Surat thani

The area of Surat Thani was already inhabited in prehistoric times by Semang and Malayan tribes. Founded in the 3rd century, until the 13th century the Srivijaya kingdom dominated the Malay Peninsula and much of the island of Java from there. The city Chaiya contains several ruins from Srivijaya times, and was probably a regional capital of the kingdom. Some Thai historians even claim that it was the capital of the kingdom itself for some time, but this is generally disputed. Wiang Sa was another main settlement of that time.

After the fall of the Srivijaya it was divided into the cities (Mueang) Chaiya, Thatong (now Kanchanadit) and Khirirat Nikhom. While Chaiya was administrated directly from the capital, Thatong and Khirirat were controlled by the Nakhon Si Thammarat kingdom. In 1899 they were merged into one province named Chaiya. In 1915 also the court of the Monthon Chumphon was moved to Bandon, which received its new name Surat Thani on July 29, 1915 during a visit of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). The monthon was renamed to Surat accordingly. In 1926 it was abolished and incorporated into monthon Nakhon Si Thammarat. In 1933 the monthon was dissolved, so the province became the first level administrative subdivision.
Provincial hall of Surat Thani

The provincial administration was at first located in a building in Tha Kham (Amphoe Phunphin). It was moved to the city of Surat Thani directly at the shore of the Tapi river in World War II, but when the Japanese invaded Thailand on December 8, 1941 and landed in Surat Thani as well, the building caught fire during the short battle and burned down. It was reopened in 1954. On March 19, 1982 it was destroyed again by a bomb planted by communist rebels, killing 5 people. A new building was built in the south of the city, the former site of the provincial hall is now the city pillar shrine (Lak Mueang).
Source wikipedia

Pattaya Thailand

Pattaya was a small fishing village until it was discovered by Bangkok residents in the 1960s. Soon thereafter, servicemen from all over Southeast Asia, including the United States Air Force base at U-Tapao in neighbouring Rayong province began using the area for "rest and recreation" (R&R), causing a huge boom in prostitution. When the Americans left following the end of the Vietnam War, the city fell into a crisis.

The rapid growth of tourism brought about many negative consequences, such as pollution and petty crime. In 1976, the Pattaya City Act was passed by the Thai legislature, making Pattaya a self-administrating municipality governed by a Council-manager government. However, many argue that this administration system has drawbacks (for example, the mayor may disagree with the city manager). Critics have recommended abolishing the system.

In recent years the city has pushed hard to clean up its image, however the core sex-industry has ensured that Pattaya retains its position as one of the world's most visited party destinations. Despite these efforts, Pattaya's sex industry is the city's raison d'être.

Source: wikipedia

Nakhon Sawan

Nakhon Sawan was a city since Dvaravati era. While part of the Sukhothai kingdom, it was called Mueang Phra Bang, the southern frontier city of Sukhothai. Later within the Ayutthaya kingdom it was an important trade center because of its location at the two major rivers from the north. It also was the common meeting point of Burmese troops before moving to attack Ayutthaya. In the reign of King Taksin the Great, Phra Bang became a Siamese military base to prevent further Burmese attacks.

When King Mongkut signed the Bowring Treaty with Britain the glorious time of Nakhon Sawan began, as it became the main rice and teak trading center. However the opening of the Northern railway in 1922, the economic crisis before 1932 revolution, and finally the opening of Dejativongse bridge and Phahonyothin highway in 1950 each decreased the importance of water transportation and thus made Nakhon Sawan less important.

When in 1895 King Chulalongkorn established the monthon as part of the thesaphiban administrative reform, Nakhon Sawan became capital city of Monthon Nakhon Sawan.

The 4th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Area Army is based in Nakhon Sawan. It is in charge of the northwestern border with Burma, from Mae Hong Son in the north to Kanchanaburi in the south

Source: wikipedia

Nan THailand

Nan (Thai: น่าน) is a city in Northern Thailand. It is located some 668 km north of Bangkok. Its population exceeds 24.000. It is situated in the centre of the province which bears its name, and of which it is the administrative capital. It covers the whole tambon Nai Wiang of Mueang Nan district, an area of 5.40 km². As of 2005 it had a population of 20,413. It is subdivided into 26 chumchon. It is spread out along the Nan river's right bank. Nan is a small city, primarily devoted to commercial, administrative, educational and hospital activities, but it has considerable charm. The old heart of the city, where Wat Phumin, the National Museum and other tourist attractions are located, is being restored attractively. The city's industrial and tourist development remains limited until now, but should be improved by the complete opening of the border towards Laos and beyond towards China, an opening that has been postponed so far but should occur in a short time.

Source: wikipedia

Ubon Ratchathani Thailand

Ubon Ratchathani the largest province in the Isarn (Northeastern of Thailand) is rich in history and diverse in cultural attractions. Isarn ploudly presents our 4,000 year-old culture, custom, tradition and arts.
Ubon Ratchathani or "Lotus City", a major province in the northeastern part of the country combines prehistoric culture, ancient customs, traditions and arts with picturesque scenery in an attractive and distinctive ambience. It is where you can see the sunshine before others in Thailand, the Emerald Triangle - the gateway to Laos (Chong Mek) and Cambodia (Chong And Man).
The Kha and the Suai, two local tribes, had moved from Si Sattanakanahut to this area before the Rattanakosin Period. During the reign of King Rama I, the King thought of locating the people scattered around because of war into one area. Therefore, any leader who could gather the greatest number of people and establish a secure community would be promoted to the rank of Chao Muang or Chief. For this reason, in 1786, Thao Kham Phong, who had led a group of his people to settle in the Huai Chaeramae area on a plain on the bank of the Mun River, was promoted to the rank of Chief. Later, when he helped the Thai troops to attack Nakhon Champasak he was promoted to the rank of Phra Pathum Worarat Suriyawong and became Chao Muang or Governor of Ban Chaeramac, whic was upgraded to the status of a province called Ubon Ratchathani. Later the city was moved to a new site at Dong U-Phung which is the site of the present city with seven other towns as satellites.
During the reign of King Rama V, before the reform of the provincial administration which divided the kingdom into Monthon (circle), Changwat (province) and Amphoe (district), Ubon Ratchathani was annexed to Northeastern Monthon with Ubon Ratchathani as its administrative centre and the name was changed again in 1900 into Monthon I-san.
Because of the Depression in 1915, the status of Monthon Ubon Ratchathani was reduced to only a province in Monthon Nakhon Ratchasima. In 1933 the divition of the kingdom into Monthon was cancelled and the city has been Ubon Ratchathani Province from that time on.

Chiang rai northern Thailand

The city was founded by King Mangrai in 1262 and became the capital of the Mangrai dynasty. However, it lost this status soon after to a new city built by Mangrai at Chiang Mai. Subsequently, Chiang Rai was conquered by Burma and remained under Burmese rule for several hundred years. It was not until 1786 that Chiang Rai became Chiang Mai vassal. After Siam or Thailand annexed Chiang Mai in 1899 Chiang Rai was proclaimed a province of Thailand in 1933.

In 1432 during the reign of King Sam Fang Kaen of Mangrai dynasty (1402-1441) the Phra Kaeo, or Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha statue, was discovered in Chiang Rai when an earthquake split the Chedi at Wat Phra Kaeo of Chiang Rai City. The beautiful jade figure was then seen concealed within.

In 1992, the City Pillar was moved from Wat Klang Wiang to Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong, where it is known as Sadue Mueang (Thai: สะดือเมือง), the Navel or Omphalos of the City.

Geography

Chiang Rai City is 200 kilometres northeast of Chiang Mai City, Changwat Chiang Mai; 62 kilometres south of Amphoe Mae Sai and the Myanmar border; 60 kilometres southwest of Amphoe Chiang Saen on the Mae Khong across from the People's Democratic Republic of Laos; and 90 kilometres north of Phayao City, Changwat Phayao.

The Mae Kok River runs along its north side, flowing from west to east and eventually merging with the Mekong River.

Demographics

Population 62,000.

12.5% of the population belong to the hill tribes, a collective term for the minority ethnic groups in the North of Thailand such as the Karen, Akha, Lisu, Meo and Muser. Many Chinese, particularly from Yunnan Province, have migrated to the area and assimilated with the Thai population to such extent that well over half of the large businesses in northern Thailand are owned by people of Chinese heritage.[citation needed]

Tourist attractions

* Princess Mother Hall and Doi Mae Salong Located about 70 km northwest of Chiang Rai accessed by a scenic, and sometimes quite steep, road from Mae Chan. In Mae Salong there is a museum of the Kuomintang and their plight after exiled from China by Mao Zedong, and subsequently forced to leave Burma from where they entered Thailand, helping at times to fight the Communists.
* Doi Tung Royal Villa is the final residence of the mother of the King of Thailand, known as the Princess Mother. It is located at kilometre 12 on highway 1149, to the west of highway 1. This magnificent villa was built on the mountain overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys in a unique mix of Swiss and Lanna architectural styles. Adjacent to the villa is a large flower-filled garden, and a memorial hall commemorating the Princess Mother.
* Doi Tung Zoo
* Phu Chi Fa
* The Gate of Siam is a location on the border with Laos where one can stand high up on a mountain with Laos directly in front and the mighty Mekong River flowing beneath.

Transport

Route 1 runs from Bangkok through Chiang Rai to Mae Sai on the Burma border. Chiang Rai is 839 kilometers from Bangkok, about 14 hours by car or by bus. According to official bus schedules, the bus ride to Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai takes approximately an hour and 30 minutes, however the 175 km trip most often takes at least two and a half hours.

Several flights are available to and from Bangkok daily. Chiang Rai International Airport flight time is about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

There is scheduled boat service between Chiang Rai and Thaton in Chiang Mai province daily.

There are currently no rail services to Chiang Rai as the railway line from Bangkok ends at Chiang Mai. There have been talks of extending the rail line to Chiang Rai in the near future,[citation needed] but this is unlikely to happen as the city's population is well below 1 million and there isn't as many international tourists visiting Chiang Rai as Chiang Mai.[citation needed]

Source: wikipedia

Visit the province of Loei in Thailand's North

Although geographical located in the Northeast, Loei has many things in common with the Northern region with numerous high hills and mountains, wintry and foggy climate. It is the only province in Thailand which has the dubious destination of the mercury plummeting to zero Celsius. Loei is 520 kilometers from Bangkok.

In 1853, King Rama IV realized that the number of people living in this part of Thailand had increased. LoeiHe decided there were enough people in the area to establish a town, so he sent Phraya Tainam to survey the counties around the region. Phraya Tainam recognized that Ban Hae, which is situated on the banks of Nam Man canal, near the Loei river, was the best place for a town. He also realized that the existence of the surrounding mountains could provide a safe situation for a settlement. Phraya Tainam recommended that the King officially recognize this area as Muang Loei.

An Act was passed in 1897 to improve administrative structures in Thailand. The whole country was divided into Provinces, District (Amphoe), Counties (Tambon) and Bans (Villages).

Muang Loei was established in Amphoe Kudphong. On January 4th 1907. the Minister if the Interior proclaimed Muang Loei to be Loei Province (Changwat Loei). Also, in 1907, the name of the area was changed from Nam Loei Waterway to Nam Hueng Waterway.

Most of the Province consists of a series of extended low mountain ranges with the town of Loei nestling in a fertile basin. There are three distinct geographical areas in the province :- Loei

The mountains, mainly West of Loei, around Nahaew, Phu Rua, Dansai and Tali districts.
The population here is sparse because of the small areas for cultivation and because the terrain makes communication inconvenient.

The low plains area around the Maekhong River. Loei River in Amphoe Muang Loei and Amphoe Chiankhan and Amphoe Wand Saphung. LoeiAgriculture flourishes in this area and it is the most populated part of Loei Province.

Flatter fertile areas at the foot of the mountain around the East and South of Loei near PhukraDueng, Phu Luang, PhuKao, Naduang and Pakchom. Agriculture is more viable here than in the mountain areas and so the population is denser.

Getting there...

By Bus
Non air-conditioned buses and air-conditioned buses leave Northeastern bus terminal on Phaholyothin Road.
Tel. 271 0101 Non-air, 279 4484-7 Air.

By Train
Trains leave Bangkok Railway Station for Udon Thani and Khon Kaen. From there take a bus to Loei.
For further information please contact Tel. 2237010, 2237020

By Plane
Bangkok Airways Co., Ltd. flies to Loei 3 time a week.
For more details please contact Tel. 2534004