็Hilltribes in Thailand

One fascinating aspect of Thai culture is its ethnic diversity, including a number of hill tribe communities that live in the mountains of the Northern provinces. Roughly 8% of Thailand’s population is made of hill tribes including, Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Meo, Yao, and Karen hill tribe populations.

Most popular in Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, and Tak, an overnight trek to a Thailand hill tribe village is often the highlight of many visitors’ trips. While some villages have now had more than a decade of contact with visitors, most remote hill tribes still maintain most of their traditional practices and values.

Whether you wish to do a village homestay with a remote hill tribe village or arrange accommodation from a boutique company that provides semi-authentic lodging with more agreeable facilities, time spent with one of Thailand’s unique hill tribe communities provides a fascinating insight into these ancient and mystical cultures.

Read More …

Sejong Center

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (or Sejong Center) is the largest arts and cultural complex in Seoul, South Korea. It has an interior area of 53,202m². It is situated in the center of the capital, on Sejongno, a main road that cuts through the capital city of the Joseon Dynasty. The center took 4 years to complete, opening its doors in 1978. It was "built as a cultural center for Seoulites." It currently is home to the biggest pipe organ in Asia. (Source: Wikipedia)

 
The building is located in Gwanghamun and you can view the statue of the great King Sejong  just in front of the center. Underneath the statue, you can walk into Gwang Ha Rang, where you can view many free exhibition. The Gwang Hwa Rang is situated right underneath the Sejong-ro crossroads. It is accessible to pedestrians and art-discerning visitors. There is a window-gallery that enable by-passers on ground level to peek inside.

Check out my trip to Gwanghamun on April 2009 here and to King Sejong's tomb here.
My friends Iris, Fiza, Nyna and Hanim recently visited the great King Sejong's exhibition and check out their pictures here. You can even practise writing your own name in Hangul! ^^

The great King errr..Queen Fiza?

Nice kitty..rawrrr!! Be careful Nyna! ^^

Fiza landed into the same dreaded situation like me.

There's no letter in Hangul which sounded like 'Z' and 'F' hence

Korean pronounce our name as Pija and Jarina respectively.

I gave up to teach them on how to pronounce my name properly.

The funnier thing is, Korean pronounce pizza (the food) as pija.

Hmm...hehehe.

Uri chingu!! From left Fiza, Iris, Nyna and Hanim.

All pictures are from their courtesy.

Myeongdong to Gwanghamun

16 minutes, 5 stops, 5.1km

1,000 won with cash, 900 won with T-Money

Transit at Dongdaemun History and Culture park subway station

Take Exit 5 at Gwanghamun subway station to go to Sejong Center

Read More …

Thailand - A Place To Visit

Thailand, the perfect place to visit for hot, sunny holidays. 

After traveling a lot to Thailand and around the country I want to share some of my experience with you. You can find almost everything you want there except snow.

When you plan your trip to Thailand there are 3 usual places to arrive, Bangkok, Phuket or Chang Mai.

If you arrive in Bangkok you are in the middle of the country and have lots of opportunities from there. Bangkok is a huge city with lots of people (estimated 12 million with tourists) and it is a very busy place to stay for a long period. There are a few things that should be seen in Bangkok and one of them is Grand Palace. To get in there you need to follow the rules of clothing (shorts is not allowed in there). A boat trip on the river is very nice and you can see a t from the boats. Bangkok also have great opportunities for shopping with many huge shopping centers. When you stay in Bangkok, make sure you also visit the floating market and the Silom area. From Bangkok the drive is not far to the party place Pattaya or the quiet city of Hua Hin.

If you arrive in the south of Thailand, Phuket, you will find a more quiet place with great beaches. The area in the south also offers a lot of sights. If you go south and want to go for a party you can visit Patong, which is a smaller scaled Pattaya. The south of Thailand has the same temperatures as the central parts of the country, but the south is a bit more wet and rainy. While staying in south you should consider a trip to the many islands, you will find a lot of great untouched nature there.

The north of Thailand I quite different from the other 2 places. The temperatures are lower there and the air feels more fresh. Chang Mai is the biggest city, but Chang Rai is also of a certain size. The north can not offer sea and beaches like the central parts and the south, but they have a lot of great nature. It is known to be a very "green" area, some people call it the lounges of Thailand.

This was just a short summary from my trips in Thailand, and after visiting the country lots of times I will very strongly recommend it to absolutely everyone.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Knut_Ofstbo

Read More …

Dubai Burj Al Arab New Year's Eve 2010 Fireworks

Uploaded by Ercallimages on Jan 1, 2010

You want to enjoy New's Eve with a Big Bag? of Fireworks?, well, now there are two places to enjoy, the burj Khalifa and Burj Al Arab at the Jumeirah Beach Road.   But the Burj Al Arab is the first and main venue to enjoy the fireworks before Burj Khalifa.  So choices and more choices in Dubai. 

Enjoy

Read More …