Over the years, at www.thai-blogs.com, I have written about many of the day trips that I have been on in the Bangkok area. I have long since been to all of the major tourist attractions and now I spend most of my time looking for new attractions within driving distance of Bangkok. The other day I found a new one just 90 minutes away from Bangkok in Samut Songkhram Province. Along the coastline, at a small community called Klong Khone, I found a group of homestays which provide various activities for mainly Thai visitors from Bangkok. These include boat tours where people could see up close the life and work of local fishermen. However, the highlight of these tours is the visit to see the so called sea monkeys who live along the coastline.

Samut Songkhram Province is fast becoming a popular eco-tourism destination for people living in Bangkok. I first went there on the Maeklong Railway trip where the train passes through the market on the tracks. Then on another visit I went to the emerging floating market at Amphawa. When I went back again last year I discovered literally dozens of new places around the market that were advertising homestay and various activities such as giving alms to the monks who passed the homestay early in the morning paddling a boat. It is possible to also join boat tours here and along the coastline at Don Hoi Lot. This is a popular destination for families to come to eat seafood and relax in the shade of the trees. If you continue on Highway 35 for about another 8 kms then you will reach the turn-off for Tambon Klong Khone.

Although this area is relatively unknown to independent foreign travellers, it has become popular with Thai people who come here with their university or company to take part in various activities such as planting mangrove saplings. At the main turn-off, there was a large bilingual sign pointing out places such as the Conservation Mangrove Center and various homestays. However, apart from that, there was very little in the way of English signs to show you where to go. The only clues we had were colourful signs advertising numerous homestays. Hardly any of them had any English, but many had pictures of the sea monkeys swimming in the water. We decided to follow the sign for "Baan Khlong Clone Resort" mainly because it also advertised their own dot com website.

On our arrival we were greeted by the resort manager. He ushered us to a large dining area over a pond where he showed us various photo albums of people who had already enjoyed their stay at the resort. He told me that about 60% of them were students from universities. The resort has a number of bungalow type buildings where you can sleep four people comfortably for 2,000 baht. He said that they would put in an extra mattress for 300 baht per person. For bigger groups he also had the options of renting out a large dormitory for 4,000 baht or people could sleep in tents. I have posted more pictures of this resort over at our ThailandQA.com Forums. Although I was tempted to stay the night, what we had mainly come to do was to join a boat tour to see the sea monkeys.

The manager told us that it would cost us about 700 baht to rent a boat for a trip that would last one or two hours. He seemed quite vague when he was giving me prices of the accommodation and various activities. It wasn't like he was trying to cheat me, but rather he wasn't sure how much he could get away with charging. While we were looking through the photo albums a Thai couple came and he told them the same price of 700 baht for the boat trip. It did seem to be on the expensive side but as you can get up to five people in one boat it could be good value for money if you take advantage of that. So, we agreed to rent a boat straight away. We were given a lifejacket, a large farmers style hat with a wide brim, and a cold bottle of water. Before we set off, I double checked that we would indeed see the monkeys. The other side trips of "jet skiing" and observing fishermen activities were of incidental value to me. We were assured that we would indeed see monkeys. And as it turned out, we saw literally hundreds.

I have said many times before that I really like doing boat trips as it is a great way to experience natural air-conditioning as you whizz down rivers and canals. The boat wasn't too comfortable as we were basically sitting on a low stool with no backs to lean onto. The boat also didn't have a canopy so make sure that you put on sunscreen and a hat. About ten minutes after we had left the homestay resort the boatman slowed down and then cut the engine. As we drifted towards the bank we quickly spotted the monkeys that were racing to greet us. I counted about 30 monkeys. Some were young babies being carried by their mothers. Many were on the banks while others were in the trees. Then we heard a splash as one had jumped down into the water to swim out to us.

It is a funny, I had always thought that monkeys were scared of water. But, here we were watching monkeys swimming in the canal. Not only that, but they were diving too. One of them had spotted some fruit floating on the water, and then after grabbing it, the monkey dived under the water and swam for 2 or 3 meters before coming back up for air close to the bank. Our boatman told us that on hot days that the monkeys would play in the water in order to cool off. They would hang from the branches of the trees and dive bomb into the water. As there were only the two of us on the boat, there was no pressure to move on and the boatman said that we could stay as long as we liked. However, as we didn't have any food to give the monkeys they quickly grew bored of us and just sat still on the banks.

After a while, we continued on with our boat tour. We soon left behind us the mangrove forest and we were taken out to sea. He showed us some of the many fishermen huts that were built on stilts over the water. In Thai these are apparently called "krateng". He then took us further down the coast and then up another estuary to a small fishing community. Along the way we stopped at a few spots to observe the monkeys. We passed about 4 or 5 other tour boats though for most of the time we were alone. Some of these tourists had come prepared with bananas for the monkeys. In other boats I could see that they had mangrove saplings so I presumed that they were going to help replant the mangrove forests. Many of these had been cut down to make way for shrimp farms. They now realized that this was causing land erosion so the community were desperately replanting. But, it takes time.

Our boat went up as far as Wat Klong Khone before turning around for the return trip the same way. We stopped again to see the monkeys on the way back. By the time we had returned to the homestay resort nearly two hours had passed. We hadn't seen much about the way of life of fishermen. They were probably sleeping inside to escape the midday heat. However, seeing the monkeys swimming in the water was alone worth the trip. If you are feeling adventurous, there is an opportunity to do the local version of "jet skiing". This involved a wooden plank shaped a bit like a surfboard and a long piece of rope tied to the end of the boat. The boatman then offered to pull us along at high speed. We declined. This surfboard is really used by the local people at low tide to skim across the surface of the mud as they look for sea creatures. They knelt on these boards and then pushed themselves along with the feet.

Before we left, we decided to check out another homestay in order to compare prices and activities. We next decided to follow the signs for Home Krateng. I had seen a report about this one on a Thai language blog. On arrival we were again greeted by the manager and then showed around. The homestay here seemed cheaper at 1,200 baht but I soon realized that this price was per person and not for the room! However, it was a package price. If you arrived at noon, you would be given, lunch, dinner and breakfast. You could also have one of the meals on their krateng out in the sea. Some people also opt to sleep here at night. This price also includes the boat tour similar to the one we had already been on. You would need to have a minimum of four people sharing the room. If there was only two of you then you would need to pay more per person. Like the other resort, these people also seemed to be unsure of prices as I grilled them. They kept saying "about". When I asked about children they had to have a discussion between themselves first on how much the discount should be.

Home Krateng also offer boat tours if you don't want to stay the night. However, at 1,000 baht for the boat it was more expensive than Baan Khlong Clone Resort. But, the seats looked more comfortable with backs and there was also a canopy shading you from the sun. The pictures of the tour that they showed me also looked a bit more interesting than our own tour as they took you to a mussel farm where you can see various shellfish stuck to poles in the sea. Some of the pictures also showed foreigners. Apparently a popular Thai tour guide called Tong has been bringing groups of foreigners to this location for the last few years. However, the homestay manager told me that it was very rare for foreign independent travellers to come here. I really want to come back here again. Maybe bring Nong Grace as well as she would love to see the monkeys. However, to make it economical you would need at least four or five people in your group. Nothing I had seen so far was for independent travellers.

Tambon Klong Khone is not easy to reach by public transport. On the way out I did see some songtaews that had come from the nearby town of Samut Songkhram. But the sign on the front was only in Thai. As the place is also spread out then you would need to choose a homestay before you arrive if you don't have the luxury of a car. During the weekend and on public holidays you would need to book in advance if you intend to stay the night. Like I said before, there are hardly any road signs in English and no-one seemed to be able to speak English. It is a bit adventurous but certainly worth the effort. Follow this link to our forums at ThailandQA.com where I have posted pictures of road signs and more instructions on how to find this location. Don't forget to also post your experiences if you go to see the monkeys.

For more ideas of day trips from Bangkok check out our websites at www.Bangkok-Daytrips.com and www.ThailandGuidebook.com.

The dish we have for you today is chicken fried with ginger. You can also do it with pork. In the ingredients below, you can see spring onion, onion, straw mushroom, chicken, ear mushroom and ginger in the middle. The seasoning we used was oyster sauce, fish sauce and fermented soy bean sauce.

Prepare everything in advance as stir-frying is very quick. Cut the chicken and mushrooms to bite size. Fry the crushed garlic until it is golden brown. Add the chicken. Next comes the ginger followed closely by the two types of mushrooms. Season with sugar, oyster sauce and fermented soy bean sauce. If it doesn't taste saltier enough then you can add some fish sauce. Finish with the spring onion and the onion. Don't overcook as it is best to have it a little crunchy. Come back next week to www.thai-blogs.com for another Thai dish.

The other day I went for a drive down the Old Sukhumwit Road. In the past, people had to drive down the coast road in Samut Prakan and Chachoengsao Provinces on their way to the beaches in Chonburi and Pattaya. It is a nice drive though not many people do it these days. If you are coming from Bangkok it is much quicker to use the Bang Na-Trad Highway or the motorway. But, if you want to take your time and explore the coastline then it is worth taking the old road. You never know what you might discover.

Just over the border into Chachoengsao Province I discovered this temple by accident. I was trying to find a side road that led down to the coast. This one was a good find. It is called Wat Hong Thong which means the "Golden Swan" in Thai. The chedi and the temple buildings are actually built over the water on a pier. At the far end there is also a memorial for Prince Chumphon who is a kind of patron saint for fishermen.

If you want to go there by car, you need to drive down Highway 3 from Paknam. You need to go past Bang Pu Seaside Resort and also the fishing town of Klong Dan. A short while after the town, just after you cross the border into Chachoengsao, you will see a sign for a road on the right that leads to Wat Hong Thong. I have also marked it on Google Maps for you. If you drive down there and find something else then please let us know. In the meantime I will try and find you some more hidden gems that you won't find in any guidebooks.

If the Monkey Temple at Lopburi is on your itinerary, but you are worried about young children, wish a more authentic conservation experience, wish to see genuinely wild monkeys in their habitat not a cage or just wish to go somewhere a little off the beaten track, the Dusky Langur population in Pracheup Kiri Khan certainly provides an alternative worth considering.

Dusky Langur apart from being just about the cutest monkeys in the land is an endangered species, only found in Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar and even there dwindling mainly due to deforestation causing insufficient food stocks. In Thailand they live in only in three conservation areas where the forestation they inhabit so small it often fails to provide sufficient food to support them and outside feeding is often required.

For the visitor there are two very different options to visit the beautiful creatures.

For a full on week long holiday experience the Dusky Langur Conservation Area in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park offers visitors a rare chance to actually be part of a conservation effort, becoming naturalists. Each day the volunteers follow families of Dusky Langur around the park observing their habits and making sure they are finding enough food to sustain themselves and deciding if they need to be fed or not. The project includes all meals, air-conditioned accommodation, volunteer’s evenings and weekends are free to explore the rustic province. The price to volunteer is around B16,000 per person per week.

Alternatively for the day tripper Wing 53 Airbase has a small forested hill which has been turned into a conservation area where several families of Dusky Langur from the project have been introduced. The airbase is located on the stunning Ao Manao beach, which in World War Two was the scene of the Japanese invasion of Thailand and a famous battle was fought. The beach is just outside Pracheup Town and has tourist resort with accommodation, alternately the untouristy Pracheup Town is only a few kilometres away from where a motor scooter or mountain bike can be hired, or Tuk Tuk taken to get to the airbase. The airbase is free to enter.

Any connoisseur of monkey feeding will know while fun it can sometimes be an unnerving experience. The Macaque the abundant monkey common in Thailand is unpredictable and aggressive, warning signs all around Lopburi don’t stop a number of tourists getting bitten each year. Dusky Langur on the other hand are a very timid species but in the conservation area have become used to people and will approach. These placid creatures are definitely a preferable option for tourists with young children, and unlike with Macaque, Dusky Langur will not fight amongst themselves over food given to even the smallest one or make grabs at tourists, instead if you sit down they will sit beside you calmly waiting until handed something by you or gently take one item from an offered bag.

Baby Dusky Langur more nervously will stay up trees but can be tempted down to cautiously take food. Beside the hill is a stall selling nuts, other fruit can be bought from the town. The Dusky Langur usually stay in trees at the bottom of the hill offering excellent wildlife photo opportunities or play on the airbase telephone lines all day seeming to enjoy human company and only retreat into the forest at night.

Pracheup can be reached from Bangkok by train from Hualampong Station or Bus from the Southern Bus Station in around 4 hours.

Click for vids of me feeding the monkeys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB8gdPUZAAw&feature=channel

I enjoy getting lost. Taking a map, my camera, some water, and follow some deserted mountain road, looking down on valleys, looking over mountain ranges. This is how I found the beautiful little village of Baan Namkhong just a few weeks ago at the end of a winding road, in an area where my maps show absolutely nothing. They couldn't be more wrong. At the altitude of 1050 metres, this little community is surrounded by ancient lush jungle, huge timeless rubber trees, amazing green scenery, and deep silence and serenity.

That is, until an adrenalin-fuelled scream breaks the silence.

This is the home of Jungle Flight, Chiang Mai's ultimate jungle adventure: sliding from giant tree to giant tree on cables for over two kilometres, sometimes as high as 40 metres above ground. It is difficult to let go, to jump into thin air at first, but then, the flow carries you away quickly. If you are longing for some thrill, but bungee jumping is a bit steep for you, I think Jungle Flight is just what you have been looking for. However, you will find yourself at the end of a rope all the same, and I tell you that tree is coming real fast as well!

tree up close!

Take a deep breath. Just let it happen to you. Once the first adrenaline rush is over, and those shaking legs support you firmly again, you will find yourself looking at the jungle from a completely different angle, surrounded by treetops, wild orchids - and the word "depth" gets a whole new meaning. There is something timeless and ancient about Jungle Flight, which in a way reminds me of snorkelling.

silent giants

Our guides Pang and Yud are great with people, they know how to make people relaxed, how and when to tease or encourage. We all received lots of personal attention. The guides showed us coffee beans, flowers, a bees' nest, gave us plenty of time to stop and admire the view, there was time for joking and fun.

When I asked what happens if someone doesn't have enough momentum and stops in the middle of the cable, they showed me - they left me hanging there in the air, like a giant bird stuck in the canopy. That was the most carefree moment of my past couple of months, in the middle of nowhere. It is amazing too how quickly strangers bond on top of a tree.

It is a crazy idea to slide between trees when you first look at it, but at second glance, it looks perfectly safe. The longest and highest ziplines have two cables running parallel, and you get secured to both during your flight. The three abseil sections also have double safety lines. You are always attached to a wire while standing on any of the 22 platforms or walking the two wobbly skybridges. The guides hook you to the right places all the time, you cannot make a mistake. All equipment was imported, complies with international safety standards, and so does the safety training received by all the guides.

down here?! - no way!

At the very end, to descend from the last platform, you have no choice but to leap into the abyss - an eight-storey gap in the middle of a platform. You can ask to be lowered slowly or to have it with more of a free-fall twist. All I can say about this bit is that screaming actually does help.

There is a little bit of steep jungle walk back to the village, where a tasty lunch awaits the returning members of the expedition. You may also buy locally made herbal tea, honey, herbal pillows, or a Jungle Flight t-shirt. The restaurant overlooks the jungle and more giant trees, where you may wind down and share your favourite moments.

my favourite trees

The tour price is 2,200 baht for the entire 7-hour adventure, and includes round trip transfer, water, insurance, and a short stop at the local hot springs on the way back. You need to pay extra for lunch. If you choose an early pick-up time (6 to 6:30 a.m.) or a late afternoon adventure (leaving at 1-1:30 p.m.), the discounted price is 1,980 baht. You need to be taller than 120 centimetres and weigh less than 150 kilos to sign up.

that's me at the end of my rope

Seven additional platforms will be completed by the end of April, including the longest zipwire in Thailand - 260 metres. There are plans for a daily ticket with unlimited number of rides. Personally, I can hardly wait for that one!

the longest cable at the moment - 130 metres

I think it is great value for money. First, it may sound too much for a daytrip, but just compare it to what the normal price of a bungee jump is. Jungle Flight takes three hours, you get to ride the longest zipline in Thailand, marvel at the jungle up close and from a bird's eye view, and actually feel like a bird. It is as close as you can get to flying, something we all dream about. It is an adventure of a lifetime. The only problem is, you may get addicted!

jungle staircase

Your money also helps the local community. This little Khamu hilltribe village of 30 families is too high in the mountains for rice farming, so, the coffee plantations provide the main income. Jungle Flight brings in much needed income and jobs to the village while respecting the community. Part of the profits go towards funding a school van and school lunches to all children in the village, as well as towards maintaining the narrow winding road and providing clean water. Socially responsible businesses like Jungle Flight benefit local people, give them alternatives to cutting down the precious jungle, and are worthy of your support.

Baan Namkhong village

Also, a homestay scheme will be up and running in the near future, which should attract people looking for peace and quiet away from the city, overlooking the mountain ranges. The climate is noticeably more pleasant at this altitude, the trees are still green, an ideal place to escape to in the upcoming hot season.

The price includes transfer but if you would like to "get lost" on your own, head out of Chiang Mai on the Chiang Rai highway for 27 kilometres. At the sign to the Sankamphaeng hot springs, turn right and go a further 4 kilometres. Then follow the Jungle Flight signs for another 13 kilometres up the hills. It takes one hour to get there. A 105 cc motorcycle can just about make it, but that is not something I would like to try again.

Jungle Flight has an office opposite Thapae Gate (47/2 Moon Muang Road). You can also book your flight online at http://www.jungle-flight.com/index.html . The website has some stunning photos and videos of the trip - check it out.

I posted some more photos and a map at our Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand forum.

I would like to thank the owner of Jungle Flight, Mr Songsai Mangklad (Sonny) for inviting me for a site inspection. Sonny gave me the grand tour personally and took care of me all along the way.

If anyone reading this runs a tourist attraction or guesthouse and would like to invite any of the Paknam Web team of bloggers for a site inspection, then please contact us through the www.PaknamWeb.com website. We will then promote the location on www.thai-blogs.com and other related websites in our network.

When you are travelling around Thailand and you use guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, you should never make the mistake of using it as a bible. Just because the guidebook lists five temples for a city, it doesn't mean that other temples are not worth visiting. Sometimes you can find hidden gems that turn out to be the highlight. This temple called Wat Samphran that I discovered by accident is a classic example. You won't find it in any guidebooks but the sight of this massive dragon wrapped around a building that is something like 17 storeys high is really mind blowing.

The other week I was driving along a familiar route to Nakhon Pathom. At Samphran, not long after the entrance to the Rose Garden, there is a statue for the Thai Police Force. A sign on the left said that this road leads down to the Police Academy close to the Nakhon Chaisi River. So, I thought I would go and do something different. I didn't notice this dragon temple on the way down. I ended up at the Samphran District Office alongside the river. I made a note of the floating restaurants here. There weren't many people there when I visited, but I thought it would be a nice place to eat towards the end of the day. Other than that, not much going on. So, I drove back up towards Highway 4. That was when I spotted this large building with a giant dragon wrapped around the outside.

I was compelled to go and take a look. However, if you want to take a picture like the first one, then you need to do so from afar. When I arrived I was greeted by some friendly nuns who excitedly gestured for me to go and take a closer look at the building. Inside there was a lift which was closed but I decided it would be worth climbing the stairs to the top. About a few floors up there was an entrance way which took us into the actual body of the dragon. I was tempted to climb to the top this way but it was dark and there were no signs of any lights. So, I continued climbing up the stairs. I think I got as far as the tenth floor when my way was blocked by a padlocked door. The place was pretty dirty on the inside and so I am not sure if many people actually use the inside of this building. On a couple of floors though it looked like some monks were living there. But there was an odour of something that smelled like bat droppings.

If you go to visit this temple then make sure that you also explore the grounds. There are also many other giant sculptures of various animals like an elephant, rabbit, dolphins and another large building in the shape of a tortoise! There are many hidden treasure here so explore the place thoroughly both upstairs and downstairs! To find the temple, take Highway 4 from Bangkok. Go past the Samphran Elephant Ground and the Rose Garden. You will soon go over a large bridge that crosses the river. A short while later you need to turn left where you will see a sign that says Police Academy. There is a statue here too. The small entrance to Wat Samphran is less than halfway down this road on the right. I have marked it for you on google maps. The next time you are exploring in Thailand, throw away the guidebook and get off the beaten track!

When most expats in Bangkok read the place name of Buriram, the first things that spring to mind are images of the capital's ever hard-working taxi drivers, waitresses, construction workers and even their very own housekeepers.

Buriram province, located approximately 400km from Bangkok and nestled along the Cambodian border between the provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) and Surin, is in fact home to arguably the most magnificent Khmer monument in Thailand (2nd only to Khao Phra Viharn, but now that place is officially in Cambodia!)

Over 1,000 years old, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung is situated on top of one of Buriram's numerous extinct volcanoes. This Hindu sandstone monastery, built 400 metres above sea level facing Angkor Wat in the east, is dedicated to Shiva and his heavenly abode, the holy mountain of Kailash.

Before entering the main sanctuary of Phanom Rung, you will have to go across the main Naga Bridge, which mythically links earthly hell and Hindu heaven. Then, at the top of the hill, you will not only be impressed by the Khmer architecture but also by the breathtaking views of the countryside below.

Prasat Hin Phanom Rung once made international news, when it was found that its priceless Narai Lintel, stolen in 1960, had somehow turned up at an art institute in Chicago. Apparently, a Thai expert had personally pinched and sold it to the Chicago Art Institute who didn't even bother researching the origins. Even Carabao, in one of their best known folk songs "Thap Lang", protested at the theft and sang to the Americans: "Take back your Michael Jackson and give us back our Phra Narai." That wish, after endless controversy and paperwork, was fulfilled in 1988.

Phanom Rung lies around 65km south of Buriram Town, just 12km off the main Highway 24. If you are coming by local transport, there are plenty of buses passing the Phanom Rung intersection at Ban Tako.
To get up the hill from there, you can either take a motorbike taxi or simply stick out your thumb and get a lift on the back of a pickup – that’s what I’ve done personally on two occasions.

The most well-known symbol of Songkhla Province is this image of the Golden Mermaid at Laem Samila. It is similar to The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, however, this Thai one is not a character from the book of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The Golden Mermaid is in fact a character from Phra Aphai Mani, a popular book in Thai literature by Sunthon Phu. In this folk tale, a mermaid sat and combed her hair on a beautiful beach on a stary night. A young fisherman met and frightened her and she fled into the sea. The fisherman waited for her but she disappeared forever. This bronze statue was sculpted in 1966 by Jitr Buabus and has since become the symbol of this beach. When we were there the other day, there were many tourists lining up to have their picture taken with the mermaid. Many of the men sat on her lap and stole a kiss.

Samila Beach has white sand and clear blue water. It is one of those rare beaches which also has green grass and you can lie down in the shade of pine groves. It isn't really a busy beach and I think it is a nice place for families to come and relax on the beach and to eat seafood in the nearby restaurants. Out in the bay are the two islands of Koh Nu and Koh Maeo. These translate as "Mouse Island" and "Cat Island". You can see Mouse Island in the background of this picture.

A legend says that a dog, a cat, and a mouse, on a Chinese sampan stole the merchant’s magic crystal and tried to swim ashore but drowned and lost their lives. The mice and cats became islands while the dog died on shore and became the hill called Hin Khao Tang Kuan near the bay. The crystal was totally destroyed and became the white sandy beach called Hat Sai Kaeo. This giant bronze statue was sculpted by Montri Sungmusikanon in 2000. Unlike the mermaid that cost a mere 60,000 baht, local people donated 1.2 million baht for this statue.

Many thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for flying us down to Songkhla for the weekend and also for showing us around the city. Visit our ThailandGuidebook.com website for more tourist information.

This is another one of those simple stir fried dishes. This one is based around kale which is a green leafy vegetable. It is believed to have anti-cancer properties so a good idea to have it in your diet. In the ingredients photo below, you can see carrots, garlic, kale stalks, kale leaves and chicken in the middle. You can use mushrooms instead of carrots. You can also make this a vegetarian dish. The kale is separated like this because the stalks will need to be cooked for slightly longer. You might like to use baby kale if the stalks of this one is too tough.

Heat some oil in a wok and add the chopped garlic. Cook until golden brown. Next add the chicken that has already been cut into bite size pieces. A few minutes later add the kale stalks first and the carrots. Follow this with the leaves. Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Add stock if it starts to dry out. Don't fry for too long if you like crispy vegetables like me. Come back next week to www.thai-blogs.com for another Thai food dish.

Affording some of the best views and photography opportunities in the city, Bangkok's Victory Monument had always been a mystery to me. Victory! In what war? Thailand hasn't fought any wars this century other than a few pot shots at Japan in the Second World War and some nurses in the trenches in World War One, the Thai army just isn't really designed for war, it's a well known fact the Thai army is painfully inefficient at killing foreigners. So this time round I was determined to find out a little about it.

The monument was built in 1941 by the Fascist dictator Field Marshal Plaek Phiboonsongram to celebrate a bit of barney Thailand had with some French colonies left undefended by the Fall of France. The monument itself has statues of a soldier, a sailor, an airman, a government officer and a policeman, representing the five heroic roles in the war, forgetting the contribution of medics and undertakers. Now Plaek and his wife who ruled Thailand between 1938 and 1957 were pretty remarkable people and virtually invented modern Thailand. Apart from famously changing the name from Siam to Thailand they made up much of what is sold to tourists as ancient Thai culture these days, they encouraged western dress, swapped the nation from chopsticks to spoon and fork and planted Thai flags and speakers blasting the national anthem everywhere.

The monument itself commands the sky in the area and even makes the Skytrain take an expensive detour, though it is probably not the prettiest object on any horizon as was pointed out by one of its disappointed builders. Around it is the bus hub of the northern part of the city, this most useful place for easy transport to anywhere in the city is noticeably devoid of tourists, thanks largely to the unspeakably difficult "Unusawreechaisamorapoom" you would need to say to the bus conductor to get there.

Victory monument is one of my favourite places in the city, it is well worth a visit for the views from the bridges spanning the roads around it. For anyone bored of the artificial environments of the World Trade Centre or Siam Paragon yearning to see how the locals shop, the hustle and bustle of the shops and stalls around provide a great opportunity for exploration. It is easily reached from Silom and Sukhumwit by Skytrain, from Khao San it is also an excellent staging post for anyone going to the Northern Bus Station, with plenty of buses heading there from Ratchadamnoen Road.

It seems to be the latest fashion for local districts in Thailand to open a "floating market". The other week we had news that the Bangkok administration will open a floating market in Min Buri. Then, last month, I went to see the Pattaya Floating Market. Now, another floating market has just opened in Songkhla Province in the deep south. We flew down there at the weekend to check it out.

Klonghae Floating Market is in Tambon Klonghae in Amphoe Hat Yai (also spelled haadyai). It has only been open about three months but they already have an impressive array of vendors selling food. One of the local administrators showed us around. At the end of the tour he asked me if I had any suggestions to make it better. However, I was pretty impressed with what they had done so far. A good sign of success is crowd size and there were certainly a lot of people there.

What impressed me the most was the large number of vendors selling food and the variety of snacks on offer. You could easily come here every day and never get bored with the food. We were scheduled to visit a restaurant afterwards but I was too tempted with the delicious food on show. It is a real shame it is not in my area as I would love to go back there again. All of the vendors were so friendly. They all smiled for me whenever I took any pictures.

The floating market is open on Friday to Sunday from 3 p.m. until about 9 p.m. If you go earlier you can hire boats to go for a paddle and they apparently also have boat tours of the local area. The market seems to be in the middle of nowhere but they said you can take local transport from Hat Yai City. I think this place will become popular with Malaysians who drive up to Hat Yai for the weekend. I didn't see any Westerners here at all. Many thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for flying us down here and also for showing us around. We were put up at the Centara Hotel in Hat Yai.

One of the most colourful festivals taking place at the moment in Thailand is the Lantern Festival in Hat Yai. The Thai slogan translates as "colours of the south". It is running between 14th and 28th February 2009. This is the third time that they have organized the festival at the Hat Yai Municipality Park. Although this year's event is very impressive, the city mayor promised that next year would be even more spectacular. The theme of the festival is "Seven Wonders" and there are categories such as International Lanterns, Amazing Fowl and Animals and World of Kids. After wandering around looking at the lanterns, you can then go shopping for OTOP products which have both locally produced food and handicrafts.

The first section at the festival were various lanterns from other cultures in Asia such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese. Thai people have been decorating lanterns for hundreds of years. During the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya periods, a Brahman rite was performed in the 12th lunar month to welcome the gods. In Buddhism it is believed that creating lanterns is a form of merit making. There are two types of lanterns. In this picture, you can see decorative hanging lanterns made of paper and cloth with a bamboo frame. It is believed that lighting this lantern at night will bring you good luck. Another kind of lantern popular in Northern Thailand is the floating lantern, which can also be hanged, but is often made to float away into the sky. This is done as a merit making exercise to Chulamani in heaven during the Yipeng Festival.

My favourite section of the Lantern Festival was the "Aquarium". Here you can find Nemo and many of his colourful friends. We walked down a kind of tunnel which was lined with blue fairy lights. Hanging from the inside of the tunnel were the various aquatic animals such as sharks, seahorses, jellyfish and clownfish. The kids obviously enjoyed this section and wanted their pictures taken in front of each lantern. A bit further on, there was also popular cartoon characters from both the American and Japanese cultures. There were also lanterns of African animals such as hippo, giraffes and elephants and also pandas from China. Out on the lake were colourful floating lanterns representing "loy krathong". I will post more pictures on our ThailandQA.com Forums.

The festival is on every day from about 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. Going earlier in the day makes it easier to take pictures but you won't be able to fully appreciate the strong colours until it is really dark. There were plenty of people wandering around the park taking pictures of their children or loved ones in front of the various lanterns. However, the people who used a flash will find that the lanterns won't look that beautiful. The pictures without flash had stronger colours but the people will just turn out as silhouettes. Though, if you do it right, you can make some nice patterns as you can see in this above picture of two sweethearts in front of one of the largest lanterns.

Hat Yai is situated in Songkhla Province in the deep south of Thailand. It is true that they had some bomb attacks in the last few years, however, the whole time I was travelling in this province it never did concern me. Everyone is carrying on as normal. Songkhla borders Malaysia and so it is popular with both Malaysians and Singaporeans who drive up for long weekends. We saw quite a few foreign cars on the streets and most people in the hotels seemed to be Malaysian with some Westerners. Although Songkhla is the provincial capital, it is Hat Yai where most people head for shopping and entertainment. You can find more information about Songkhla Province at our ThailandGuidebook.com website.

Many thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for flying us down to Hat Yai for the weekend and also for showing us around. I will be posting more reports of our weekend in Hat Yai here at www.thai-blogs.com later this week. We are the number one travel blog in Thailand with an average of 10,000 visitors per day. Visit PaknamWeb.com for the latest Thai travel news and free online guidebooks for Thailand.

“This province is home to a revered Buddha image and four of the nation's most beautiful national parks”

Known to the locals as simply Phi-lok, Phitsanulok is an ideal base for those wishing to explore the North and the western part of Isaan. And that's what most folk do - just pass through and completely forget to even think of having a look around this amazing province.
Situated on the banks of the Nan River, the provincial town is home to arguably the country's second most revered Buddha image, Phra Buddha Chinnarat (second only to the Emerald Buddha).
The temple housing this Buddha image is located in the middle of town and welcomes literally thousands of devotees a day from all over Thailand.

It was here that King Naresuan the Great was born and Pumpuang Duangjan, the beloved Queen of Thai Country Music, collapsed and died at the tender age of 31 in 1992.
Getting out of town, Phitsanulok has four national parks with unique natural endowments such as pristine virgin forest, waterfalls and a diversity of animals and plants, including endangered animals.

Considered one of the most fabulous sites in Thailand, Phu Hin Rong National Park, 125 kilometres from the provincial town and 1,000 metres above sea level, is famed for not only one of the most spectacular views in Thailand but also its extremely odd-looking stone formations.
The province is also home to a few unspoilt waterfalls, which most Thai folk have no idea about.

The location of Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, because of its high terrain, remote mountain location and close proximity to Laos, was chosen as the headquarters of the now-defunct CPT (Communist Party of Thailand) from 1967-1982. For those interested in a bit of Commie history, you can still see remains of living conditions, air-raid shelters and buildings. There is also a CPT museum.

So, the next time you are heading to the North, don't forget the delights of Phitsanulok. You certainly will not be disappointed!

More tourist information about Phitsanulok at www.ThailandGuidebook.com

I’d been thinking for a long time, whether or not, as there are hundreds on online already, if writing a blog about Pattaya was a good idea. I mean there is nothing unseen in this seaside town vicinity anymore. I do really wonder how many nicknames Pattaya has: Dodge City, Sin City, Porn Town and the Land of Go-Gos Galore. And these are only a handful of example names. Yet, there is so much more to do in Pattaya than just drinking and whatever related these days. Over the last decade, Pattaya has certainly brushed its image up with an aquarium, fun park, zoo and tropical gardens etc….etc…. Foreigners are always amazed that Thais think the place is a family-friendly haven for kids.!

A couple of Saturday mornings back after spending the previous night in Bangkok, I took my Golden Tiger Girl out of her cage for the 230 km walk. After only hearing the idea of setting off for another weekend out, she was already purring and eager to go. Being honest, the only part of the Eastern seaboard journey I don’t really like is the city crossing of Bangkok; passing through an endless stream of lights, you are often stopped by a squad of ever-friendly Boys-in-Brown who think up any old excuse to extort tips from you.

Actually, just evening the evening before, on the way from Suphanburi, I was a little more fortunate than usual; I was pulled over for ‘apparently’ not driving on the left lane, but after explaining to him that I’d had to move out the way of some manic bus driver who was about to mow me down, he accepted the reasoning and let me off.

Got to say, there is some absurd traffic law enforcement in Thailand; while the Boys-in-Brown are sat there goggling at pretty office ladies walking past, they are indifferent to those drivers zooming past wearing no helmet, driving on the wrong side of the road or sitting 5 to a bike. It seems the only time they get to work is when either the big boss comes to inspect or they need to fill up the whiskey funds.

Bag packed, helmet at the ready, I mounted my Tiger girl and pulled her ears and instant roaring was the result. Off I was with her …….. and my ride through the concrete jungle of Bangkok was, this time around, a much more straight-forward one.

Prior to setting out on the journey, I had planned only 2 coffee stops, the first one in Bangkok, and the second in Chonburi, but after being ‘taken for a ride’ by the cops the evening last, I decided against making a coffee stop in Bangkok and besides my Tiger girl wasn’t looking so thirsty. I opted to make the first stop instead in Samut Prakarn as my intention had been to go for the Samutprakan – Chonburi connection due to the road being better than the terribly pot-holed Bangna-trat Rd . After a well-earned lunch, I took Tiger off for the final stage of the journey towards Pattaya.

We didn’t really experience anything hazardous along the way here, except that is for the numerous trucks and ever crossing dogs on the way to the beach resort par excellence. This is one of the worst roads in Thailand. Only the elevated road is in good condition.

Once I arrived in Pattaya, I launched my search for a room but after finding that the place was booked out, I ended up in a very romantic short- time love motel. The bathroom didn’t have a door and it was surrounded with glass walls. What a nice view for amateurs .Can you imagine ………

After an uneventful evening having a quiet few drinks with a couple of old friends, the following morning I went to the highest summit of Pattaya. It’s a short swooping but very steep ascent to the top. My Tiger Boxer 250 Rs was amused by it. For her it was just a short hike. At the top you can witness a breathtaking view over Pattaya Bay with its impressive skyline.

From there, I went straight to Bang Sare travelling along the Sukhumvit Road. Just past the entrance to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden you can see the road sign to Bang Sare and about 7 km further on to Sattahip you will be in Bang Sare. Here you can find several kilometers of golden sandy beach and the area is well-known for its stilted restaurants serving mouth-watering seafood dishes, at a very low cost in a family-friendly safe environment. People come to Bang Sare to relax and enjoy beautiful scenery surrounded by friendly and smiling Thai people. Nearby there is a nice little fishing port with traditional Thai fishing boats scattered around.

After dinner, I took my Golden tiger girl to Walking Street, which is the infamous, seedy part of Pattaya that is covered in western men, and very rarely western woman, looking for some company. And you cannot miss those offering business, as they are everywhere you go, there are also Go-go bar doormen offering not so delicious "menus" every 10 meters. I had had dinner already so I wasn’t hungry anymore! To be honest I find it quite sad, from the point of view of many of the working girls there, it is there only way to make a living, and from the westerners’ point of view they feel they can find someone they can call a "girlfriend".

Sunday morning I had to leave Pattaya to return back to Suphanburi. I had planned a stop at Sri Racha which is a seaside port and fishing town. It’s about 30 minutes north of Pattaya by bike. It is the largest private port on the eastern shore of Thailand in Chonburi province. One of the main attractions in Sri Racha is the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo and the pier is also worth a visit, together with its sea turtle basin. The turtles there are so tame you can easily lay a hand on them.

After a 100 baht breakfast and lunch at the same time, I continued my way back to Suphanburi. Early evening, My Golden Tiger girl dropped me off her back right in front of my front door. She had completely fulfilled her assignment with great ease .

Mission accomplished ………..

More tourist information for Pattaya at www.ThailandGuidebook.com.

When it comes to Thai food, presentation always counts for a lot. I like experimenting with new recipes and even if I think the results might taste good, a Thai person would first comment on how it looks. Just take a look at this stir fried dish. It looks delicious even before you try it. A nice arrangement of complimentary colours. This one is stir fried prawns and snow peas. In the ingredients below, you can see crushed garlic and prawns on the left and snow peas and straw mushrooms on the right.

It is easy to cook for beginners. As stir frying is very quick, you need to prepare everything in advance. Wash, shell and devein the shrimps. Also prepare the snow peas by pulling the string from the pod. In a wok, fry the crushed garlic until brown and fragrant. Next comes the prawns. Don't overcook so follow these quickly with the mushrooms and finally the snow peas. Add some water or stock if it drys out. Season with oyster sauce, fish sauce and a teaspoon of sugar. Very quick and easy to cook with good results. Also a nice change from the hot and spicy meals. Come back next Friday for another Thai food dish at www.thai-blogs.com.

(This is the continuation of my blog about an average day in a Thai school. Click here if you missed part one.)

We don't take attendance for each lesson. The classroom teacher has already done this at the start of the day. Outside of each classroom there is a statistics board. It tells you how many boys and girls are normally in this class and also how many are present today. Our classes have an average of 45 students. We then have about four classes for each grade. At some high schools they might have ten classes or so per grade and up to 60 students in a class. This may sound very overwhelming but luckily for us, the students are usually very disciplined. The seats are often in rows and many teachers will traditionally teach by rote. This usually involves them standing at the front of the class reading from a book or getting the students to read aloud together from their books. Using this tried and tested method makes it easier for us to control the classroom. The students are not encouraged to raise their hand or to contradict or question something the teacher did.

Some years ago, the government asked all the schools to stop teaching by rote and to take a more Westernized version of teaching where the classes are more child centered. Obviously, this has some merits as we were now asking the students to think for themselves rather than being told what to think. The tables in the classroom were often pushed together so that the students could do group work. However, I think the government soon realized that you couldn't change the way of teaching overnight. Not only did the students not know how to do project work, but the teachers were puzzled how to teach. However, a number of years have now passed and we are now seeing more child-centered classrooms. I guess the only teachers still teaching by rote are the older ones who have the opinion that if it isn't broken then it shouldn't be mended.

Although I think it is great for the country that we are now teaching students to think for themselves, it has also seen at the same time a watering down in the classroom of discipline and respect for the teacher. Some teachers still have the illusion that all students must have automatic respect for them. The same goes for society as a whole where children are taught to be respectful to their elders and to never question their authority or knowledge. However, by allowing free thinking in the classroom we started to see students wanting to know why something was done in a particular way. It didn't change overnight of course, but we now see more two-way interaction in the classroom and lateral thinking. However, grandparents not used to their grandchildren questioning their decisions and orders, just saw them as naughty children.

I think some lessons have been learned here. You cannot just bring in a practice used in the West as it might not work here. You have to adapt it for local culture and customs. Although are teachers say that our students are naughtier these days, they are still a lot better than most students in say America and Europe. Visiting foreign teachers always commented on this. If a student wants to leave a class they will have to ask permission first. On their return, they have to wait at the doorway for permission to enter. If they come to the teacher's desk during the lesson they have to kneel on the floor. This is because it is disrespectful to stand higher than a teacher who might be seated. At the end of each lesson, I always find it amusing how the students stand up and chorus a "thank you" to the teacher for teaching them. It doesn't matter if you had just given them a particularly hard test or told them off for not doing their work properly.

Our school has three lessons in the morning. We don't have enough room at the school for a canteen so the students eat their lunch in the classroom. As we also have many students, the lunch break is staggered during the morning. First to have "lunch" are the kindergarten students who stop to eat at 10.15 a.m. They then have a nap for two hours. Next come the junior school who stop for lunch at 11 a.m. Then the senior school at 11.30 a.m. School lunches are usually very good and there is a three week rotation of menus. The food is often served with either rice or noodles. The students don't have a choice but as teachers, we can choose the menu from either the junior school or senior.

Once all of the students are seated in the classroom then they all chorus the lunchtime grace. The all know this off by heart as they have been doing it since they were in kindergarten. It basically gives thanks to the farmers and cooks for growing rice and cooking their food. It ends by reminding the students of the people in the world that don't have enough to eat. It tells them not to waste food. Once the students finish eating, they put any waste food in a bucket, their plates in an enamel bowl and their spoon and fork in a plastic bucket. Then, the duty students have to take these down to the kitchen. The plates and bowls are washed by the kitchen staff but the duty students wash the utensils, which are then brought back up to the classroom. Each student has their own set.

Each day students have to take turns to do duty. This usually involves keeping the classroom clean. We have janitors at the school but they don't enter the classrooms. So, the duty students are responsible to keep it clean. They will sweep the floor, mop it and also do other duties like empty the rubbish and take the recycle paper down to the recycle area. The duty students for that day also have to do other things like collecting homework and taking books to the teacher. The students clean the classroom at the start of the day and during the afternoon break. Each day, one class also has to take turns to sweep clean the playground after lunch break. This encourages them not to drop any litter.

The lunch break lasts until about 12.20 p.m. Many of the younger students go down to the playground to play games. Many of these are recognizable by students around the world. These include marbles, tag games and jump rope. Some of the older boys might play football or basketball. However, we don't really have much space in the playground for all 1,200 students to play. But, it doesn't really matter as it is so hot and many students choose to stay in their classrooms to chat with their friends or read school books. The school organizes lunchtime clubs and activities that the students can take part in sometimes.

The kindergarten students don't come out for the lunchbreak. After they have finished eating, they then settle down to have a siesta. The teacher puts down mattresses on the floor for the students and each one also has a pillow and a blanket. The kindergarten classes are all air-conditioned so it can get chilly. Before they go to sleep they have a meditation session to calm them down and prepare them for sleeping. The students sleep for about two hours in the middle of the day. Unfortunately I am not a kindergarten teacher so I am not allowed to have a nap too!

At the end of lunch the school bell goes and all of the students have five minutes to quickly line up outside of their classrooms. Now the duty teacher will give some announcements. Sometimes she might remind students not to run in the corridors or not to be so noisy near the kindergarten classrooms. Every day students seem to lose something and if something is handed in - like a wallet with money - the duty teacher will make an announcement. They also mention the name of the student that handed in the lost property. Everyone then applauds that student.

The afternoon session has three lessons which are finished by 3.15 p.m. This is the short break where the duty students have to clean their classrooms. A number of schools let their students go home at this time. However, our school has a compulsory "homework lesson" which starts at 3.40 p.m. In theory, the teachers help the students complete their homework so that their parents don't have to help them when they go home. However, in reality the teacher often teaches something new so it just becomes an extension of the school day. Lessons finally finish at 4.45 p.m. and the students can go home.

The kindergarten and junior primary students go home earlier in order to prevent traffic jams in the small lane outside of our school. You can imagine the chaos if all 1,700 students left at the same time. The students wait for their parents in their classrooms. Then from about 3 p.m. the school loudspeakers are turned on and names are called of the students whose parents have arrived to pick them up. If a parent comes to pick up a student they have to show the duty teacher the student's i.d. card. Many of the older students walk home by themselves. However, they are not allowed to leave the school premises by themselves. They first have to line up at the school gates and then all leave in one long line. One of the teachers on duty will escort them through the town and help them cross a major intersection. After that they are on their own. Duty teachers have to stay at the school until the last student leaves by about 6 p.m. A long day for many people.

If you are interested in reading more about Life in a Thai School or you want some advice on teaching in Thailand, then please visit our site at www.ThaiSchoolLife.com. You will also find tips there on how to visit a Thai school or a Thai scout group.

"Forget that ear-splitting karaoke on overnight buses and take in the countryside at a leisurely pace on a Thai train."

Westerners certainly have more of a love for trains than most of the locals in Thailand, the latter of whom consider such mode of transport as almost prehistoric - then again, I guess some of the trains operating actually are!
While tripping around Thailand though, it’s almost a must, at least once, to experience the one-and-only Thai train. Take the Bangkok-Chiang Mai train, for example: even though the train does the journey much slower than the overnight bus, you won’t have to tolerate blaring karaoke or sub-zero air-conditioning.

Instead, you could be having a lot of fun in the train’s funky restaurant meeting locals and fellow travellers while enjoying a friendly game of cards and a chilled beer.
And instead of waking up in the morning to the sight of a six-lane motorway and countless petrol stations, you’ll be relishing a beautiful sunrise from the heart of the Thai countryside.
If the North isn’t your cup of tea, then head to Isaan, which definitely has one of the best routes in Thailand: Nakhon Ratchasima to Ubon Ratchathani.

The train is incredibly slow but you can break your journey up and spend a night in the groovy provincial towns of Surin, Buri Ram and Si Sa Ket. It’s a great ride, on which you can enjoy the company of super-friendly locals, who will, for sure, be inviting you to tuck into a delicious on-board picnic of grilled chicken, papaya salad and sticky rice.
You’ll get the chance to pick up some Isaan dialect or even Khmer.
Then, for those who fancy Thailand’s longest route, book yourselves onto the Bangkok-Penang International Express. It’s a 21-hour journey to remember.

So, wherever you plan to go this year, make sure that at least once you take the one-and-only Thai train!

Most schools throughout Thailand are much the same. Even though they may be public or private, they all have the same guidelines under which they have to operate. The average day in these schools is also much the same. At Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan, the students start to arrive as early as 5.45 a.m. If their parents are working in Bangkok then they might drop them off early. At this time it is still dark. The students are not allowed to go up to the classrooms but have to wait for their classroom teacher to arrive. The teachers have to take turns to be on duty once a week. This means that they have to come to school before the first students and also to be the last to leave. This often means a 12 hour day for them.

Most students don't arrive until about 7.15 a.m. They come to school alone by school bus or on foot or with their parents by car or public taxi. In Thailand, we have different forms of local taxis which are very cheap. For example the three wheeled motorized rickshaw called a "tuk tuk" and the pedal version called a "samlor". In Thai this means simply "three wheels". The name "tuk tuk" comes from the sound that the motor makes. Another form of local taxi is the motorcycle taxi. These guys wear coloured numbered jackets and wait for people at the top of lanes. Other students come by "songtaew" which means "two rows". This is basically two rows of seats on a converted pick-up truck.

When the students arrive at the school, they will often first pay respects to their parents. They do this by making a "wai" which is a prayer like gesture made by bringing their hands together at chest level and then bowing their head down to their hands. They do this as a way to say "thank you" to their parents for bringing them to school but also to say "goodbye". They would also do this if their parents gave them some pocket money to spend in the snack shop at school. Some parents are stricter than others. You will sometimes see them holding onto the money until the child remembers to "wai" them as a "thank you". Other students don't seem to "wai" their parents even though they are taught to do this at school. However, they must "wai" the duty teacher otherwise they will get told off.

As they come into the school they pass a number of different shrines: a spirit house, a Brahman shrine and a Buddha shrine. The students are taught by their parents and teachers to always be respectful of these images other wise there might be consequences. The students and teachers often stop to give a "wai" on their arrival. Some do this to pay respect while others do it to gain some form of good luck for the day. Maybe they have an exam that day so they may make a wish to have good grades. If their wish later comes true, then they need to return to the shrine to make an offering. For example, some fruit or drinks. The school owners make an offering to the guardian spirit of the land daily in order to appease the spirits and to beg them not to cause mischief at the school.

Students are not allowed to wear shoes in the buildings. So, when they arrive at the steps they have to pause to take them off and then carry them up to their classroom. If they pass a teacher on the way up, they should stop to let the teacher pass first. As they are carrying shoes, they should first put these down and then give the teacher a "wai". In Thai culture, it is impolite to point your feet at anyone. The feet and lower parts of the body are considered unclean. While the head is seen as being almost sacred. It would be considered very rude to give a "wai" while still holding your shoes. However, some students do this by mistake and we have to correct them. Teachers never initiate a "wai" to a student. This is considered by many as bringing them bad luck. Most teachers do not return the "wai" but will smile and nod instead. However, they could give the "receiving wai" which is where you hold your hands at chest level and do not bow down to them.

On arrival in the classroom, the students will put their shoes on the shoe rack and then make their way to their desk. If their classroom teacher is there, then they need to pay respect to them first. If their teacher is not so strict, then they will probably chat with their friends or read a cartoon book. However, if the students are more diligent, then they might read a school book or revise for an exam. The school bell rings at 7.45 a.m. which means that they should all go down to the playground for assembly. They leave their bags in the classroom, pick up their shoes and head downstairs. Strictly speaking, students should always walk on the righthand side of the stairs. You sometimes see adults doing this at a shopping mall. They have been trained well at school.

In the playground they will line up in rows according to their class and grade. They also do one row for boys and one row for girls with the tallest at the front. Everyone faces towards the flagpole and the Buddhist shrine at one end of the playground. At exactly 8 a.m., the school band starts playing the national anthem. Everyone quickly stops what they are doing, stands to attention and then sings the anthem. Students who might still be arriving also have to stop and stand still. If there is any parent sitting in the waiting area reading a newspaper, they should also stop what they are doing and stand to attention. All of the radio and television stations broadcast the national anthem at this time. They also play it on loudspeakers outside police stations, at hospitals and also places like train stations.

School assembly has the same formula every day. It usually lasts about 15-20 minutes. Our playground isn't quite big enough for all 1,700 students, so the kindergarten students line up outside their classrooms for assembly. This is what the rest of the students also do on rainy days. After the national anthem has finished and the Thai flag has been raised to the top, the students next do Buddhist chanting. The majority of the students are Buddhists, though we do have a handful of Muslims and Christians. Although they have to be in the assembly, they don't need to chant. This only lasts a few minutes. Next comes the reciting of the student oath, the school creed and finally the school motto. Once these formalities are over then one of the duty teachers goes to the front of the assembly to give a small speech on ethics. Sometimes students will also take turns to read something from a newspaper.

Before the first lesson starts, the students will have a homeroom period with their classroom teachers. She might also give them an ethics talk or she will prepare them for an exam by getting them all to read aloud from their school book. We mainly have primary students so they stay in the same classroom for much of the day. However, at High schools, the students will often move from class to class during the day. Our junior students are taught for most of the day by their classroom teacher. However, the older students have specialist teachers who take turns to come to their classroom. The only time the students have to move class is for subjects like Computer and P.E.

When the teacher arrives in a classroom to teach, there is always a small routine that the students have to perform. This starts by the class captain calling out "students stand to attention". The students then greet their teacher by saying "sawatdee", which is Thai for "hello", and giving them a "wai". The teacher will then say "sawatdee" in reply and then tells the students to sit down. The students then chorus "thank you". For their English lessons, they do all of this in English. It goes something like this: "Please stand up. Good morning teacher." We then reply "Good morning, how are you?". They reply "I am fine thank you and you?". We reply "I am fine, thank you. Please sit down." They then say "thank you" and sit down.

I will post the conclusion of this average day in a Thai school at www.thai-blogs.com tomorrow. In the meantime, I have posted many articles and pictures of Life in a Thai School over at www.thaischoollife.com.

(Below is a rough translation of a report in the Khao Sod newspaper on 8 Feb)

Former ladyboy monk (abbot) Je Dao of Sri Boon Reung temple in the northern province of Lamphun, has quickly and quietly disrobed.

In ladyboy circles, Je Dao had become well-known for changing into a skirt and bra and sneaking out at night to discotheques. On top of that debauchery, Je Dao was known to sleep around with commoner gays.

Je Dao had very recently come under the suspicions of locals who, alongside a female student, informed the cops of the truly immoral behaviour of a monk who takes medicine to grow breasts, goes out at night and enjoys having gay sex. Je Dao had found out that he was under investigation and so quickly disrobed and fled the temple on the morning of the 7th February.

According to some other locals though, Je Dao has their full support and they feel proud of their former breasted ladyboy monk who didn’t quite live up to the expectations of an orange robed-one. According to Je Dao (newly-named Titsaman) in a confidential interview said “I am going to go and work in America within a couple of months”. (as in ‘work’ Je Dao used the Thai words ‘hah kin’ which can also be translated as ‘work as a prostitute’).

Phra Kalaya the monk who conducted the ‘leaving the monkhood ceremony’ said that he it was only his duty. He promised he had no idea of any hidden agenda of Je Dao’s.

Deputy Head of the Lamphun Sangha said that this kind of matter did not shed good light on Lamphun’s temples. In fact, it is even worse than usual stories like this because Lamphun is located in the historically religious Lanna region.

He went on to say that if commoners knew of any other sin-loving monks like Je Dao to inform the local Sangha Committee immediately.

Every year, there is a moment when the city pauses for a last glance before the heat unleashes its fury and the smoke rolls in from the mountains. These are the last few days when colours still vibrate alive, before the city turns into molten air and concrete, and gets swallowed up in a bleak orange-grey haze. Now the sun is welcome and bounces back happily from the million flowers flooding the streets. All the colours are on the palette, hues of green, mild pinks, crazy purples, serene oranges, shiny whites, smiling yellows.

In this last moment, Chiang Mai's flower lovers, gardeners, photo enthusiasts, balloon sellers, food stall owners, excited children and pollinating insects all descend upon Buat Hat park for the city's 33rd annual floral extravaganza. Not to mention our canine friends!

Flowers are special in this region, and it is not just floral language that Chiang Mai is called "the rose of the north". Their Majesties the King and the Queen have been working tirelessly to provide alternative crops and sources of income for the previously mostly opium-growing hilltribes of Northern Thailand. Besides vegetables and fruits, flowers are now a major produce of the region, thanks to the cool climate at higher altitudes. Near the entrance, the display from Phuphing Palace, which has a majestic garden near the top of Doi Pui, always dazzles visitors with the largest roses and vivid floral landscapes.

The orchid, rose, bonsai and bromelia growers have a major competition but the crowd seems to enjoy flowers of all shapes, sizes, colours and awards.

The floats are of course the main attraction: after the parade around the streets of the city on Saturday morning, they are neatly lined up in front of the park to be admired close up. With Makha Bucha just round the corner, the themes of the 23 floats were mostly in tribute to this auspicious occasion.

The Buddha images, chedis, elephants, nagas and other mythical figures are initially sculpted from styrofoam, mounted on cars, and decorated with millions of cut flowers, petals, seeds, white and brown rice grains with painstaking detail for a truly dazzling overall effect.

This year saw a large number of elephants in leading or supporting roles: carrying chedis, flanking chedis, kneeling down before the Lord Buddha, carrying jasmine garlands, poking at visitors.

My favourite float of all, a giant kneeling elephant, was the first runner-up in the float contest this year, representing Hang Dong district.

On Arak road, the western side of the moat, yet another strip of spectacles unfolds. Food stalls dot one side of the road, selling everything from fruits to squids. Families with children may initially frown at the large number of vendors selling balloons, toys, and other assorted junk. Miraculously, I don't remember seeing a single screaming child - but maybe some of the parents were upset.

On the other side, plant vendors set up temporary mini-jungles and inviting gardens, offering everything you have ever dreamed of for your garden, maybe more. There are hundreds of blooming orchids, needless to say, in much better shape than my dried-up orchid sticks with new shoots of fresh green at home! For a while, I read the Thai names of flowers and tried to recall their names in my mother tongue, but many probably don't even have names - well, bromelias do.

In a few stalls, OTOP products from all over the province are on display: strawberry jam and wine from Samoeng (advertising the annual strawberry festival coming up next weekend up in the small hill town of Samoeng), woodcarving from Baan Tawai, umbrellas from Bosang, textiles and clothes from faraway districts.

When you are tired, Buat Hat park swallows you up for a little rest, but no peace and quiet. You may rent a straw mat, eat, doze off, sign the kids up for a mad session at the bouncy castle or a ride in the mini ferris wheel. In the evening, there is music, the obligatory beauty contest, and more food. Sorry guys - no pictures of the beauties :-)

This is my favourite time in Chiang Mai, and my favourite festival. It is a final reminder of all the best this city and region has to offer before we face the worst of what it can throw at us.

How come, with the age of the Internet with all that info available on places to go in Thailand, that us folk, when choosing a holiday destination, always select the same old places? And especially, when it’s a tropical beach we are after.

So, if you’re bored of well-trodden tourist haunts and their endless array of banana boats and bar beers, then why not get off the beaten track and head to the south of Thailand and Trang province. While the likes of Phuket, Krabi and Phang-nga get tourists and travelers by the bus and plane loads, Trang’s coastal beaches and 47 islands remain virtually forgotten.

Among all those islands is beyond a doubt one of the most breathtaking islands in Thailand ‘Emerald Cave’. The island is one of only two in the world that actually has a huge sun-lit open-roofed beach inside a cave. Be warned though, get there and out only during the low tide (by long-tailed boat) otherwise you’ll be stuck inside perched upon some rock til the following morning. Trang’s other island’s are synonymous for their unspoilt beauty and are idyllic for simply sun-bathing, diving or bird-spotting (and I mean the species that has two wings and a beak).

When you’ve had enough of the sun, you’ll be going home via Trang provincial town, a place not only home to a former prime minister (Mr Chuan) but also a unique breakfast cuisine found nowhere else in Thailand. One of those cuisines is Hokkien-style ‘dimsum’ which is dished up at local morning coffee shops (ko pii). Fortunately, you don’t even have to waste time trying to speak Thai to order, you simply eat what’s there laid on the table and pay for what you’ve eaten.

So, if you’re thinking of getting off the beaten track this summer, then think of sticking Trang on your itinerary. If you want to see some more beautiful natural wonders of Thailand then visit our sister site Seven Wonders of Thailand at www.7ThaiWonders.com.

Our Thai dish today is called "buap pat moo" or Stir-fried pork and angled sponge gourd. It is also commonly cooked with prawns or chicken. The sponge gourd can grow up to three feet in length. However, you need to choose one that is young and still soft to the touch. As it grows mature it will become bitter. You can eat it raw like a cucumber or stir-fry it like a zucchini. In the ingredients below, you can see the unpeeled sponge gourd at the top, the pork, garlic and the peeled sponge gourd. In the center is an egg.

Prepare the gourd by peeling it and then cutting diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Add the chopped garlic to the wok and fry until golden brown. Add the pork and stir fry a short while. Next comes the gourd. Add a little stock if it starts to dry out. Though not too much as there is a certain amount of moisture in the gourd. Give it a good stir for a few minutes. Season with oyster sauce and soy sauce. The last ingredient is an egg which you break into the wok. Stir this in well and it should cook itself. As with anything, do not overcook. Come back next week to www.thai-blogs.com for another Thai food recipe.

Rattana Rangsarn Throne Room

Falling victim to Thailand’s latest anti-tourist law, I found myself in the completely absurd position of having to make two visa runs in four days. Planning to spend my final month in SE Asia in Thailand, I arrived at Chiang Khong 34 days before my flight was due. I could have stayed in Lao another 4 days but as I was going to Songkhla I didn’t mind having to hop over the Malay border one day. However, as happened to so many other people arriving in the LOX (Land of Xenophobia), when I got my immigration stamp in Chiang Khong, the border official informed me he was stamping me in for 15 days instead of a month. Well geez thanks Thailand I thought, thanks for the advance warning and all the publicising of this new (two week old) law. I could have gone to another country instead if I’d known in advance.

When I hit the south things didn’t get much better, Songkhla was underwater and unreachable so I did a quick visa run from rain drenched Had Yai and decided to head north to sunnier climes. I really didn’t want to go to Burma again, I’d been travelling there only a few weeks before, however Ranong was the only place in the vicinity and not charging extortionate visa fees.

As I arrived in Ranong the sun came out on my ailing trip, both literally and metaphorically. I’d never been to Ranong before and it turned out to be somewhat of a gem. Ranong is the most sparsely populated province in Thailand and not the easiest to get to with only one road from Chumphon. Buses from the south have to go to Chumphon 100k north of it and then double back. Muang Ranong is a small town of about 25,000 people and has a laid back ambiance. Lonely Planet recommends a backpackers guesthouse beside the bus station in front of the grim highway and well outside of town which is set up for visa runs and seems to steer away most of the tourist traffic from going into town.

Inside the town there is a very small tourist scene around the night market of no more than 30-40 tourists. There are no guesthouses but three Chinese hotels. I stayed at the Asia Hotel the least touristy of the three where I got a large clean room with hot water for B160 a night.

The town sees so few tourists the prices seem a throwback to Thailand over a decade ago and the locals really friendly. The town is also one of the easiest to get around I’ve ever found in Thailand. Beside the market around 15 routes of songthaew leave every few minutes for every part of the town and around. A few songthaews have the places of interest written in English, such as hot springs, cave and border, all cost less than ten baht.

An alternative way of getting around is walking; I saw no bicycle hire shops. The town is not large but very picturesque, with some great old fashion markets off the main roads and plenty of Burmese food stalls. It is also quite hilly offering some great views and some nice woods to walk in.

Just down the road from the market there is quite a lot of nightlife. A surprisingly large amount of upmarket bars and restaurants filled with locals raving and drinking (surprisingly cheap) cocktails. This area of town also becomes a large Walking Street in the evening as the locals come out to buy and sell their wares.

Hot Springs - Ranong

The two tourist attractions I visited while there (both free) were the hot springs and Rattana Rangsarn Throne Hall, both of which I walked to. The throne hall is on the edge town 10 min walk from the market. It has pretty garden and a great hilltop view of the town. The hot springs are a little outside of town but well sign posted and seem to be very popular amongst the Thais. A small picturesque river had dozens of picnickers on the banks, scenic bridges crossed the river. There was a rather strange concrete sleeping area over the springs with a sign saying maximum sleep time 30 mins and several posh health spas along the road. The springs themselves had a bathing area (sign saying feet only) with a couple of dozen people enjoying a foot soaking and half a dozen more soaking their whole bodies.

The Visa Run

Having come only for a Visa run and instead having spent 3 rather pleasurable days in Ranong it was time to hop over to Burma. I had thought I would at least stay the night, however hearing there were only 3 hotels a foreigner could legally stay and the cheapest was 600 baht (B150 for Burmese) I decided to give it a miss. I took the songthaew from the market straight to immigration, about 20 mins from town where I was instantly set upon by touts trying to lead me to a boat.

As I walked to the border control, the touts tried to sell me a two way trip for B800 dropping to B550 as I ignored them. With so few tourists in town I had expected a sleepy border post, instead it was Chatuchak at midday, with hundreds of tourists arriving each hour. Having not seen them in town I got talking to some wondering where they came from. Most were being mini-vanned from islands such as Samui and Phang Ngan, some journey, them having left 4am and it being 8:30 as they queued with me.

After I had stamped out of Thailand I walked to the end of the Jetty where the boats are, and asked the oldest and most raggedy boatman I could find in Thai language how much for a return trip, he quoted B200 and I quickly jumped in his boat. Just before we left I overheard the local boat mafia boss give him a bit of berating for charging too little. A few years back the fares had been B100 however a bit of research had revealed if you can get B250 now you done good, most pay a lot more though as most of the island visa run people I chatted to hadn’t even negotiated a price before getting into a boat and were wondering what the bill would be at the end of the trip.

Boats in Ranong

The visa run itself took three hours. First you sail past Thai immigration on a small island with a huge golden Buddha, then you cross to Myanmar, it was quite a pleasant boat ride but even on a calm day the cross tides were strong and the boat rocked, I wouldn’t fancy it in bad weather. Arriving in Myanmar you visit another island with Myanmar Immigration on it. There you surrender your passports for inspection plus one photocopy and pay B20 for the service.

Next it’s to the mainland where you dock and go to a small immigration office. You can pay either $10(B350) or B500 however Burmese immigration will only take pristine notes. 5 people’s dollars were rejected while I was there, one absolutely new but with a tiny ink mark on one edge no more than a couple of millimetres in size. While there the first words you here as you arrive in Myanmar will be “Viag#ra” as people cluster around you trying to sell you these dodgy Burmese chemicals. In fact while there 50% of all the words you will hear are “Viag#ra, sexy movie and Burmese whiskey.”

On the return trip you will once again visit Burmese and Thai immigration, this time Thai officials will board the boat and checks people’s bags for large quantities of Burmese whiskey. The round trip took three hours and B570 including songtaws, it should have been quicker but for the a Greek guy who refused to move until he got his photocopy back before leaving Myanmar, not wishing to leave them with private information about him and failing to comprehend the significance of them having already typed his details into computer and an Australian hippy who arrived without any money at all.

I’m very glad I went to Ranong, it’s a beautiful town and a kind of throwback to Thailand of old that I would recommend it to anyone. Though I always hesitate to recommend places like this because if tourists did start arriving in numbers, prices will increase, honesty decrease and worst of all prices will be slapped on the town’s entirely free and beautiful sights. Thai governments in their greed for tourist geld seem to like to charge Thais for living in their own hometown, as the waterfall where mother and father met and everyone in the town visited as a kid is fenced off and an admission fee charged, reducing locals to second class citizens in their own country.

Myanmar however I wouldn’t recommend. An overpriced and rather dull border town, so unrepresentative of the rest of the country. For a visa run it is still a cheap option but with the new 15 day law creating an inundation of new visa-runners it’s going to be very difficult to get a boat trip without getting scalped.

One of the best agro-tourism projects in Thailand is undoubtedly Farm Chokchai in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. In fact it has won many awards. Farm Chokchai is situated on the Friendship Highway in cowboy country and is only 159 km from Bangkok. You can either come here as a day trip from Bangkok or as a stopover on your way to Khorat. The highlight is undoubtedly the farm tours. Farm Chokchai was started by Chokchai Bulakul back in 1957. The farm began with beef cattle but later turned their attention to a dairy heard. Today the farm covers an area of 8,000 acres and has 5,000 head of cattle. In recent years, the farm started their agro tours where people can learn about the running of a dairy farm which also includes hands on experience of milking a cow, making ice cream, petting farm animals and watching a cowboy show.

You can join farm tours from Tuesday to Sunday. During the week they only have two scheduled tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. However, at the weekend they have six rounds starting at 9 a.m. and the last one at 3 p.m. The tours start off with a short movie. Then you are taken outside to see the Machinery Museum where you can see the original vehicles used at the farm. Our guide only spoke Thai but there were signs in English. Our next stop was the Milking Parlor. Apparently, the Friesian cows have a high yield of milk and so they are milked three times a day. On my father's farm, we only milked the cows twice a day. The milking procedure is fully automated with enough room for 192 cows to be milked at the same time. Our tour guide gave us a demonstration on how the machines work and also how to milk the cows by hand. If you are keen, you can change into some Wellington boosts and have a go at milking the cows.

We were next taken into the Dairy Plant. This is where they produce four milk products: milk, yoghurt, ice cream and milk toffee. Interestingly, the brand name "Farm Chokchai" was sold some years ago so they call their milk products "Umm...milk"! In the dairy plant we watched a movie which showed us how the milk is pasteurized. We were then taken on a tractor and trailer ride to tour the rest of the farm. Each tour is limited to 80 people due to the size of these trailers. This part of the tour doesn't have any English subtitles so you just have to admire the views of cows grazing in the fields and farmhands working the land. At least there is no two price system and so foreign tourists enjoy the tour for the same price of 250 baht for adults and 125 baht for children. We also passed a sunflowerfield though strangely they didn't pause for us to take any pictures. A short while later, we reached our first destination. A kind of Wild West Town.

At this first stop, you basically have some free time to wander around. There are souvenir shops and shooting games to play. These cost 30 baht a game. For older children, there is a chance to ride a horse for 40 baht or to take your whole family on a horse and cart ride for only 100 baht. I went for a walkaround to take a closer look at a dragon fruit plantation. I have eaten this fruit before but have never seen the cactus like plant growing on a farm. Next to this there is an ATV Track where for 180 baht you can take a ride along their course. When you arrive at this stop on the tour, your tour guide will tell you how long you have to hang around here. If you don't speak Thai, make sure that you ask her how long you have.

When we arrived, there was already one tour group that had been there for a while. They were waiting for us to arrive so that the two groups could see the cowboy show together. We had about 15 minutes to wait before the show started. This was of course the highlight. In a small arena, we were treated with some stunts where a horseback cowboy lassoed a cow and then showed how they would then brand it. Another cowboy showed us tricks with a lasso and then one more impressed us with his dexterity with a gun. Well, it would have been impressive if he didn't drop it at one stage. After the show, the first group left straight away but our group stayed around longer so that everyone had a chance to try all the activities.

After another half an hour, we were back on the trailer to continue our tour. A short while later we paused by the side of the track to see a demonstration of how a sheep dog can successfully heard sheep into a pen and then up into a truck. We then moved on to our last and final stop. This was the petting zoo and animal show. This is a great place for the younger family members. They have smaller ponies here for the younger kids to try their hand at riding. In the petting zoo you can buy food to feed the animals. Here they have some camels as well some deer and rabbits. You can also give some milk to the baby calves. We had about 15 minutes here before the animal show started. This had the usual acts like a parrot doing simple arithmetic and dogs jumping through hoops. I guess I am a bit jaded as I have seen this kind of thing quite a few times but the audience loved it. Once this was over we were ushered back onto the trailer to finish our tour.

I did enjoy this tour even though I was brought up on a dairy farm. I am not sure if foreign tourists would find Farm Chokchai of interest as it isn't what you see as "traditional Thai". However, the highlight of any stop here is the Chokchai Steakhouse which had the best steaks I have had in a long time. Whenever I drive to Khorat for a holiday, I always stop here on the way home. I think the tour itself is more of interest to Thai families and expats living in Bangkok. However, if you are on your way to Khorat then it might be worth a small stopover. They even have a boutique camp where you can stay the night in "tents". If you do this then there are more activities that you can take part in including ice cream making. I will go again as I think Nong Grace will enjoy the farm tour and the petting zoo. However, she might not like the idea of being rushed around as I think she would want to spend more time with the animals.

Many thanks to the management of Farm Chokchai for showing us around for free. Thanks also to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for taking us there. They also paid for our delicious steak and hotel accommodation. If anyone has a tourist attraction or a hotel that they would like us to do a site inspection of, then please contact us through the www.paknamweb.com website. The www.Thai-Blogs.com team of writers are the only bloggers in Thailand who are invited to go with the TAT on media tours and also to attend press conferences. Both Steve and myself will be posting more of our travel blogs here soon. I will post more details and pictures on our ThailandQA.com forums.

(The following is a rough/brief translation of the leading article in the Thai Raj newspaper, 31 Jan)

(Example edited pic on www.hi5.com)

No pimps, no mamasangs – Thai university students, office women and highschool girls sell their bodies directly on the Internet on two of Thailand’s most popular websites www.mthai.com and especially the social networking website www.hi5.com.

What the young ladies do is simply post a profile of themselves, picture and of course the costs. Most common of all are university students (or claiming to be) who post a photo of themselves in their uniform. An official we spoke to from the Ministry of Culture explained that the university pin/badge on the ladies’ uniforms is often very distinguishable. The targeted market is randy men, young and old.

Not just young women, men also sell their bodies directly on Hi5 and MThai, usually they post a comment which reads ‘massage & excitement – for just 1,000 Baht!’ Their targeted market is both gay men and lonely women.

Selling sex on the Internet like this is a brand-new method – same as direct sales; no pimps and no mamasangs – and so, the young ladies get to keep all the money themselves.

Most of the offending part-time prostitutes woo their potential customers by posing not just in tight and skimpy university outfits, but also highschool uniforms, cute college wear and even sexy office attire.

Another strategy the girls use is sending emails and private messages via Internet forums and web-boards; the girls then hope that the recipients will next ‘forward mail’.

One of our reporters recently decided to check for himself whether this new kind of prostitution really did exist. The first email he opened included all the girl’s vital statistics, prices, services available and the mandatory photo. Her name was Nong Fah, 21 years of age, 32-24-35, 167cm, 50km and charged 1,500 a fling (exclusive of love motel room). She was an office worker. Interested clients had to transfer half the fee to her bank account first and the next half on the day of servicing.

The next 2 emails he got were pics of university uniform clad students called Nong Bow and Nong Nam. Nong Bow charged 1,500 baht short-time or 3,000 all night, while Nong Nam charged 2,000 per bout. Both girls offered virtually all the sexual services under the sun but the wearing of a condom was compulsory.

When we spoke to Pol Lt Col. Sawat Phakdee about the matter, he stated that this was totally illegal and against the prostitution criminal code of 1996. Offenders could be fined a maximum of 500 baht and charged with running an illegal business. He asked that educational institutes, families and the cops work together to clampdown on direct sales sex. In fact, the police and the ICT have already started blocking the illegal pages and apprehending some of the girls.

Miss Ladda Tangsuphachai from the Ministry of Culture told us that they had already found more than 1,000 girls selling sex on the Internet, mainly so-called students. She said the average prices were between 1,500-3,000 depending on length of time and servicing (international program students were more expensive).

Miss Ladda went on to say that the money earned was spent on school fees, room rents, mobile phones and cars.

This month marks 15 years since I started teaching at Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan, Thailand. In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I would still be at the same school fifteen years later. In fact, I didn't think at the time that I would be staying longer than one week. It was never my plan to teach nor even to stay in Thailand so long. I left England back in mid 1993 to go backpacking across Asia on a round the world tour. This was my second big trip. In 1991, I spent one year in Australia. I had bought a station wagon and drove the complete circumference of Australia. On my return to the UK, I had enjoyed my time on the road so much that I found it difficult settling down and commuting to London every day. The only thing that kept me going was planning for another trip. This time, overland to Australia. I had liked Australia so much that I was toying with the idea of emigrating there.

I still remember very well the day that I left. British Rail was on strike, so at the last minute my parents had to give me a lift down to the port at Dover. I then took a ferry across the English Channel where I then continued overland by rail to Moscow. I spent a couple of days here before boarding the Trans Siberian Express. Seven days later the train arrived in Beijing. I spent several months in China going to places where I rarely saw any other foreigners. I traveled to the far Western border and then down into Pakistan via the Karakorum Mountains. These have some of the highest roads in the world with public transport. A memorable sidetrip here was a visit to the lawless town of Peshawar where, for a few dollars, you could fire kalashnikov machine guns or buy a James Bond gun disguised as a fountain pen. I also continued up to the Khyber Pass with an armed escort to look down into Afghanistan.

A month later I crossed into India and caught a train up to New Delhi where I met up with my sister and her husband who were in India with their baby daughter. I traveled with them for a while before setting off on my own again. I really enjoyed the culture of India and the food of the Southern region. I ended up in Calcutta where I caught a small plane to Bangkok in Thailand. I arrived in February 1994. Up to that point I had spent several months in each of the countries. I never really had a strict schedule or road plan, though there were places were I wanted to visit. My only rush at the start was to get over the Karakorum Pass before the snows came in and closed off the road.

At that time, Thailand didn't really have a good reputation. All I knew was that it was referred to as the "sex capital of the world" and had a serious drug problem. When I was in Australia, I had seen the Nicole Kidman tv movie "Bangkok Hilton". This had made me paranoid that the police in Thailand would plant drugs on me and that I would end up at Bang Kwang Prison. When I flew home from Australia on the first trip, the plane stopped in Bangkok to refuel. I had the option to do a short stopover here. But, I declined and stayed on the plane. It was just as well. A few days later, there were tanks on the streets as Thailand was having yet another coup. So, this time round, my rough plan was to only stay in Thailand for one week before heading south to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Before I left England, I already had a contact to visit in Thailand. My mother used to run Scout Commissioner courses at Gillwell Park in London. One year, two of the participants on her course were two ladies from Bangkok who ran a school there. Apparently, in Thailand all students were Scouts. After the course had finished, they kept in touch. Before I left home, on my around the world trip, my mother wrote to them to say that I would be passing through. They invited me to visit. I was in two minds to do this. But, when I reached India I sent them confirmation to say that I was on my way. They replied that they would pick me up at the airport.

I really had no idea what to expect. The world saw Thailand as a "third world" country and I thought that there would be poverty wherever I looked. However, the drive from the airport to the school certainly changed my mind. All of the cars on the expressway looked expensive and brand new. I remember commenting in a letter home that there didn't seem to be any old cars. We passed big shopping malls and the billboards were advertising designer brands. There was no sign of poverty here. This continued when I arrived at the school. I had imagined I would be sleeping in a wooden hut on a thin mat on the floor. But, they took me to their school where the living quarters was nothing short of luxurious. I had my own place to stay and as it turned out, I had a servant who cleaned my bedroom and washed my clothes every day. I also had people who prepared and cooked my every meal. This was all such a shock to the system after being on the road for so long and living on an average of $5 per day.

The next day they invited me to visit some of the English classes. Fortunately for me, the school owners spoke some English which made it a lot easier. However, they never had a foreign English teacher before. They had Thai English teachers but they could hardly speak any English. They gave me a text book, pointed me to a class and said, "Go and teach". It was literally like being thrown into the deep end. I had no idea of what to teach or even the ability of the students. It was a classic example of school owners thinking that just because you are a native speaker that you can teach English. Luckily for me, teaching is in my blood. Not only my mother, but my two sisters and various aunts and uncles were all teachers. I managed to survive and even enjoyed myself. But, I was still only planning to spend a week before heading south down to the Malaysian border.

Before I knew it, one week became two and then soon it was the summer holidays. I did a few side trips to places like Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Kanchanaburi and Koh Chang. Then they invited me to teach during summer school. They said it was an opportunity for me to earn some money. It wasn't a lot but as I was staying at the school I was able to save most of it. I knew this would be useful pocket money for the road ahead. I ended up staying at the school for nearly three months. I was having such a great time that I was having difficulty in leaving. However, I was keen to get to Australia before Christmas. I have relations there and I wanted to spend that period with them.

I finally left Thailand in late May 1994. I crossed into Malaysia and then from Penang I caught a boat across to Samatra in Indonesia. I then island hopped as far as Bali. From there I flew into Australia, about a year after I had originally left home. After spending Christmas here, I was planning to then fly to New Zealand and from there to South America, America and then back home. However, while I was staying with my relations, I received a phone call from the school principal. She invited me to come back to Thailand to teach there for one year. I didn't have to give it much thought. I immediately said "yes". As we all know now, one year became two, and then three. Before I knew it, fifteen years has passed and I am still here at the same school.

It is actually rare for foreign teachers to stay so long at the same school. They usually move around. But, I guess for me it was different. I was originally invited as a family friend and still today they regard me as one of the family. Thai people are very much like that. I could have moved to a school in Bangkok and easily trippled my salary. But, I decided to stay with this school. Money was never so important for me. As long as I was comfortable, and had a job that was enjoyable and never really felt like work, then I knew I would be happy. People have often asked me why I chose Thailand. I think really, Thailand chose me. I love the culture, the people and the Buddhist way of life. I think maybe I was Siamese in a previous life and had meant to one day return to my motherland.

I have collected all of my articles about Life in a Thai School and put them onto a new website at www.ThaiSchoolLife.com. Later this week I will be writing about An Average Day in a Thai School and then later A Tour of a Thai School. I have a lot of pictures about schools in Thailand and I will also be adding them to the website at www.ThaiSchoolLife.com.