Owner: Thailand Life: Tropcal Ramblings URL:http://tropicalramblings.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:31:09 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Life on Phuket from an expat living here for 10 years; from the sexy to the curious to the astounding, Thailand at its best! Site statistics:Click here
Thai Foot Massage in Phuket 2008-04-15 00:03:00 Everybody knows what a Thai massage is all about; but all over Phuket, there are shops offering a foot massage. I just had to try it for once and it was well worth every minute spent under the careful kneading hands of Noi, my 'foot masseuse'.Foot Massage
is another skill that has been passed down through the ages. It works the internal organs of the body through manipulation of pressure points on the soles of your feet in much the same way as reflexology; by massaging them, Foot Massage can be quite effective in producing a mild detox effect on the body.
Indonesia lifts YouTube ban 2008-04-12 23:25:00 The ban imposed by the Indonesia
n government on websites such as YouTube
, MySpace has been lifted.The Indonesian ISPs were ordered to block access to the web sites that hosted the controversial movie, "Fitna", created by the Dutch politician Geert Wilders. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has personally ordered the ban of the movie for disturbing social harmony in Indonesia. He also urged the Indonesian citizens to not use violence in their protests against the movie.But after the citizens have protested against the ban the ISPs decided to block individual pages instead of banning the entire service.Well, the last sentence says it all -- the Indonesians are not only technically more apt then the Thais, their government (even though similarly over-zealous) also seemingly actually listens Read more:lifts
Phuket Bike Week 2008 Happenings 2008-04-12 04:40:00 Phuket Bike Week 2008 was kick started last night with an exhibition of gleaming custom choppers and other iron steeds, both old and new, showing their muscle in seven zones at Jungceylon shopping center. Yamaha, Suzuki and BMW have taken some of the stands to show off their latest superbikes, tourbikes and even jet skis until 11 pm tonight.I wandered a little bit around the exhibition zone and was frankly not too impressed as it seemed basically deserted when I came; but the real action will be anyway out in Soi Bangla tomorrow and there are already lots of big bikes and bikers around -- I guess it will be more busy than last year's event.More from the Phuket Gazette:Organizers expect more than 1,000 bikers from around the world to have ridden into Phuket for the four-day event, with ride Read more:Happenings
Phuket Bike Week Event Schedule (April 12-13, 2008 Patong Beach) 2008-04-11 05:51:00 The Phuket Bike Week is an annual event famously held each year during Songkran; thousands of bikers will come to Phuket from all over Thailand, many as well from Thailand, Singapore and even further away. Beautifully enhanced big bikes can be seen by the hundreds, and of course there are the usual contests held between all the fun of a water-drenched Soi Bangla full of happy Thai girls ready for the action.11 April
14.00 hr.Over 5,000 big bikes from local and abroad such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, etc. gather in Phuket.Phuket Bike Week & Motorcycle Exhibition 2008 at Jung Ceylon Phuket and at the car park area of Phuket OTOP (10th – 12th April 2008)12th April 2008Morning sessionWelcome all bikers at Main Stage (Dolphin Park), Patong Beach
Bike caravan para Read more:Schedule
Songkran approaching fast -- are you ready? 2008-04-11 01:40:00 From April 13 to April 15, 2008 the whole of Thailand will celebrate Songkran (Thai สงกรานต์), the Thai New Year. Are you readily prepared for the fun and action -- or don't you even know what Songkran is all about?As mid-April is the hottest time of the year, in the past people would sprinkle water among themselves in nice way to bless each other. Also, the bones of the forefathers would be washed, so it was (and is) quite a serious moment for many. But there is also a more lighthearted side to Songkran; all out water fights with plastic water guns and even fire hoses will erupt in many tourist areas like Phuket or Pattaya, but the same festival spirit can be found also in the Isaan and the north of Thailand. Incidentally, Chiang Mai is quite famous for its lively So Read more:ready
Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008 registration open 2008-04-10 04:26:00 The NRG Cup, free-flow of drinks, new boats, international TV coverage... and more is in store for Six Senses
Phuket Raceweek 2008! Online registration is now open for Six Senses Phuket Raceweek 2008 – anticipated to be the best Raceweek yet – offering a reduced entry fee for early registrations. Phuket’s ‘Green Season’ regatta, now in its 5th year, sees a mixed fleet of yachts race in the southwest monsoon breezes off Phuket’s south coast every July, this year from 23-27 July. While retaining the same one-regatta-one-venue format, combining four days of competitive racing with five nights of grand waterside parties – a format that has met with unanimous approval from competitors – this year’s event brings a host of new dimensions.Read more:Phuket Raceweek News
Funeral Service for Expats in Thailand 2008-04-09 21:05:00 Seeing this 'Foreign Funeral
' Service
Ad this morning in the Phuket Gazette (even before my morning coffee!) really made my day...(but in case you need it, I post it here) Read more:Thailand
Thai Police file lese majeste against BBC reporter Jonathan Head 2008-04-09 11:06:00 The Thais, always good for a propaganda nightmare with their shortsighted pride and 'loss of face' have done it again -- how anybody in his right mind can charge a reporter working for a long time for the BBC with their outdated 'lese majeste' laws is absolutely beyond me... this is much worse than shutting down the whole YouTube website for a month because there might or might not have been videos offensive to really thin-skinned people on there.The Nation wins the price in this article by being extremely sparsely on the important facts (again) -- eg what really was the content of the speech: since it was held in front of the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok, I am sure somebody must have a transcript handy -- but they are so pressed into a corner by the narrow-minded Thai g Read more:Police
, against
, Jonathan
Patong Beach Road will become parking-free zone (and pigs can fly!) 2008-04-08 05:43:00 The beach road in Patong a parking free zone? This will not happen in a thousand years; tuk tuks cluttering up the beach road all along the red and white border every night (often directly in shouting distance to traffic police). As this is so clearly against the law, it could be stopped immediately. Since it has not, ergo, it most likely never will.More here from the (as always helpless with facts) Phuket Gazette who will eat any political breadcrumb falling from the table of the Phuket Governor...From the Phuket Gazette:"Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukkabal on April 2 announced that from next high season no parking will be allowed along the busy beach road.“Taxis will be allowed on Thaweewong Rd only to drop off passengers,” K. Chairat told a press conference at Phuket Provinci Read more:Beach
Destination Air still makes too much money 2008-04-07 05:59:00 Phuket authorities are not ending their little games with Destination
Air, unluckily a highly visible business with a foreigner as manager -- and as such open to all kinds of attacks and the outpouring of Thai greed; if a foreigner makes
money, something gotta be wrong indeed!As always, the Phuket Gazette is extremely interested to not kick anybodies shin, clearly visible that they need the goodwill of Phuket authorities (but no, self-censorship means that they are NOT a newspaper, but an advertising brochure) -- how else does it come, that none of the accusing "hotel owners" are named anywhere? From the Phuket Gazette: "The managing director of Destination Air has described Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit’s order to suspend flight service to Patong as “anticlimactic”, saying
Chakri Memorial Day 2008-04-07 01:11:00 Today, 7 April, is being celebrated as Chakri Memorial
Day in Thailand, a public holiday which marks the founding of the present Chakri Dynasty by Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great, also known as Phutthayotfa and posthumously named Rama I.The name Chakri (จักรี) comes from the title Chao Pharaya Chakri, given to Rama I while he was a general in Taksin’s army. This title was held by the greatest warlords of the Ayuthaya Kingdom and was meant to reflect the prowess of the holder on the battlefield.Rama I ascended to the throne on 6 April 1782 and ruled the Kingdom of Siam for twenty-eight years. During his reign, Phutthayotfa consolidated the Kingdom in such a way that here was no further fear of invasion from enemies. King Rama I has been praised as an accomplished states
Perfect Phuket weather in April 2008-04-06 09:55:00 It's a mystery to me why the main tourist season in Phuket is over by the end of March. Many package tours and big overseas tour agents only sell Phuket from November to March, but in my book April
is one of the best months to be here... so long as you can stand the heat!More from the Phuket weather
blog: It's also a great month for scuba diving, the best time of year to find whalesharks in the Andaman Sea. Plus April is Songkran month! In Phuket, Songkran is a public holiday from 13th - 15th, with the main festival day being the 13th. People will visit their local temple and then it's a full day of water throwing. The weather has been hot and sunny the last few days. Very hot. A few heavy showers too with a bit of thunder thrown in. All that heat has to go somewhere and sudden is Read more:Perfect
Phuket webcams: beaches and bars 2008-04-05 08:34:00 There are a good number of Phuket webcams out there, that can be roughly classified into two categories: beach cams showing the various beach locations of Phuket island and nightlife webcams, mostly operated by bars in Patong's Soi Bangla area. Phuket beach cams Marina Phuket Resort, beach webcamPatong Beach Cam in PhuketPoolcam, Lotus Lodge, Phuket Phuket beach Webcam at Kata BeachPhuket bar cams Boom Boom Bar, Soi Crocodile, Patong, PhuketMai Thai Bar, Phuket, live cam between 21:00 - 01:45 (GMT+7) Boom Boom Bar in Soi Crocodile, Patong BeachLinks of Interest: More Thailand webcamsMore webcams in ThailandPhuket nightlife and barsPhuket weather Phuket Full Moon Pattaya Weather Webcam
Samui weather: welcome to April 2008 2008-04-04 11:06:00 April is generally the warmest month of the year on Samui, by far!April on Koh Samui just becomes steaming hot, so hot that you just sit outside and the sweat runs off you! Time for a nice cold one!The diving is also excellent in April, great vis and plenty of big fishes, including Whaleshark sightings during this months.One real good and nice thing during April is, that each year the Songkran festival or the Thai New Year is celebrated between 13 and 15 April. Last year there was very unusual rain during Songkran!A great time to visit Thailand and Samui...Links of Interest:Samui weather
blogSamui weather guideSamui hotels and resorts Read more:April
Coral Island Resort on Phuket 2008-04-03 05:26:00 Situated 9 km off the south east coast of Phuket. The island is surrounded by colorful coral reefs, hence the name CoralIsland
. The island has two long stretches of white, sandy beach on one side, and a few quiet bays on the other.More from Spa Destinations:Coral Island is outstanding, and comes closer than most to fulfilling that seductive mental image, we all seen to have of discovering a remote, perfect, untouched island escape, where the sand is pure and white, the water translucent, the sunsets religiously inspiring and the crowds for away.Only 15 mins. by speedboat or 30 mins. by ferry from Phuket, there's total seclusion in this lovely resort. A short trek over the small hill and rocks will lead you to a small, quiet cove with a beautiful beach. An excellent Read more:Resort
Adversus magazine: Asian Fashion Girls 2008-04-02 08:07:00 Adversus does seem to grab my attention time and time again with pretty Asian
models. Today I bring you Emma, Kitty, Garfield & My Huong.The girls are very tastefully photographed, so it is more an artistic delight to look at them.Links of Interest:Adversus Magazine Read more:Fashion
, Girls
Isaan delicacies: Rice Rats or Greater Bandicoot Rat (Bandicota indica) 2008-03-31 20:51:00 After posting my initial article about Isaan Rice Rats, I have been sent a good number of questions.To put one misconception right out of the way: the Isaan rice rats as eaten by the people of the Isaan are not the same rats you would find in Bangkok or any other city. They are their own species, quite distinct from common rats and are called in English Greater Bandicoot
Rat (Bandicota indica).This is really fascinating stuff, lately picked up by the BBC itself, so read up on it!Bandicoot rats as pests and endangered species Isaan rice rats or Bandicoot rats even have a listing in the IUCN Red List for endangered species, where they are listed under the category "lower risk least concern"; rapid urbanization and increasing use of tools and chemicals while planting rice are severely
Shark Savers: Sharkwater DVD 2008-03-31 07:27:00 Filmed in visually stunning, high definition video, Shark
water takes you into the most shark rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.For filmmaker Rob Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous life journey into the balance of life on earth.Driven by passion fed from a lifelong fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas.In addition to this spectacular film, the DVD and Blu-Ray contain extra content including the
Cheap Farangs Suffer as Rice Prices Climb 2008-03-29 05:10:00 As serious as the rapidly rising prices for rice might be for the "average poor" Thai person, I saw this hilarious piece in Not The Nation..."Briton John Wilson says he’s just like any Thai person: He wakes up at the crack of down, takes the bus three hours to work, slaves away at work for a low wage and simply wants to enjoy his khao mun gai and Leo beer in peace when he comes home. But now, with rice prices soaring to record levels, his life has become all the more difficult. The food vendors on his soi in Thonburi raised prices of nearly all dishes by five baht, leaving him struggling to survive. “I think a lot of Thais are confused and think that just because I have white skin I am a rich person,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “I’m not though. Five baht is Read more:Cheap
, Prices
, Climb
Marriott Patong catches fire 2008-03-28 09:56:00 The Marriott
Courtyard hotel, currently under construction to replace the Grand Tropicana hotel that once stood plumb in the middle of Patong, is reported to have caught fire March 28 at 2:45pm. The fire is anticipated to have caused damage to the tune of 1 million baht. A notice board that caught fire during a welding process is believed to have caused the conflagration. Read more:catches
Rice Prices explode on the world market 2008-03-27 06:32:00 From the Bangkok Post (2008-03-25):"Cambodia banned rice exports to protect domestic food security on Wednesday, after spiraling food prices pushed the price to the equivalent of 31 baht a kilogram.The move comes amid the steady climb in the price of most staple goods, including the doubling of the cost of cooking gas, which has put increasing strain on large numbers of Cambodians."Cambodia will halt the export of rice for two months," Prime Minister Hun Sen said." ..."Despite GDP growth averaging 11 per cent over the past three years, more than a third of the country's 14 million people live on less than 50 US cents (less than 16 baht) a day, making even the slightest rise of food costs devastating to Cambodia's poorest." Read more:Prices
Sunny Karon Beach weather end of March 2008-03-26 11:03:00 I took a little walk along Karon Beach
in the midday sun today. Beach full of roasting tourists, trying to get some tan to take back to the cold and dark days in Europe. The beach was looking good as the photo proves...Links of Interest:Karon Beach hotelsPerfect April weather
in Phuket 2008 Read more:Sunny
, March
Cha Am Beach 2008-03-24 09:01:00 Cha Am beach is another beautiful Thai seaside resort area located at about 200 kms (124 miles) from Bangkok. Traveling by car will take about 2.5 hours. There are several good hotels along Cha Am beach road and also at nearby beaches.Cha-am Beach
is renowned for the best beach in Phetchaburi. You can get a donkey ride if you want one and it is possible to rent bicycles to explore the area. There are also herds of food stalls selling excellent snacks. Cha-am is remarkable in that it is unremarkable this is a pleasant beach with green water and that's about it.Links of Interest:Hua Hin and Cha Am Travel Guide and Hotels
Thai nude beaches 2008-03-20 08:45:00 Are there real Thai nude beaches? A lot of people will tell you, that they do not exist or that it is forbidden by Thai law (or by the purist Lonely Planet, if you wish - and even they mention Leela Beach on Koh Phangan).Guessing by the amount of interest those keywords create on this blog, a lot of people seem to want to stay nude on their Thailand beach, or at least topless. Nude and topless sunbathing in Thailand, this is a readers experience...Thailand nude beaches on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan:"The first is Golden Buddha Beach Resort in the Andaman Sea. An isolated eco-resort with a 10 km beach, we walked nude every day, stayed nude at our beachfront house and swam in the nude. Other guests do not mind as topfree is the norm and it is easy to find our own space. On each visit, a few ot
My Top Three Koh Chang Hotels 2008-03-19 03:16:00 This is what makes Koh Chang
so special or “cool”: luxury, nature, and solitude all contained in one small island destination in Thailand. Following are my take on the Top 3 hotels on Koh Chang for your Thailand beach holiday.1. Amari Emerald Cove Resort and SpaAt the time of writing, the island’s only five star resort has the best service and the plushest rooms, massive dens in pastel creams and browns, full of exquisite fixtures such as handsome lampshades, masculine writing desks and wooden TV cabinets in traditional East Asian style. The grounds also hold the Koh Chang’s largest swimming pool and the best Thai restaurant. 2. Aiyapura Resort and Koh Chang SpaOffering a variety of styles of bungalows nestled in a secluded location, complete with attentive service, Aiyapura Read more:Three
, Hotels
, Top Three
Songkran 2008 image galleries and photos 2008-04-14 03:07:00 Songkran (Thai new Year) 2008 was -- like in the previous years -- unbelievable fun. I was right in the midst of the action on Soi Bangla, and got drenched in water for the two days straight this event is held in Phuket. There is a more traditional way of participating in Songkran, and for all the moaners out there: it was your free choice. My girlfriend chose the more peaceful option and went home to her parents. To get your own idea how Songkran 2008 went: the first photo galleries and images of Songkran 2008 are out on the Internet (I did not dare to bring my camera with me). For example, take a look here. Read more:photos
Two coalition parties to be disbanded (or not?) 2008-04-11 21:43:00 I personally do think Thai politics are great; they are like Thai soap operas, a lot of screaming, no plot resembling any reality and purely for entertainment only.In the end a big cheque is sent to the main actors, who will then be invited to play in the next soap, under different identities but still totally recognizable to any viewer." AFP:"Thai election authorities said on Friday they will ask a court to disband two partners in Thailand's coalition
government after an investigation concluded they had bought votes in December polls." ..."The two parties
are key partners in a coalition government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's People Power Party (PPP). But even if the coalition lost the 45 seats the parties hold, the remaining partners would still hold a comfortable major
Thai Lao Food Blog with Videos 2008-03-30 10:28:00 Thai food and especially Isaan food fascinates me a lot, both because a lot of it tastes really good and secondly because that is what my girlfriend cooks for us. Therefore, widening my own horizon on the possibilities of Thai, Isaan and Lao food is a constant endeavor of mine. On this blog I found, a Thai / Laos girl named Manivan Larprom shows you how to cook Thai and Lao food through her videos. Her authentic cuisine roots from Sakon Nakhon, Thailand and Paksan in Laos. Enjoy! As K. Manival tells about herself: "I am part Thai and Lao. The reason for my blog is to preserve the authenticity of the Thai and Lao food. Enjoy watching the home videos as I follow family recipes. Growing up, I was spoiled by my parent's home cooked Thai and Lao food. When I moved out, I sea Read more:Food Blog
Blacklisted for traffic violations -- Thailand on a new low 2008-04-18 02:49:00 Another cracker from Thai politicians, who seem never shy to put cake on theirown face; this time it is about the Tibet-demonstrations and the repeateddousing of the Olympic Torch on their way around the world. Understandable, that the Thais with their face-issues would wish this to gowithout incidence -- however to shoot with such big guns is a typical sign oflacking self-confidence...From The Nation:"Protesters disrupting tomorrow's Olympic-torch relay will be arrestedimmediately and prosecuted for public disturbance, police say. Foreigners will be expelled and banned from returning. Those with residency will have it revoked permanently, spokesman Lt-General Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakij says." ..."Free Tibet Network member Pokpong Lawansiri disagrees with the stance against pro-Tibet pr Read more:Blacklisted
, traffic
, Thailand
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