Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Precious lessons from neighbours
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 30/03/2017
» Almost 40 Thai villagers and "creative tourism" advocates recently participated in several community tourism activities in Luang Prabang, Laos, looking to apply good ideas to their villages in six designated special zones.
Let it go in a winter paradise
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 11/12/2014
» As a rain shower stopped over Hong Kong Disneyland, our tourist group stepped into the "Frozen" zone, the park's newest themed area based on the animated film. After walking through the entrance of the Sleeping Beauty Castle and keeping left, we saw a small castle decorated like the one seen in Frozen. Looking up at the surroundings and seeing Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, we felt we were part of the fairy tale.
Radiance reburnished
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 18/09/2014
» Standing tall and graceful in the compound of a Thai-Chinese school near Hua Lamphong railway station is a villa built in a mixture of European styles. Its exterior features identify it as a fine period building, although the architectural style is not easily categorised. It is only when one ventures indoors, however, that the true glory of Phraya Sri Thammathirat's former residence is revealed.
Floral festival in Mae Hong Son
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 18/09/2014
» From Nov 1-Dec 13, the "2014 Blossoming Bua Tong Flowers on Doi Mae U- Khor" festival will take place in and around fields of dok bua tong, or marigold flowers, on Doi Mae U-Khor in Khun Yuam district, Mae Hong Son province.
A matter of land and rights
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 08/08/2014
» Last month, I received a letter from a representative of more than 700 residents of five villages in Non Dindaeng district, Buri Ram province, complaining about being evicted from their homes without compensation. According to the letter, the villagers have been living on degraded forestland of Dong Yai Forest for more than four decades and have an official document permitting them to stay on it. They say a number of state officials have been trying to evict them, destroying their crops, cutting their rubber trees and threatening to destroy their rice plants and demolish their houses. The group later petitioned for royal assistance and is awaiting a response.
Mending the heart of a neighbourhood
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 30/09/2013
» Standing tall and graceful on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok is the 60.5m-high white Phra Borommathat Maha Chedi of Wat Prayurawongsawas Worawihan. The almost 200-year-old iconic temple (or Wat Prayoon, as the locals call it) made headlines when the restoration of its ivory-white stupa and the adjoining hall, Pharin Pariyattithammasala, won the Award of Excellence in the 2013 Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation, marking the first time that a Thai project has been recognised with such an esteemed honour.
Repository of Romance
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 14/02/2013
» Shortly after dawn one fine morning during the cool season, a couple from Monaco climbed into a hot-air balloon in Doi Saket district, about 10km from downtown Chiang Mai. Then it was up, up, up to float over the countryside in their rainbow-coloured conveyance, feasting their eyes on the refreshing green expanse of rice fields dotted with villages and Buddhist temples.
Pay it back
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 09/01/2013
» The term "Payment for Ecosystem Services" did not ring a bell at all when we came across it for the first time. But confusion made it all the more intriguing. Several questions sprang to mind, including: How can an ecosystem provide services? What are ecosystem services? Who must pay for them? Why? And how?
Stepping back in time
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 10/07/2012
» Standing tall in a tiny alley off Lan Luang Road is a two-storey wooden house with a gabled roof. Today the structure is in a sorry state, with the walls, floors and window frames all badly in need of repair.