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Posted on January 12th, 2008 by Lolita
Everybody is well known about Thai food because many Thai restaurants has established around the world. The unique flavour of Thai food is blended of fresh herbs and aromatic spices. Thai food is cooked with basic ingredients such as garlic, chilies, pepper, lime juice, lemon grass and coriander leave. The main food in Thailand is rice. Although rice is the main food of Thais, but we aren’t eat rice alone. We must have some dishes (soup, curries or fried vegetable) to eat with rice. In July 1999, the Office of the National Culture Commission in Ministry of Culture announced the top ten Thai dishes best liked by foreigners. The Office had conducted a survey of Thai restaurants all over the world to find out ten favourite Thai dishes of foreigners. In the survey 1,500 Thai restaurant in America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa were asked to fill in a questionnaire. However, only 500 restaurants which have Thai chefs and offer the authentic Thai food were qualified for being taken into consideration. The results were the top ten Thai dishes which are listed below in order of their percentages of popularity: 1. Tom Yam Kung (spicy shrimp soup) 99% 2. Kaeng Keow Wan Kai (green curry with chicken) 82% 3. Pad Thai (Thai fried noodles) 70% 4. Pad Kaphrao (stir fried basil with chicken) 52% 5. Kaeng Phet Pet Yang (roast duck curry) 50% 6. Tom Kha Kai (chicken in coconut soup) 47% 7. Yam Nua Yang (spicy roast beef salad) 45% 8. Pork Satay (roast pork coated with turmeric) 43% 9. Kai Phat Met Mamuang Himmaphan (fried chicken with cashew nut) 42% 10. Phanaeng Kai (chicken in coconut cream) 39%
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Posted on January 12th, 2008 by Clarissa
During the Thai economic boom of the middle of 1980s to 1990s, hotels have been over-built in Pattaya, Chonburi. As a result, prices are very reasonable compared to most other countries given the high quality of accommodations and services offered. But if visitors plan to visit Pattaya, it is highly recommended to make hotel reservations well ahead of time, since most hotels there are fully overbooked in these popular tourists destination. Pattaya has an excess of accommodation in every price bracket. Yet tourist are advised to always take a look at the room (or better still several rooms) before agreeing on a price. However, tourist can see hotel review in more internet websites. Pattaya boasts an incredible choice of accommodation to suit for every traveler. Facilities range from luxury hotels with private beaches to bayside hotels and bungalows, and inland, economy class hotel and guest houses. For backpackers and adventurous tourists, guesthouses are usually the cheapest option, costing fewer than USD 10 per night (or less for a dorm bed). This gets you a room with a fan, a squat toilet (often shared) and not much else. Pattaya hotels start around USD 10 and go up to around USD 300. The upper end of this range will be air-conditioned or more facilities , the lower with not. The primary difference is that with a hotel room, your bathroom should be more private, beautiful, luxurious, bed linen and towels should be provided and there may be a hot shower. Moreover, some hotels provide other facilities such as satellite televisions, WIFI internet and more. Tourist hotels are generally around USD 25-40 and offer the basics for a beach vacation: swimming pool, room service and cable television. Business and luxury hotels, more than USD 50, offer every modern amenity you can think of and are largely indistinguishable from hotels anywhere else in the world. Some notably Pattaya’s The Hard Rock hotel are the world’s best hotels which is win the award “Hard Rock Hotel of The Year”. The most luxurious resorts also fall in this price category, with some of the very best and most private. With a projected 15 millions plus visitors to Thailand predicted in 2006, it is expected that many of the hotels in Pattaya will have high occupancy rates throughout the year. For those who are not familiar with the Pattaya geography. The South and Central Pattaya located hotels are the ones to choose if you are looking to be in the center of the “action”. There are lots of restaurants, bars, shopping and etc. For those looking for perhaps a quieter night’s sleep chose North Pattaya or Naklus, where there are several quality hotels down by the beach at Wongamart. The beach is better than that in Pattaya and the congestion of both people and vehicles is a lot less than in Pattaya. It is however, easier to travel to Pattaya for the evening by taking one of the many “baht buses” which is Thai people called “Song-Thaew”. They congregate at several points along the Pattaya Beach Road
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Posted on January 12th, 2008 by Clarissa
First time in Bangkok? Fret not. Here’s a guide on how to spend the most of your night in this glittering city. Nightlife in Bangkok is so electrifying you will want to come back again for more. Finding a trendy place to dine and wine in style is a great way to start your evening. Bangkok is home to a couple of rooftop venues where you can enjoy sweeping views of the city and the exquisite Chao Phraya River. The most famous, open-air spots include the Sky Bar (Sirocco) on Silom road (tel: +66 2 624 9999) on the 64th floor of State Tower and Moon Bar (Vertigo) (tel: +66 2 679 1200) on the 61st floor of Banyan Tree Hotel, on Sathorn road. But if it starts pouring down, stay safe and dry at Three Sixty at Millennium Hilton Hotel (tel: +66 2 442 2000), the newest rooftop venue in Bangkok offering breathtaking 360° views. Three Sixty is roofed so you don’t need good weather to have a good time. Get yourself a map of Bangkok before planning the rest of your evening. Famous among party-goers of all ages and tastes, Sukhumvit is the longest and perhaps the hippest road in Bangkok, boasting a variety of nightlife venues. It is on this happening road where you can find Nana Plaza on Sukhumvit soi 4 and soi Cowboy, off Sukhumvit soi 23, the notorious zones of dodgy go-go bars. Hanky-panky business aside, Sukhumvit is also home to many hip clubs, pubs and bars including the white and stylish Bed Supperclub on Sukhumvit soi 11 (tel: +66 2 651 3557) and Q Bar (+66 2 252-3274), also on the same soi, well-known among tourists, expats and locals, offering a full range of Cuba cigars. While most of you might only want to mingle with the same crowds you have back home, but some want to try something different. Visiting local venues is an eye-opening experience. You can see for yourself what locals do when they go out. Try Escudo on Sukhumvit soi 55 (tel: +66 2 381 0866) and Escobar on Sukhumvit s63 (tel: +66 2 711 6565) and observe the world of Ferrari boys and daddy’s little girls flashing platinum cards. At the centre of any Bangkok map, and another area worth exploring is the heart of Bangkok, home to two popular areas, Siam and Silom. Check out CM2 (tel: +66 2 209 8888) at Novotel Siam Square where live band plays on the main area and hip-hop tunes buzz out from the Boom Room. This place is usually secretly swarmed by ‘business’ girls and their customers. If you don’t plan to have anything to do with them, it’s still fun to watch them working their magic. More discreet is Silom soi 2 (Patpong) where various go-go bars dot the area. Watch out for the guys who usually shove a menu of shows at you in an aggressive manner. Located in the old town, Khao San road always makes it to the top of the list of tourist-friendly favourites, and it’s the centre of the Bangkok map for all backpackers. This area is packed with a dizzying array of clubs, pubs and bars. Grab a can of Singha beer and watch the world you are familiar with go by at one of many bars including Buddy Beer (tel: +66 2 629 4477) equipped with pool tables, Brick Bar (tel: +66 2 629 4477), or Silk Bar (tel: +66 2 281 9981). If you aren’t exactly into crazy clubbing and drinking until dawn, try Bangkok’s many cultural treats that take place in the evening. Siam Niramit is unarguably the most famous among tourists, featuring a refined 80-miniute show about Thailand (or Siam). The awesome performance combines fascinating stories of Siam in the past, Thai spiritual beliefs and some practical Buddhist lessons with splendid visual and sound effects as well as spectacular costumes. The show is on everyday at 20:00 at the Ratchadda Grand Theatre (tel: +66 2 649 9222). No matter what you are looking for to have a good time in Bangkok when the sun goes down, you will find it. If one night in Bangkok doesn’t make the world your oyster, nothing else probably would. Remember, you can easily get lost and Bangkok is a big place so study your map carefully before an evening out.
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Posted on January 12th, 2008 by Aureliano
I love having a pool It is hot enough here in Bangkok that I can swim all year round. I am sure I’ll get to the stage that I feel it is too cold for that one month of the year when the temperature sits at around 23C (73F), but I have not acclimatised to that point yet. The pool in my building is maintained by the building manager’s staff and cleaned every morning. I can decide to go down there anytime and sunbathe (not that I do this much, I’m a New Zealander and as such quite aware of the damage this can do), swim lengths or read a book in the shade. I love Thai food The first meal I learnt to order was Phat Thai Jay, a traditional noodle dish that is a staple on most menus. I order it ‘Jay’ which means vegetable. This is not a spicy dish, but it is full of peanuts, so it’s no good for people with a nut allergy. But Phat Thai Jay isn’t my favourite Thai dish. That’s reserved for Gang Kiew Wan Jay, Sweet Green Vegetable Curry. I would eat this everyday, and have had guests come and stay with me who did! This curry is not spicy by Thai standards, but sometimes it nearly takes my head off. I love Thai food so much that I went to a Thai cooking school when some friends came to visit last year. You can find Thai cookery schools all over the country, wherever you are likely to find tourists. The courses are inexpensive and available in a number of languages. Usually you cook your own portion of the food, then you sit around with your classmates and eat it. This week when I was on vacation in Chiang Mai I did a second cooking course and learnt how to make Phat Thai Jay! I love bargaining I find it especially rewarding if I can do it in the language of the vendor. Here in Thailand learning to say the numbers in Thai was a priority for me. I can now bargain quite successfully in Thai. When friends come to visit they usually tell me what they want to pay for something and get me to do the bargaining for them, they like the price I get for them and I have some fun with the vendors. I remember being at a night market looking at some cushion covers that I wanted for my mother. It took me about 15 minutes to bargain the vendor down to my price, she was great fun. She made no allowance for the fact that I didn’t speak very much Thai, I had to guess what she was talking about from her body language. When we had settled on the price, I paid her the original asking price. It was well worth it for the entertainment she’d given me. I love Thai people Even when I haven’t been able to communicate well with people here, they have, without fail, smiled and helped me. This has a knock-on effect into my professional life. The children I teach are polite, respectful and cheerful. I really get a kick out of walking into school of a morning to be greeted by smiling children left and right on the way to my classroom. Teaching at an international school is how I support my lifestyle in Thailand, and it’s a lot easier than the teaching I’ve done in state schools in the UK and NZ. And not all the children greeting me in the mornings are Thai, so there’s a knock-on effect on other expatriates and their children too. I love being female I have one colleague who always has immaculate hair because she gets it washed and blow-dried a couple of times a week! Last weekend I got all dressed up in a ball gown and went to the NZ Society Ball. In May I might go to the British Embassy Ball. If you like going out, dancing, eating great food and wearing posh frocks, then Bangkok is the place! All in all, I’m happy here in Thailand. Happy with my teaching job, happy with my apartment and happy with the experiences I’m having while I live here. If you’re considering moving abroad, you should definitely consider coming here.
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Posted on January 12th, 2008 by Aureliano
Everyone knows that Thailand is a beautiful holidaying destination. However, were you aware of the fact that it is the most wanted place for medical tourism also! Yes, just think that getting treated in such a paradise will make you healthy sooner. Therefore, if you are planning to go abroad for some treatment, then medical tourism in Thailand is the perfect place to be. As it offers world class services and will not hurt your pocket too, in comparison to other US and European countries. Medical tourism in Thailand offers a wide range of medical procedures for people who want to be treated at reasonable rates. Thailand has become the most sought after country as it offers qualitative as well economical services to its clients. The hospitals in Phuket and Bangkok provide methods for abdominoplasty, blepharoplasty, brachioplasty, breast enlargement, breast lift and reduction, dermabrasion, face-lift, forehead lift, mid-face lift, neck lift, rhinoplasty, sex reassignment, hip or knee replacements and liposuction. So, do not wait anymore and grab a deal through medical tourism in Thailand. The hospitals offer treatment procedures for cosmetic, dental and general medical conditions. In fact, you will be happy to receive various services along with healthcare services. The patients will be offered private transportation to the hotel and to-and-fro for hospital, interpretation assistance at hospital if needed, check on recuperating patient regularly is performed and arrangement for airport medical assistance upon departure if necessary. The hospitals also offer communication assistance, such as cell phone or 24-hour contact number, assist in local tour and excursion arrangements, and information on local dining, shopping, and information on local culture and customs of destination. Thus, pack your bags and get ready for a very different recuperating experience. The hospitals in Thailand have been meeting the medical needs of international patients for more than a decade now. In addition, offer English-speaking, UK and America-trained health professionals as staff. Many hospitals are member of the first and largest integrated hospital groups operating in South East Asia. Today, with excellent facilities, patients from all around the world come to Thailand for treatments. Hence, you can say that medical tourism in Thailand is the perfect place to say good-bye to various medical conditions. However, the other methods that comprise of medical tourism include composite and porcelain tooth veneers, dental bonding, bridges, caps, crowns, fillings, and implants, dentures, root canals, teeth whitening and tooth contouring and reshaping services. Moreover, the hospitals are well equipped and offer accommodations as well as miscellaneous services, such as cafeteria and retail facilities in the hospitals. In addition, the medical tourism in Thailand tops in offering high technology general medical procedures, including cardiology, diagnostics, ear, nose and throat, fertility and female productivity system and general surgery. Hence, do not hesitate and rely upon medical tourism procedures in Thailand as it offers best health care services to its patients with care. Even the costs of treatments here are easy to handle, as the country is known for its economical fares on various things. Hence, get ready to say good-bye to your medical problems through medical tourism in Thailand.
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