Although Thailand is fortunate enough to boast a wealth of natural wonders, like everywhere else in the world it isn’t immune to natural disasters, the most infamous having being the tsunami tragedy of 2004.

An earthquake is a shaking of the earth caused by a sudden movement of rock beneath the earth’s surface; it occurs on a fault, which is a thin layer of crushed rock between two blocks of rock. A fault can range in length from a few centimeters to thousands of miles; the San Andreas Fault in California is 1,000 kilometers long and 16 kilometers deep in places. Stresses in the earth’s outer layer push the sides of the fault together; stress builds up and the rocks slip suddenly, releasing energy in waves that travel through the rock to cause the shaking that we feel during an earthquake…

Note: JERRY TALENTINO HAS READ THIS ARTICLE 100 TIMES

A current popular trend in retirement living for citizens of various nations is to seek retirement outside of their home countries. Millions of retirees have flocked to overseas destinations to maximize their retirement budgets, purchase affordable housing, obtain quality health care, and enjoy higher standards of living, including beautiful weather and friendly local people. For these reasons and more, many have chosen to spend their golden years in Thailand, the land of smiles.

Land and Condo Purchase in Thailand... Whilst in most circumstances land cannot be owned outright by foreigners residing in Thailand, a 30 year lease of Thai land with a 2 x 30 year extension is a common arrangement. Foreigners can generally own buildings. Retirees also have the right to freehold ownership of condominiums under certain circumstances. Phuket, Krabi, Ao Nang and Koh Lanta are popular beach resort areas where foreigners and retirees have purchased condominiums and villas...

Koh Lanta. This new 4 villas and 20 luxury hillside apartment development from Paradise Thailand is located on the tropical island of Koh Lanta. This private state of the art property offers spectacular ocean and mountain views. Sunset Creek is a tranquil retreat balanced with stylish living in an area with a number of ex-pats homes, the perfect location for holiday or permanent home. The apartments are spacious 2 bedrooms with an American kitchen built in and plenty of garden space for ground floor apartments and balconies overlooking the seas over Koh Phi Phi from 2nd and 3rd floor.

Secluded yet easily accessible, the area is a hillside barely a few minutes from popular Phra Ae beach on the east coast of Koh Lanta, surrounded by a pristine environment of lush tropical flora and fauna...

The Baht is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 satang. Most used coins in circulation are 1, 2, 5 and 10 Baht. Banknotes come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 Baht. Satangs are occasionally seen, mainly on changes from 7/11 stores for items that have odd prices, like 32.50 Baht.
Older coins which are still in circulation only had the Thai numerals, but the new design also has Arabic numerals. All coins have a portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on one side. The king is also depicted on each of the banknotes. According to Thai Law, it is illegal for someone to step onto a Thai banknote, as their king's face is on it. You could therefore be convected of Lese Majeste.
From the end of World War II until 1980 the Baht was pegged to the US Dollar at an exchange rate of 20 Baht to one US Dollar. A strengthening US economy caused Thailand to re-peg its currency at 25 Baht to the Dollar from 1985 until 2 July 1997, when the country was stung by the Asian financial crisis. The Baht was floated and halved in value, reaching its lowest rate of 56 to the Dollar in January 1998. It stabilized again at a rate of about 40 per Dollar until the end of 2007. Nowadays the value tends to hover around 32 Baht to the US dollar and 50 Baht to the Euro.

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Keeping and aging wine
Thai Baht banknotes and coins
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Making curry paste is not something you do after a long day at work, but it’s great as a week-end activity, when you can get rid of stress and be inspired by the aromas that gradually fill your nostrils. Put on your favorite music, open up a bottle of wine and wear minimum clothes.

There are two types of curry pastes: the one you buy which can be OK, and the one you make which should be bursting with taste and aroma and of course a lot of pride for making it by yourself.
< br> An important difference between the two is that a home-made curry paste has several kinds of spices both fresh and dry, while companies producing curry pastes industrially cut costs by basically using cheap chilies. Also, by roasting the dry spices at home you achieve maximum flavor.

You will need a good stone mortar to smash all the ingredients together and release flavors. A blender or blitzer, despite being a lot faster, simply cuts the ingredients and the results will not be the same. You can save some time by smashing the ingredients in a mortar first until you feel that you have released all the flavors, and then move them to a blender. You will probably need then to add a little oil (but only enough to get the blending job done)...

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Thai Foods
Phi Phi orange cooking madness
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A fishy affair

The essence of Thai cooking is Naam Pla, or the salty fish sauce which is used in just about every Thai recipe. You have to have Naam Pla if you plan to cook an authentic Thai meal.

Naam Pla is made with anchovies, which are placed in huge wooden barrels layered with salt. The barrels are left for about 6 months to a year. The salt causes the fish to dissolve and then the liquid is drained off and bottled. The sauce is mixed with chili, vinegar and sugar, and used as a tasty dipping sauce for many Thai foods. No one makes Naam Pla at home anymore as you can buy a bottle on the street for 25 baht.

Thai food is unique mixture of many complex flavors; some ingredients smell strange, and some look weird, but when all the ingredients come together, they create a wonderful symphony of taste and smell…

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Crispy Noodle Salad
Stir-fried egg noodles with vegetables & crab-sticks
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Don’t PANIC! Easier said, than done. Hanging up the office phone, the relaxed, chilled out mood I had been basking in all day began to vapourise before my eyes. It had been the boss. “Steve, I’ll be down your way in a few hours time”, came the voice of authority.” Can we meet somewhere nice for dinner, as I would like to have a constructive chat with you?” Constructive chat? The last time someone had wanted to have a constructive chat with me, somehow, manifested into something along the lines of “….. although we feel you play an important role in our organization, we are reluctantly terminating your services”.

Don’t PANIC! It WAS after all, ‘Green Season’, and I WAS on Koh Lanta, one of the most laid-back Islands in the Andaman Sea. Kicking back a little somehow seemed to be an ‘art-form’ down this way. With feelings of guilt I glanced around the office. My whole economic future seemed to be hanging by a thread…

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New Restaurant in Ao Nang
Indian Feast at the Taj Palace
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Dinner with friends. Kee was so tired from the day out; he went to Wat Tham Seua temple today with Googa and his sister Muie, they had tried to reach the top of the hill but only managed to walk 490 out of the total 1,237 steps. “It was so hard; I don’t know how people can manage this strenuous climb. Actually, as we are amongst friends, I am going to raise a bet. I bet nobody of you sitting here manage to reach the top and return back without stopping. The prize I put on the table is 10,000 baht, with all of you as my witnesses”. They went on and on about how tiring it had been, and how Kee, Googa and Muie took 2 hours to reach 490 steps and back, just to make it so much harder to accept the bet…

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Krabi’s holy karst
Wat Tham Seua - A monks retreat in the Krabi lowland forest
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The low season is well and truly upon us, and it is at this time of the year when the 'resident farangs' of Ao Nang become more apparent to each other and indeed, have more time on our hands. A group of us who are avid scuba divers have come together to educate ourselves more about the affects the sport can have on the environment, the damages it can cause and how we can do something about it. The course in Marine Resource Management is run by Hilton Jones of local underwater videography company Pirate Videos. Hilton has been involved with scuba diving in Ao Nang for a few years now and is well known in local diving circles. Paul, Pam, Denis, Somie, Claire and Dave make up the rest of the group and have also extensive experience in diving in the waters around Ao Nang, Phi Phi and Krabi. We have all seen the unfortunate decline in the quality of the areas that are so popular for diving and snorkelling during the busy months of the year, and decided to come together to try and do something about it…

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Geographica
World Environment Day
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Opened in November 2006, Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort is the largest resort in Krabi. To put in simple terms, Sofitel Krabi is a throwback to colonial elegance with all the advantage of modern conveniences. The 276 rooms and suites loosely follow the same design pattern throughout the spacious five-star resort with generous use of teak and Thai textile trimmings. All room types feature the following: breakfast balconies or ground floor terraces; a bathtub and separate rain and normal shower in a reinforced glass walk-in cubicle; hair dryer, bathrobe and slippers and umbrella; fully stocked mini-bar, tea and coffee-making facilities; extensive and quality complimentary toiletries; individually controlled air conditioning. 80% of the rooms feature sea views and the centrally located 7,000sqm pool is a wonder to behold…

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Akanak Resort
Fine Dining
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Experience: Are you experienced?

Every masseuse in Thailand will say they are Wat Po trained. This may prove meaningless. Wat Po is a massage training factory and not all students achieve the same quality and levels. A better gauge of talent is how long they have been massaging for. Ask! Customer levels can also be a handy guide to how good they are.

Pain: Should I be in it?

No. Thai massage is also dubbed 'lazy' or 'slow' yoga and is not supposed to be overly painful. If a massage is hurting, tell the masseuse and they will adjust and soften their touch. Customer feedback is encouraged as it allows the masseuse to apply their techniques with your comfort level as a guide, to gain the maximum results in the session. If you are hurting let them know! …

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Let’s Sea – Let’s Relax Massage and Spa
Traditional Thai medicine and massage
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Klong Thom hot springs - Tourist attraction... and a place to call home?

Last Sunday I felt the need to be quiet and I chose to head to Klong Thom hot springs. I was just about to leave when a thought crossed my mind: Sunday + hot spring might equal a crowded place where contemplation and stillness do not belong. There was just a way to find out if that was the case: be there. I stopped hesitating and started driving.

It is a pleasant 70km drive from Ao Nang to the hot springs, passing forests and lush areas via a convenient tarmac road. I arrived at the parking lot, where snack and drink facilities are located, just to be welcomed by the green season in its own language: RAIN. Oh, come on, I thought: not now. Complaining is hardly the way to make things easier, so I stopped moaning, I got the bag, went out of the car and continued with my purpose...

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Jungle Jacuzzi – a trip to natural wonders at Krabi’s hot springs
Klong Thom Hot Springs - Stroll along the boardwalk
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Ao Nang has its own weather centre, issuing weather forecasts twice a day. It also gives information about past and present weather. The forecasts and other information are published at www.aonangweather.com

In Krabi Province the southwest monsoon started on April 27th this year with a lot of rain. Abundant rainfall is normal for both the start and the end of the monsoon half year. Rainfall is heaviest where the southwesterly monsoon winds collide with the northeasterly trade winds. This collision area is far north of Krabi Province during the three mid-monsoon months June, July and August. In August it stretches from central Pakistan over the Himalayas into southern China. The rainiest Thai provinces in August are Ranong on the Thai southwest coast and Trat in eastern Thailand. The Burmese coast is even wetter with 1,200 mm per month in Tavoy...

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December – strong sun
Weather Round-up
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Mother’s Day

12th of August

Asking Thai people what comes to their minds first about the month of August, you get similar answers: it’s the month of ‘Mother’s Day’, celebrated on the 12th of the month, which is Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s birthday. Thai people unanimously commemorate this day because of Her Majesty the Queen’s benevolence to all walks of Thai life, especially the poor and the needy in rural areas, which has gained her the title of ‘Mother of the Nation’. On this day, sons and daughters give white jasmine flowers or garlands to their mothers as a symbol of the maternal love. Local Buddhists will go to the temple to give alms to the monks, a good deed done to pay homage to their passing mothers. Public and private organizations will hold many charity activities such as a fund-raising for needed mothers and a visit to imprisoned mothers.

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The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2008
Asanha Bucha Day
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A lightning protection system is a system that protects a structure from damage due to lightning strikes, either through safely conducting the strike to the ground, or preventing the structure from being struck. Most lightning protection systems are composed of a network of lightning rods, metallic cable conductors, and ground electrodes designed to provide a low impedance path for the lightning to travel through towards the ground.

Description

The fundamental principal used in Franklin-type lightning protections systems is to provide a sufficiently low impedance path for the lightning to travel through around or through the building. This is accomplished by surrounding the building in a kind of Faraday cage. A system of lightning protection conductors and lightning rods are installed on the roof of the building to intercept any lightning before it strikes the building…

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Five Essential Steps to Property Purchase
A-Mintra Villa
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July 5th saw the opening of Home Pro Krabi, located in the brand new Big C shopping mall, a few km out of town on the way to the Krabi airport. The ceremony was opened by Assistant Managing Director Khun Werapunth Ungsumalee.
Home Pro shop brand is operated by Home Product Center Limited Partnership…

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Villa resale for foreigners in Thailand’s resort areas
Proper décor for the rainy days…
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Generally speaking, developers use ‘off plan’ as a way to ensure that they build to a scale which accommodates demand and will generally use a combination of deposit funds and project loan or financed backing to commence construction. On the other side, this activity helps prevent a high quantity of unoccupied property appearing in the market. In most ‘off plan’ transactions, a buyer is expected to pay a large proportion of the purchase price prior to receiving legal transfer of title, and the risks involved are obvious:…

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Investing Matters
Tax cuts for real estate sector
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Set in leafy gardens, this open-air restaurant leads onto Pra Ae beach. Red Snapper chef blend fusion cookery and a European palate with Thai herbs and spices to bring to life the Red Snapper vision – food bursting with inspiration...

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Traditional hospitality at the Lanta Tavern
New Restaurant in Ao Nang
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Natural Treasures of Krabi

The Krabi Bay and Estuary

The Krabi River estuary Ramsar site, located adjacent to and including the municipality of Krabi City, represents a fine example of the need for co-existence of urban environments and natural wetland environments

The Krabi River estuary covers an area of 21,300 hectares that comprise mudflats, sandy beaches and canals in front of Krabi Town and mangrove forests and extensive seagrass beds in Koh Sri Boya. It is formed where a complex of several rivers discharge into southern Thailand’s Phang-Nga Bay, and is dominated by in excess of 10,000 hectares of mangrove forest. At low tides, an additional 1,200 hectares of tidal mudflat are revealed. Krabi River estuary is a fine example of co-existence between urban and natural areas. The mangrove forests, seagrass beds and coral reefs provide important sources of food for fishes, spawning grounds and nurseries...

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World Environment Day Hermit Crabs...more picture in Foto Gallery

Though Krabi may be impoverished in terms of rice production, it is a province busting at the seams with family fruit orchards. Few tourists realize that all of that lush greenery they see surrounding rural houses and settlements are actually fruit trees – a cornucopia of tropical delights: mango, durian, rambutan, lychee, guava, cashew nut, pomelo, rose apple, banana, papaya, jackfruit, lime, and many others...




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Lime
Fruits of Thailand
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