My Photo Gallery – Pattaya International Firework Festival 2013

These are photos of the fireworks from Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2013 which was held at Pattaya Beach on the nights of 29-30 November 2013.

If you want to follow my trip to Pattaya, please check out these links
My Trip to Pattaya – Part 1: Friday Morning at Hua Lamphong
My Trip to Pattaya – Part 2: On the Train to Pattaya
My Trip to Pattaya – Part 3: Where am I going to stay tonight?

The next post will be about my short one-day trip to Koh Larn on the day after the fireworks festival, before I came back to Bangkok. Until then.. let's enjoy ourselves in my photo gallery. :)

My Trip to Pattaya – Part 3: Where am I going to stay tonight?

Accommodations in Pattaya range from an expensive room in a 5-star hotel with topmost service down to a small rented room costing only a few hundred Baht. You may search for information on accommodation in Pattaya from the usual hotel reservation websites such as Agoda or Hostelworld or else just walk in to any accommodation which pleases your eyes.

As for my own trip, I went to Pattaya during the Fireworks Festival so most accommodations had been fully reserved well in advance, not that there was no accommodation to be found, but as I was traveling alone and was not thinking of a good accommodation with usage of various facilities in a hotel therefore I focused on the low budget hotel or hostel or backpackers. (For some people, it may not be convenient to stay in backpackers because accommodation is a Dorm room with shared facilities and bathrooms; however, I am used to this kind of accommodation ever since my time of traveling around in Australia so it does not cause any problem for me. ^^) So, I searched for this information for a while, taking care to look only for places which were free during the desired time and finally was able to narrow it down to 2 places. One of these was an apartment with daily rent, the other a backpackers place called Asia-Backpackers. Both accommodations are very reasonably priced, with the first one costing only 500 Baht per night and the second one only 330 Baht per night as it was a Backpackers. (Naturally, no breakfast would be provided.) Actually, my first choice was the daily rent apartment as I would be getting my own room plus it would be easier to reach, but after some consideration, I finally settled on Asia-Backpackers for my two-day accommodation in Pattaya.

Asia Backpackers is situated in Soi Bua Khao (Soi means small street in Thai), which is another zone of Pattaya’s nightlife apart from Pattaya Walking Street, so there are always a lot of people walking along the Soi. An added attraction is that the Songtaew (a two-row seat minibus) passes through this Soi (cutting across from Pattaya Klang Road to Pattaya Tai Road, and the fare is only 10 Baht for the entire trip), making this accommodation very convenient to reach. Asia-Backpackers is located opposite Pattaya City Public Health Service Center 1 and accommodation includes both Mixed Dorm and Female Dorm (I, of course, chose the Female Dorm ^^). The owner is a foreigner and the assistant is Thai, and both of them impressed me with their friendliness as soon as I set foot on the premises :). After I had registered, the assistant took me up to the Female Dorm and briefly explained the setup before leaving me to explore my new accommodation for the night.

During my exploration, I found that the Female Dorm comprises 18 beds, each bed with its own locker, an over-the-bed lamp and a plug for charging battery. This accommodation here is very clean; clean pillows and blankets individually wrapped in plastic bags are put on top of the beds which are not yet occupied (thus increasing my liking for the place). Internet can be accessed via the Backpackers’ WiFI, or in case we want to use the computer, this is available on the ground floor. In fact the only complaint I had while staying there was that the bathroom and the water closets on the 2nd floor where I was staying were undergoing renovation and I had to go up to the 3rd floor when I wanted to take a bath. Anyway, every time I returned from taking photos of the fireworks late at night and before I went out early in the morning, everyone else would still be asleep and the bathroom would be empty and all mine, so the bathroom issue was no problem for me at all. Another thing which some people might not like but which I did not consider a shortcoming was the fact that the bar was nearly empty of people. (As I said, this was not a shortcoming for me, but it just was not like other backpackers places which I had stayed in before where the bars were well patronized.) Anyway, I think the reason for this is that Asia-Backpackers is located in the midst of pubs and bars so the guests here may prefer to go out and enjoy the nightlife outside.

After recharging my cell phone battery and putting my things away, I was ready to go out and conquer the wide photo-taking world outside. I will leave you to do your own exploring of Pattaya City while I return to you in my next blog with a story of my short trip to Koh Larn on the last day of my stay before coming back to Bangkok which ends my memoirs of my Pattaya trip.

I should like to end this blog with these photos which I took at Koh Larn.. to make you wonder about the clear water, the white sand and the deep blue sky which are less than one hour away from Pattaya. If you want to know how to get to Koh Larn, please read about it in my next blog.

My Trip to Pattaya – Part 2: On the Train to Pattaya

Train ticket ready – breakfast in my hand – picture-taking complete – spirit and mind all set, and I was ready for my adventure…

Back again inside Hua Lamphong Railway Station, I made my way to the entrance of the platform at the farthest end of the hall next to the ticketing area. On the way, I passed rows of seat, food shops, convenience stores, coffee shops, a Muslim Prayer Room, some government agency booths to render services, as well as an information center where you can make travel enquiries. After a glance around, I went to the platform and looked for my train.

Train No. 283 going to Pattaya stood at Platform 6. I got on and settled down on a suitable seat and waited for it to move out. (This train does not have any seat number on the ticket, and passengers are free to sit wherever they wish. However, trains running long distance will have the seat number printed on the ticket.)

Shortly after 7 o’clock, the train started out from Hua Lamphong Railway Station. From what I could gather, this train regularly runs from the center of the city and passes various communities, inner-city areas, high-rise office buildings and universities. Therefore, in the morning passengers who are office workers, students and travelers like me crowd around to use it. Moreover, as the train runs through Bangkok on a workday morning when there are traffic jams, it must sometimes stop for a long while so that the cars which are stopping across the railway tracks can move on. After leaving the city, however, it travels with good and steady speed.

After enjoying the sceneries out the train window for some time, the large number of passengers on the train started getting off at their destinations. Towards 11 o’clock when the train was due to arrive at Pattaya Station, I started to worry in case the train had passed my station without my knowing it (although I was fairly confident that it had not passed Pattaya because I was keeping my eyes on the names of the stations along the way and had not been asleep). Anyway, it was my own fault for forgetting to bring along the train timetable which I already printed out but left at home. Luckily, I was able to access the internet via my mobile phone so I started to contact people I knew in case help was needed. But finally while I was engrossed in the mission of discovering my whereabouts a lot of passengers remaining on the train started to walk around, and as the ticket collector came over I discovered that the train was just about to stop at Pattaya Station. ^^
*For those of you who do not read Thai, I recommend that when the ticket collector goes pass the first time, you tell him that you would be getting down at Pattaya and ask for his help, so that he can come and remind you when the train reaches the station.

For your information, Pattaya has two train stations: Pattaya Station and Pattaya Tai Station. I would suggest that you get down at Pattaya Station there is a two-row seat minibus, locally called Songtaew, waiting for passengers right at the train station and you can tell the driver where you want to go so he can drop you there. You then will be told of the cost according to the distance to be traveled. The fare is usually 30 Baht to Pattaya Klang (Central Pattaya), and 40 Baht to Pattaya Tai (South Pattaya) around the walking street. And in case you want to use the service of the Songtaew but want to take some photos of the Railway Station first, you should first ask the Songtaew driver to wait while you take some photographs. This has to be done because, as there is only one train to Pattaya, only one Songtaew will be waiting to take passengers into Pattaya city or further away, and if you should miss it, you may have to walk out to the main road to find transportation yourself. Anyway, don’t be too long with the photo taking, thinking that the Songtaew would wait for you, because other passengers on the Songtaew are also waiting for you to finish taking the photos. :)

So, finally, with the help of a fellow traveler on the Songtaew, I got to my accommodation safety and must wholeheartedly say that people in Pattaya are very friendly to visitors. An example is when I got down from the train and saw a traveler who, I think, had gathered only some rough information about Pattaya and was looking for some place to stay the night. A passenger on the Songtaew sitting next to me very cordially gave him advice, and although the lady did not communicate in very skillful English I could see that she was happy to answer questions which the tourist put to her. (A word of caution, however. You should always be on alert and do not believe all the advices you get because even though sometimes you will get good services you may be paying more than the ongoing rates. So, better be prepared and get advance information about the places and the rates before you decide to go anywhere.)

My Trip to Pattaya – Part 1: Friday Morning at Hua Lamphong

Hello everyone!!! Finally…last week I got to the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2013 to take photos of the fireworks as I promised, and also took the ferry across to Koh Larn whose beauty can easily match that of other popular seaside in the South of Thailand. It was a really enjoyable trip and I took a lot of pictures of sceneries and fireworks, got into adventures, got lost (hahaha :p). If you want to see my meandering, you may take a look at my Instagram (@Cyberlambkin). However, if you are not skilled in the use of Instagram, that’s still okay as I will be putting the pictures in this blog also. ^^

I began my trip to Pattaya early Friday morning via Hua Lamphong Railway Station…
Hua Lamphong Railway Station, officially called Bangkok Station, is situated in the middle of Bangkok and therefore quite convenient to reach. But if I were to choose, I think the most practical public transport to get to Hua Lamphong Railway Station is the underground train (MRT), though as my house is not on the route of the MRT, I chose to go to Hua Lamphong Railway Station by taking a bus which would go straight over there.

In actual fact, however, after jumping up on a bus and traveling for a while, I calculated the travel time and felt that on that early weekday morning with a limited travel time, I would surely miss the departure of the train (as I said in my earlier blog, the train departed only 1 time per day and if you missed it, you had either to find transportation to intercept it at one of the next stations or you had to think of other modes of transportation). Indeed, my alternate plan was that if I missed this train I would take the MRT to Asoke Station, then the BTS Skytrain to the Ekamai Bus Terminal and get on a bus from there to go to Pattaya instead. As it happened, when my computation showed that I would definitely be late, my inner longing to travel by train surfaced and I hurriedly jumped down from the bus and got on a taxi, and just by paying a bit more for the expressway fee, I was dropped right in front of the Hua Lamphong Railway Station within 15 minutes. (A bus ride from my house in the morning even with no traffic would take up to 45 minutes.) Now, I was there and still had nearly half an hour to look for supplies to take on the train as my breakfast ;) but before looking for provisions, I’d better go and get the train ticket.

I had not used the service at Hua Lamphong Railway Station for quite a while, so I was a bit confused, not that there was any change in the floor plan, but it was purely me as I could no longer remember the layout ^^” When I went further in, however, I discovered that it was not difficult at all to find the ticket counter as it is situated right at the end of the large hall. At that time, nobody was queuing up to buy tickets, but perhaps this was due to the early hour. After checking with the train personnel to see whether the information I had collected was correct, I walked away with a ticket and a determination to get myself some breakfast^^.
*The train from Bangkok to Pattaya is the No. 283 Eastern Line, running from Bangkok Station (BKK) to Ban Phlu Ta Luang Station (BTG). It is a third-class carriage with fan ventilation. Thai people may use the service free of charge; foreigners have to pay 31 baht to get to Pattaya. You may check the Timetable here.

After walking to and fro and taking pictures of the views in front of the Hua Lamphong Railway Station, I managed to get some barbecued pork, sticky rice, water, and some candies from a nearby convenience store for my breakfast. And now…I am ready to set out on my adventure ^^ How the trip along the way turned out, I will relate to you in my next blog.

Travel to Thailand - In Pursuit of Happy Backpacking

The other day a foreign friend of mine called me up and said two of her cousins will be taking a holiday in Thailand and she wondered whether I can suggest anything to make their stay easier as they do not have any knowledge of the Thai language.

Well, the first thing I thought of was that they should at least be able to communicate with people on the street effectively in order to get directions to go where they want and get back to their backpacker guesthouse safely. Also they should be able to buy food and other things without using too much sign language.

I told my friend I will compile lists of useful Thai phrases for her cousins and I thought perhaps I can also share these Thai phrases with you; maybe phrases used at the airports, at shops, at bus and train stations as well as every day expressions. But first, I think these useful English / Thai expressions with English pronunciations in case you want to say them instead of pointing to them can make life easier in Thailand.

Do you speak English?
คุณพูดภาษาอังกฤษได้ไหมคะ/ครับ
Khun pood pasa unglit dai mai ka / krub

My name is _____________.
ฉัน/ผม ชื่อ________________
Chan/Pom chue__________

Can you speak more slowly?
กรุณาพูดช้ากว่านี้หน่อยค่ะ/ครับ
Garuna pood cha kwa nee noi ka/krub

Where can I find a bus stop?
ฉัน/ผมจะไปขึ้นรถประจำทางได้ที่ไหนคะ/ครับ
Chan/Pom cha pai kuen rod prajam tang dai ti nai ka/krub

Excuse me? Where can I find the train station?
ขอโทษค่ะ/ครับ สถานีรถไฟไปทางไหนคะ/ครับ
Kor tod ka/krub. Satani rodfai pai tang nai ka/krub

Excuse me? Where can I find the skytrain station?
ขอโทษค่ะ/ครับ สถานีรถไฟฟ้าไปทางไหนคะ/ครับ
Kor tod ka/krub. Satani rod faifah pai tang nai ka/krub

Excuse me? Where can I find the underground train station?
ขอโทษค่ะ/ครับ สถานีรถไฟฟ้าใต้ดินไปทางไหนคะ/ครับ
Kor tod ka/krub. Satani rod faifah tai din pai tang nai ka/krub

Can you take me to Donmuang Airport please?
ฉัน/ผมต้องการไปสนามบินดอนเมืองค่ะ/ครับ
Chan/Pom tong karn pai Sanambin Donmuang ka/krub

Can you take me to Suvarnabhumi Airport please?
ฉัน/ผมต้องการไปสนามบินสุวรรณภูมิค่ะ/ครับ
Chan/Pom tong karn pai Sanambin Suvarnabhumi ka/krub

How much does this cost?
อันนี้ราคาเท่าไรคะ/ครับ
An ni raka tao rai ka/krub

Do you take credit cards?
จะจ่ายด้วยบัตรเครดิตได้ไหมคะ/ครับ
Cha jai duay bat credit dai mai ka/krub

Where is the nearest bathroom?
ขอโทษค่ะ/ครับ ห้องน้ำอยู่ทางไหน
Kor tod ka/krub. Hong nam yu tang nai?

Can you show me on a map how to get there?
ช่วยชี้บนแผนที่ว่าฉัน/ผมจะไปที่นั่นได้อย่างไรคะ/ครับ
Chuay chee bon panti wah chan/pom ja pai ti nan dai yang rai ka/krub

Will you write that down in Thai for me?
ช่วยเขียนเป็นภาษาไทยให้ฉัน/ผมหน่อยได้ไหมคะ/ครับ
Chuay kien pen pasa thai hai Chan/Pom noi dai mai ka/krub

By the way, in Thai language the word I is translated as Chan when spoken by a female, and Pom when spoken by a male, and Thai sentences often end with ka when spoken by a female and krub when spoken by a male, so you should choose only one form when you speak.

During the next days, I’ll be sharing with you phrases which are used at the airport, at bus terminals, as well as everyday expressions.

Till then… ^^

Pattaya – Transportation to Pattaya

After many days of fact finding on Pattaya for my Fireworks trip, I discovered that as Pattaya is a tourist city well-liked by both Thais and foreigners with a lot of visitors traveling there each year, there are, therefore, various ways of getting there such as by taxi, by bus, by train, or even by airplane. Today I would like to tell you briefly some popular ways you can travel to Pattaya, and as Bangkok is the usual center where we begin our trips, this is where we shall start our journey -- from Bangkok to Pattaya.

Bus
The first way to go to Pattaya is by bus. This is convenient and popular because no matter which Bus Terminal you find yourself at (in Bangkok there are 3 main Bus Terminals: the Ekamai Bus Terminal, the Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal and the new Bangkok Bus Terminal (South)) the buses run to Pattaya nearly every hour from morning to evening at the cost of approximately 120 Baht (US$ 4).
Or if you are just arriving in an airplane at Suvarnabhumi Airport you don’t even have to come into the city but can just take a bus straight on to Pattaya at the cost of 134 Baht (approx. US$ 4.5). However, if you are coming on a domestic flight the airplane will land at Don Muang Airport and, unfortunately; there is no direct bus transport to Pattaya and you will have to go to the nearby Mo Chit 2 Bus Terminal and go to Pattaya from there.
For your return trip you will be able to choose to come back from Pattaya to any of these three Bus Terminals in Bangkok.

Taxi
The second way I would recommend is by taxi because after you get down from your flight you can use the airport taxi service to go direct to Pattaya. The fare will mostly be according to what is agreed in advance between you and the taxi driver (a fixed rate). Usually, the taxi fare from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya is around 1,000 – 1,500 Baht (approx. US$33 - US$50). The fare of 1,000 – 1,500 Baht is also applicable for Don Muang Airport to Pattaya (also depending on your negotiation skills). Otherwise, if you hire a taxi from anywhere else in Bangkok to go to Pattaya the fare should not be more than 2,000 Baht (approx. US$67).
Taxi fare to return to Bangkok from Pattaya will also be approximately 1,000 – 1,500 Baht (US$33 - US$50) depending on where you want the taxi driver to drop you off in Bangkok.

Van
Going to Pattaya by van is a convenient and quick way to travel. There are many places to get on a van to go to Pattaya at different costs, and the most popular place seems to be at the Victory Monument (a one-way ticket Victory Monument-Pattaya is approximately 100 Baht per person (US$ 3.33)). If you, however, have a large baggage which cannot be placed on your lap, you may be liable to buy an extra place beside you for your baggage.
(In my opinion, however, vans going upcountry are driven much too fast and I would not recommend it for any long-distance travel upcountry).

Train
Traveling to Pattaya by train is another way to keep down your travel budget; however, you have to bear in mind that it takes much longer than any other mode of travel. The train going to Pattaya from Bangkok is the Eastern Line train and runs only once per day in the early morning. At my latest check on 22 November 2013, Train No. 283 runs from Bangkok Station (BKK) to Ban Phlu Ta Luang Station (BTG), departing Bangkok Station at 06:55 a.m. and arriving at Pattaya Station around 10:35 a.m. This train operates only from Monday to Friday, so if you want to go to Pattaya on Saturday or Sunday you’d better choose some other mode of travel.
As for the return trip, a train going to Bangkok will arrive at Pattaya Station around 2:20 p.m., and same as the trip from Bangkok to Pattaya, this train operates only from Monday to Friday.
In case you require additional information or want to check the timetable, this can be done through the State Railway of Thailand Website.

Airplane
In addition to Suvarnabhumi Airport, there is another airport situated near Pattaya called U-Tapao-Rayong-Pattaya International Airport (commonly called U-Tapao Airport) at which you can land to get to Pattaya although only a few airlines land on this airport, like Bangkok Airways flying in from Phuket and Koh Samui. International flights are generally chartered flights but most normal flights will land at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

For my mode of transport to Pattaya this time I choose… train. This is because I would like a change of atmosphere for my travel ;) and if there is nothing untoward affecting this trip (such as a depression which has been passing through Thailand a lot lately and would mean a cancellation of my trip), then I will certainly have plenty of photos to share with you on my return. :)

Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2013

After I posted my previous blog on Loy Krathong and Yi Peng Festival, it suddenly occurred to me… Hey! Shouldn’t I be writing blogs recommending various festivals in advance so that people who are trying to find travel ideas or people who are around that area could make use of it?

That’s why today I am recommending to you the Pattaya International Firework Festival 2013 for a simple reason.. I want to attend it myself ^^” since this festival has been organized many times though I never got the chance to attend it. Well, as this year I am going to be there for sure, I thought I would share my passion for lights and sounds with you in case any of you, like me, would like to laze around on a beach folding chair watching fireworks by the seaside.

The Pattaya International Firework Festival this year will take place during November 29-30 along the Beach Road, Pattaya Central, Chonburi Province. (For those who have never visited Pattaya I would suggest that you first get information on trips to and accommodations in Pattaya as it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand. You will have no trouble finding details.) This festival is a free of charge open air firework festival which can be watched from the comfort of your hotel room, or while you are eating meals and sipping some cool drinks, or you may choose to sit at the beach and watch the firework alongside other tourists, anyhow you prefer it. The theme for this year’s firework festival is “Rhythm” -- Light up your life with rhythmic music. (I am translating this from the Thai theme in my own concept though the actual name of the festival will of course be different.)

Briefly, details of the festival according to the organizer is that it will be held for 2 days, each day comprising a carnival parade, concerts featuring Thai singers, with the highlight being the firework display accompanied by lights and sound of rhythmic music under different styles of 4 countries: Japan, The Philippines, Taiwan and Switzerland, and lasting 45 minutes. (The actual firework display will take place on the second day of the festival although there will be some firework on the first day also.) I’m quite excited when I see that the Japanese firework will be a combination of technology, delicate beauty and quaint design; while the Philippines firework gives emphasis to liveliness; the Taiwanese firework will play up natural colors of flower blossoms; and Switzerland’s firework will feature fireworks in vivid and vibrant colors. An added attraction is a firework in the shape of a blue music note which will be reflected in the water and will cast a bright blue glow on the entire Pattaya beach. (Hey, I truly feel excited to see all this^^).

A tentative program outlined by the organizer is as follows:
29 November 2013
   • 17.00 - 20.00 h. Entertainment activities along the beach road
   • 18.30 – 20.00 h. Carnival parade
   • 20.00 - 20.15 h. Official opening by the Pattaya City Representative
   • 20.15 - 21.00 h. Room 39 Concert
   • 21.00 - 21.20 h. 1st round of International Firework Display
   • 21.40 - 22.00 h. 2nd round of International Firework Display
   • 22.00 - 22.50 h. Lipta Concert
   • 22.50 - 23.00 h. Closing speech by Master of Ceremony
30 November 2013
   • 17.00 - 20.00 h. Entertainment activities along the beach road
   • 18.30 - 20.00 h. Carnival parade
   • 20.00 - 20.15 h. Official opening by Thai Life Insurance
   • 20.15 - 21.00 h. Firework Opening Ceremony Display and King-Geng mini-concert
   • 21.15 - 22.00 h. International Firework Displays of 45 minutes’ duration
   • 22.15 - 23.00 h. New-Jiew Concert
   • 23.00 - 23.10 h. Closing Speech by Master of Ceremony
   • 23.10 - 01.00 h. DJs play music
Note: Should there be any change in the program by the organizer, I will immediately update you on it.

I hope this information is of some use to you. I will end this blog with atmospheres of the festivals during past years which I could find in Youtube (with thanks to the video owners). If there is no mishap, you have my promise that I will certainly upload beautiful pictures which I shall take during the festival for you to enjoy.

Festival in Thailand - Loy Krathong & Yi Peng Festival

I can’t remember how many times I have ever floated a medium-size banana-leaf vessel decorated with flowers, incense sticks and a candle, or a krathong, in a canal, a river, a pond, a basin at my house or even up the sky during Loy Krathong Festival; the only significant thing to me is that it’s always fun to celebrate the Loy Krathong Festival which takes place every year by floating a krathong in a body of water. This year, for instance, I celebrated my Loy krathong festival with just a few friends in a pond near my house, and even though there wasn’t a large crowd, it still gave me a lot of pleasure just as it had done in past years.

For those of you who have never heard of the Loy Krathong festival, I will briefly explain that it is a tradition handed down ever since the Thai historical time. Originally, this custom had been a Brahmanic festival to worship the Brahmin gods. In the past, Loy krathong festival was conducted by creating a lantern and floating it in the river. The lantern was gradually modified into the present-day lotus-shaped krathong made of a natural vessel which floats on water and is adorned with flowers, three incense sticks and a candle. There exist many reasons for the loy krathong tradition which pass down from generation to generation, but the two main ones are to ask for forgiveness from Phra Mae Khongkha for using and polluting her water (Phra Mae Khongkha is the Goddess of Water who gives life to the Khongkha River as per the belief of the Indians); the other reason is to worship the foot-print of the Buddha on Nammathanati River Beach in India, according to Buddhist belief.

In the same manner, in Northern Thailand there is a Yi Peng festival, "Yi" meaning "2nd" and "Peng" (which corresponds to the word “Peng " or “Pen”) meaning full moon, and together they mean the full moon night of the 2nd month according to the Lunar calendar which coincides with the Loy Krathong festival of the Central Region of Thailand. Floating a yi peng lantern is believed to be an act of paying worship to Phra Ket Kaew Julamanee (Buddha’s relic) in the Tavatimsa Heaven (heaven for divine beings) in order to float away the year’s misfortunes and to acquire a more auspicious life.

The Loy Krathong & Yi Peng festival is conducted on the full-moon evening of the twelfth lunar month of every year which does not correspond to the current world standard calendar and generally occurs during October/November. On that day, apart from Loy Krathong and Yi Peng lantern floating activities, there will also be a Noppamas beauty pageant contest (with the contestants beautifully dressed up in traditional Thai costumes), krathong-making contest, Krathong Sai float contest (where polished half-coconut shells with lit candles are tied together and floated down the river) as well as illuminated boat procession, traditional performances and exciting firework displays in the evening.

Throughout all regions in Thailand, Loy Krathong is celebrated especially in large cities with the main river flowing through. Ayudhya, Sukhothai, Nakorn Sawan and Bangkok are cities where the festival is held in full splendor. And, by the way, if you want to take part in the Yi Peng lantern floating activity, I recommend that you visit Chiang Mai. I was there last year and can vouch for its awesome beauty.

As Loy Krathong is celebrated only one day every year I am sorry to say that it is too late for you to enjoy it this year. However, if you plan to vacation in Thailand in the last quarter of next year or other years, may I suggest that you include this delightful tradition in your schedule and I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with the magnificence of hundreds of flickering lights floating on the waterways or up the sky at night. ;)

Easy Thai Language - When in Thailand, Talk to the Thais

Don’t you find it cute and appealing when you hear some foreigners trying to speak the local language of the country they are in when they want to buy things or need information about something or just try to be friendly? Some of my friends say they like it very much when they hear foreigners say things in Thai even if wrong words are used or the pronunciation sounds funny.

I agree. If I were a vendor or a person the foreigner is talking to I would surely feel receptive, eager to help, or willing to reduce prices when I hear a foreigner says: “Sawasdee ka or Sawasdee krub (Greeting words used throughout the day at the first meeting of the day with a Thai person), “An nee tao rai” (How much does this cost?) or “Rod lueh song roi baht dai mai?” (Can you reduce the price down to 200 baht, please?). These simple words give the feeling that the foreigner has some respect for our country so that he or she takes the trouble to say a few things in our language.

Here are some simple everyday expressions which are a MUST to get on the positive side of Thai people, and I am sure you can imagine the friendly smile which will accompany the reply from the roadside food vendor, a shop owner, a fruit stall seller or Thai people in general or on the faces of non-Thai people who are standing close by when they hear you say them ;)

GENERAL EXPRESSIONS

Hello (female / male speaker)	Sawasdee ka / krub
How are you?	Sabai dee mai ka / krub
Fine thanks	Sabai dee ka / krub, kob koon
Thank you	Kob koon ka / krub
Never mind	Mai pen rai ka / krub
I can’t speak Thai	Chan/Pom pood Thai mai dai
I don’t understand	Chan/Pom mai kao chai tee khun pood
Do you understand?	Kao chai mai ka / krub
May I take a photograph?	Tai ruup dai mai ka / krub
Where is the rest room?	Hong nam yoo tee nai ka / krub
Good bye	Pai gone na ka / krub
See you again	Laew phob gan mai na ka / krub
Sorry / excuse me	Kor thoad ka / krub
I, me	Chan (for female), Pom (for male)
You	Khun
Please speak more slowly	Ga roo na pood chah chah noi ka / krub
What is your name?	Khun chue arai ka / krub
My name is Alice / James	Chan / Pom chue Alice / James

BUYING THINGS

How much does this cost?	An nee ra ka tao rai ka / krub
What is this?	Nee arai ka / krub
Very expensive	Paeng jang loey
Can you reduce the price down to 200 baht?	Lod ra ka lueh song roi baht dai mai .
I want …….	Chan / Pom yark dai…… ka / krub

THAI PHRASES FOR EMERGENCIES

Help!	Chooay dooay
I need a doctor	Chooay tam mor hai noi ka / krub
Where is a hospital?	Rong pa ya bahn yoo tee nai ka / krub
Police station	Sa tha nee tham roout

DIRECTIONS IN THAI

Stop, Stop here	Yoot tee nee
Slow, slowly	Chah, chah-chah
Turn left, Turn Right	Leow sai, leow kwah
Straight ahead	Trohng pai
Be careful	Rawang

PLACES

Station (as in Police Station)	Sa ta nee
Bus Stop	Pai rot meh
Train Station	Sa ta nee rot fai
Airport	Sa nam bin
Embassy	Sa tahn toot
Hotel	Rong ram
Toilet	Hong nam

By the way, in Thai language the word “I” is translated as Chan when spoken by a female, and Pom when spoken by a male. Thai sentences often end with ka when spoken by a female and krub when spoken by a male.

Travel to Thailand – Let’s Go to the Sea

I ended my previous blog, When is the Best Season for Traveling to Thailand?, with a promise to recommend to you where and when you can find some beautiful white beaches to sunbathe under clear blue skies. Or if you want to scuba dive in the clear water of the deep sea to look at corals, I can suggest where and when your visit should take place.

First of all, I must tell you that Thailand is situated in a monsoon climate area; therefore, the influence of the monsoon wind at that period will account for rains or sunshine. That is why I am going to describe the areas with the help of a map in order to give you a clearer picture.

You will notice that the South of Thailand is a peninsula which extends into the sea so that there are numerous beaches and islands in this country, and most of these islands are world-famous; for example, Mahya Bay, Phi Phi Islands, Samui Island, Surin Islands; I’m sure you have heard of some of them. But, where there are seas, naturally there are storms, and mostly when the monsoon season arrives, Thailand will get severe storms. And although our storms are not as ruthless as hurricanes, typhoons or tornadoes, they are nevertheless severe enough to interrupt ferry crossings between the islands and you will certainly agree that being stranded on an island under raging storms and downpours is no laughing matter so let’s find a way to avoid these monsoon winds.

I’m going to split the beach fronts into four parts according to the numbers indicated on the map.
No. 1 means the beaches and islands along the Andaman Sea, such as Patong Beach, Kata Beach, Kamala Beach, Railey Beach, Phranang Beach, Maya Bay, Mu Koh Surin, Mu Koh Similan, Koh Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta Koh Tachai, Koh Li Pe and Koh Tarutao.
No. 2 covers the beaches and islands around the lower part of the Gulf of Thailand, for example Sairee Beach, Lamai Beach, Koh Tao, Koh Nang-Yuan, Koh Pha-ngan, Koh Samui and Mu Koh Ang Thong.
No. 3 represents the beaches and islands around the upper west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, and covers Hua Hin, Cha-am and Pranburi.
And No. 4 covers the beaches and islands around the upper east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, such as Pattaya Beach, White Sand Beach, Koh Samet, Koh Chang, Koh Larn, Koh Kood, Koh Mak. and Koh Mun Nork.

The most favorable season to vacation by the sea in Thailand is during January to April when you will be able to laze around on every beach both on the Gulf of Thailand side and the Andaman Sea coast. Only from April through mid May would there be heavy winds and high waves at the seashore on the upper part of the Andaman Sea on which are located Surin Islands and Similan Islands due to storms blowing in at intervals from the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean.

After that, from mid May onwards enters the southwest monsoon which blows in from the Indian Ocean bringing with it rain clouds from the Andaman Sea into Thailand. This results in all the islands and seashores along the Andaman Sea (No. 1) including the islands and coasts around the upper east part of the Gulf of Thailand (No. 4) being heavily rained upon and there may also be storms so it is not suitable for traveling. Most ferries services to the various islands will stop; however, the seaside around the lower and upper western part (No. 2 and No. 3) of the Gulf of Thailand areas will still be all right for touring as usual if you don’t mind the sporadic seasonal rains because when the rain stops the sky will be clear and sunny, with the months of June and July being the high season along this part of the seaside.

August to September will still be the low season at the seaside along the Andaman Sea (No. 1) and around the upper east section of the Gulf of Thailand (No. 4) as this is still the monsoon season. Furthermore, during these months there will be tropical cyclones moving in from the South China Sea to the Gulf of Thailand, resulting in severe winds and high waves on the upper part of the peninsular on both sides (No. 2 and No. 4) and so water activities or traveling are not advisable during this time. However, it is possible to go to the beaches and the islands around the lower part of the Gulf of Thailand as usual.

Comes October and the southwest monsoon winds begin to lose their force making it possible for us to once again enjoy ourselves at the seaside on the Andaman Sea (No. 1), although rains will fall in profusion on the lower part of the seaside of the Gulf of Thailand (No. 2) due to influence of northeast monsoon winds which bring in some moisture from the Gulf of Thailand. Moreover, there may be some tropical cyclones from the China Sea moving into the sea around this part of the sea which will make it impossible to visit the seaside along that area. However, trips can still be made to some of the seaside on the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand both on the east and west sides because although they also come under the influence of tropical cyclones, these are not as severe as at the lower part of the Gulf of Thailand.

Finally, November and December are the periods when the northeast monsoon winds blow into Thailand. These monsoon winds do not affect seaside traveling along the Andaman Sea and the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand. Only the lower part of the Gulf of Thailand (No. 2) will still be under heavy rainfalls due to the influence of the monsoon winds as well as the influence of the tropical cyclone, causing heavy rains and stormy sea which of course is not advisable for traveling.

All these sketchy weather conditions for the areas around Thailand’s seaside serve as information for your travel planning. Nonetheless, you have to check the weather conditions once again when your traveling date draws near. I hope you will enjoy scuba diving down the bottom of the sea to get acquainted and be fascinated by the schools of fish in the underwater world as well as sunbathing till you tan magnificently on some beautiful beach in Thailand. :-)

When is the Best Season for Traveling to Thailand?

The first thing I usually do when I start planning an overseas trip to any country is to check the best season for traveling to that particular country. (Of course, in case I come across some very inexpensive promotion ticket, I won’t care what kind of weather I will be facing when I get there.) I’m sure nobody wants to waste money and time to travel across the world just to look at downpours through the hotel windows, right? So, let’s see when would be the best season to come or to avoid if you plan to travel to Thailand.

Thailand is situated in Southeast Asia and the overall temperature is hot and humid. It has a tropical monsoon climate with an average temperature of 27°C/81°F. So, if you don’t like sweltering weather with high humidity which makes you feel sticky all the time you should avoid coming to Thailand during the period from August to mid October as this is the middle of the rainy season. Thailand’s rainy season is characterized by its overcast skies and continuous heavy downpours which sometimes last many hours each day and cause floods, or the rain may fall on and off throughout the day. (Thailand’s rainy season starts from mid May and ends around mid October although there may be some rainfalls already at the beginning of May). This is due to the influence of southwest monsoon winds which blow moist air from the Indian Ocean. Apart from the rainy season, there is only the midst of the summertime which may also be a problem for tourists who come from countries with cold climates because Thailand’s summer which begins in mid February and continues until mid May usually has an average temperature of 35°C/95°F which may rise up to 40°C/104°F during March or April, while at the end of summer starting beginning of May there may be short spurts of heavy rains lasting 1-2 hours together with flash-floods, but as soon as the rain stops the weather will be bright and sunny again as usual.

However, if you don’t mind the rain (being well equipped with umbrella and raincoat!!!) and are not afraid of the heat, you may travel in Thailand all year round. But which season is most suitable?? Well, the cool season seems to be most popular with tourists and this season covers the period from the end of October through to mid February or beginning of March. (I don’t think we can actually call this season winter because the weather in Thailand is not cold enough to justify the name.) The cool season temperatures range from approximately 20-30°C/60-86°F due to the influence of northeast monsoon winds which blow in the coolness and the drought from Mongolia and China, resulting in a very short 3-5 days’ cool spell at the end of December in some years at the north and north-east of Thailand which consist of highlands laced with high mountains whose climate is much cooler and of a longer period than at the center plains of the country. However, if luck is with us, some years may see 2-3 weeks of cool climate. On the other hand, as can be expected, cool season can be eliminated from the vocabulary of southern Thailand in view of its close proximity to the equator as well as it being flanked by the seas on both sides so that the temperatures of this region hardly differ at all from season to season. Normally, its cool season is marked by clear skies, cool breeze and strong sunlight... very suitable for people who adore sunbathing on the beach or at hotel’s poolside.

As I already mentioned, the provinces in the South of Thailand have a different climate, and we can in fact say that these areas adjoining the seas have only 2 seasons: wet season and dry season with practically the same temperatures throughout the year. The temperatures are warm and humid as the coasts are sandwiched between the seas, the west coast touching the Andaman Sea and the east coast touching the Gulf of Thailand. The southwest monsoon blowing in during May will bring some rains to the area next to the west coast. And it is fortunate that the South of Thailand is divided in the middle by some mountain ranges, so that the East Coast does not get as much rainfall as the West Coast, with the sun even shining invitingly on some beaches. Alternatively, when the northeast monsoon wind displaces the southeast monsoon wind in November, rain falls on the East Coast next to the Gulf of Thailand enabling us to sunbathe on the West Coast. And with the influence of these monsoon winds, the South of Thailand has much longer rainy season than the inland regions, starting from mid May and lasting through to December.

I hope that the above information can help you make a reasonably good decision on the season to travel to Thailand. The blog which I shall next write about will be a blog for those of you who like the sea or who are beach lovers looking for beaches where you can sunbathe and while away some times on your forthcoming vacation. I dare say that Thailand’s clear blue skies, white beaches, and beautiful islands are second to no other countries in the world. Nevertheless, there are periods which are not suitable for traveling. So let’s see which locations and which periods are worthwhile visiting if you want to sunbathe under a blazing blue sky on fine white sand overlooking a clear turquoise sea where you can acquire some beautiful tan to show off to your envious friends on your return. :-)