Hua Hin



Hua Hin, one of Thailand’s premier beach resort towns on the Gulf of Thailand, is less than 200 km south of Bangkok, making it one of the most popular weekend getaway destination for city residents. A resort equally popular with young couples and families, tourists and Thais, Hua Hin is also the location of the King of Thailand’s summer palace, Klai Kang Won, “Far from Worries.”

Hua Hin features a beautiful, powdery sand beach, numerous seaside seafood restaurants, a lively night market, numerous beach activities, and some great inland activities, not least of which is golfing at some of Thailand’s most renowned courses. Hua Hin is also the site of Thailand’s most popular music festival, the Hua Hin Jazz Festival. Just down the coast at Takiab Bay visitors can take seaside horseback rides and visit a hilltop Buddhist temple with a spectacular view.

Accommodation along the beach and on the streets leading away from the sea range from simple guesthouses to luxury resorts, and includes some of the finest spa-retreats in the world. Hua Hin is accessible via train, bus, or car and the seaside community of 60,000 residents epitomizes warm and welcoming Thai hospitality.

The seaside town of Hua Hin, meaning “Stone Head”, was named after the rocks at the north end of the powdery sand beach. Hua Hin became Thailand's first beach resort after a train line was laid in the 1920 to provide access from Bangkok and King Rama VII established his summer retreat in the area. With a 5 kilometer-long beach that features numerous activities and hosts an annual jazz festival, the laid back and hospitable town of Hua Hin continues to draw both tourists and Thais.

In addition to beach activities, outstanding seafood restaurants, and a vibrant night market, Hua Hin is well known for having some of the finest golf courses in Thailand, as well as some of the most renowned resorts and destination spas in the world.

The Grand Palace

Every visitor to Bangkok should see the magnificent buildings within the Grand Palace compound to get a feeling of the grandeur architectural style.Since the founding of Bangkok as the Nations capital by King Rama I, The Grand Palace has been the major architectural symbol of The Thai Royal Family. In the present time, The Royal Family resides at Chitralada Palace while The Grand Palace is used for ceremonial purposes.The main buildings within the Grand Palace compound were built for King Rama V, who was the first Thai King to travel to Europe.Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat, built in 1877 by King Rama V as his Royal Residence, is the most highly recognized architectural landmark of the Nation. The central Throne Hall, which was formerly used for the reception of foreign envoys, is flanked by reception areas decorated with galleries of portraiture. The central room on the second floor is used as a shrine for the reliquary ashes of Kings Rama IV, Rama V, Rama VI, Rama VII and Rama VIII.Borom Phiman Mansion was also constructed during the reign of King Rama V. When his son, King Rama VI ascended to the throne, he had it improved for use as his residence. The three succeeding Kings also resided here at one time or another.The Siwalai Gardens, where the office of The Royal Household Bureau is located, were used for receptions as well as a recreation area for the royal women and children.Maha Monthien Prasat houses The Audience Hall of Amarin Winitchai where ceremonies of the Court usually take place in front of the throne surmounted by its canopy of nine tiers of white cloth. How to go there:The most enjoyable route is to take the BTS Skytrain to Taksin Station. From here take a Chao Phraya River Express boat to Tha Chang Wang Luang Pier. It is a short walk from the pier to the entrance to The Grand Palace public entrance.Opening Hours: Open to the public everyday, except during special Royal Ceremonies, from 8.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Admission Fee: ***Baht 250. This also includes admission to Wat Phra Kaeo, The Royal Thai Decorations & Coins Pavilion in the same compound and to Vimanmek Mansion Museum on Ratchawithi Road. Baht 100. for rental personal audio guide in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese or Mandarin. ( Please be informed that from July 1,2008 the admission fee will be Baht 300 and including admission to visit "the exhibition of Art of Kingdom" at Anantasamakom Throne Hall and from Jan 1,2009 the admission fee will be Baht 350)

Dress Code: Visitors are required to dress appropriately. Thus the following dress - code (applicable to both ladies and gentlemen) is requested:

1. Shorts, mini-skirts, short skirts, tight fitting trousers, as well as tights can not be worn as outer garments.
2. See-through shirts and blouses, as well as culottes or quarter length trousers can not be worn.
3. Sleeveless shirts or vests can not be worn as outer garments.
4. Sandals (without ankle or heel straps) can not be worn.
5. All shirt sleeves, whether long or short, can not be rolled up.
6. Sweat shirts and sweat pants, wind-cheaters, pajamas and fisherman trousers can not be worn.

Thailand Public Holidays 2012

Below is a list of Thailand’s public & National holidays for 2012. Businesses and government offices will be closed on National holidays while tourist attractions, clubs, and shops generally remain open. Many holidays such as Loy Krathong and Visaka Bucha day are based on the lunar calender so will change dates from year to year.

In the event that a National holiday falls on a weekend the substitution day is the first business day after the holiday and generally all banks, businesses and government offices are closed.

The holiday calender is located in the right sidebar year round for your convenience.

Please visit the Thailand Calender of Events for all the other great Thailand Festivals and Events throughout the coming year.

1 January 2012
(Sunday) New Year’s Day
The beginning of the western new year is a national holiday in Thaland, one of three “new year” holidays celebrated every year.
2 January 2012
(Monday) New Year’s Day (Substitution)
Some businesses may be closed.
23 January 2012
(Monday) Chinese New Year
The beginning of the Chinese lunar year is celebrated in the Chinatowns of every city throughout Thailand. Some businesses close for the day, but it is not a national holiday.
7 February 2012
(Tuesday) Makha Bucha
Makha Bucha celebrates the Buddha’s first sermon in to his disciples.
6 April 2012
(Friday) Chakri Day
Chakri Day commeorates the founding of the current dynasty, Rama I.
13 April 2012
(Friday) Songkran
Songkran is the traditional Thai new year, generally celebrated as a water festival.
14 April 2012
(Saturday) Songkran
Second day of this three-day holiday.
15 April 2012
(Sunday) Songkran
Third of the three days of Songkran.
16 April 2012
(Monday) Songkran (Substitution)
Some businesses may be closed.
1 May 2012
(Tuesday) Labor Day
International labor day is celebrated as a national holiday, even though there isn’t much ado about it
5 May 2012
(Saturday) Coronation Day
Celebrates the day in 1949 when the current king was crowned.
7 May 2012
(Monday) Visakha Bucha
The holiest Buddhist holiday celebrates the birth, enlightenment and entry into nirvana of the Buddha.
19 May 2012
(Saturday) Royal Plouging Ceremony
A government holiday only, this ceremony revives an ancient blessing of the plants and ceremonial start to the new growing season. The action takes place on Bangkok’s Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace.
3 July 2012
(Tuesday) Buddhist Lent
This day marks the beginning of the Buddhist ‘lent’ period, a time when monks are supposed to retreat to their temples while new life springs forth.
12 August 2012
(Sunday) Queen’s Birthday
Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday is a national holiday, also serving as the country’s Mothers Day as well.
13 August 2012
(Monday) Queen’s Birthday (Substitution)
Some businesses may be closed.
23 October 2012
(Tuesday) Chulalongkorn Day
Celebrates the life of one of Thailand’s most revered kings on the anniversary of his death.
28 November 2012
(Wednesday) Loy Krathong
Not a national holiday, but an evening when Thais pay respect to the goddess of the waters by floating candlelit offerings on any and all waterways around the kingdom.
5 December 2012
(Wednesday) King’s Birthday
His Majesty the King’s birthday is celebrated throughout the country and also serves as the nation’s Fathers Day.
10 December 2012
(Monday) Constitution Day
December 10th celebrates the date in 1932 when the country was granted its first constitution.
31 December 2012
(Monday) New Years Eve
The day before the western new year day is always a national holiday.

Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2012

The 7th annual Phuket International Blues Rock Festival will be happening this year on February 23 – 26 from 6 pm to midnight at Laguna Grove (the ‘Y-junction’) in Laguna Phuket, Phuket’s five star resort complex on beautiful Bangtao Beach.

This year one of the festivals main sponsors, 91.5FM, will record and broadcast the entire Festival online at www.phuketfmradio.com. Most of Saturday’s performance will be broadcast LIVE, while the rest will be broadcast during the following week. A great way to experience at least the sounds of the Festival for those far away who cannot attend in person!

There will be a great range of blues and rock musicians this year at the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival including the headline act Chris Thomas King who some may know from the film ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ in 2001 where he found crossover fame as a blues musician and actor in the Coen brothers movie. Of all the songs on the movie’s Grammy-winning soundtrack, King’s ‘Hard Time Killing Floor Blues’ was the only one recorded live during filming. The soundtrack reached number one on the billboard charts and has sold over ten million copies. King’s performance here is perhaps the most famous such authentic blues performance of all times.

There will also be tons of great food and drink available all weekend and as always the proceeds from the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2012 will be going to deserving children’s charities around Phuket, namely the Patong Beach Rotary Club’s children’s education fund.

Below you will find the festival schedule and ticket information and at the very end of the post an awesome 15 minute video from last years event. For more information on the festival please visit the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival web site and for more information on all upcoming events and festivals in Thailand please visit the Thailand Events Calender.

Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2012 Schedule
 Thursday February 23, 2012:

15:00: 40 min. acoustic in hotel lobbies with Jack Derwin, Stuart Bush & Jim Paxton, Moscowfish, Grainne Duffy, Randy & Peter.
22:00: Festival Warm-Up Session @ Rock City, Patong
Friday February 24, 2012:
15:00: 40 min. acoustic in hotel lobbies with artists as above
17:00: Main Gates open – games, music, plenty of food and drink
18:00: Official opening – Introductions – Welcome by MC              
18:15: Jack Derwin (Australia)
19:00: Moscowfish (Canada)
19:45: Rockin’ Angels w/Mojo Perry (Thailand/USA)
20:30: TOKEN – A Tribute to Santana (Thailand)
21:30: Sky High (Sweden)
23:00: AkashA (Malaysia)
24:00: Good Night!
Saturday February 25, 2012:
15:00:40 min. acoustic in hotel lobbies with artists as above17:00: Main Gates open – games, music, plenty of food and drink
18:00: Welcome back by MC
18:15: Stuart Bush Band (Australia/Thailand)
19:15: Colin Hill w/Jimmy Fame & PJae Stanley (Thailand)
20:15: Grainne Duffy (Ireland)
21:15: John Meyer’s Blues Express (Australia)
22:45: Chris Thomas King (USA)
24:00: Official Festival closing
Sunday February 26, 2012:

21:00: Festival Wrap-Up Party @ Bliss Beach Club, Bangtao Beach

Ticketing Information
2012 tickets are now available online at Phuket Tickets. VIP tickets available only directly through HOTLINE below

2012 tickets (except VIP) will be available from the following Phuket locations:

NORTH WEST:
At Laguna Phuket – February 19-24 only: Banyan Tree Phuket, Angsana Laguna Phuket, Laguna Beach Resort, Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas, Best Western Allamanda Laguna Phuket and Laguna Holiday Club Phuket Resort.
Bang Tao: Nok & Joe’s Restaurant

PATONG:
Holiday Inn Hotel
Le Meridien Hotel
The Sandwich Shoppe

PHUKET TOWN:
The Phuket Gazette Office
Rockin’ Angels Music Cafe
SFX Cinemas, Central Festival

SOUTH EAST:
Sandwich Shoppe, Chalong
DaVinci Restaurant, Nai Harn
Friendship Beach Resort, Rawai – ask for Michael Massey
Serenity Resort, Rawai

KATA-KARON:
Kata Beach Resort, Kata
The Boat House, Kata
Rick’n'Roll Music Cafe, Kata

Ticket prices for 2012:

General admission for two days: THB 1,500 at the gate; THB 1,200 advance purchase

V.I.P. admission for two days: THB 3,500 at the gate; THB 3,000 advance purchase

Children 12 years and younger go free with parent(s).

TICKET HOTLINE:
Tel: 086-682 2639

Bangkok

As the political, economic, cultural, culinary, and spiritual capital of Thailand, Bangkok features both old-world charm and modern convenience, at times served up in an apparently chaotic manner, but always with a gracious smile.
Invariably, every Thailand holiday includes a visit to the kingdom’s capital city, Bangkok, or Krung Thep, “the city of angels” as it is known to its inhabitants. Many tourists who travel to Bangkok are immediately overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city and the vast number of attractions Bangkok has to offer. Indeed there are a wide variety of Bangkok sightseeing opportunities spanning more than two centuries of rapid development following the city’s founding in 1782 by King Rama I, the first king of the present Chakri dynasty; since that auspicious date, Bangkok has swelled to a cosmopolitan, 21st century city of more than ten million inhabitants.
While the immensity of the city and the chaos of its bustling streets can be intimidating at first, those who spend some time in Bangkok are quickly enamored by the variety of attractions Bangkok contains, from exotic temples, which epitomize Thailand’s strong Buddhist history, to modern shopping malls, which have make shopping an integral part of any Bangkok holiday. As the kingdom’s political, economic, cultural, culinary, and spiritual capital, Bangkok features attractions guaranteed to please visitors either simply passing through the city or spending their entire Thailand holiday in Bangkok.
Nearly every Bangkok holiday includes a visit to Thailand’s Grand Palace, arguably the premier Bangkok sightseeing attraction. Situated in the heart of Bangkok’s Rattakosin district, the gleaming spires of the Grand Palace are conveniently located nearby Bangkok’s most spectacular temples, including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Keaw), the Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun), and Wat Po, which features an enormous reclining Buddha and was home of the first Thai massage school in the kingdom. These iconic destinations are top attractions to all visitors who travel to Bangkok looking to appreciate Thailand’s unique cultural traditions.
In fact, there are more than 400 functioning Buddhist temples throughout the city and it’s not uncommon when you travel in Bangkok to spot saffron robed monks collecting morning alms or traveling throughout out the city, including along the Chao Phraya, the “River of Kings”, which passes alongside Rattakosin and the Temple of the Dawn.

The winding Chao Phraya is connected by numerous canals from which Bangkok has earned its nickname the “Venice of the East”; when you travel around Bangkok, a cruise on the Chao Phraya, a visit to a floating market, or an exploration of the cities “back alley” canals (klongs) are themselves unique Bangkok attractions.

Other historical and cultural Bangkok sightseeing ‘must sees’ include the National Museum, Vimanmek Mansion, and Suan Pakkad Palace, all of which either house fine art or are national treasures in their own right.

Beyond Bangkok’s historical district, there are plenty of other attractions that make a Bangkok holiday both enjoyable and memorable. While modern “downtown” districts along Silom and Sukhumvit Roads were once nightmares of oppressive heat and unbearable traffic, a modern and convenient electric rail system, including an elevated sky-train and underground subway have made travel in Bangkok both easy and enjoyable. Connecting hotels directly to modern shopping malls and traditional markets, such as the Suan Lum Night Bazaar and Chatuchak (JJ) weekend market, the MRT and BTS electric rail systems have literally elevated Bangkok shopping to world class status.
Of course, no Thailand holiday is complete without experiencing Thailand’s vibrant nightlife, during which time you may even witness the occasional elephant wandering the Bangkok streets!
Whether, the purpose of your Thailand holiday is to immerse yourself in Thailand’s unique culture or simply to splurge in Bangkok shopping malls, when you travel to Bangkok you are guaranteed a fascinating experience of both old world charm and modern convenience and luxury.
Over the last few decades, Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, has changed into a modern, exciting, and sophisticated city. Bangkok offers visitors not only the modern amenities they would expect from other cosmopolitan cities, but also a unique treasure trove of cultural attractions. Thailand, in the heart of Southeast Asia, was never colonized and thus kept its unique culture and heritage intact. Bangkok offers visitors the opportunity to experience a fascinating glimpse of Thailand’s gentle culture amidst the bustle of a great and dynamic metropolis. Amazingly, this great city has had astounding success in combining the ancient and modern worlds.
For tourists, Bangkok has a feast of attractions to offer. The city is dotted with 400 glittering Buddhist temples of great beauty, magnificent palaces, classical dance performances, numerous shopping centers, and a still functioning traditional way of life, especially along the canals and the Chao Phraya River, the "River of Kings", which winds through the city; Bangkok truly is the "Venice of the East".

Beware of scams involving tuk tuks, gem shops, and tailors, particularly around popular tourist attractions. Remember, there is no such thing as a free ride.
Its better to flag down taxis that are already driving (the red light means empty); these will generally use the meter while parked taxis typically ask for higher fixed fares or will take you for the proverbial ‘ride’.
During the monsoon season months of June through September rains come quickly and heavily, particularly in the afternoon. Adequate footwear and an umbrella are advisable.