Ko chang thailand water festival of loi kathong

Thailand is a land of enchanting and exotic tastes for foreign visitors as I was to learn when I experienced the Water Festival of Loi Kathong on the island of Ko Chang. Ko Chang In October 2003, the travel bug seriously bit me. The symptoms led me to sell my business, pack a small backpack with necessary items and roll into Los Angeles International Airport with a major credit card and an attitude. A few days later, I was in Thailand and headed for the island of Ko Chang, located close to the border with Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. Ko Chang is a heavily forested island with little towns full of beach huts. This is what I was exactly what I was after. Spending days lounging in the sun and contemplating my navel. Unfortunately, I soon experienced the local bacteria, which was not what I was after. Since I had rented my beach hut for a week with payment in advance, the family running the place looked me upon favorably. They took pity on me and I was soon growing fat on Tom Yom Kung and other soups and curries. After four days, I had finally kicked the bug and felt halfway human. This was good news as it was the night of the full moon water festival. I had heard of full moon festivals in Thailand. For hard partying tourists, this was apparently the night the big beach parties happened. In Ko Chang, it was a little different as the night was tailored to the actual Thais, not tourist. The Loi Kathong Festival happens every full moon. Offerings are given to appease the water spirits. These offerings come in the form of banana leaf bowls with flowers, fruit, candles and incense. The candles and incense are lit and everyone heads down the beach and starts putting them in the water. It is one of the more amazing light shows you will ever see and beats Las Vegas hands down. Thousands, and I mean thousands, of little lights bobbing on the surface of the smooth ocean. After the bowls comes one of the most visually amazing things I’ve ever seen. Everyone is familiar with the paper lanterns used in Asia. Typically, they come in the form of a rectangle form with a bamboo or light wire frame. Very popular with college students since they are cheap and look better than a bare light bulb. For the festival, Thais would take these paper lanterns and close off the top. They would then affix a small this paper plate to the bottom with a candle on it. Light the candle, wait for the heat to do its work and they had an instant hot air balloon. Once the lanterns could float, you simply let go and off the slowly went over the ocean. It was a sight to see as there were thousands of them floating over the water. As the festival wound down, the ocean had been transformed. The air was full of gracefully floating lanterns while the water itself was dotted with slowly bobbing points of light. If you intend to travel to Thailand, make sure you schedule your trip around a full moon. It is a scene you’ll never forget.

5 Reasons why turkey remains top hotspot despite avian flu fears

According to the latest reports from the tourism industry Turkey remains the number one emerging holiday hotspot despite recent cases of the human form of avian flu having been discovered in remote areas of the country. The appeal of the country for those in search of a dream vacation destination stems from the following five key reasons: - 1) Turkey is a vast country with a rich historical and cultural background that offers the summer holidaymaker some of the most stunningly beautiful and unspoilt beaches on the Mediterranean Sea and some of the most exciting resorts which are becoming increasingly popular with European sports stars and celebrities. 2) The summer sunshine shines in southern Turkey from March until October giving tourists the chance to sample the delights of this inimitably interesting nation throughout the spring, summer and autumn. 3) In the winter Turkey plays host to winter sports fans and those in need of some aprиs ski fun in a wide range of sophisticated ski resorts where prices are far lower than in Austria, Italy or Switzerland but where the quality of facilities and amenities are on a par with those of the best European winter sport resorts. 4) Prices for holiday accommodation to rent or even buy in Turkey are the lowest in the entire Mediterranean region and it’s possible for a family of four to rent a villa with sea views and a private pool for a tenth of the price of a similar property in Spain, Cyprus, Italy or France. Furthermore anyone wishing to buy a holiday home in the sun will save hundreds of thousands of dollars, euros or pounds by buying property in Turkey rather than buying property on the Greek Islands or on the Spanish Costas for example. 5) The accessibility of Turkey is improving all the time as more airlines open up more routes to and from Turkey from across Europe. One of the most recent developments in this area is a new regular British Airways flights from the UK to Dalaman and in terms of domestic flights within Turkey they are incredibly affordable which gives the holiday maker a chance to enjoy a dual or multi location holiday in the vast nation of Turkey.

The czech republic an introduction

: Are you wanting to know more about the Czech Republic? Maybe you're planning a visit there, or studying the country for a school project. Read on for some basic information on the central European country. The country of Czechoslavakia was founded at the end of World War I, after Czechs and Slovaks joined together following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The newly founded state was to exist until 1989, spending the time after the Second World War under Communist control, behind the so-called Iron Curtain (a term first popularised by Winston Churchill). The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" of 1989 saw Czechoslavakia free itself from Soviet control. Two years later, the Czechs and Slovaks were to go their separate ways, seeing the foundation of the Czech Republic (with its capital city, Prague) and Slovakia (capital city: Bratislava). This separation is often referred to as the "Velvet Divorce".

In 1999 the Czech Republic became a full member of NATO and 2004 saw the state join the European Union (EU). This maintains the position of the Czech Republic at the very heart of Europe. Indeed, the land-locked country is bordered by Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia. Of the 10 million inhabitants of the country, more than one million live in the beautiful capital city of Prague, which has become such a favourite for international visitors. Other significant cities include Plzen, famous worldwide for its beers. It is the countries beers that are just one feature that ensures that the country is such a popular destination: leading brands include the likes of Budvar, Pilsner Urquell and Staropramen.

The country's largest export area is in machinery and transport equipment - the ecoonomy thus remains largely dominated by the industrial sectors.