Wednesday 21 June 2017

#Bangkok - Suvarnabhumi Standoff: Airport claps back after being called ninth worst

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Since being rated the ninth worst airport in the world last week in a report by the website airhelp.com, Suvarnabhumi has released a statement calling into question the survey, its data-collection methods, and their low score.  

In a Thai statement published on its Facebook page, Suvarnabhumi Airport called the survey unreliable and its methods unscientific.

The airhelp report, released last Monday, said that it took into consideration reviews from passengers regarding customer service, security, comfort, check-in, user experience, and quality of facilities at 76 airports around the world. Suvarnabhumi International Airport was rated 68, scoring just 6.3 points out of a possible 10. 
 
 
The Bangkok airport said that, while they are open to criticism and suggestions for improvement, they never provided any info to airhelp and have a much higher rating on the better-known site FlightStat, which tracks flight data and airports. 

They also accused airhelp of only taking into account reviews written in English while the majority of reviews for the Bangkok airport are written in Thai.

Below is a translation of the statement released by the airport about the recent ranking:
Suvarnabhumi Airport will take comments from the passengers or the organizations who conducted the survey into consideration, as Suvarnabhumi views that this information is greatly beneficial to the management of the airport. We know that this information reflects the thoughts of the passengers. 

The ranking on airhelp.com was conducted for the first time this year, claiming that the survey was conducted between Dec. 2016 – March 2017 from sources that have no standards. Regarding the rankings for on-time performance, quality and service, and passenger sentiment categories, the survey does not declare the merits and demerits of the airports ranked in the list.
They address each ratings category individually:

1. On-time Performance
www.airhelp.com does not clearly state their source for the ranking. Suvarnabhumi insists that it has not provided any information regarding its performance to this website.
However, Flight Stats, an organization collecting real-time information on air traffic, ranks Suvarnabhumi at 13th place in the category of Global Hub Performance in May 2017.

2. Quality and Service
Airhelp.com stated that it sourced the information from SKYTRAX star ratings collected between Dec. 22, 2016 – March 20, 2017. There is no evidence that SKYTRAX confirms the correctness of the information for Airhelp.
The Airport Council International ranked Suvarnabhumi as the 10th best airport in the world last year.

3. Passenger Sentiment.
Airhelp.com stated that it sourced from Twitter. We found that Airhelp only conducts their ranking from English-language tweets and its own tools.
Suvarnabhumi Airport welcomes the results of all surveys if these surveys are from reliable or well-known organizations such as the Airport Council International, which ranked Suvarnabhumi 10th best airport in the world.

Probably worth pointing out here that the Airport Council International is a lobbying group for airports.

Source - Coconuts.co

Tuesday 20 June 2017

#Thailand - Temples transformed: superheroes bolster Buddha's ranks

Superheroes are coming to the rescue of Thailand's temples, where monks have commissioned giant statues of comic book icons and toy robots to entertain children while parents donate to their coffers.

Instead of the traditional tranquil Buddhas and mythical beasts that adorn most monasteries in the land, the shimmering Wat Ta Kien temple outside Bangkok is guarded by three towering Transformer robots.

The enormous and intricate sculptures, made from bits of scrap metal and painted bright orange, yellow and blue, "have no spiritual purpose", explained monk Pra Vichien. 
"It's for children so they won't get bored when they come to the temple with their parents," he said.

 
Other temples are following suit in a country whose monasteries compete to draw visitors and keep donations flowing.

At least four Buddhist temples across Thailand and a meditation centre have bought superhero statues, according to Pairoj Thanomwong, the Thai artist who runs the workshop where the sci-fi monsters and comic book figures are manufactured.

Armed with blow torches, heaps of metal bolts and twisted car parts, the artists piece together the elaborate sculptures in a warehouse in central Thailand called "Ban Hun Lek", which translates to "House of Iron Robots".

The largest sculptures -- around seven to eight metres high -- can be sold for thousands of dollars, he said.

The factory also sells its wares to local restaurants and bars but its biggest customer base lies abroad, especially in Europe, with around 80 per cent of sales made to overseas clients who have seen the statues on social media.

Pairoj started with comic book classics but has expanded production to to include everything from steely desks and chairs to polished replicas of luxury cars and motorcycles. 
Nearly 90 per cent of the materials are recycled metal, a cost-cutting measure that also means each piece is unique. 

Tastes have changed quickly since he went into business, he said.
"In terms of the products that people like, it evolves over time," Pairoj explained. 
"Over the past 10 years, people used to like (characters from) Aliens and Predator, but now they like the Transformers."

Source - TheNations

Monday 19 June 2017

#Indonesia - Modangan Beach in Malang a haven for paragliding

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Fans of paragliding should consider adding one more destination to their list of places to visit: Modangan Beach.

Located in Sumberoto village in Malang, East Java, the beach, which has recently been named a tourist village area, is known as a place associated with the aerospace industry.


 As paragliding serves as one of the beach’s main attractions, a local community, the Modangan Paragliding Club, employs senior paragliding coaches to train local youths to become paragliding athletes. The village is also home to a picturesque teak forest and several Instagrammable spots.

For those looking to spend a few days at the destination, Malang village is currently developing five homestay areas that occupy 1.5 hectares of land. The local administration reportedly plans to offer opportunities for the villagers to open their houses to be used as homestays for tourists.
Sumberoto village head Budi Utomo says the administration has plans to develop halal tourism at Modangan Beach, considering that the villagers are known to be religious.
 
 
TheJakartaPost

Thursday 15 June 2017

#Bali boasts creativity, culture as economy backbone

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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said during a limited evaluation meeting on national strategic projects (PSN) and priority programs in Bali on Wednesday that he wanted to maintain the growth of foreign tourists coming to the famous resort island.

Jokowi described Bali as unique in that its economy is not based on natural resources, but rather the tourism sector and creative industry, which rely on creativity and culture.

 
“With culture and creativity, Bali province has presented a positive image for Indonesia to the entire world, which is why foreign tourists know more about Bali than Indonesia,” Jokowi said.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya called Bali the tourism icon of Indonesia, just like Thailand is the tourism icon of Southeast Asia.
“It’s true what President Jokowi said, Bali is not affected by natural resource commodities such as oil and gas, coal and CPO [Crude Palm Oil]; Bali’s economy is purely driven by tourism and the creative economy,” Arief said.
 
Source - TheJakartaPost

Tuesday 13 June 2017

#Thailand - 7.5m people pay respects to late King

People from all walks of life and from all over the country have visited Bangkok to pay their respects before the Royal Urn of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej inside the Grand Palace’s Dusit Maha Prasart Throne Hall.

The Bureau of Royal Household reported on Friday that 7,544,644 people had paid their respects before the Royal Urn in the past 219 days. During the same period, the public also donated more than Bt592 million towards merit-making for the late King.

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Source - TheNation
 

Sunday 11 June 2017

#Cambodia - The mysterious ‘foreigners’ carved into the temples of Sambor Prei Kuk

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At an ancient Chenla site, a series of carvings depict men who appear to be foreigners. Their identity has confounded, and divided, archaeologists and historians and raises questions about the interactions of the Khmer empires with the outside world.
 
Leading off of the main highway 10 minutes north of Kampong Thom city, the road to Sambor Prei Kuk is seldom travelled by tourists. But after 16 kilometres, the road reaches an ancient temple at the site of the former capital of the Chenla Empire. 

The ruins provide not only a glimpse of the Pre-Angkorian period, but of a mystery that has confounded researchers – one that, if solved, could shed light on the people and cultures that interacted with ancient Khmer civilisation.

Amid the dense tropical rainforest and bomb craters left by American attacks in the 1970s lie 150 ancient sandstone temples, all pre-dating the Angkorian era. Constructed on an area of 4 square kilometres, the temples are divided into three clusters: the North Group, South Group and Central Group. 

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 The southernmost is the home to the puzzle.
Facing the main temple, Prasat Yeah Poun, is a derelict construction called Kda Ouk. Its architrave – the beam above the columns – bears the carvings of 12 men. Each is different – some with strong, chiselled features, and others more delicate – but they have notable characteristics in common, including moustaches, long curly hair, big eyes, thick eyebrows and pointy noses. 
The unique features of these men do not fit with the statues and engravings at the rest of the temples – nor, researchers say, with the physical appearance of Cambodian people. This has led to speculation that they are the portraits of foreigners. But who were these outsiders and why, in the seventh century, would they have been important enough to the Khmer people to have been literally put on a pedestal? 

Chiv Heng, a 52-year-old farmer who has lived near Sambo Prei Kuk for his entire life, said he has always wondered about the identities of the men since he was a boy, but no one in the area had any answers for him.

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 “Some elderly people told me that they were Indian, and some said they were religious idols, but no one is sure,” Heng said. “But, when UNTAC [the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia] came to Cambodia to organise the election, I noticed that the faces looked similar to the face of the UNTAC’s barang [Western] staff.”

“Although I stayed in school for only five years and do not know much about Khmer history, I could tell that the heads must have been the copies of barang men who came to Cambodia in the past.”

Smey Smak, 59, a tourism police officer born in Kampong Thom and stationed in Sambor Prei Kuk since 2004, shares the same hypothesis with Chiv Heng.

“I usually hear the tour guides explain to the tourists that they were Indian, but I do not believe that,” he said. “The busts look like the Spanish people, if one asks me, but I never learned that Spanish people came to Cambodia in ancient times.” 

A foreign concept

Given its decay and remoteness, today it is easy to forget that Sambor Prei Kuk was the capital of the Khmer Empire during the Chenla period, beginning during the reign of King Isanavarman I between 616 and 637 AD.

Just the ticket for girl time

Travel website Booking.com has been busy finding out what types of trips ladies between the ages of 18 and 34 favour right now and unsurprisingly the results are almost equally divided between beach vacations (54 per cent) and city breaks (53 per cent).

The respondents indicated that most important factors were travelling to somewhere new, a relaxing getaway and great value for money.

The data was collected by Booking.com from 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. 

Interestingly, 65 per cent of Thais said that they took a beach vacation in 2016 with 51 per cent opting for a city break. 


 So whether you’re planning ladies nights or some quality mother-daughter time for 2017, one of the destinations below could well be what you’re after. 
For the Beach Lovers: Sydney, Australia 

A getaway to the sun-drenched capital, Sydney is a must on the wish list. Check out the most photographed ocean pool in Australia, Bondi Icebergs, have a picnic in the Botanic Gardens, take a hike through the Royal National Park, stroll from Bondi to Coogee or savour a cocktail or two with a view at the impressive Hacienda Bar. 

 Where to stay: Bounce Sydney is the perfect scene for travellers on a budget but who do not want to compromise on style. Bounce Sydney boasts an onsite restaurant, bar, BBQ facilities and a rooftop terrace offering views of Sydney. You and your girl squad can choose from shared dormitories to private rooms and can meet fellow travellers in the three communal lounges and the fully equipped kitchen.

For the City Girls: New York City, US
The Big Apple is the perfect fun-fuelled getaway for you and your friends, from the neon lights of buzzing Times Square, the famed Broadway theatres to the sprawling beauty of Central Park.

Where to stay: Located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is Sanctuary NYC Retreats. Offering retreat-style accommodation complete with an onsite yoga studio, Stanton Street Yoga and free unlimited classes for guests, this is the perfect scene to recharge your batteries after hitting the town.

For the Zen Seekers: Ubud, Bali
Bali is the perfect beach getaway. Discover tropical rainforests, terraced rice paddies, Hindu temples and shrines, ancient holy sites and breathtaking coastlines fringed by swaying palm trees. Be sure to check out the Goa Gajah Elephant Cave and the Ubud Monkey Forest!
Where to stay: Alam Ubud Culture Villa and Residence boasts two spring-water swimming pools and stunning views of the river valley and forest. The spacious villas are set on the hillside and come with modern Balinese decor.