The Best Of Thailand | Travel in Thailand with Ashley

Ko Tao which is part of the Samui island group is a diving and party mecca

Ko Tao also known as Turtle island and is named for its shape. It is only about 21 sq km and the population of 1500 is mostly involved in fishing, growing coconuts and in the tourism business. Snorkelling and diving are particularly good here due to the relative abundance of coral, though most of its beaches, except Ao Luek (Deep Bay) are too shallow for swimming. 

The island is the last and most remote of the archipelago that continues the line of Surat Thani's mountains into the sea. 

Because it takes three to five hours to get here from the mainland (from either Chumporn or Surat Thani via Ko Pha Ngan), Ko Tao does not get day trippers or quick overnighters. Still the island can become quite crowded during high season and you can have people sleeping on the beach waiting for huts to become available. There were around 130 sets of bungalows at the latest count concentrated along the west and south sides. Some still provide the bare minimum with plain mattresses for beds, mosquito nets and shared bathrooms, but nearly all places can now offer en-suite bathrooms and a few comforts and there are a growing number of upmarket resorts around with such luxuries as air-con, hot water and swimming pools. Take a look at these videos to give you an idea of what Koh Tao is and what to expect. 

Because you have so many young people here wanting to learn diving or needing a hut and therefore pretending to want to learn diving, there is a party on a different beach every night. You got to find out where the party is every night. 

Some resorts with scuba diving schools have been known to refuse guests who don't sign up for diving trips or courses; on the other hand many of the dive companies now have their own lodgings, available at a discounted price to divers. With a year round customer base of divers - and resident dive instructors, more and more sophisticated Western restaurants and bars are springing up all the time, notably in the Mae Hat and on Hat Sai Ree. 

Will the 8th Pattaya Music Festival to be held between the 19th to 21st March proceed smoothly ?

Pattaya Music Festival 2009, originally uploaded by jmwalker1975.

Yes it will according to Pattaya's officials. They have prepared a guard force of 2000 strong men to protect the music festival from being disrupted by the red shirt movement. The beach-side music festival which is slated to draw half a million visitors will also create a issue with space confirmations in Pattaya between these dates so you might need to prepone or postpone your groups by a couple of days.

Samui's going to be a great place to party between 31st May & 5th June 2010 because of the Samui Regatta

2008 Samui International Regatta Images, originally uploaded by Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui.

Write these dates down in your diary and block your air seats in advance. 

Neil Pryde’s ‘Hi-Fi’, that won top honors at the 2009 Sawadee.com Regatta, is expected to be one of the many competitors at the 9th Samui International Yacht Regatta in 2010. The Sawadee.com Regatta will take place on the sun-drenched island of Koh Samui from 31st May to 5th June 2010.

For the 9th consecutive year, the event will attract competitive and social sailors from around the world. The five-day regatta is one of Asia’s most glamorous sailing events and is also part of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championships. Fabulous sailing conditions prevailed at the 2009 regatta – so much so that a round-the-island race was attempted for the first time in the event’s history.

In addition to the competitive sailing, the regatta is about fun parties and is regarded by many as a ‘must attend’ event on the international sailing circuit. The 2010 regatta welcomes new event partners ‘Prana Resort’ and ‘Beach Republic’, as well as the debut of a golf tournament that will tee off at the island’s premier ‘Santiburi Samui Country Club’. ‘B1 Villas & Spa’, ‘Dhevatara Properties’ and ‘Samui Villas & Homes’, all return to the regatta as event partners. Headquarters for the event for the 9th time will again be the ‘Centara Grand Beach Resort’, which has been the home of the regatta since its conception and that welcomes crews from far and wide year after year.

Spectator boats will provide a unique opportunity for members of the public to get ‘up close and personal’ with all of the ‘on-water’ sailing action. Public tickets will also be available for the‘off-water’ parties that occur most evenings during the regatta and that feature renowned bands and fabulous entertainment. An added bonus in 2010 is that the regatta has teamed up with the Samui Jazz Festival, ensuring great entertainment for spectators who fly in from all corners of the world.

The 2010 event will likely feature six sailing classes – Racing, Premier, IRC, IRC 2/Sportboats, Bareboat Charter and Multihulls. In 2009, bright sunshine, blue skies and strong winds provided for excellent competitive sailing conditions. ‘Hi-Fi’ came out on top in the Racing Class, following particularly impressive performances on the first few days of the regatta. Marcel Liedts Beneteau 50 ‘Blauwvoet’ took the honours in the Premier Class, while the IRC 2/Sportboats top award went to Jeff Davidson’s Mumm 30 ‘Panic’ that won its class for the second year running. ‘Constanza’ kept a clean sheet in the Bareboat Charter Class, with seven wins in a row, securing its class victory. Fergus Wilmer and Henry Kaye’s Seacart 30 ‘Thor’ took the honors in the Multihulls class – a new boat in 2009 that took the multi hull field by storm. Andrew Short, skipper of Constanza in 2009, died tragically during a sailing accident in Australia in October of this year and will be dearly missed at the 2010 regatta.

The regatta will also see the third running of the ‘Samui Junior Sailing Squadron Challenge’ – giving local children from the island the opportunity to be out on the water experiencing the excitement of competitive yacht racing. This challenge will no doubt provide competitors for future regattas to be contested on the pristine waters off Chaweng Beach. As an on-going commitment, the regatta’s organizing committee provides support to youth sailing on Koh Samui by contributing for sailing equipment.

On the water, the skipper receiving the most top placings on the eight regatta Asian circuit will also be crowned Asian Yachting Champion Skipper. In 2009, it was Hi-Fi’s Neil Pryde that lifted the trophy and wore the coveted ‘Armani Blue Blazer’ that was presented at the gala prize giving dinner on the lawns of the ‘Centara Grand Beach Resort’ on Chaweng Beach.

Xperience Masala Art is a rocking gala dinner venue for MICE groups to Bangkok

 

Masala Art and Xperience pub which adjoin each other at 8 Thonglor, Sukhumvit Bangkok now come together to give you a fantastic gala dinner experience. Xperience Bangkok is a carbon copy of Xperience Hong Kong including the various theme evenings. 

 

 

The venue is ideal for product launches, gala dinners, DJ evenings, smaller award ceremonies and for just having a good time. Masala Art can put in place, some of the best Indian food available in the City of Angels. Check it out as an option the next time you are scratching your head searching for a fresh idea. 

Party Moon Koh Samui

In Thailand which is a Buddhist country, most religious holidays are pegged to the lunar calendar. Either a cultural nod or a sacrilegious phenomenon, the parties that dominate the island's nightlife follow suit, honoring the waxing and waning of the moon. It all started with the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan (see earlier post) and has been copy-catted on Samui with a Black Moon Party (held once a month on new moon) and an Escape Party (held twice a month in between the two moons.)

Samui's lunar parties are held at Chaweng Lake View, an open air stage on the west side of Chaweng lake, and usually get started after midnite. The island's resident DJ's and occasionally a superstar spinner, grace the stage. Parties are well advertised so you do not have to watch the night sky!

The Full moon party @ Koh Phangan is a must do when you visit Koh Samui

Once every lunar month you have the famous "Full Moon Party." Crowds arrive en masse to gulp down their weight in buckets, gesticulate to techno and gawk at fire dancers and occasionally at each other (with an accompanying brawl:)  Rated among the world's 10 best parties, the Full Moon parties are more of a drunk fest with a thumping baseline than a trippy rave scene which it is sometimes associated with. In fact it has become more of a tourist attraction than real life junkies would be comfortable with assuring it of a place in TAT's twitter and social networking marketing campaign.

Top Indian restaurants at Sukhumvit, Bangkok

There was a time when you had to hold your nose, close your eyes and have your fix of Indian food at one of Sukhumvit's curry houses. Then came the expensive 5 star restaurants...however it now looks like  Indian cuisine is taking its rightful place alongside Chinese, Japanese and Italian, if the rapid opening of new Indian restaurants in the Capital is anything to go by. This is by no means the most comprehensive listing of Indian restaurants in the Sukhumvit area but it is probably the most comprehensive listing on the web at this moment in time.

1. Akbar : This restaurant located in the Arabic quarter of Bangkok on Soi 3 opposite the Grace Hotel has been around for over 20 years.  

2. Al Mehman : This is located just next to Akbar and the concept is similar.

3. Bawarchi: This is a local chain of Indian restaurants with branches at Soi 11 Sukhumvit, Suan Lum Night Bazaar and the Intercontinental Hotel Ploenchit. They are mid range and you will see a large number of Indian tourists eating at these restaurants.

The Soi 11 branch caters mostly to individual tourists. The Suan Lum branch at the official night bazaar has a live Indian band and caters mostly to groups. This could be intimidating for the individual traveller. The branch in the basement of the Intercontinental Hotel is perhaps the poshest of them and the prices over here reflect this as well.

4. Great Punjab : Located on the 2nd level of Sukhumvit Suite next to the Ambassador hotel on Soi 13, this restaurant is one of the newer ones to open in Bangkok. The food here is excellent and the chef does some unusual Indian preparations such as the prawn golguppa. Their tandoori items and kebabs too are not to be missed.  They cater to groups from India. The restaurant is affiliated to the Great Punjab chain of restaurants from India. The ambiance is simple but the food more than makes up for it.

5. Masala Art : http://www.masala-artbkk.com/ If you are looking for great Indian cuisine in a modern environment that breaks away from the Moghul mould, then Masala Art is your ticket. It is located on Sukhumvit's Soi Thonglor (Soi 55) just next to Soi 8 on the main road. The staff here are friendly and the Management have introduced plenty of fresh ideas in the menu and its presentation.

6. Indus: http://indusbangkok.com/  Located in a Thai house on Soi 26 Sukhumvit, the restaurant is atmospheric.  The restaurant is popular for events and with groups.  

7. Red: http://www.redbangkok.com/restaurant.php Located on Soi 53 in a renovated posh Thai house, the restaurant is a fusion Indian restaurant.

8. Rang Mahal: http://hotel.rembrandtbkk.com/dining/rang_mahal.html This restaurant is located on the 26th floor of the Rembrandt Hotel and offers you panoramic views of Bangkok by night. The restaurant does some great vegetarian and non vegetarian "thalis" for lunch. Dinner can be a romantic affair if a pricey one. The Indian band at night can get loud at times and detract from the atmosphere but in these days of Buddha bar, you could just like the experience.

9. Face Bar: http://www.facebars.com/bg/  If you choose a restaurant for its atmosphere, this would be it. This Thai traditional house houses three  restaurants - a Thai, Japanese and Indian restaurant...and a stunning bar as well. The menu is limited but the food is good. The prices here reflect its upmarket status.  

10. Hot Curry: Located about 200 metres deep on Soi 20, this restaurant on 3 levels in a Bangkok townhouse represents authentic Indian food in a simple and clean ambiance. The restaurants 2nd and 3rd floors house groups.

11. Pavilion: Opened recently and located at the top of soi 18, Sukhumvit, this restaurant offers authentic Indian food in a contemporary atmosphere.

12. Indian Host: Located on Soi 22 next to the Grand Mercure Park Avenue Hotel, this upmarket looking restaurant offers acceptable Indian cuisine at upscale  prices. It is popular with kitty parties and locals who know it because of its management's ties to the award winning Indian Hut on Suriwongse.

13. Himali Cha Cha: Located in an old Thai house on Soi 31, the restaurant harks from the days of yore. The food is not authentic Indian and the service can be tardy.

14. Bukhara: Located between Soi's 5 and 7 in the touristy part of Sukhumvit, this restaurant offers commercial Indian food to the tourist at mid-scale prices.