Archive for the ‘Asia’ Category

Do you love listening to and dancing to Live Thailand Music and are not well informed on where you can go to get the finest performers on stage? Over the past couple of years, Thailand music have gained unprecedented popularity particularly because there has been an increase in the number of bars, clubs, clubs and other live performance spots all over the country. Here are some ideas on where you can catch some of the finest performers of Thailand music and many other music genres.

i) Impact arena is a spot where the world’s top performers come on tour, you are guaranteed to find the best Thailand music here. It is situated on the north of downtown Bangkok, finding it is easy but you must know whether there is a performance at a particular time or not first to avoid disappointments.

ii) Saxophone bar is one of the most popular pubs in Bangkok. As the name suggests, this is a jazz place, if you want cool and soothing Thailand music to unwind while sipping a drink or having dinner, this is the place to be. It is right next to Victory Monument sky train station in Bangkok.

iii) If you are into Ska, Reggae, Blues and Funk, Brick Bar offers you the finest of these Thailand music genres. Most performers will be Thai although occasionally western bands perform to the audience especially during the peak times of the year. The atmosphere here is dark and friendly, just as you want it.

iv) Right near the famous Lumphini Park is the Brown Sugar Jazz club. This is a fun place to be if you want some beer, food and decent soothing and sensational jazz tunes. The Brown Sugar is however often crowded and you may need to get there early to get a seat.

Coming by Thailand?  If you want to bring back home something other than photos, Thai silk and fake designer bags, check out the country’s oldest Thai massage school: Wat Pho.

When you hear Wat Pho mentioned, you probably think of a Buddhist temple first. In fact, a wat means just that: a temple. But Wat Pho is more than a house of sacred Buddha images or a facility for monks and nuns. Thanks to a centuries-old decree by a Thai king, the temple is also Thailand’s oldest university and the center of learning for traditional Thai doctors, massage therapists and herbalists.

Tourists are welcome to study Thai massage, Thai yoga and related techniques at the Wat Pho school, which is a walking distance from the temple itself. You get to choose the courses you want to apply for.  Some of the courses offered are:  general Thai massage, facial massage, foot massage, Thai yoga or Ruesri Datton and aromatherapy.  Each course takes only a few days or two weeks at most. These and others are for the general population only. If you want to study Thai massage as a profession, you should take the five-week long professional class.

To register for a Wat Pho Thai massage class, you apply in the morning on the same day you want to begin. You will need to present your passport and a copy of it, a couple of 2×2″ photographs and a completed application form. If you apply for an advanced course, you may be required to complete the basic course first. A receipt or certificate for the latter course may serve as proof.

A friendly English-speaking instructor will welcome you and lead you to the massage room or yoga room (the yoga unit may be in another building). You will be given texts to review. You should familiarize yourself with them and refer to them during class. When the lessons begin, you will watch the massage and yoga routines first and then repeat them. Teachers will monitor the performance of the students and correct any mistakes. To obtain a graduate certificate, you must pass an examination or review of your lessons at the end of each class.

Before you leave Wat Pho school, make sure you pay a visit to the temple itself and to the souvenir markets and restaurants nearby.  You can buy Thai massage books, Buddha images and various items there as a memory of your visit.

A very interesting place to go on a tour when your are travelling in Thailand, is in the Isaan region, North East Thailand.

This area is covering more than 150000 km near the Mekong river. This part of Thailand gives you many thrills, national parks, Buddhist temples, mountains, historical sites, river sailing, as well as watch the Thai people’s daily life.

Some interesting tours in Isaan are:
The temple of Phanom Rung. This temple is build with sandstone in the 12th century in old Khmer style. The temple is considered by Unesco as a location for heritage.
Saam Phan Bok, also known as the 3000 holes. This Grand Canyon of Thailand is truly a hidden gem in North East Thailand. It has been created by a long time water erosion by the Mekong river.
The Ubon National Parks, Pha Taem and Kaeng Tana. In these parks national rock formations were created hundreds of millions years ago when the dinosaurs was still walking the earth.You can walk those same footsteps as well as watch prehistoric paintings made by human beings dated back several thousand years ago.
Buddhist temples. Enter the daily spiritual life of Thais when visiting temples and paying respect to Buddha. In Ubon Ratchathani you can visit beautiful temples like Wat Nong Bua, Wat Supattanaram and Wat Sa Prasan Suk. North East Thailand is the ideal place to witness the Buddhist culture and see these amazing Buddhist temples.

If you are a foodie you will love Isaan. Isaan has preserved its food culture through generations, and is influenced by Thailand, Lao and Cambodia. No matter where you go in Thailand, Isaan food is well-known and loved among the Thai people. Try to enjoy your dinner on a floating restaurant on the Mekong river, watching the sunset, while women approach you in their homemade wooden boats selling fried grasshoppers.

Isaan awaits you!

If you ask anyone, where would they like to go hiking or trekking then you will hear a name unfamiliar to you nine out of ten times. For most people trekking is an opportunity to visit a new place whether in your country or outside.

The most eye raising of places that people talk about in trekking are places outside of the country which are distant and geographically unknown to the person thinking about the trek. In trekking most people think about climbing a hill or a mountain of a decent size; it is an adventure full of meeting of new friends in the form of flora and fauna.

However there are some people who think big and outsmart everyone else; they dare to do something different or something that only a few individuals attempt to do. In the context of Nepal, if you ask someone why they want to go trekking in Nepal their answer unsurprisingly will be to try trekking up a Himalayan mountain or a mountain in general.

The charm of the Himalayas is such that people who cannot climb or attempt to climb the mountain opt for a flight around the mountains. It is an implausible feat for anyone to be able to climb up a mountain as high as five thousand meters and above.

There is a number of Nepal trekking peaks, which are separated for the purpose of conducting trekking in these mountains. Nepal Mountaineering Association has divided the mountains into two groups.

Group A: NMA Expedition peaks and Group B: NMA Climbing peaks.

Expedition means taking up an objective and following it, for trekkers it is to trek along a route hence they need to pay accordingly. Climbing is an activity that may not be an expedition; there may not be any objective of climbing but to have adventure, recreation or for pride.

Climbing of a mountain also costs fees as per the number of people involved in it. It has been made clear by NMA that the maximum number of people who can trek the peaks in one group is twelve. Some of the most famous trekking peaks of Nepal are: the Annapurna range, Makalu, Chulu, Api and the highest peak in the world Sagarmatha also known as Mount Everest.

Of these trekking peaks, the Annapurna range can be trekked by taking the route from Pokhara to Ghandruk and to the Annapurna base camp. Similarly, the Sagarmatha peak can be reached from various routes including Lukla to Namche Bazaar and then to the Sagarmatha base camp.

The most trekked and the most attempted trekking peak is none other than Mount Everest. It sees more than thousand people every year attempting to climb it in which many succeeding while many vow to come back next time.

Koh Phangan Island is Thailand’s fifth biggest island. It is located in the South of the Gulf of Thailand. Until recently Koh Phangan was more famous for Thailand’s biggest party – the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin, but now things are beginning to change on the island.

Koh Phangan is attracting higher paying tourists who want luxury, unspoiled nature, great beaches, spa treatments and an authentic Thai island experience. As a result, prices for accommodation on Koh Phangan have shot up over the last 3 or 4 years. There are, however, still a few budget places left on Koh Phangan.

One of the best places to stay in Koh Phangan if you want to avoid both the loud Full Moon Party crowd and the high end resorts is the west coast of Koh Phangan. The west coast has better roads than other parts of Koh Phangan and has some delightful small villages and temples to visit. It is also virtually deserted.

There are the South West beaches of Ao Srithanu, Hin Kong and Wok Tum. Around this area there are a few private villas that you can rent at reasonable prices. Ao Srithanu beach is next to a friendly village where you can buy cheap noodles and cold beer. There is also a good white sand beach. Lofa Nature Resort on Ao Srithanu has bungalows from 600 Thai Baht ($17) a night.

Further up the West Coast there are the popular beaches of Haad Salad and Haad Yao where there is a good selection of both expensive and cheap bungalows. Just off the coast is an extensive coral reef with an abundance of marine life to explore.

Between Haad Salad and Haad Yao is the tiny beach of Haad Thian. This is not to be confused with Haad Thian beach on the east coast which is a place to study yoga and tai chi.

Haad Thian West is a small beach with great swimming, a coral reef 100 meters off the coast and bungalows starting at 390 Thai Baht ($11) a night at the only resort on the beach. That resort is called Haad Thian Beach Resort. It has a pool, restaurant and internet access. It typifies the great value accommodation that can be found in this area of Koh Phangan.

India is one of the most incredible destinations on the planet. Often, travelers who have been all over the world will say that there are many incredible places, and then there is India. It’s one of kind but not for everyone. India can be harsh on the nerves and even though it’s more than possible to budget travel in this country, it is not always advisable to do so. For those who are attracted by India but somewhat intimidated by its potent energy, there are several places where one may start to visit to get a taste of the country but also retain some comfort and familiarity; here are two such places which are far apart, at both the southern and northern edges of the country.

Auroville

Located in Tamil Nadu in South India, Auroville is a township based on spiritual principles and was started in the late 1960s with the intention of creating an alternative model of society for the world. Supported by the Unesco and with the participation of dozens of countries, it is very much Westernized while retaining a distinct Indian flavour. Auroville is not a cult and it is not so weird. It is a living experiment in human unity and strives to develop itself in a sustainable way – ecologically, economically and socially. One should stay longer than not in Auroville to appreciate all it has to offer and contribute to the project. A quick visit does not make it possible to really ‘get it’ as it is not made simply for touristic purposes.

McLeod Gang (Dharamsala)

Home to the Dalai Lama and thousands of exiled Tibetans, Dharamsala is at most times buzzing with tourists. It has its disadvantages but it also means that the infrastructures there are fairly well developed. Able to accommodate a wide range of budgets, the hill town hotels and restaurants offer a lot of familiarity for weary travelers. The Tibetans are also typically much more mellow than the Indians and you should feel little if any pressure and hassles coming from them in relation to where and how you spend your money. Like Auroville, there are also a lot of interesting activities and workshops going on at busy times of the year. It’s not exactly possible to travel for free in the area even by volunteering or staying in monasteries but it can get close.

When you are planning a tour to Koh Phi Phi islands, knowing about the weather there, thailand climate and the main seasons beforehand will come in handy. That way, you know the time of the year that will be most suitable for your vacation on Phi Phi.

Now, there are mainly three major seasons in Phi Phi- the hot or the summer season that spans from March to May, the rainy season ranging from June to September and the winter season running from October through February.

If you turn up at Phi Phi in the hot season, be sure to bring your suntan and sun protection creams along. You should also drink a large amount of water to keep the quantity of your body fluids in balance. Generally, visitors avoid this season for the humid tropical weather that can get really hot. But if you love the heat, you should have no qualms about visiting Phi Phi during the summer months. The place is less crowded during this season and if you have a knack for scuba-diving, you would not have to give any major diving point a miss because of the weather. The season is ideal for a budget tour too, since the rates at hotels and restaurants are cheaper during this time.

As for the rainy season, do not let the thought of rain scare you off. With the rain, the weather cools off a bit and the dusts gathered during the summer months are washed away. The season is perfect for people who have a thing for the tropical vegetation. The foliage around the islands livens up with the rains and those dark green vegetation under an overcast sky make for a landscape vision that is going to stay in your memories forever.

The best time to visit Koh Phi Phi is however the winter months. The weather is pleasant with the temperature hovering around mid-twenties Celsius. The tourist turnout is highest during this season and the places and attractions around the islands wake up to the vibrant and colorful life that Phi Phi is famous for.

So choose whatever season suits you best and your tour to Koh Phi Phi island will be just as memorable.

Planning for a honeymoon is an exciting prospect. Experiencing a Bali honeymoon is one memorable experience. There are options for everybody ranging from luxurious resorts to the more private villas.

The Balinese natives are extremely friendly and helpful people who make you feel at home in their native land. They most often wear their traditional sarongs which are very colorful and vibrant. These are also available for tourists for renting.

The city of Ubud is the cultural capital of Bali. It is dotted with several interesting temples like the Pura Taman Saraswati temple which is a popular tourist attraction. This and other temples are beautiful works of architecture that are simply peppered with masterful carvings.

To Ubud’s south is the island’s protected forest that is the native habitat of the Balinese macaques. In the middle of this temple is hidden the most extrordinary temple dedicated to the dead, called Pura Dalem Agung. If this is a very morbid location for a little tourism on a honeymoon, the Balinese markets are remarkably cheering. Their wares are mostly handmade which make excellent souvenirs.

The yearly Balinese dance festivals are vibrant affairs with dynamic moves. Most performances involve a narration of a story of kings, demons and gods. Watching them is a wonderful experience.

On the outskirts of Ubud is the town of Bedulu. It is famous for its elephant caves which were first discovered in 1920. They are more than seven centuries old. Mengwi is another remarkable town with a beautiful 17th century temple.

On the outskirts of these tourist hubs is the rural country which will offer a wealth of knowledge about the Balinese people. It is here that we can truly understand what it means to be Balinese.

The locals are adept at flying kites. It can make a very memorable experience. Another specialty of the island is coconut water. It is famous for its cooling properties. These are some of the must-have experiences in the beautiful island of Bali.

Martin Elmer is writing about Romantic honeymoon. Do also read more about Honeymoon Bali.

Are you looking for Maldives vacation ideas? The Maldive islands are a popular tourist attraction because of their sandy white beaches and accessible diving sites. Its serene beauty is rejuvenating for tourists.

Among the top Maldive vacation ideas is the city of Male. Male is the capital city of the island – often visited near the end of the vacation or during the day. It has many interesting museums, including one full of artifacts by famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl. It also is the location of The Singapore Bazaar – a popular crafts fair that showcases the talents of the local residents. Meanwhile, The Fsjehi Art Gallery is located on the right side of Sultan Park in Male. The gallery is great for those who enjoy fine art and is housed in one of the oldest buildings downtown. Although it is smaller in comparison to other galleries around the world, you will still find an amazing collection of art in it

The elegant design and structure of the Grand Friday Mosque; characteristic of a bygone era, make it one of the most popular attractions. The building was built in 1656 by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar and can hold 5000. The Maldives Fish Gallery should also be on your list of vacation ideas. It is crowded most of the time as tourists from all over the world are drawn to the fresh fruits and vegetables dried fish, tuna and other fish varieties. There is hardly any smell though, despite the dampness.

Your Maldives vacation wouldn’t be complete without visiting the beaches. Some top beaches are Royal Island Resorts, Sun Island Beach and Paradise Island. Bandos Island resort is a coral beach covered with palm trees. If you are feeling more adventurous, the offshore area has some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world.

Overall, coastal and beach activities dominate any vacation to these islands, but there are plenty of other things to do when you tire of the sun and the sea!

Thailand is an exotic destination located far away that you often wonder when in your life could you possibly have the chance to go there. Surprisingly, it is possible to have cheap holidays in this South East Asian kingdom that can be even cheaper than some holidays spent domestically. This is true whether you are looking at car, holiday apartments for rent, or many different types of hotels that you can stay. Here are some tips on how to spend your holidays in this country as cheap as possible without sacrificing enjoyment.

Accommodation choices here range from dormitory rooms with common bathrooms to luxury five star hotels. As having a cheap place to stay is part of the plan, the challenge here is to find one that meets your basic needs at rock bottom prices, especially when traveling with family. Smart travelers have the basic criteria of clean and spacious rooms, private bath, and access to food and transportation as these are guaranteed at rooms that can go for as low as $10 US dollars. These are mostly fan rooms since air-conditioned rooms cost a bit more.

You can find these in any city or town in Thailand especially if you go to tourist favorites such as Khao San and Phuket. Located north of the city, the Khao San district of Bangkok has a lot of hostels, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts. Most of these don’t accept reservations, so most travelers just research for options online and walk around once they arrive to compare before making a choice. For those who want to have a beach holiday, there are many beach resorts to choose from especially in Phuket. These are also priced cheaply, most especially during the low season, which is from July and November.

Save on food costs by eating local food especially street food. Available almost anywhere, you can have meals complete with soft drink for less than $2 US dollars. These are usually food carts set up by the roadside, with some having tables and chairs, selling rice topped with stir fried vegetables or meat, the popular noodle dish pad thai, sour and spicy tom yum soup, and local sausages on skewers. Also cheap but with wider variety and perhaps more appealing to the sanitary conscious are the food courts in shopping malls and markets.

With careful planning and some research, having a vacation in the other side of the world does not have to cost a lot. Start with getting cheap deals on airfare, then shop around for inexpensive yet comfortable accommodation. Once you arrive in Thailand, be adventurous and eat local cuisine and take public transportation for really cheap holidays.