The Tourism Authority of Thailand Chiang Rai Office (TAT Chiang Rai) invites tourists to participate in the Seven Amazing places of Chiang Rai, a project to promote the province’s highlights. Each tourist to Chiang Rai will receive a passport to collect stamps.

Wat Phra Kaew

King Mengrai Monument

After collecting all seven stamps from these seven amazing places of Chiang Rai -- King Mengrai Monument, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Rong Khun, Wat Phrathat Doi Tung, Wat Phrathat Pha Ngao, King Rama IX’s Royal Footprint Pavilion, and Wat Phrathat Doi Wao, visitors can exchange their passport for a prize from TAT Chiang Rai. The Seven Amazing Places of Chiang Rai starts now until the end of April 2010. Each person is limited to one prize only.

For more information, please contact TAT Chiang Rai on tel. +66 (0) 5371 7433, 0 5374 4674 to 5

Being a quiet and small town but rich in natural resources and culture, Phayao, a northern province, has many attractions that are worth visiting such as Kwan Phayao, a freshwater lake, Tilok Aram Temple, an ancient temple in the middle of the lake and Pho Khun Ngam Muang Monument. Furthermore, different ethnic groups living in the area have made ways of life of the Phayao people more colourful. During the period between 28 Feb and 5 Mar 2010, Phayao will hold the Art and Northern Culture Festival to promote itself. There are many interesting activities.

Event Schedules:

27 Feb
17.00 hrs          Lanna style dinner (Khan Tok) with contemporary cultural performances, the symphony orchestra and northern folk songs

28 Feb
07.00 hrs          Food offering to Buddhist monks at Kwan Phayao
09.00 hrs          Opening ceremony of Art and Northern Culture Festival at Pho Khun Ngam Muang Field
10.00 hrs          Local boat races
18.00 hrs          300 boats leave for a floating Wian Thian* Ceremony at Tilok Aram Temple

1-3 Mar
10.00 hrs          Shop for OTOP local products at Suan Somdetya Park
19.00 hrs          Cultural performances from 16 northern provinces at Sala Muenpi Pavillion

4-5 Mar
09.00 hrs          Buddhist and Brahman religious ceremonies
13.00-18.00       Various local cultural performances at Sala Muenpi Pavillion     

*Wian Thian is a Buddhist ceremony, in which people walk clockwise around a
temple or pagoda three times with lighted candles, incense and flowers in hand.

For more details, please contact Phayao Province on tel. +66 (0) 5444 9589

Sa Kaeo Province has announced this year (2010) to be the Visit Sa Kaeo Year. Under a new perspective to promote tourism in the province, they now proudly present 15 tourist highlights as follows:

Five religious attractions

1. Luangpho Khao at Wat Nakhon Tham, the sacred Buddha image of the province
2. Luangpho Thong at Wat Sa Kaeo, the Buddhist monk who uses his knowledge in traditional Thai medicine to cure sick people
3. The replica of Phra Siam Devadhiraj, the sacred image once brought to the fighting zone to protect people and soldiers
4. City Pillar Shrine
5. King Naresuan the Great’s Statue

Five of Sa Kaeo’s Best Things

1. Rongkluea Market, the large border market
2. Sadokkokthom, the ancient Khmer style castle
3. Khao Chakan, a limestone mountain
4. Wang Namyen Dairy Cooperative Farm, the country’s second largest dairy production venue
5. Five tribal food of Aranyaprathet (Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodia, Chinese and Thai)

Lalu

Pangsida Waterfall

Pangsida National Park

Five Natural Attractions

1. Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest, the world’s heritage site and Pangsida & Ta Phraya National Parks
2. Lalu, the small area of weird earth formation similar to “Phae Mueng Phi” of Phrae Province
3. Phra Prong Reservoir
4. Phet Pho Thong Cave
5. Khao Takub Waterfall

Sa Kaeo is a province situated in the east of Thailand, bordering Banteay Meanchey and Battambang of Cambodia. Though one of the youngest provinces, Sa Kaeo has a wide variety of attractions. Various kinds of accommodations ranging from local homestays to five-star resorts can be found in the province.

For more information about attractions in Sa Kaeo, please contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand Nakhon Nayok Office on tel. +66 (0) 3731 2282 or visit tat8.com or sakaeo555.com

Phanom Rung is a Khmer style ruin dedicated to the Hindu god Siva. Situated on the top of a 383-metre high extinct volcano, the temple commands the spectacular view of the Khorat Plateau.

Every year in April, the ray of the rising sun penetrates through the 15 doorways of the Hindu sanctuary making it one of the rarest and most impressive natural phenomena. Actually the solar event in this ancient sanctuary occurs four times a year but only the sunrise in April is incorporated into the festival.

Therefore, the Phanom Rung Festival, aiming to conserve the cultural heritage and ancient tradition as well as to promote tourism, is annual timed to coincide with the solar event.

What interest people are not only the annual solar event and the beauty of the architecture but also the festival to celebrate the occasion which includes the local music performances, ancient market, many competitions and the Northeastern style dinner.

Here are the suitable dates and times to view sunrise and sunset at Phanom Rung:
Sun rising 2-4 April (06.03 hrs)
Sun setting 5-7 March (17.17 hrs)

For more information, please contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand Surin Office on tel. +66 (0) 4451 4447-8.