Pattaya City officials announce Songkran extended until April 30th, water play until 10PM

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Pattaya City Officials announced this week in a meeting at City Hall attended by both Banglamung district officials, police and the mayor that to encourage and boost tourism in the city the Songkran Festival for Pattaya will be extended from April 12th-April 19th to April 12th-April 30th. Additionally, historically the water wars stop at around sunset, however, to further boost tourism and drive the reputation of Pattaya as “The fun city” the water fighting will be permitted to continue until 10:00PM.

Pattaya City hall stated the following to The Pattaya News in a formal statement:

“We believe that by encouraging more tourists to come to Pattaya and driving the reputation of Pattaya as a world class “Fun City” on the level of Las Vegas and New Orleans in America we will boost overall tourism numbers by roughly 35% and bring an estimated further 700 million baht alone to the Pattaya economy. These funds we can utilize later in the year to provide better roads and complete the beach beautification project. Additionally, these funds can be used to assist in dealing with numerous waste management and trash related issues that have plagued the city for the past several months. It is a win-win for all involved.”

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City officials further stated that they are planning several unique events this year for Pattaya City to further encourage “Fun”.  They have also confirmed that in coordination with the government Pattaya has an official exception for allowing water play on main and secondary roads.

The events outlined at the meeting for the now nearly month long festival include the following:

-City sponsored water soaking stations on all major roads, including the highway and in the dark side as the city wants to encourage expats to get into the spirt of Songkran.

-Water soaking stations, sponsored by the city and manned by volunteers and city officials in front of most major supermarket entrances, banks and hospitals to ensure that everyone, including those not in the party areas, enjoy the spirit of Songkran.

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-7-11 has stated that they will be participating in the month long festival as well by having a designated employee at the door soaking every person entering and leaving the store, regardless if they are dressed for the occasion as well in collaboration with City Hall.

-The city will have sponsored water wars on Soi 7 between different groups of tourists. Some planned events include French vs. German tourists, Americans vs. English, Indians vs. Arabs and Russia vs. China.

-Instead of the official flower shirt for the city the city officials are encouraging men to go shirtless and wear official flowered thongs. The thongs should be available at all markets midweek.

If the event is a success City officials have stated that they are looking at expanding Songkran even further, perhaps to a monthly week long event to boost tourism.

Oh…and Happy April Fools, folks.

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Source - ThePattayaNews

 

#Vietnam named one of the friendliest places on Earth for Expats

More than 80 percent of expats describe the Vietnamese as welcoming, and 16 percent plan to stay forever.

Vietnam has been named among the top 10 destinations for expats in a new ranking aimed at guiding the world’s rising number of modern nomads.

The country was placed ninth on the InterNations’ 2018 Expat Insider survey, climbing three spots from last year.

More than four in five expats, or 81 percent, described the Vietnamese people as welcoming, and 73 percent said it was easy to settle down in the country, the survey found.

Of the expats questioned, 56 percent said they had found it easy to make friends with locals, and 16 percent said they planned to stay forever.

More than half of the expats said they planned to stay in the country for up to five years, which was well above the global average of 35 percent.

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“I love the friendly vibe in the city,” said an expat from South Korea who lives in Saigon, as cited in an InterNations press release on Tuesday. “People are mostly nice and gentle.”

InterNations, the largest network for people who live and work abroad, this year ranked 65 economies by looking at comments from nearly 13,000 expats from 188 countries and territories.

Portugal was named the place with the happiest expats, followed by Taiwan, where most expats said they felt at home, and Mexico, where many said it was easy to settle down and acclimatize to the local culture.

Cambodia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Oman, Colombia and Canada were other destinations named in the top 10.

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 The United States was ranked 36th, while the least friendly countries were Finland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria and Kuwait, the survey found.

 

There are around 82,000 foreigners living and working in Vietnam.

The new ranking is uplifting in wake of an HSBC survey in September 2017 that found many expats were not happy with life in the country, with only 28 percent of expats agreeing that they enjoyed a better overall quality of life than in their home countries.

According to HSBC, the average income for expats in Vietnam dropped by 14.5 percent from the previous year to $88,096 in 2017, which is lower than the global average. Vietnamese workers earned $2,200 on average last year.

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Source - vnexpress.net

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#Japan - Kyoto sets eyes on wealthy foreign tourists

The city of Kyoto, visited by over 50 million tourists a year, is boosting efforts to attract wealthy foreign travelers by offering cultural workshops to satisfy their appetite for a deeper engagement with their destinations.

With visitors already at record-high levels, the ancient Japanese capital is shifting focus from quantity to quality in its tourism promotion, targeting the higher spending associated with high-end tourism, especially by foreigners.

According to the city, Japanese travelers, excluding those who made day trips, in 2016 spent about 47,000 yen ($420) per person, about half the 100,000 yen spent by foreign tourists.

"We would like to revitalize our traditional industries and the local economy" by winning the hearts of wealthy foreign travelers, said a city official.

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As part of such efforts, the city, in partnership with the city of Kanazawa, another major Japanese tourist destination, organized a study tour for American travel agents selling trips to rich customers in November.

In Kyoto, two women were introduced to cultural programs such as putting on kimono at a kimono rental shop, visiting a sake brewery and experiencing a tea ceremony. The city hopes the pair will organize travel plans based on their experiences in Kyoto.

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 "Wealthy tourists have a strong intellectual appetite. They want to experience unique traditional culture in their destinations by directly communicating with local experts," said Takeshi Tanaka, an interpreter-guide authorized by the city. 

 Some Buddhist temples in the city have started offering meditation classes in English for a small number of people and more craft centers are giving workshops in which visitors can produce Japanese folding fans and pottery while talking with artisans. These places have proved popular among wealthy foreign travelers, Tanaka said.

The city also set up an organization with other Japanese localities including Sapporo, Nara and Ishikawa Prefecture in April 2016 to jointly attract wealthy foreign tourists.

"In the past, tourism promotion was done by each region in Japan and lacked an attitude to promote the whole of Japan. We will work together to bring more foreign travelers by combining the attractiveness of each destination," a Kyoto city official said.

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Source - TheJakartaPost

#Thailand - Ayutthaya Historical Park, Wat Chaiwatthanaram

New life for old Ayutthaya

The TV series 'Love Destiny' has renewed Thais' interest in the former Siamese capital

MINGLING ROMANCE, fantasy and history, Channel 3’s hit comedy series “Buppesannivas” (“Love Destiny”) has managed to bring classical Ayutthaya back to life. True fans are flocking to the old capital of Siam to dress in elegant period costumes and pose for pictures among the ruined temples and palaces of Ayutthaya Historical Park.

Fans of the television series can easily imagine Khun Sri Wisanwacha and Karaked paddling in a boat to the market. 

The government’s Fine Arts Department recently organised a one-day tour for public and a media mob to the site in a bid to get folks better informed about the long history resting silently in its stones.

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“‘Buppesannivas’ has inspired many more people to visit Ayutthaya,” said Anandha Chuchoti, the department’s director general. “Wat Chaiwatthanaram, for example, which is one of the main locations seen in the TV series, welcomed more than 30,000 tourists within three weeks of the show going on air.” 

The department is developing a map of the key sites used in the TV show and incorporating QR codes that visitors can scan as they follow a designated route. Guides are also on hand to explain the architecture and describe the way of life hundreds of years ago. 

“And next month we’re hosting a one-day excursion from Ayutthaya to Lop Buri to showcase the beauty of both cities during the reign of King Narai,” Anandha said.

Towering Petch Fortress is another point of keen interest, sitting at the convergence of the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers. King Mahadhammaraja erected it in 1580, with eight apertures left in the brickwork for cannon. Here, merchants from China, Portugal, Japan, England and France once gathered.

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 Ayutthaya was known as “the Venice of the East” long before Bangkok inherited the description, said archaeologist Pathravadee Deesomchoke, who’s in charge of the department’s local operations.

  “The old capital was completely surrounded by rivers and moats, making it an easily defended island. There were also 16 fortresses, and King Narai allowed only the Chinese and Persians to settle downtown.”

Pathravadee described the flourishing trade of 300 years ago. Diplomats were sent to France and Western innovations were adopted, such as using bricks and cement in construction rather than clay. 

“Ayutthaya had many markets, both on land and in the waterways, each one specialising in a certain kind of merchandise. Talad Pa Lueng sold monks’ robes and Talad Chee Kun was where you bought jewellery.”

She pointed out that Bangkok’s original defensive walls were built with bricks salvaged from the ruins of Ayutthaya during the reigns of the first three Chakri kings. “So the Fine Arts Department has had to add new bricks to the ruins here to maintain their structural strength.”
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#Cambodia - Museum in Preah Vihear ready to open after 10 years preparing

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A new museum near Preah Vihear temple will be inaugurated on Tuesday, 10 years after the project began. The Samdech Techo Hun Sen Eco-Global Museum consists of 11 buildings on a 177-hectare plot of land in Choam Ksan district. It will present artefacts from the nearby temple and related heritage sites, as well as exhibitions on local culture, flora and fauna. 

“The purpose of creating this museum during the war time with the neighbouring country is to show the world that Cambodia does not need war, we need only peace, to preserve the national heritage, to transfer knowledge from the past to the public and to educate the locals to love their national heritage and disseminate it to others,” said museum Director Som Piseth.

Unesco provided technical support for the project, with the finances partly supported by the Cambodian government, by funds from Prime Minister Hun Sen and from other donors. Piseth was unable to provide information about the project’s costs. 

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 Cambodian Buddhist monks walk at Preah Vihear temple, near the Thai border in Preah Vihear province, on July 21, 2008. A new museum was set to open near the temple on Tuesday.

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 Among the challenges in building the museum was the ongoing border conflict with Thailand until the end of 2013, a lack of equipment and workers, and the remoteness of the museum, he said. 

The museum is distinct from others not only in terms of its size but also in what it will show, with objects on display ranging from ancient artefacts to information about a variety of heritage locations in Cambodia, and even exhibits on neighbouring countries. It will also focus on local indigenous cultures, especially the Kuy ethnic group – including their role during the Angkorian era as elephant breeders and as armourers. 

“It is really a museum which is showing the cultural diversity of Cambodia,” Unesco representative Anne Lemaistre said. “It is the first ethnographic museum in Cambodia.”

Its variety is part of the attraction, Piseth said, with its focus not on “one specific theme or topic”. 

“We do not only focus on showing the archaeological collections but we also show the history of other world heritage countries such as Laos, Vietnam, the culture and the livelihoods of indigenous people, as well as the flora and fauna in the area,” he said.

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 Source - PhnomPenhPost

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#Thailand - Phanom Rung Historical Park Festival 2018

Buri Ram province, in cooperation with the Fine Arts Department and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, is organising the annual Phanom Rung Historical Park Festival 2018, from March 30 to April 1 at the Phnom Rung Historical Park.

The opening ceremony is scheduled on March 31. 

The event is usually held every first weekend of April to celebrate the unusual phenomenon when the rays of the rising sun shine through all of the Khmer temple's 15 doorways at the same time.  

This awe-inspiring spectacle takes place four times a year at the Phanomrung Sanctuary and is believed to bring great blessings upon everyone who is there to witness it. For those who wish to see the magic happening in 2018, make sure to be present at the sanctuary on April 3-5.

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Several other activities will also take place as part of the event. Not to be missed include the ‘dimensional mapping light and sound show’ and the ‘special light show’ highlighting the legend of Phanomrung Sanctuary, a ritual to worship the gods and celestial beings, as well as a grand procession and Apsara dance performances.

Visitors can also enjoy shopping for local arts and crafts, as well as souvenirs, or try a wide range of local cuisine at the traditional-style flea market. 

Having visited the Phanom Rung Sanctuary, tourists can also explore other attractions in vicinity including Muang Tam Sanctuary in Prakhonchai district, Wat Khao Angkarn – the Buddhist temple on an extinct volcano, the silk and cotton weaving village of Tambon Charoensuk, and Lamnangrong dam of Non Dindaeng district. 

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Another awe-inspiring place of interest in Buri Ram is the i-Mobile Stadium (Thunder Castle), which is currently the largest football stadium in Thailand and becoming a new magnet attracting visitors to Buri Ram. This 32,600-seat football stadium is owned by the Thai Premier League club Buriram United – a rising-star football club in Thailand. Also not to be missed is the Chang International Circuit, which will host the MotoGP 2018 in October. 

This year’s event joins the action-packed Thailand Tourism Year 2018, which promotes the time-honoured cultural events and festivals, as well as helping to spread tourism income to local communities across the country.

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Source - TheNation

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#Indonesia - Jepitu farmers, fishermen hold thanksgiving ritual for good harvest

Two fishermen fish using a net at the as part of the 'Sedekah Laut Ngalangi' thanksgiving ritual on Jungwok Beach.

Villagers form a procession during the 'Sedekah Laut Ngalangi' ceremony to the accompaniment of 'bende' and 'kendang'. 

 The village procession makes its way from Jungwok Beach to Wediombo Beach during the 'Sedekah Laut Ngalangi' thanksgiving cermony in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta.

 Jepitu villagers carry a variety of dishes wrapped in palm leaves for a communal feast during the 'Sedekah Laut Ngalangi' thanksgiving ceremony.

A group of villagers row out into the shallows to release offerings into the sea during the 'Sedekah Laut Ngalangi' thanksgiving ceremony. 

 The residents of Jepitu village in Gunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta, gathered at Jungwok Beach on Thursday, to perform the Sedekah Laut Ngalangi, a thanksgiving ritual that has been passed down from generation to generation. 

In the Sedekah Laut Ngalangi, the villagers give offerings to show their gratitude for the abundant farm and fish harvest from the rich nature that surrounds them.

The village residents were dressed in lurik, clothing made from a traditional Javanese textile, while several other villagers were dressed in the traditional attire of a warrior of the Mataram Kingdom, complete with swords and spears.

The villagers also brought home-cooked food made from their crop and fish harvests, which included fare such as steamed rice with ayam ingkung, a local chicken dish, marinated  sweet tofu and tempeh, grilled fish, and the mandatory coconut sambal, or chili paste.

The dishes are placed in containers made of wood and bamboo and carefully wrapped in palm leaves, which are then carried by men and women in a ritual procession.

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