Archive for May 2007
You are browsing the archives of 2007 May.
Visakha Puja Day
Today is a national holiday in Thailand to mark Visakha Puja Day*, the holiest of all the Buddhist holidays. Celebrated every year in May on the date of the full-moon, the day is often simply referred to as ‘Buddha Day’.
Visakha Puja marks the day when Prince Siddhatta Gotama was born, 35 years later became [...]
Thaksin Banned and Thai Rak Thai Party Disbanded
In a court ruling today Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai Prime Minister, has been banned from Thailand politics for 5 years and his Thai Rak Thai party has been ordered to disband. It’s yet another strand to Thailand’s tangled political web.
Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless military coup in September 2006. He was accused [...]
Phuket and the Andaman in Style
For those wishing to do a bit of island-hopping in the Phuket and Krabi region, there is now an alternative to the traditional ferry boat.
Destination Air run the only seaplane shuttle service in Thailand, with planes landing on the waterfront of major hotels and resorts. I haven’t flown with them so I have no [...]
Bomb Blasts in Hat Yai & Songkhla
A series of bombs have been detonated in the last few days in southern Thailand. The first series of co-ordinated bombings came on Sunday evening in Hat Yai, close to the Malaysian border. Another explosion struck in Saba Yoi in Songkhla province on Monday afternoon, killing four people including two children.
There has been continuing [...]
Tsunami Memorial Sculpture, Krabi
The Asian tsunami on December 26th 2004 claimed over 250,000 lives. In Thailand, over 5,000 people were killed. Nobody who experienced it in person or who watched the news coverage will forget the events of that day.
It is perhaps fitting that the memorial is an understated affair, but I wonder just how many visitors [...]
River Cruise - Bangkok by Night
A number of competing firms provide the option of an evening dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River. It’s a pleasant way to enjoy Bangkok and the ‘River of Kings’ at night, with a typical cruise taking around 2 hours and ranging in price from 800 – 2,000 Baht. Most dinner cruises require reservations at [...]
High Waves Hit Phuket
Three days of strong winds and high waves have hit parts of Phuket and Phang Nga province. The unusually high waves and the resulting surge has caused some damage to property and forced officials to ban swimming in certain areas.
The high waves have been caused by the monsoon sitting over the Andaman Sea, but officials [...]