Look!! Waterspout In Thailand!

I’ve never seen any natural disasters with my own eyes before especially some kinds of Tornado or Hurricane are pretty hard to find here in Thailand. But on September 9, 2008, there was something strange happened in Nakornsawan Province, about 240 km. from Bangkok to the north, called “Waterspout”.

According to Wiki, Waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water, and brings the water upward. It is weaker than most of its land counterparts.

I saw this from the news, still not with my own eyes though, but I’m a bit exiting on this because this kind of things is rarely happening in Thailand. Word is starting to get crazy, isn’t it? The first Snow fall in 89 years in Buenos Aires, and the first snowfall in Kenya's Rift Valley… and so on…

This is the Waterspout in Nakornsawan province, Thailand... September 9, 2008

And this is the first snow in Kenya's Rift Valley...

Fun Surf @ Gold Coast - A Paradise for Surfers!!!

There is no puzzle as to why Surfers Paradise, which is part of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia is such a popular holiday destination. After all, it is the entertainment and glam capital of the island that is ‘Down Under’, and epitomizes that perfect marriage of city and beach lifestyle. 

But it’s the eclecticism of Surfers (as it is affectionately referred to in Australian vernacular) that attracts people from all walks of life. There are activities and events to cater and appease everyone, from families to backpackers, schoolies (young adults who have just finished high school), singles, surfers, honeymooners and retirees. It is home to a host of theme parks and national parks including, Dreamworld, Wet’n’Wild Water World, Warner Bros Movie World, Adrenalin Park, the Australian Outback Spectacular and Fleays Wildlife Park. There are about 53 different tours to choose from, ranging from whale watching to scenic hinterland day tours. 

Accommodation options are plentiful, ranging from youth hostels to 5-star hotels. Since there’s so much to do within a limited amount of time, choosing the right location will help. For example, the A1 Crown Towers is located right in the heart of Surfers Paradise and within walking distance to the city center and beaches. 

Like most tourist destinations, Surfers Paradise offers a vibrant and varied nightlife that caters to all crowds. To start, Melba’s Restaurant and Nightclub is a great place to dine and dance, with a clientele of all ages. The Rose & Crown, Cocktails & Dreams and The Drink are recommended places for people who love to dance, and for those who prefer to lounge out and chit-chat with a cocktail in hand, My Bar is just that type of place. 

And gourmands should be impressed by the variety of cuisines to choose from. Cafes and restaurants line the streets and hotels, offering world class dining experiences. One restaurant currently making waves is Absynthe, where 2-star Michelin Chef Meyjitte Boughenout plates up exciting contemporary French and Australian creations to complement a 600+ wine list. 

Shoppers will also be in paradise. Believe it or not, Surfers is the only 7-day, late night shopping district in Queensland, with 14 shopping centers and arcades, offering both retail and duty free shopping. Those keen on a more local experience, should head over to the Beachfront Markets which open every Wednesday and Friday from 5:30-10:00pm. 

Indeed, there is something for everyone that visits the paradise that is known as Surfers on Australia’s Gold Coast. The weather is subtropical year-round, it is within close proximity to Brisbane airport (just one hour’s drive) and is about as tourist-friendly as an Australian city can be. For more information about this bronzed Queensland town, go to the official Surfers Paradise website. 

Travel in Bangkok by Boat - Cruise & Fun

To understand the nature of Bangkok – and indeed of Thailand – one has to understand the historical significance of its waterways; the matrix of canals that played such a vital role in agricultural life as well as trade and transportation. The magnificent Chao Phraya or 'River of Kings' was the main artery of this network of intricate, life–giving water channels and remains a significant symbol for Thai people today as it did once before.

Being revered as a holy source, the Chao Phraya is also the venue for the Royal Barge Procession, a ritual observed for many centuries to honor the Thai King and the source of life. Painted and richly decorated in gold, 52 barges are rowed down the full length of the river to mark Thai milestones such as the annual Coronation Day. The gilded paddles of the principal barge, the Sri Suphannahongse, are raised in unison, as if were a mythical bird is about to rise from the river. This is one of the most splendid cultural displays in the world and one that was celebrated most vigorously in 2006 when the current King – who is the longest–serving monarch in the world – reached his 60^th anniversary to the throne.

But regardless of whether you're in town whilst there is a royal procession, there is definitely something majestic about Bangkok's river and canal network which warrants the experience of a long–tail boat, river or barge cruise at some point of your visit. After all, Bangkok has often been referred to as the "Venice of the East" and even while river and canal life may not be as important in an everyday context as it was historically, many locals still rely on boats for their daily routines.

Chugging along the Chao Phraya

Fortunately for tourists, access to the chief Chao Phraya ferry boats is very easy and there are legitimate tourist information points to assist you. You can enjoy the full length of the river from one of these public boats for no more than THB15. Best to start at Sathorn (or central) pier which is linked to the BTS train station Saphan Taksin. From here you can catch either express boats (limited stops) or normal ferries up the river and get on and off as you choose.

For those looking for a more romantic river experience, then consider a lunch or dinner cruise on the river. Most of the major hotels on the water offer dining cruises, some even have restored rice barges such as the classic Manohra at the Marriott. Cruises vary in price but are usually quite reasonable for what they involve. Especially if you want to relax and take in the river properly, without the crowds or chaos that can accompany public boat piers.

Messing about in long–tail boats

Bangkok's long–tail boats are designed to be narrow and – obviously – long. This is so they can easily weave their way around the canals. For tourists, organizing a long–tail boat tour of the canals is simple, but whether it gives you a real, value–for–money insight into Bangkok's waterways is another question. Tours will differ in price depending on who you organize them with (for example they will probably be twice as much through a hotel tour operator) and are generally cheaper at the river piers – namely at Ta Chang, the pier closest to the Grand Palace.

There are many touts in the vicinity of the Grand Palace and the Ta Chang pier however, so getting a reliable tour can be a lottery. If in doubt, it's best to go with a tour operator that has an actual information desk and offers a canal route with a price that cannot be haggled on (at least you know it is standard). Canal tours generally range from THB 400 to 800, so make sure you ask exactly how long the tour is and which route you will be taken on. A cheaper tour may only last 30 minutes and take you into one of the nearest canals for a relatively non–scenic ride.

For those with a sense of adventure and a natural disdain for tours, you'll want to try the public long–tail boat which heads up the Bangkok Noi to the town of Bang Yai. This route is very scenic and will give you a fantastic peek into local life on the water. Teak houses punctuate the journey and you'll often see people in small canoes, sporting conical hats and tending to their lotus water gardens or selling goods or meals. Finding this boat will be difficult for most tourists, especially as unofficial 'tourist information' personnel will claim that the only way to see canal life is via a 'certified' canal tour. They can be very pushy, to the point of even trying to prevent you from traversing the part of the pier where the public long–tail boat departs from. Being 'farang' or foreigner, you have to simply ignore the operators and remember that the piers are a public platform for all transport services.

How to use the public long–tail boat to Bang Yai: This boat departs from Ta Chang pier everyday in the afternoon from 3:30pm until 6pm (every half an hour). Get on the earliest one possible to take advantage of the light for photos. There is no return journey and you cannot get off along the way (stops are literally at people's houses), but you can easily get a taxi to Nonthaburi pier and catch the Chao Phraya express back down the river or get the taxi directly back into Bangkok.

To get to the departure point for this long–tail boat, you need to walk past the tour operator desk in front of the pier (facing the water), turn to your immediately left and walk down the jetty to where the long–tail boats come in. Look for a small desk there to enquire – the boat will come in on the left–hand side. The costs are cheaper for Thais than foreigners but you shouldn't pay more than THB 70 for the 45 to 60 minute journey.

Whichever way you choose to take to the water of Bangkok, it will be a memorable experience. It may provide you with an intriguing insight into one of Asia's most ancient water networks, or a glimpse at local life – still disaffected by the evils of urbanization – or it could offer a simple, breezy escape from the sweltering heat in downtown Bangkok. But what is true for all Bangkok visitors, is that you simply must cruise the River of Kings.

Article Provided By Agoda – Leading Online Hotel Reservations in Asia

6 Strange Wedding Rituals from Around the World!!

After years of searching, you've finally found "the one." Love is in bloom, romance is in the air, life is beautiful and all that jazz. That is, until every waking moment is spent planning the perfect wedding: working against a deadline, trying to please everyone, respecting traditions and customs. But before the bridezillas attack, mother-in-laws interfere and eloping seems to be the sanest option, relax, sit back and think about some of these wedding traditions from around the world - suddenly wedding plans may not seem so stressful after all.

1. I Really Love My Mother-In-Law

In certain villages in Africa, an older woman accompanies the couple to their bedroom, during that first night as husband and wife. In these villages, it is expected that girls are virgins until their wedding night. To show them the ropes and ensure they please their husbands, an older, mature woman has to be in the presence of the couple to direct the bride and explain what to do. If a new bride seems a little too experienced on her wedding night, the older woman can complain to the village that she was, in fact, not a virgin and nullify the marriage. These older women are usually village elders but can sometimes also be the bride’s mother or even her mother-in-law.

2. I Love the Way She Smells

During a traditional "Blackening the Bride" affair in Scotland, the couple's friends and family kidnap the bride-to-be and douse her with the smelliest, stickiest, foulest substances they can find. Brides have been known to be covered in mixtures containing eggs, a variety of smelly sauces, butter, cheese, cranberry sauce, noodles, fish, jelly, sausages and carrots. Basically the concoctions are limited to the group's imagination and whatever they want the bride to reek of. Once the bride has officially been blackened, she is escorted around the town, to several bars and pubs for all to see. The groom apparently gets away clean while his fiancé spends hours in the shower scrubbing gunk out of everywhere, before her big day in white.

3. I Always Cry at Weddings

Lots of people cry at weddings and even more will cry while working through wedding preparations, but for some, crying is actually part of the preparations. Brides and female members of the Tujia people in China voluntarily weep as part of their custom. A month before the wedding, a bride starts her weeping tradition and cries for about an hour. Ten days later, her mother joins in for a joint session. Ten days after that, her grandmothers, sisters and aunts contribute to the flood. Known as the "Crying Marriage Song," the bride weeps in different tones and the tradition is meant as a celebration of happy times through misleadingly mournful words. The men tend to cry after the wedding.

4. He's Tall, Dark and...Grounded?

In India, Manglik Dosh women (women born when Mars and Saturn are under the seventh house,) are said to be cursed and will cause their husband's death. In order to postpone their husband's death, Manglik Dosh women must first marry trees, urns, or other various objects before marrying their human-form husband. The trees and urns are destroyed in a symbolic act representing the death of the husband. This in turn keeps her real husband away from the curse of a premature death. The beautiful Aishwariya Rai, an Indian actress, was said to have married trees before her wedding to Bollywood megastar Abhishek Bachchan.

5. With This Tooth I Thee Wed

Some father-in-laws are just too demanding. In Fiji, not only is it customary for a man to ask his father-in-law for his daughter's hand in marriage but he also has to present the father with a present. Not just a small dowry, a nice watch or maybe a new TV, rather the customary present is supposed to be a whale's tooth, the highest symbol of status and wealth. If the father agrees to give away his daughter, the groom-to-be then prepares a delicious and bountiful feast for his in-laws. Then, right before the wedding, the bride-to-be is tattooed to enhance her beauty. To summarize a Fijian engagement - man talks to father-in-law, finds whale, retrieves tooth, gives tooth as a gift, cooks a huge feast for in-laws and takes the wife to the local tattoo parlor, thereby increasing her beauty.

6. You Make Me Swell Up Inside

In a small village off Sabah, a Malaysian state located in the north of Borneo, newlywed couples of the Tidong community have to refrain from urinating and clearing their bowels for 72 hours. To ensure that no one cheats and secretly excuses themselves to "meditate in isolation," the couple is fed small amounts of food and water, and watched closely by family and friends. If the couple breaches this age-old custom, it is believed that they will suffer severe bad luck, their marriage will be doomed or their children will die at an early age. Better hope it's a short ceremony…

Nerf guns - Nerf guns stampede - Great Christmas Gift