Chiang Mai Panda Cub to Named on August 12

The female panda cub born at Chiang Mai zoo last month will soon have a name after more than 300 different suggestions were submitted in a national naming contest.

The 20-day old panda cub is reported to be in excellent health, having put on more than 650 grams (1.44 pounds) since it was born and now being nursed full-time by it’s mother, Lin Hui.

The committee set up to oversee the naming of the new cub said it received over 300 names on more than 560,000 postcards submitted by the public in the last few weeks.

The four names selected are:

Kwan Thai – a Thai expression meaning, “darling of the Thai people".

Lin Bing – Chinese for "a forest of ice". The word bing is also very similar in Chinese pronunciation to "ping", the name of Chiang Mai's major river.

Tai Jin – meaning "Thai gold" but can also refer to the Thai-Chinese relationship as “jin” is the Thai way of saying China.

Ying Ying – Chinese for "prosperity", while in Thai “ying” means girl.

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This article is written by John.

Wat Rong Khun - White Temple of Northern Thailand

The city of Chiang Rai in northernmost Thailand is one of the remaining areas where traditional Thai art and culture flourish. Located near the city of Chiang Rai, about 5 kilometers to the south, is the beautiful Wat Rong Khun or White Temple. The White Temple of Northern Thailand has become a national landmark and, as one of the most recognizable temples in the country, attracts an increasingly large number of visitors every year.

Wat Rong Khun is unique from other temples in that it has been constructed entirely in a radiant white color with sparking reflections from mirrored glass mosaics embedded in the white plaster. The temple is the idea of Mr. Chalermchai Kositpipat, one of Thailand’s most renowned artists, who wanted to build a temple all in white to signify the purity of Lord Buddha. The artist continues to puts his religious belief and desire to enrich Buddhism in Thailand into his contemporary art design. The construction of the White Temple is Khun Chalemchai’s master work, which he refers to as an offering to Lord Buddha and his beloved country.

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This article is written by Som.

Macabre Thai Ceremony - Pu Sae - Ya Sae Ceremony in Chiang Mai

Pu Sae - Ya Sae Ceremony is one among several macabre Thai ceremonies. Held in Chiang Mai annually every May or early June, at the beginning of the rainy season (in 2009 the ceremony will be held on June 7), the ceremony of Pu Sae Ya Sae is believed to predate the beginning of Buddhism in Northern Thailand.

Legend says that both Pu Sae and Ya Sae were cannibals and especially took great pleasure in human flesh, so the gruesome ceremony of Pu Sae – Ya Sae is tied to the legend of these cannibals.

To satisfy and honor the spirit of Pu Sae - Ya Sae, people in Chiang Mai built shrines for them; one at Ban Tin Doi on the foot of Doi Suthep and another on the foot of Doi Kham in Tambon Mae Hia where the ceremony is held every year. The ceremony ritually sacrifices a buffalo and makes offerings at the beginning of each rainy season.

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This article is written by Som.

Thailand's Safari Park & Open Zoo in Kanchanaburi

Visitors to Africa don’t find exotic Asian animals on their holidays there but the opposite is the case with Thailand where tourists can get up-close-and-personal with a number of African animal species.

Just 40km from the town center, Kanchanaburi Safari Park & Open Zoo is a man-made habitat for several African and Asian animals – including big cats.

The parks’ buses slowly drive visitors through different parts of the park, each designed to mimic the animals’ natural habitat. Tourists, or residents with their own cars can also drive themselves through the park.

Particularly favorite of visitors is Kanchanaburi Safari Park & Open Zoo’s resident family of giraffe’s. The inquisitive towering mammals, greet each busload or carload of visitors in shy, but earnest search of snacks and treats, which can be purchased at the main entrance for less than $US1...

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This article is written by John.

4th Laguna Phuket International Marathon 2009

The forth annual Laguna Phuket International Marathon, also dubbed ‘Run Paradise!’, will take place along the scenic coastlines of Phuket Island, starting at the resort complex on 14th June at 5.00 am. The Marathon will feature races of many categories, including Marathon, Half Marathon, 10.5 Km Run, 5 Km Walk and 2 Km Kids Run. The race course will run along the spectacular beaches, into tropical rainforests and onto roads that wind through beautiful rubber orchards and pineapple fields.

The organizers expect to see more than 1500 runners from 43 countries with more than 6000 participants this year. The top three winners of every age group and the overall winners will be awarded with trophies. All runners who finish the race will receive a commemorative medajavascript:void(0)l.

Online registration is open until 5th June 2009 and can be processed on this site: http://www.goadventureasia.com/registration/pimregist.php.
For more information, please visit www.phuketmarathon.com.

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This article is written by Tomi.

World Acrobats Show 2009 Live in Bangkok

Directly from Las Vegas to Thailand, the world-class acrobatic production, Balagan, will put on its dazzling acrobatic acts, entitled World Acrobats Show 2009, for the first time in Bangkok at the Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani on 10th-14th June, starting 7.30 pm. The World Acrobats Show 2009 will embrace a variety of acrobatic movements, athleticism, comedial choreography and rhythmic dance.

With the sophistication of arts and a long series of featured performances, Balagan has dazzled a great number of audiences in many countries across the world, including USA, Argentina, Hong Kong, Spain and Malaysia. The performance is based on ‘the Book of Life’ narrated by Baron M, one of the characters in the show and brings audience into the fantasy world.

The four sessions of the World Acrobats Show 2009 will be performed everyday on 10th-14th June at 7.30 pm. Tickets are priced at 600, 800 and 1,000 for the first three sessions and 800, 1,000 and 1,200 for the last two rounds and available at Total Reservation booths. For more information, please contact Call Center at 0-2833-5555.

This article is written by Tomi.

Phi Ta Khon Festival in Loei – Thailand Ghost Festival

As the most well-known event of Loei province in the Northeastern Thailand, Phi Ta Khon is the ultimate yearly celebration. The Thailand Ghost Festival is well regarded as an annual event where revelers put on rather hilarious, yet ghostly, masks made of bamboo and wicker and join in the Ghost parade. Regarded as a rain-making ceremony, this spooky festivity is held annually in the beginning of rainy season. This year the event will be held on 26-28 June at Dan Sai District of Loei province. Unlike Halloween, the ghosts and poltergeists in Phi Ta Khon seek their fun under full daylight.

Phi Ta Khon is a well-blended event between making merit, having a party, and reenacting the long-relayed folklore of King Vessandorn, the Buddha-to-be reincarnation. Buddhist legend has it that the townspeople were angry that the charitable King gave away two precious white elephant to another King who asked for them. They then forcibly put him into exile. The angels and spirits in the forest admired his unconditional generosity so they formed a procession to escort him back to rule the town. The townspeople became overjoyed with his epiphany and so, legend has it, the Phi Ta Khon celebration has its origins.

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This article is written by Tomi.