When talking about Bangkok, everyone knows it is one of the biggest cities in Asia. But many people don’t know where Thailand is, someone even believe that it’s a far away country without all kind of Technologies. How sad that is.

Don’t worry! If you really want to come to Thailand and afraid that you can’t find these or those things you need, that’s not your problem here for sure. Bangkok just announced its new and the biggest shopping center called Siam Paragon, where you can find pretty much everything you need from all around the world.

One thing about Bangkok is all of the big malls happen to be in the same place or at least really close to each other. The heart of the Bangkok’s shopping world consists of about 8 shopping centers located right next to each other. That means you can walk out of this one and enter another one within 5 mins.

Another fact is that in almost every mall there is a really big cinema. We Thai people really take it seriously about going to a movie or what. If you never gone to a movie right here in Bangkok before, you should really try. I can tell that you all would be surprised of how luxurious Thailand’s cinemas are.

However, too bad we have lots and lots of big shopping malls but most of the people cannot afford buying most of the things there. Whoever go there are mostly window shoppers. But then where does the majority of Thais go shopping?

Come back next week! Next time I’ll tell you the biggest market where lots and lots of people, Thais and foreigners go for a shopping, just for one reason…whatever they sell there are really cheap or some are well…at least…cheaper than those in the big malls.

See you next time at MuayThaiArt.com/weblog. You really need this information if you are about to come here.

Where is the best place to go in summer? Thailand article at MuayThaiArt.com/weblog has that answer for you. The place I’ll be talking about today soon is the 2nd largest Thai island (after Phuket)from the East called Koh Chang (literally means Elephant Island) from its profile of an elephant.

Koh Chang Photo from ekohchang.com

The transportation to the island is quite good even for foreigners. There are regular flights available from Bangkok to Trat. Koh Chang is considered a great place with friendly locals and of course, can’t miss to mention, with the BEST seafood. These make it one of the most popular tourist spot for anyone, especially Thais.

The island consists of 70% rainforest, peaks and cliffs surrounding by white sandy beaches, beautiful coral reefs and clear sea water. The inner hinterland still remains as nature. Although, recently the number of tourist has increased, it is blessed with its waterfalls and a wide and varied population of animals, like parrots, wide boar and the most beautiful butterflies. However, today there are several modern resorts and hotels around the island alongside the beaches.

What else can you do on Koh Chang? Well not only Koh Chang is another best answer for those who have pretty tight budget, Koh Chang also gives you so many choices of activities you can do there, for example, diving, kayaking, trekking, fishing, hiking, Thai cooking course, Thai massage and Spa Therapy.

You can visit Koh Chang all year round. But the recommended is from November to April. I can guarantee your satisfaction on Koh Chang. Find out more about Koh Chang at www.ekohchang.com/index.html where you will find all the choices of resorts and hotels to compare, the exact location, how to get there and lots more.

Come back again next week to see where else I would recommend you! Enjoy!

Scuba diving in Thailand is one of the most popular water sports. Here there are several gorgeous dive sites in the world. The water is incredibly crystal clear, full of sea lives. Transportation and accommodation is readily available. You can also take a diving course here in Thailand because the instruction reaches an exceptionally high standard. Not to talk about the cost, it’s rather cheap comparing to other places around the world. And once you got your diving certification right here, it is also accepted in any places around the world.

You can go dive at any time of the year, although the season might affect the visibility. For example, in the Andaman Sea, the best time to go diving is from October to April and the other side is in the Gulf of Thailand, the perfect time is from May to September. And when the water is crystal clear you can see many sea lives like whale sharks, manta rays, flying fish, dolphins and colorful coral reefs right from the surface.

Every accepted dive shop is affiliated with PADI. Just like the one I took the course with. My trainer can speak well English. And there are also trainers for other several languages. At diving schools here you can expect international standard with good and professional facilities.

I heard that some places near the sea, you don’t need much time to learn how to dive. Just a couple days are good enough, or some places just one day. Or you can choose to take a course in Bangkok and take a test in the open water. That way it’d be convenient for you who don’t have much free time.

Diving is another great activity to do in Thailand’s sea that you can spend with your friends and family. Even when you go dive, the rest of the team can also relax on the beach, swim, sail canoe and enjoy the food, the trip and the scenery of the world’s most beautiful sea sites.

Last summer on the way to Chiengmai, I stopped at Lampang and visited the National Elephant Institute. It was really a nice place to visit. It is the largest Thai elephants conserving center with good standard for domestic elephant care.

There are also tourism activities, such as, elephant show, homestay, elephant riding, trekking, and the funniest one, training to ride elephant. The elephant show is scheduled 7 days a week. And the ticket is freaking cheap. The riding is also interested but I didn’t try it last time. Next time I won’t miss it for sure.

The place won Thailand Tourism Awards for the best natural tourist spot. Today it is also a school for those who want to learn more about elephants. The students will be closed to those smart and friendly elephants and live with Thai Homestay where you will experience Thai northern life style. It’s only 10-day course that really worth the time. It’s might be your only opportunity to be that close to elephants and get to know them and learn how to take care of them.
pictures from www.thailandelephant.org

If you’re interested in the course, for more information like the cost and the schedule each day log on to the official website of this institute at www.thailandelephant.org.

What I love about the place is besides being a home, a school for those kindest big animals; it is a hospital for sick or injured elephants and a nursery for the young ones. There I realized how badly those poor things had been treated. But from now on they will have a much better life.

If you get a chance to go to the north of Thailand, don’t forget to take a quick stop and visit this elephant institute. You will fall in love with those lovely elephants. It might be the only chance to get this close to the biggest animal on land.

Hey guys! Today I’m gonna talk about my next trip! That’s right. I’m going somewhere again. I love my job man. I can go anywhere and come back to tell you all about it.

The place I’m going this time is called Koh Kood. This place is perfect for those of you who love traveling and chilling out among nature, like waterfall, sea and trees. I’m gonna tell you a short info about this island first.

Koh Kood is located in the East of Thailand. The size of this island is about 105 sq.km., so it’s pretty big. It is a tourist sport because of its white sandy beaches and its crystal clear water. That’s why it’s nicknamed “The Andaman of the Eastern Sea”. Most tourists like to go to Tapaw Beach, KlongJao Beach, Klongrahan Beach, and Praw Beach.

In each beach, there are many private resorts and bungalows. The only inconvenient thing on this island is each resort is located on different beaches. So before you go, you should do a tiny homework about the island and memorize the name of the pier that will lead you to the exact resort.

So my plan there is really simple. I’m going to KlongJao Waterfall. It’s very well known for being the most beautiful waterfall in Koh Kood, in the middle of tree forest. Then I’m going to Klongjao Beach where I can sit and relax waiting to see sunset, quite idealistic right? The next day I might rent a boat to go snorkeling, seeing gorgeous sea corals.
Basically this place is really nice and peaceful, just the right place for loosen up from your hard work.

Go to Koh Kood once, you might fall in love with this place.

Next time when I’m back, I will tell you all about my experience in Koh Kood.