Wine & Culture, trip van de maand bij Viengtravel

Wine & Culture


DAY 1. You’ll be picked up from your Bangkok hotel at around 7:30am.From Bangkok we drive north and east via Saraburi towards Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat). We then turn off the main route and take the scenic back roads to Khao Yai in the Asoke Valley. We then drive through patchwork countryside that could almost be France, were it not for the banana trees and occasional coconut palm. It’s here that we visit our first winery, the PB Valley Khao Yai Winery. Set on a valley plain 300 metres above sea level close to Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai Winery claims to be the birthplace of Khao Yai wine. The 800 Acre plantation includes 200 acres of good quality grapes and a 3,000 square-meter factory that includes a fermentation room housing French-made 225-litre oak barrels with the capacity to mature 450,000 litres of wine, or 600,000 bottles a year. We start with an extended tour of the vineyard and winery, concluded by a tasting of their best white and red wines. Usually, four different wines are offered for tasting.After a couple of hours we will be transported over to the Vineyard's own restaurant, the Great Hornbill, where a buffet lunch will be provided including a glass of their excellent wine.After lunch, we will take the short drive to our next winery, the Gran Monte Winery (only during weekends). Just like the first one, it is set in 800 acres and planted with Shriaz, Tempranillo, Chenin Blanc, and Clombard grapes, Gran Monte produces excellent wines. The vineyards are family owned and operated. Set on 40 acres and grows a mixture of Syrah and Chenin Blanc vines to produce some great wines. We start with a short tour of the vineyard followed by an extended wine tasting session in the purpose build tasting house.After all this wine, we will take a short drive to see the beautiful and famous Muek Lek waterfalls, where you might want to take a dip in the refreshing lagoons (if you’re still sober enough that is...). Finally, on our way to the Fahsai Resort where we will spend the night, we make a short stop to see a beautiful temple that is dominated by a Giant Buddha set into the hillside.Dinner will be served at around 7:30pm and will be local Thai Cuisine and includes a free glass of local Red or White wine.

DAY 2. After a hearty breakfast we will set off and head over to Khao Yai National Park. The park covers some 2,168 sq kms and is home to over 2,000 different species of vegetation and more than 300 species of birds and animals. We travel through the park stopping at various view points and we also have the option of a short trek through the jungle to the Heo Naraok waterfall.We then continue in the direction of Khorat stopping off for a comfort break and an Ice Cream at Chok Chai Diary Farm.Lunch will be taken in or around Khorat and will be Thai Cuisine, including a glass of wine (or beer).We then travel on towards the Ancient City of Prasat Hin Phimai, an ancient Khmer city with magnificent sandstone temples and architecture dating back thousands of years. Mid-afternoon we will set back off towards your hotel in Bangkok with a few short stops on the way to break up the journey.


Price: 8,000 Baht p.p.based on twinsharingminimum: two participants.

Deze trip is te boeken bij Viengtravel in Bangkok. www.viengtravel.com

Walking down memory lane, Nieuw museum in Bangkok

Bangkok's Chinatown has a history all its own. And now this history has been brought to life in a new museum.


Walking down memory lane

A new museum tells the story of a people who have made a huge contribution to Bangkok.

By: Sirikul Bunnag
Published: 28/01/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Bangkok's Chinatown has a history all its own. It's a history of a people who left behind their families and familiar surroundings to forge a new life. It's also a history paralleled among members of the Chinese diaspora the world over. And now this history has been brought to life in a new museum.

People wait in a long queue to visit the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Centre at Wat Trai Mit Witthayaram on Yaowarat road. Photos by JETJARAS NA RANONG
Thousands of visitors queued up yesterday to await their turn to reach the second floor grand stupa at Wat Trai Mit Witthayaram, where the memories of old Chinatown are unravelled at the Yaowarat Chinatown Heritage Centre.

Many visitors decked out in red spent their Chinese New Year holiday becoming re-acquainted with their roots. Visitors were handed cards limiting groups of 40 people to a 15-minute viewing of the exhibits.

Admission to the centre is free until Feb 8, when it will be closed for the inauguration of the Maha Mondop stupa.

All free admission cards till then have been snapped up.

Said to be one of the country's most comprehensive museums depicting the birth and development of the Chinatown community, the museum is divided into different periods which trace the Yaowarat area's evolution from its beginnings to the present day.

Migrants share a meal.
The foyer contains an exhibition honouring Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and her close bond with China and its people, which is portrayed in a rich collection of photographs taken by the princess during her many visits to that country, including during the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games which she attended last year.

The foyer opens to a zone showcasing the prosperity of the Chinese community under His Majesty the King.

The zone also employs three-dimensional Magic Vision technology to give depth to the story being narrated on the trade around Yaowarat in the early days and the Chinese community's reverence for the royal institution.

The narration is by an elderly man, a self-made Yaowarat tycoon, walking his grandson down memory lane.

A gold shop is recreated as one of the displays at the heritage museum.

The next zone traces the birth of Yaowarat by the early Chinese settlers who landed on Siam's shores during the Rattanakosin era and then goes on through the growth of the community from 1782-1851.

A display shows the settlers crammed into a ship making the treacherous journey to Siam. The hardships and the struggle for a better life are reflected in their meagre possessions: a pillow to sleep on, a jar each of personal items, and just melons to fend off their hunger.

The third zone covers the Golden Age from 1957, when Yaowarat boasted the country's tallest building, a nine-storey highrise with the nation's first elevator.

A large model of the old Yaowarat, bursting as it was with rows of commercial buildings and streets crisscrossed by tram lines, is compared with the area today, still busy and bustling with energy.

The fourth zone celebrates Chinatown's "pillars of strength", both living and deceased. The important figures honoured include the late Luang Pakdi Pattharakorn, a highly successful rice trader during the reign of King Rama V, and tycoons such as Chin Sophonpanich, founder of Bangkok Bank, the country's largest bank, and Thiem Chokewattana who founded the Sahapathanapibul business empire.

A store sells Chinese sweets.
The other zones feature royal activities and a touch-screen directory of restaurants and eateries found in Chinatown.

Caretaker Thaksit Sitthisakon said the museum took two years to build using donations and the efforts of the Yaowarat community. The information presented is the result of extensive research and interviews among mostly elderly Yaowarat residents.

The museum is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 6pm at the weekend until Feb 8.

The visitors yesterday were full of praise for the venture. Sathaporn Panla, 68, from Nong Bua Lampu, said she was impressed with the museum and inspired by the Chinese people's perseverance in the face of hardship.

Labourers toil to make ends meet in their new home.


A shop sells utensils and Chinaware.

Samut Sakhon het jaarlijkse zeevruchtenfestival

Samut Sakhon (TVB) - Van 26 februari tot 1 maart is er in Samut Sakhon het jaarlijkse zeevruchtenfestival waar alle lekkernijen uit de zee op zijn best worden getoond en natuurlijk ook te eten zijn. In deze vissersplaats, zo'n 40 kilometer ten zuid-westen van Bangkok, ligt de grootste zeevoedselmarkt (24 hectare) van zuid-oost Azie. Hier komt het overgrote deel van alle vis vandaan die men in Bangkok kan eten. Ook op alle andere dagen van het jaar de moeite waard om te bezoeken wat ook per trein kan vanaf Bangkok.

Tata Young,Bie,Lydia

Het is wel weer effe wennen zonder Thai Music, daarom....... maar ook English music....


http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj3XarCCLI0

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf6wtbFBSeI

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=4_GSGKn-m3Y

Thai-Chinese celebrate New Year

By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 25/01/2009 at 02:36 PM

Thai-Chinese descendants nationwide worshipped the gods and ancestors on the occasion of the Chinese New Year.


In the southern province of Songkhla, many people made merit at the City's Pillar Shrine and a grand candle lighting ceremony will be held there on Sunday night.

In Nakhon Sawan province, people presented offerings to different shrines. However, the amount of offerings was less than usual due to the economic crisis.

The atmosphere in Chon Buri's Pattaya was also less lively, as only some Thai-Chinese joined the Chinese New Year ceremony.

However, the atmosphere near the Thai-Cambodian checkpoints in Chanthaburi province was vibrant, as many Cambodian-Chinese people entered Thailand to buy Chinese New Year offerings, such as pork, poultry and fish. About 40 million baht were circulated in marketplaces near the border areas, and part of it is because Cambodian farmers have sold their produces recently.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will organise the Chinese New Year Festival at Bangkok's China Town on Yaowarat road on Monday and Tuesday. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over its opening ceremony on Monday at 5pm. The event is expected to generate approximately 500 million baht.

New Year in China sees the biggest annual movement of people in the world

Chinese New Year activities are being organised at Central World Plaza in Bangkok. On Tuesday evening, performers and entertainers from seven precincts of China will perform dazzling shows there.

In China, meanwhile, the global economic crisis put a damper on celebrations as tens of millions of people were set to usher in the Lunar New Year Sunday with fireworks and big family reunions.

Railways and planes worked full tilt over the weekend as people made last-minute dashes home to welcome the Year of the Ox, which begins on Monday.

A record 188 million people were expected to travel by train and another 24 million to fly over the 40 days before and after the New Year, in what is regarded as the biggest annual movement of people in the world.

And while bad weather failed to disrupt the transport network like it did last year in China, the economic crisis loomed large.

In a New Year speech, China's Premier Wen Jiabao warned of challenges in the year ahead, the official People's Daily newspaper reported Sunday, as financial woes continued to impact the country.

"Taking a broad view of the situation abroad and domestically, challenges and opportunities exist," the newspaper quoted Wen as saying, and he reiterated the importance of economic policies such as increasing domestic consumption.

Wen, whose bridge-building trip to Europe starting Tuesday will focus on the crisis, was in the southwestern province of Sichuan -- hit by a devastating earthquake in May -- Sunday to visit victims, the official China Daily said.

In Beijing's Ditan Park, meanwhile, which like many across the nation opened up Sunday for a fair where people came to buy festive treats, there were signs the economic problems had taken their toll.

A multitude of red lanterns hung over alleys as thousands of visitors enjoyed the first day of the fair, but for pinwheel seller Zhu Sibai, business was slow.

Zhu, who lives in the poor, eastern province of Anhui, had travelled up to Beijing to sell his wares during the week-long fair -- a trip he had made annually for five years.

"Last year, on the first morning like this one, I sold 1,000-yuan (145 dollars) worth of pinwheels but this morning, I've only sold 10-yuan worth," Zhu said.

Zhu was not the only worker feeling gloomy ahead of the Lunar New Year.

Around six million migrant workers had already returned to their rural homes around the country after losing their jobs due to the financial crisis, Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, indicated on Thursday.

According to Ma, around a quarter of the nation's 120 million workers had gone home.

Of these, 20 per cent -- around six million -- had done so because the plants where they worked had closed down or halted production.

Chinezen in Nederland vieren Nieuwjaar

DEN HAAG - De viering van het Chinees Nieuwjaar zaterdag in Den Haag was een korte reis door de Chinese tradities. Gelukskoekjes, drakendragers, beoefenaars van Tai Chi en dansende leeuwen passeerden de revue. Met veel kabaal, dat voor de Chinezen het verdrijven van het oude jaar symboliseert, werd het Jaar van de Os in het stadhuis ingeluid. Het jaar 4706 begint officieel maandag.

Foto: ANP Minister Ronald Plasterk brengt een draak tot leven door de ogen rood te verven. Foto: ANP
Na de openingsceremonie met de traditionele leeuwen- drakendans sprak burgemeester Jozias van Aartsen. Hij zei dat Den Haag blij is met de viering van het nationale evenement. „Wij zijn er trots op dat het hier wordt gevierd. Het past bij deze internationale stad.” Volgens Van Aartsen is het niet alleen een feest voor de Chinese gemeenschap maar ook voor Den Haag. De variëteit in het toegestroomde publiek liet ook zien dat het nieuwjaarsfeest niet alleen op belangstelling van Chinezen kan rekenen. Ook waren er veel Nederlandse ouders met hun geadopteerde kindje uit China.

Minister Ronald Plasterk (Cultuur) refereerde aan zijn Chinese collega die ooit tegen hem zei dat cultuur bijdraagt aan de harmonie van de wereld. „Door de cultuur begrijpen we elkaar beter”, aldus Plasterk. De Chinese ambassadeur Zhang Jun sprak over de steeds sterkere band tussen China en Nederland.

Na de ceremonie trok een optocht van draken en leeuwen over de rode loper naar het Haagse Chinatown, de buurt bij de Wagenstraat. Daar leek het dit jaar wat rustiger dan voorgaande jaren. Wellicht komt dat omdat het Chinees Nieuwjaar dit jaar voor het eerst een week lang wordt gevierd. Tot en met 31 januari zijn er in de Haagse binnenstad namelijk Chinese culturele activiteiten. Draken, leeuwen en vuurwerk, dat zaterdag ontbrak, sluiten de feestweek af.

Cargo ships collide in fog

Cargo ships collide in fog

By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 24/01/2009 at 09:55 AM
Two cargo ships crashed in the middle of the Chao Phraya river on Saturday morning, as the capital was covered with thick fog.
There were no reports of casualties, as crew jumped into the river and swam to shore after the crash.
Two crew members sustained minor injuries.
The fog caused some flights to change their landing destination to Don Mueang airport as the visibility was poor at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department said thick fog would continue in the north, east and central regions in the next day or two.
The Department's Saturday bulletin said that a new cold front was on its way, and thick patches of morning fog will occur in Bangkok, central, northern and eastern regions on Saturday with temperature drops of 2-4 degrees Celsius drops during the Chinese New Year weekend.

Photo shows thick fog cloaking the passenger boat pier at Wat Sri Boonruang in Bang Kapi district on Friday morning.

SUVARNABHUMI

23-01-2009
06.30 uur Onze wekker gaat.
We gaan om 07.30 ontbijten, echt op ons gemak, ontbijtbuffet is vandaag behoorlijk uitgebreid.
Deze keer geen blokkade in Bangkok, dus we kunnen gewoon onze normale vluchttijden aanhouden en wel vertrek met LTU LT1751 om 11.50 voor onze vlucht naar Dusseldorf.
Rugzakken pakken, uitchecken en taxi nemen naar het vliegveld via de highway(toll 45 en 25 baht), want het is erg druk in bangkok.


Bij de incheckbalie van LTU is het al tamelijk druk, maar inchecken gaat snel en we kunnen naar de immigration, dit verloopt moeizamer want Paspoort van Helma en van Frans wordt helemaal uitgepluist,maar we zijn erdoor...


Na een vlucht met turbulentie komen we op tijd aan in Dusseldorf en.. we worden opgehaald door Raymond, zijn weer ''thuis''.... op naar de volgende trip.

Nog maar een paar dagen..

20-01-2009

Vandaag geen strandweer, maar volgens de weersverwachting morgen weer beter, dus we gaan vandaag de laatste inkopen doen in MarketVillage.
Nog twee dagen in Hua Hin, morgen strand en overmorgen (22-01) gaan we shoppen in Bangkok en we overnachten natuurlijk in het TrangHotel, WisutKasatroad.
Over het strand lopen we naar het dorp, gaan nog wat kruiden halen en natuurlijk een lekkere Cafe Moccha bij het Hilton.
HuaHin Nightmarket, voor toeristen echt een moet, wij komen er niet zo vaak, maar vandaag is er feest op de markt, veel genodigden die luisteren naar muziek en vooral ...



Nieuwe middenstand in Hua Hin Centre, na veel leegloop in het centrum, toch een nieuwe shop, tegenover de bij iedereen in Hua Hin bekende Potjes is namelijk een IJSSALON geopend..


21-01-2009
Vandaag de laatste dag in HuaHin, en de weergoden hebben besloten ons nog een stranddag te bezorgen.
Vroeg opstaan, moet samen met Toy, die weer op trip is, nog een reisschema uitwerken voor een trip in February, naar het Flowerfestival in ChiangMai.
10.00 uur, Helma halen en luieren op het strand, alweer tamelijk druk, maar perfecte plek gevonden met goede menukaart, want Thais eten blijft favoriet.


Na een dagje strand, even opfrissen en op het pleintje bij Grandma (Topcentre)van een lekker uitgebreid diner genieten, nog wat kunst bekijken en dan...

22-01-2009
Afscheid nemen van Condochain(is maar voor even),we moeten wel, want we hebben onze condo verhuurd vanaf 24-01 voor meerdere maanden. Bustickets kopen bij PranTours voor de bus naar Bangkok(160 baht).

Helma maakt in de bus kennis met een Thaibokser, en we worden uitgenodigd voor een gevecht in Lumpinistadium (27-01) maar dan zijn we alweer in Nederland.
Sai Tai Mai, het busstation (zuidelijk) in Bangkok, taxi pakken en op naar WisutKasat,het Tranghotel, voucher halen bij ViengTravel,reisbureau gelegen rechts van het Tranghotel, inchecken en rugzak op de kamer gooien.
Taxi aanhouden en voor 80 bahtjes rijden we naar MBK centre op Siamsquare, ons perfecte shoppingcentre.
Eerst naar fifthfloor om te genieten van een heerlijke lunch.


Shoppen, hoort erbij en zeker de laatste dag voor vertrek naar Nederland, deze verblijven we altijd in Bangkok.

Ook Bangkok is aangekleed voor het Chinees Nieuwjaar, dat dit jaar valt in het weekend van 26-01, het jaar van de OS.
Discoverycentre, SiamParagon, schitterende aankleding...





Na enkele uren shoppen, richting Kao Sarn Road, het backpackersdomein,want we krijgen honger en restaurant ''de stoeprand'' is weer geopend en PadThai als afsluiting is altijd lekker.


Nog een laatste borrel en ......

22-01Fog diverts flights heading to Suvarnabhumi

Fog diverts flights heading to Suvarnabhumi
By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 22/01/2009 at 11:04 AM
Heavy fog on Thursday morning forced nine aircrafts, scheduled to land at Suvarnabhumi airport, to change their landing site temporarily.
According to Suvarnabhumi Airport director and acting Airports of Thailand president Serirat Prasutanond, areas around the airport were covered with dense fog, and visibility was reduced to only 800 metres. Six of the nine aircrafts arrived at Don Mueang airport instead, while two others landed at Phuket airport. Another aircraft changed its course to Chiang Mai airport for the time being.Suvarnabhumi's air traffic tower will notify the pilots of the nine flights, once visibility improves.The Meteorological Department warned of poor visibility due to thick patches of fog in northern, northeastern, eastern and central regions, including Bangkok, during the next few days

Hua Hin een vissersdorp......

19 january 2009

Vanmorgen vroeg het dorp in, want we moeten bij papers and pencils, kwastjes en penselen halen voor Helma voor haar schilderskunst.

Na marktbezoek en vroege lunch bij chinees op hoek van de nightmarket gaan we naar de Pier, waar vandaag de vissersboten eerder dan normaal aanleggen (14.00).




Hua Hin, van oorsprong een vissersdorpje, door het Koningshuis ontdekt als badplaats en tegenwoordig door de moderne toerist bezocht vanwege zijn gemoedelijke uitstraling, hoop dat dit nog vele jaren behouden zal blijven.
Na de gezellige feestdagen en de vrolijke aankleding in geheel Hua Hin tijdens Kerst en Nieuwjaar is het nu de tijd voor het Chinese Nieuwjaar dat komend weekend gaat plaatsvinden.
Market Village is er reeds klaar voor....



De grote kerstboom op het plein voor MarketVillage heeft plaatsgemaakt voor
"" DE CHINESE DRAAK "".