January 2008
Thai-Scandinavian Winter Party and golf in Hua Hin
Date: 12-13 January 2008
Venue: Hua Hin
The 100+ years old association for Scandinavians and their Thai friends in Thailand commemorates its long history and many years of friendship with the Thai people by hosting the Thai-Scandinavian Winter Part & Golf 2008. Being the first event arranged outside Bangkok by SSS since 1920, it will take place in the royal seaside resort of Hua Hin — the Scandinavian long stay and tourists’ favourite Thailand destination — during the weekend 12-13 of January 2008.
4th Thailand Ocean-to-Ocean Relay Running
Date: 6 January 2008
Venue: Songkhla
Following the popularity and success of events held in previous years, the 4th Thailand Ocean to Ocean Relay Running is being staged for the fourth consecutive year on 6 January 2008.
The 136.6-kilometre relay race starts from a beach behind Haad Kaew Resort in Songkhla — a coastal town on the Gulf of Thailand, facing east towards the Pacific Ocean — to Pak Bara Pier in Satun, a town on the Andaman Coast, facing west towards the Indian Ocean. The relay route will lead participants through the scenic rural countryside of Southern Thailand, dotted with orchards, rubber and palm plantations.
Course
Start off from the beach behind Haad Kaew Resort in the Singha Nakhon district in Songkhla. Proceed along the road to Highway 408. Turn left at the Highway 2068 intersection, then proceed across the bridge at Songkhla Lake (Thale Saap Songkhla) and along Highway 4111 heading for the district of Amphoe Khuan Niang. Proceed past the district of Rattapoom (Amphoe Rattapoom) toward Highway 406. Turn right at the Highway 4137 intersection and head for Khuan Kalong district (Amphoe Khuan Kalong). Proceed along Highway 416, going past the district of Amphoe La-ngu. Turn left into Highway 4052 and proceed to the finishing line at Pak Bara Pier.
Categories
Open, Mixed (not exceeding 6 males and not less than 2 females), Women (8 runners with no age restrictions) and youth (8 runners, either sex, age 8-15 years)
Contact information:
TAT Southern Office – Region 1
Areas of responsibility: Songkhla, Satun
Tel: +66 (0) 7423 1055, (0) 7423 8518, (0) 7424 3747
Fax: +66 (0) 7424 5986
Bor Sang Umbrella and Sankampaeng Handicraft Festival
Date: every January
Venue: Chiang Mai
Bor Sang, on highway 1006 heading east from Chiang Mai, appears to be a typical sleepy rural village, the kind the tour bus speeds by giving you just a fleeting glimpse of its two-storey wooden houses. But hidden in the tiny lanes, villagers have perfected a craft that creates the country’s most famous umbrellas.
For more than 100 years, the village has been associated with the production of umbrellas made from Saa paper derived from mulberry tree bark. According to local history, a monk travelled to neighbouring Myanmar, where he came across Saa paper umbrellas that offered protection against both the sun and rain.
He returned with the production technique and introduced the umbrella to the elders of Bor Sang village, who added their own artistic skills to create a distinctive colourful, but very practical, umbrella. At first it was just a profitable hobby that supplemented the villagers’ earnings from the annual rice crop. However, with time production of the Saa paper umbrellas prospered, prompting villagers to establish a handicraft cooperative in 1941 that now organises the annual festival.
Using silk and cotton, weaved at neighbouring Sankampaeng, villagers eventually added a second line of umbrellas decorated with images of the north, its flowers and birds, all intricately hand-painted.
Today, Bor Sang village exports both Saa-paper and silk umbrellas. They are seen at trade shows in a variety of sizes, from giant parasols that offer a shady canopy from the sun, to miniscule variations that adorn popular cocktail drinks.
To celebrate success the village hosts a three-day festival every January. Streets are illuminated by lanterns, while hundreds of umbrellas are hung from the rafters and beams of houses and shops. Bands play, while villagers compete to design the year’s most attractive umbrella. Concerts, a food festival and beauty contest all compete for the attention of the audience, a mix of both tourists and residents, who gather here to celebrate Bor Sang’s innovative handicraft skills.
Throughout the year, tourists visit the village, a short 6 km drive from Chiang Mai, to buy umbrellas and study the process and skills that go into making a handicraft entirely from natural products. But nothing quite compares with the buzz that permeates the village during this colourful three-day handicraft festival, every January. It is a scene that represents village hospitality and charm at its very best.
Baan Phai Rice Ceremony
Date: every January
Venue: Baan Pai district office, Khon Kaen
from 18 to 22 January, at Baan Pai district office, Khon Kaen province, and offers rice castle builders an opportunity to show off their skills in architecture, while the crowd can also vote for the year’s Miss Rice, who will represent local rice growers as their “beauty queen.”
Tel: 043 272 611.
February 2008
Phuket International Blues Rock Festival
Date: 22 - 23 February, 2008
Venue: beachside Hilton Phuket Arcadia, Phuket
Now in its third year the Phuket International Blues Festival gets underway, 22 to 23 February, at the beachside Hilton Phuket Arcadia on the island’s west coast Karon Bay. It promises to be bigger than ever with at least 12 acts performing on stage during the two-night event. Now a firm fixture in Phuket’s annual entertainment calendar, the festival attracts top blues bands from around Thailand, while two popular bands from Australia and the US return once more. Bangkok’s popular blues bands take centre stage with performances from Cannonball, Georgia, Full House and Soi Dogs beating out the rhythm to a packed house of blues fans.
Ratchaphruek – Greater Mekong Sub-UB-REGION: GMS EXPO 2008
Date: 9-17 February, 2008
Venue: Royal Flora Ratchaphruek, Chiang Mai
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