14th century and a political one following the decline of Plonnaruwa. Gracious residences for the hillside in a sea of greenery on the south shore of the lake. Centred on the moated pink Dalada Maligawa, the 16th-century Temple of the Tooth – the island’s most sacred relic – Kandy feels like a Sri Lankan Kyoto. Here and in the surrounding villages the ancient skills of dancing, music, handicrafts and all that is most deeply traditional in t...
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Where to stay and hangout in Colombo
2008-03-16 00:50:00
The HeadquarterColombo Hilton – 387 rooms (43 suites)67 Lotus Rd. Echelon Square, Colombo 1Disciples of Conrad’s philosophy of hospitality will hear their master’s voice when they check in at the Colombo dependence, which more than lives up to expectations. Standing amidst seven acres of tropical gardens, the white tower block soars above the Old Parliament Building at the heart of the Fort banking and commercial district. It comes as no surprise, therefore, to find local executives gathering for tea or drinks to the live music in the Thorana lobby lounge. Many of the city’s major social and official functions also take place in the grand Serendib ballroom. Traveling businessmen find a pleasant level of comfort plus the infrastructure for an office away from the office on the Executive Floors. Linked to the main building by a walkway, the pool, sports and spa complex complete with Fitness Center have resort character and provide the best anti-stress therapy in town. Afterwar...
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Colombo – Sri Lanka
2008-02-23 09:35:00
Population: 1 m;Area Code: (+94) 1;Time Zone: GMT +5fi;Climate: Tropical;Monsoon rain (Apr-Jun);Average Temperature: 22-32C /72-88F;Katunayake International Airport (CMB): 30 km/19 miles;In many respects, Sri Lanka ’s maritime capital likes to cultivate its low profile. Admittedly, there are now gleaming white high-rises overshadowing the neoclassic portico of the mellow brownstone parliament building at the heart of the Fort area; nonetheless, this miniature metropolis seems largely content to retain its portion of the power, whilst allowing its more extrovert forerunners – Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kandy and co. – the lion’s share of the glory on the tourist trail. Even the creation of the new administrative capital of Sri Jayawardhanapura down the road has not detracted from Colombo ’s supremacy as the hub of the island’s commercial, financial and industrial activity – as undisputed since independence as it was under the trinity of colonial powers. Apart from the mix...

SRI LANKA
2008-02-23 08:30:00
Little did bel-esprit Horace Walpole realize, as his Grand Tour ended under a cloud in Northern Italy, that he would never come closer to Serendib. The teardrop ‘Paradise Island’ off the coast of India beloved of Arabian seafarers is the home of the blissful state the christened serendipity – the “faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident”. Sri Lanka ’s history has not always been happy; the unexpected, however, can certainly occur round every corner.To the ancient Greeks, Sri Lanka was Taprobane; to the Indians, Lanka, the ‘Resplendent Land’, to the Moors the ‘Isle of Delight’, and to the Chinese the ‘Jewelled Island’. The Victorians called it the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ when they imposed the Pax Britannica on the last kings of Kandy, in the wake of the Portuguese and Dutch traders. They also quelled the invading Indian armies from both ends of the subcontinent – the Sinhalese and Tamils whose Buddhist and Hindu beliefs mingle f...

Place to Stay and Hang Out in Taipei
2008-01-22 10:16:00
The HeadquartersFar Eastern Plaza201 Tun Hwa South Road, Section 2, Taipei 106, Taiwan, R.O.CThe sky’s the limit, it seems above the capital’s latest and tallest luxury hotel, soaring to new heights on fashionable Tun Hwa Road. You’ll feel half-way in heaven when you check into one of the lavishly decorated suites above the 40th floor of this hospitable skyscraper. The shiny steel-and-glass tower accentuates the city silhouette, the beautiful interior attracts globetrotting guests rewarding spaciousness, style and designer chic as well as the Shangri-La management for having set a standard all over Asia. Throughout the acres of marble and the sea of flowers, the limitless facilities and the ultra-modern technology, the variety of bars and restaurants and the congenial ambiance, the staff makes you forget about your materialistic mission. From business center to pleasure spa, from Western snacks to Chinese haute Cuisine, the infrastructure is ideal. And sitting on the ritzy Me...
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The Sights and Attractions in Taipei
2008-01-20 06:58:00
The Sights :Chiang Kai-shek Memorial HallThe National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a monument erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China, in Taipei , Taiwan. A new name for the structure, National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall. The ponds and parks surrounding the memorial and cultural centers feature well-maintained lawns, trees, and pathways. The ponds are filled with the colourful koi traditionally found in gardens in East Asia. One often sees people in the parks playing Go or practicing taekwondo, Tai chi chuan and other martial arts. The entire plaza is located within sight of Taiwan's Presidential Office Building in the Zhongzhen District of Taipei.National Palace MuseumIt is located in Waishuanghsi, neighborhood of the Shihlin District, with the riches of Chinese culture and Imperial collections over 1000 years: bronzes, paintings, porcelain, jade, calligraphy and rare books. The National Palace Museum holds one of the largest collectio...
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TAIPEI - Taiwan
2008-01-20 06:00:00
Population: 3 mArea Code: (+886) 2Time Zone: GMT +8Currency: New Taiwan dollar (NT $) = 100 centsClimate: sub-tropical; average temperatures: 12C/54F - 18C/64F (Feb); 24C/75F - 33C/92F (Jul)Chiang Kai-shek International Airport: 40km/25 miles.In the popularity stakes of finalists among the Far-Eastern metropolises, Taiwan's capital could not home for more than an honorable mention. The gold medal would go to Hong King for business and pleasure; the silver to Singapore for law and order, and the bronze maybe to bangkok for chaos and charm. Taipei has always tended to be unfairly dismissed as the 'Ugly Duckling' - not least by its own citizens, who still refer to it as the "provisional capital". Certainly no one has ever thought to call it the 'Pearl of the Orient', anyway - not even in jest.Architecturally speaking, Taipei still suffers from the Bonn syndrome. It's a provisional capital whose shadow no one ever bothered to endow with substance. Unlike the German 'world village...

TAIWAN
2008-01-10 05:31:00
For a country whose existence even the United Nations reuses to acknowledge officially, Taiwan is doing extremely well - and showing it too. Within the space of a few years, the island off the China coast has transformed itself from an Asian Cinderella into one of the famous Four Tigers in a boom story which is one of the most remarkable legends of the postwar area. The architect of the scheme, the Republic of China's Taipei based government, continues marking time against the day when it can abandon its temporary asylum and once more take possession of what it sees as its mainland inheritance. To the People's Republic across the water in Beijing, however, Taiwan is just renegade province; and with both governments uncompromising on the "Two Chinas" issue and Beijing's sheer numbers outweighing the opposition, until a solution is found most of the world will carry on trading with a country it is obliged to ignore diplomatically.Cleft by fertile valleys and with its western territ...

HOTEL & DINING IN KOH SAMUI
2008-01-08 05:51:00
Santiburi resort12/2 Moo 1, Tambon maenam, Amphur Koh Samui , Surat ThaniWake up to a better world in a Thai-style beachfront villa placed in a tropical floral setting as if for the Chelsea Flower Show. Leap into the luxurious wood and marble bathroom for your first indulgence before meeting the morning sun on your panoramic terrace overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Breakfast on a cornucopia of local fruit along with home made pastries and the symphony of birdsong. walk across scenic bridges for a dip in the swimming pool rotunda before settling on a sun bed on white powdered sand. boats and water sports at the snap of a finger. Lunch in your dining pavilion for ultimate intimacy, or join the other 'relaxed refugees' at Vimarnmek to feel also the heat of curries within - or for beach fashion snacks at Rim Talay. When the sun sets dramatically over the red-tiled roofs, it's time for colorful cocktails at the Taksin Longue and a romantic tete-a-tete with Asian specialties or your pe...
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KOH SAMUI - Thailand
2008-01-08 04:59:00
A couple of decades ago, Thailand 's third-largest offshore island woke up and found itself famous. Briefly forming part of the 16th-century maritime trade network established by the Chinese Ming-Dynasty admiral Cheng Ho, Koh Samui had subsequently disappeared from the world map and slumbered in peaceful obscurity until modern times. The local fishermen even routed the Japanese forces who tried to capture the island during World War II. But then the waves of world-travelling flower children padded down the hight-flying trail through Kathmandu, Goa and Bali. Arriving here, they bedded down in thatched huts beneath the palm tress and wandered the beaches in sarongs, silver anklets and in search of self-identification. Until the recent completion of the flowerbed airstrip, however, the time consuming overland trek via Surat Thani and the two hour sea crossing from Ban Don or Don Sak deterred all but these hardy back packers.Now the Bangkok connection has been established, and the wild ...

Getting To Krabi
2008-01-04 19:27:00
KRABI is located on the south-west coast of Thailand, around 800km from Bangkok and 170km from Phuket. It is easily accessible by road, air and sea.By plane to Krabi Krabi Airport is small and conveniently situated for just about everywhere in the province as it is on the main highway, Route 4. Many larger hotels offer a (paying) transfer service if you specify your arrival time; otherwise there are efficient, regulated taxis available. The standard fare to hotels in Krabi Town is 350 Baht per car; to Ao Nang, 600 Baht per car; to Klong Muang 900 Baht per car.A new international terminal has recently been opened. With customs and immigration services providing visas on arrival, this will open the door to direct international flights - at least during the high season months.Another airport near to Krabi is Phuket International Airport, around two hours' drive away (taxi 2400 - 2600 Baht per car). This is worth considering as an alternative arrival point as there are often cheap chart...

Krabi Islands Hopping and Cruising
2008-01-04 17:24:00
Activities and things to do:If you’re planning a day out at sea, the traditional wooden longtail boats found on all mainland beaches are your best option for independent island hopping. There are also frequent 'taxi boats' running from Ao Nang to Ton Sai and Railay Beach. These wait until they have enough passengers (in theory 5, but in high season they usually hold out for 10 or more) to depart. Buy coupons for the boats at the booth on the corner of the beach road opposite Phra Nang Inn.Prices for trips are fixed by the boatmen's club (i.e. are not able to be bargained down) and displayed on a board outside the ticket office. The prices are the same all year round and children under 12 travel free.Boats can also be found at Nopparat Thara; Chao Fah pier in Krabi Town; Klong Muang; and Railay. Prices may vary slightly from those in Ao Nang, depending on how much closer or further away from the destination you are. In these destinations you pay the driver directly (no tickets)....
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KRABI - Thailand
2008-01-04 10:21:00
The best time to visit is soon. Rumor has it that the sleepy little town lying on the mainland opposite Phuket is set to become the latest hot tip on the international holiday scene. The rucksack crowd and a handful of sailors discovered Krabi a few years ago. They are not the only visitors to hope that it will be allowed to preserve its unspoilt charm for longer than Thailand 's older resorts. As a town, Krabi has little to distinguish it from dozens of others between Samut Songkhran and Songkhla. Straddling the banks of the Krabi River, its sea views blocked by sandbars, at first sight it looks nondescript. Strung out along the coast, however, are pristine white sandy beaches, some only accessible by boat and most still blissfully empty as well as possessing all the essential picture-postcard attributes, from casuarinas and palm trees to transluccent water. Ao Phra Nang is the setting of the Dusit Rayavadee, latest scion of the Bangkok-based group. Re Lai is framed by gaunt cliffs...

PHUKET BEACHES
2008-01-01 22:15:00
To enjoy a panoramic view of Kata Noi, Kata and Karon beaches, there is a vantage point on the beach route between Nai Han and Kata Noi beaches.Rawai BeachLocated to the south of the island, Rawai is the first beach that brought fame to Phuket Island. The coconut-fringed route from the Chalong Intersection to Rawai is one of the most beautiful roads in Phuket. It is a good beach area where sea-people reside and where several restaurants provide different styles of delicious foods, especially seafood, shell handicraft shops, and both fishing and charter boats.Naihan BeachNaihan is a place for those who love peace and quiet. Its most picturesque landscape can be seen on the way from the north of Phromthep Cape down to the beach. It has a large freshwater behind it that flows into the sea at the southern end and some good snorkeling at the northern end. It's not a place to hire a jet ski or expect a lot of action. Just yachts bobbing in the bay, vendors selling ice cream and drinks an...
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PHUKET ATTRACTIONS
2008-01-01 20:45:00
City Guide Attractions Old BuildingsThey are in the Sino-Portuguese style mixed with modern constructions form the unique identity of the town of Phuket . These hundred-year-old buildings can be found along Thalang, Deebuk, Phang-nga, Yaowarat and Krabi roads.Khao Rang, Phuket View Point(Kho Sim Bi Road)A low hill near the town centre, this is an excellent place to view the beautiful scene of the town and the surrounding sea, especially on a full-moon night. There are also several restaurants featuring spectacular views of the city, a health park for exercise enthusiasts near the hilltop which is frequently visited by townspeople, some souvenir shops, and a comfortable, expanse of grass s at the top with a bronze statue of Phraya Ratsada Nupradit, the model Governor of Phuket between 1890 and 1909, during King Rama V's reign.Saphan Hin Mining Monument (Phuket Road)Saphan Hin is a public park near the sea at the end of Phuket Road. In the circle is the Tin Mining Monument, shaped lik...

WHERE TO STAY & HANGOUT IN PHUKET
2008-01-01 16:48:00
The ResortAmanpuriPansea Beach, Phuket There is a ‘place of peace’ nestled amongst coconut palms which leads to a private crescent beach touching brilliant turquoise sea. This place is Amanpuri, on Thailand’s jade green island of Phuket, where nature and culture harmoniously merge, yielding a pure tranquillity where less means more and luxury is found in graciousness.Nestling in a spectacular grove of palm trees, the forty Thai-style temple pavilions are scattered under the swaying fronds like private residences in an oriental palace garden. Little footpaths link them to the blackly shimmering swimming pool, the restaurants, the library and the shopping galleria. But you can happily spend your entire stay in your teak villa, with private pool, personal servants, your own cook and a dream-like peace hovering between the roaring of the sea and jungle cacophony. Sailing, surfing, water-skiing or a a game of tennis are activity enough to fill the day. For divers, anglers and photog...
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PHUKET - Thailand
2008-01-01 12:01:00
Everything under the sun. Lapped by the turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, the white palm-fringed beaches shimmer invitingly in the tropical sunlight, skirting jungle-clad hills dotted with picturesque villages. This lush paradise off the west coast of Thailand 's southern isthmus has the scenic attributes of a dream island for all seasons, spiced with Oriental mystique and bathed in smiling charm.In centuries past, trading clippers braved local pirates to rite out storms and replenish supplies in Phuket 's sheltered bays. They bartered European products for ivory, pearls, gems and ambergris. The island's rich natural resources and strategic location attracted in turn the Malays (who first christened in Bukit, 'hill'), the Siamese, Burmese, and even the British. But Bangkok won the day and the East India company's final choice feel in Penang. Until a decade ago, Phuket grew quietly prosperous on its tin mines and its rubber and pineapple plantations, remaining the secret refu...

HOTEL & RESTAURANT IN CHIANG RAI
2008-01-01 10:11:00
The HeadquartersDusit Island Resort - 271 rooms (45 suites)1129 Kraisorasit Road Vieng District, Amphur Muang, Chiang Rai .Chiang Rai's luxury refugium is set on an island on the Mae Kok. It's the ideal base from which to explore the rivers, jungles and mountains of Thailand's far north. The staff are charming, the management always obliging, the rooms luxurious. And it has lively restaurants, a pub and a large swimming pool overlooking the river.The hotel's decor and furnishings also reflect the diversity of northern Thai styles. For special functions, guests can enjoy traditional dining on the floor while leaning against multi-coloured triangular cushions. The Mae Kok River provides a spectacular natural backdrop visible from all the guest rooms, as well as from the rooftop restaurant, The Peak.The Resort & SpaPhowadol Resort and Spa183 Moo 3 Rimkok Subdistrict , ChiangraiPhowadol Resort and Spa is the newest and most modern boutique resort in Chiang Rai province, northern ...
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CHIANG RAI (GOLDEN TRIANGLE) ATTRACTIONS
2007-12-29 23:27:00
Picture: Elephant SafariMain Highlights and ActivitiesPhra That Doi Tung - A temple containing the left collar bone of the Buddha on top of the Doi Tung (highest in Chiang Rai ), is a most important place of worship for Buddhists in the North. About 7 km from the temple is a beautiful royal residence built for the late Princess Mother in celebration of her 90th birthday in 1990.Chiang Saen Museum - It is famous for its invaluable Buddha images and antiques of the Chiang Saen Kingdom (11th-12th C.). It opens every day except Monday and Tuesday.Golden Triangle - This is the world-famous place where the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos meet. The Ruak River from Burma joins the Mokong here.Hill tribes - Several Hill-tribes live in the mountainous areas around Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, Mae Sai and along the Kok River, each group having its own language, costume, customs, and religious beliefs.Doi Mae Salong - A Chinese Communists founded by the Nationalist Chinese Army when they fled from ...
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CHIANG RAI (GOLDEN TRIANGLE) - Thailand
2007-12-29 20:38:00
In a region where even the tuk-tuk drivers may address you as "Monsieur", it's tempting to link the French Connection to the mythical poppies in the hidden valleys and the supposed narcotics warlords in the dining rooms of the five-star hotels mushrooming across the notorious Golden Triangle . It seems more likely, however, that north Thailand 's multilingual roots lie in the former French colonial presence across the Mekong River in Laos, rather than in the illicit trade routes fanning out across the globe to the world's great metropolises.Chiang Rai 's dusty modernity belies its ancient history as an important trading center. It was founded as a walled city by King Mengrai in 1262, over thirty years before his 'New City' of Chiang Mai. Now linked to the outside world by air via Chiang Mai and bangkok, the little town sprawls along the neighbor, although Wat Kok River. It has fewer distinguished monasteries than its southern neighbor, although Wat Phra Kaew is a fine example of ...

WHERE TO STAY & HANGOUT IN CHIANGMAI
2007-12-27 06:44:00
The HeadquartersHoliday Inn Chiang Mai - 526 rooms (44 suites)318/1 Chiang Mai- Lampoon Road, 5000, Chiang Mai, ThailandOnce was Westin. At first, the slick high-rise on the Ping River may seem out of place in this city of ancient temples, but once you stay here, you will easily be reconciled to the stylistic incongruity. As the Second City of the country, Chiang Mai had long deserved an international luxury hotel with all the frills. Surrounded by bucoloc fields and the lazing river, this 20th-century emporium is all latest glitz inside: crystal lusters, valuable marble and fine silk.Holiday Inn Chiangmai is the city's most spacious, comfortable escape for business and leisure. Whether sightseeing, shopping or hosting a business conference, seminar or banquet, Holiday Inn Chiangmai offers the most professional, friendly and relaxed setting that will exceed your every expectation.Holiday Inn Chiangmai is a five minute drive from Chiangmai International Airport. With over 30 daily f...
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CHIANG MAI SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
2007-12-24 07:03:00
The Sights The city's temples:Wat Phra Singh (1345) - Lanna-style masterpiece. Wat Phra Singh is easy to visit as it is right in the center of Chiang Mai city, located on the corner of Singharat and Ratchadamnoen Rd road. Wat Phra Singh was built inside the old city walls at a time when Chiang Mai was the capital of the northern Thai Lanna or Lan Na kingdom. The wat was originally built in 1345. It may have simply been a stupa erected by a king (and descendant of the great Mangrai) to honour his father. The stupa still stands, but most of the buildings you see on the site today are of much more recent vintage. There are three main buildings, namely the Stupa, Viharn Lai Kam, and Haw Trai.Wat Chiang Man - built by the city's founder, King Mengrai. Located within the walls of the old city, near the Chang Puak gate, Chiang Man is the oldest temple in Chiang Mai. It was supposedly built by the founder of the city 700 years ago, King Mengrai, on the spot where he stayed while planning h...
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CHIANG MAI -Thailand
2007-12-24 03:43:00
Population: 500,000Area Code: (66) 53Chiang Mai is less worldly, and takes itself less seriously, than the 'City of Angels'. Even its name, the 'New City', belies its long independent history as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom, the 'Land of a Million Rice Fields'. Cradled between the mountains and the Mekong river and separated from the Central Plains by dense jungle, it took the arrival of the railway to end seven centuries of isolation interrupted mainly by marauding Burmese and Siamese armies. Chiang Mai's cool climate and exuberant Songkran Festival have made it a favorite dry-season refuge for Bangkokians ever since. Of late, the tickle of holidaymakers has been swollen by a tidal wave of businessmen and investor whose factories seem about to engulf the tranquil teak houses. Long a trading center for local rice farmers. Chiang Mai's industry reminds mostly on a small scale even today. The outlying villages eke out an existence with cottage-style handicrafts: silk weavi...
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HUA HIN - Thailand
2007-12-21 16:14:00
If Pattaya seems too shrill and Phuket too far, there is one more place where you can exchange the steamy mayhem of the 'Great City of Angels' for a rejuvenating breath of sea air. Hua Hin is unlike any other beach resort in Thailand . If you're looking for bright lights and the frantic all-night action of cabarets and discos, you may be disappointed here. This loyal resort of Hua Hin lies to the southwest, a three hour drive or a short plane hop away. If you take the most leisurely approach, by train, you will pull into a station like a miniature temple which sets the scene for this most authentic - of Thailand's seaside towns. Discovered by the brother of King Vajiravudh in 1910, and put on the map by King Prajadipok, who was relaxing here in Klai Klangwan ('Far from worries') Palace when a bloodless coup in Bangkok was transforming him from an absolute into a constitutional monarch, Hua Hin has remained a favorite retreat of the Royal Family. Between the nostalgic gentility ...