Here is a list of survivors released from http://www.vachiraphuket.go.th/

**Names of Survivors – 43 in total – 3 in Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

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88 people have been killed in a plane crash in Phuket today. This is the worst airline accident since December 11, 1998 when a plane crashed in Surat Thani killing 101 people.

The plane which was being operated by One-Two-Go Airlines, owned by Orient Thai Airways, apparently skidded when it hit the runway. It then split in two and the tail section remained on the runway while the front of the plane slid into the mountains surrounding the airport where it then burst into flames.

In addition to those killed it is estimated that 42 people were hospitalized. 14 people are still unaccounted for.

Eight Britons, eight Thais, five Germans and two Australians were among 42 known survivors, hospital workers said. Over half of the passengers were Europeans on holiday according to the flight manifest.

I am grieving for this terrible tragedy on Phuket, which was also devastated by the tsunami in December of 2004.

More coverage can be found from Reuters <a http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070916/ts_nm/thailand_plane_dc_9

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No matter what language you are learning from Arabic to English to Thai it is vitaly important that you know how to counting. Numbers are so important for everyday life that this should be something you learn very early and practice until you make it completely natural so you can count without thinking about it.

Fortunately counting in Thai is really simple. It is based on 10′s and multiples of tens so once you learn how to count from 1-10 in Thai you can easily build upon that. Here are the number in Thai from 0 to 10:

0 – soon
1 – nung
2 – song
3 – sarm
4 – see
5 – haa
6 – hok
7 – djet
8 – bat
9 – gao
10 – sip

Counting above ten is really simple too, since in Thai we just add the numbers together so you would continue like this:

11 – sip et
12 – sip song
13 – sip sarm
14 – sip see
…
20 – yee sip
21 – yee sip et
22 – yee sip song
23 – yee sip sarm
…
30 – sarm sip
31 – sarm sip et
…
40 – see sip
50 – haa sip
60 – hok sip
70 – djet sip
80 – bat sip
90 – gao sip
100 – nung roy

Once you get to one hundred you can just add the lower number following so 100 is nung roy and 121 is nung roi, yee sip et and 550 would be haa roy, haa sip and 999 would be gao roy, gao sip, gao (literally nine hundred, ninety, nine just like in English).

Just start by practicing 0 to 10 anytime you can. I used to do it to count reps in the gym, but really you can count 0-10 for a lot of things in your everyday life. After a week or so it should be pretty natural and you can start to count larger numbers. Before long you’ll be able to put Thai numbers to anything.

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No one deny that the flowers is the present for your woman…unless they’re allergic for the flower. Good luck for me that I don’t have this problem and I’m the one who love flowers, especially white roses. When I started relationship with Steve, he sent the flowers for me 3 times and everytime he had to order from online because we’re apart on that time (unfortunately all 3 times no white rose).

Pak Klong Talat is the most famous flower market in Bangkok, it is on Thanon Triphet (Triphet Rd.) nearby Memorial Bridge or known by Thai people as Saphan Phut. Even the rumour of this flower market is what Thai people talk about for a long time ago, especially in any season that the flowers are the star like New Year, Valentine’s day, Graduation ceremonies, Wedding ceremonies etc. If you’re the one who looking for the flowers in Bangkok everyone will recommend you to go and get the flowers from here. That’s because you won’t be disappointed with the fresh flowers and also cheap price.

Pak Klong Talat is open 24 hours a day and everyday. Usually the busy hour for this market will be 5-6 o’clock in the evening till 1-2 o’clock in the morning. This is because it’s the time that the tradesmen from other town come to buy the flowers to sell in their markets.The flowers here sell by retail and also wholesale, I’m not surprised that’s why they’ll be busy all the time for high season. They have so many kinds of flowers from either grown in Thailand like Jasmine, Rose, Marigold, Sun-flower, Tuberose and Orchid etc. For all the price will be around 40-60 Thai baht($1-$2) for one handful depending on what kind and also the grade for that flower.

Or if you keep walking further you will see from both sides of the sidewalk all crowded with the flowers from cold country or some import from aboard like Lily, Gerbera, Bird of paradise, Jacaranda or Rainbow flower etc. Of course for the imported one the price will be more expensive than Thai flowers. Normally the price will start at around 10-20 baht for each flower(not even 1 dollar yet) to 1,000 baht can be. Or if you want you can get the one that they’ve already arranged or you can make a special order for just about anything at all.

Last time I remember I took Steve to Pak Klong Talat, and I know he was surprised a lot! Because everything so cheap for him and make me even more surprise too after he told me how much it cost for the ones that he sent to me. So I told him hey…if we move back to Thailand you can buy the flowers for me everyday

Next trip to Thailand is coming soon… I will get the pictures from Pak Klong Talat for everyone and then you can see how wonderful they are…

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Earthquakes continue to rock Indonesia and tsunami warnings are being updated in the entire Indian Ocean area, but so far there have been only small waves that have been isolated in the same area as the earthquakes themselves. Tremors ranging in intensity from 4.9 to 7.8 have been felt over the past 3 days, though no deaths have been attributed to tsunamis. There have been 14 people killed and 56 injured in Indonesia as a result of the earthquakes over the past 3 days.

Let’s all be thankful that these earthquakes did not cause a repeat of the December 2004 tsunamis.

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Many times I’ve tried to find cheap airfare to Thailand and I know that it can be done. The problem is that to save a few hundred dollars on the flight usually means two or more layovers and 12 or more extra hours of travel time. Since I am coming from the U.S. this can mean total travel time of 30+ hours in order to save $200. Is it really worth it to add an extra day in travel to save a few hundred dollars? I’ve come to the conclusion that cheap airfare to Thailand is not worth it. I would much rather arrive somewhat rested and spend the extra time enjoying my holiday in Thailand rather than stuck for hours on end in an airport in Paris or Dubai or Taipei.

For the past several years now I’ve been making all of my flights on Thai Airways and when considering the time factor as well as the service provided by Thai I would say that theirs is the cheapest airfare to Thailand. Thai operates non-stop flights to Bangkok from New York and Los Angeles in the U.S. and from a host of cities in Europe including London, Paris, Frankfort and Zurich. What’s more, the airfare is usually comparable or even less than other flights that have one or more stop-overs. How can you possibly beat that?

Looking right now on Orbitz (I’ll never use Expedia again, but that’s another story) for flights from New York to Bangkok I’m finding a non-stop flight for $1364. That’s a bit higher than normal, but it is in the middle of December which is prime time for vacationing in Thailand. Other prices range from $1115 all the way up to $3136 for flights that all have 1 or more stop-overs. Let’s look more closely at the flights priced at $1115 which is a savings of $253 off Thai Airways non-stop flight.

Actually this isn’t a bad deal and if I didn’t travel frequently to Thailand I might grab it. The flight leaves New York at 11:30am and flies direct to Tokyo (14 hours 10 minutes) where you have a 1 ½ hour layover. Really that’s nothing. You then re-board and fly from Tokyo to Bangkok (7 hours) arriving at 10:15pm. Total travel time including loy-over is 22 hours 45 minutes. The downside here is that until you get your bags, clear immigration and get to your hotel to check-in it’ll be 1:30am or so. Plus if you fly to Thailand often you should consider the impact of frequent flyer miles.

Thai Airways non-stop flight on the other hand leaves New York at 11:35am and flies directly to Bangkok arriving at 4:45pm the next day, total travel time 17 hours and 10 minutes. And that has been very accurate, in fact I usually arrive a bit earlier than scheduled. The landing time isn’t bad, considering the time it will take to clear immigration and get your bags you should miss the worst of Bangkok rush hour traffic and be checked-in at your hotel by 8:00pm and able to at least get a nice dinner and good nights sleep.

So, to get your cheap airfare to Thailand it will cost you about 11 hours total travel time in addition to the hassle of changing planes and making your way through a possibly unfamiliar airport as well as the potential frequent flyer miles lost if you travel to Thailand often. Maybe I am just spoiled, but I love the convenience of a direct non-stop flight and can’t even put a price on it although if I had to it would be more than $253 round trip.

If you can afford it take the non-stop flight, but if you’re on a tight budget and have no time line for your holiday then by all means go with the cheapest airfare to Thailand you can find.

How do you get to Thailand? What deals and bargains have you found? We want to know!

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This morning at 7:10am EST there was an earthquake registering 8.2 on the richter scale in Indonesia near Jakarta and Sumatra. Tremors were felt as far away as Thailand, 1200 miles away. So far only 2 deaths and 100 injuries have been reported as well as a 9 foot wave hitting Padang on Sumatra. Tsunami warnings have been issued all over the Indian Ocean region as far away as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India which are 420 miles northwest of Phuket island in Thailand.

Phuket was the site of the massive and tragic tsunami in December of 2004. The earthquake that generated that tsunami was a 9.2 on the richter scale and was located in the same region as this one. We can only hope and pray that this earthquake will not generate a similar disaster.

There is no additional information at this time, but I will be keeping my eye on developments and will report anything I find out.

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Now that it’s just 61 days until the next vacation in Thailand it’s time to start thinking about hotels. Really not much of a problem for us though. We are looking to keep a fairly tight budget this trip so we know we want to stay at a reasonable hotel, yet we still want some level of amenities and cleanliness. Luckily we found a place that satisfies on both levels last time we were in Bangkok.

SD Avenue Hotel is a bit out of the way, so if you want to be in the center of the business/tourist areas around Silom/Sukhumvit then keep looking. SD Avenue Hotel is in the Pinklao area of Bangkok which is across the Chao Phraya river from Khao San Road. This is actually kind of nice, because the hotel is not as expensive as comparable hotels from Khao San area and yet we are just 15-20 minutes from Khao San by taxi. And for those times we want to hit Silom or Sukhumvit we are 45-60 minutes away using the ferries and Skytrain.

The SD Avenue Hotel is not one of the more well known places to stay, but in a city with hundreds of hotels that’s no surprise. What SD Avenue is though is a really good place to stay for the money. Just 1800 baht a night and you get a fairly big room, it’s clean and the water pressure is good. There’s also a nice big pool on-site and they have a dining room although I wouldn’t really recommend it, you can get much better food nearby. Central Pinklao is just a few blocks away if you want a regular restaurant or Western food and there is a good outdoor restaurant 2 blocks away outside the 7-Eleven where I had some really good kao moo dang last time we stayed there.

I’ve stayed at other hotels in Bangkok, and some have better location, many have better food (not really a concern in Bangkok), most were more expensive and none had bigger rooms. If you aren’t too concerned about being a little out of the tourist/business areas then I think you’ll be very pleased with SD Avenue Hotel. Those who like to spend time at Khao San Road, but want to have a more quiet hotel to retreat to will also appreciate the SD Avenue hotel.

If anyone else has stayed here or at similar hotels in Bangkok (in the $50 a night range) let’s hear about it.

Steve and Golf recommend you Find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor

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Because I am a huge fan of the beach there is hardly a day that goes by when I don’t think about it, usually in connection with one of the islands of Thailand. Today I came across an article in the Bangkok Post about Phuket that I wanted to share with eveyone.

If you’re like me you think of sand, surf, sunshine and possibly sex when you hear or read Phuket, but as the article I read pointed out Phuket has much more to offer. The natural beauty of this island still sparkles once you get outside the heavily touristed and commercialized areas such as Phuket Town and Patong Beach. Specifically, this article talked about Khao Phra Thaeo which is a wildlife sanctuary in the northeast of Phuket.

Khao Phra Thaeo is said to take up 22 square kilometers and contains the highest peak on Phuket at 384 meters above sea level. At one time the wildlife of Khao Phra Thaeo was severly depleted, but it has been on an upswing since 1969 when the area was designated as a wildlife preserve. It is now home to wild boar, pangolin, civet, leopard cat, gibbon and birds such as fairy bluebird, blue-winged pitta and oriental white-eye. Most important is the rehabilitation facility for gibbons located here which tracks down gibbons that are in captivity, rescues them and then prepares them to be released back into the wild.

Since the facility was established in 1992 they have released around 60 gibbons back into the wild. Prior to that gibbons were almost completely gone from the forest here due to their capture to be put on display, mostly in pubs where they would be taught to smoke, drink and otherwise entertain the pubsters.

If you go to visit Khao Phra Thaeo you can help the gibbons through donations, by adopting a gibbon or by buying some of the products on sale such as t-shirts and sketches. I think next time I’m back on Phuket I’ll be adopting a gibbon and I’ll call him George They really are very cute little critters.

Near by the gibbon facility you’ll find Bang Pae Waterfall which offers a really nice chance to cool off in it’s pools. The waterfall itself has water year round so you won’t find it dry like other waterfalls around Thailand. Bang Pae Waterfall is around 36 feet (12 meters) high and presents quite a sight not to be missed.

This is just one small area of a wonderful island paradise called Phuket. Next time you’re there take some time away from the beaches, nightlife and clubs and get back to the more natural side of Phuket. If anyone else knows about good places to visit on Phuket I’d love to hear about them.

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I am definitely a coffee addict. Morning, noon or night it doesn’t matter I love it. And Thailand I found has some of the best coffee I’ve ever had! There are little street vendors making coffee everywhere you go in Bangkok. There are also small shops scattered about that make the wonderful sweet and delicious Thai version of iced coffee.

Forget Starbucks. It just doesn’t compare at all. I’ll walk blocks out of my way in the 100 degree heat and humidity to get to a Black Canyon Coffee shop. They are hands down my #1 choice for coffee, especially iced coffee.

I usually go with their regular Black Canyon Iced Coffee which they describe like this:
“Milk mixed with the old “Black Devil” poured into glasses over crushed ice… sweet and refreshing. This is a two-straw drink, something to be shared with your sweet heart or with your favorite group of yuppies. The most popular and best iced coffee you’ll ever taste. Try it and taste it.”

OK, I agree with them that this IS the best iced coffee you’ll ever taste. They do serve it with two straws, but I’m not sharing it with anyone, except Golf. And good luck for me, because she doesn’t really like coffee!

A Black Canyon Iced Coffee will cost you just 80 baht which is a bit more than $2.00, expensive by Thai standards, but not bad at all if you’re used to Western prices. You can get cheaper iced coffee for sure, but you won’t get better.

Black Canyon coffee shops can be found all over Thailand from Pattaya to Chiang Mai and everywhere in between. They also have locations in Indonesia, Singapore, Myanmar, India, U.A.E., Cambodia and Malaysia.

Have you had Black Canyon coffee? Tell me what you think.

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I woke up at 5 o’clock in this morning with my eyes still closed…tired, have to push myself so hard because I want to go to the gym. Steve has to be at work before 6 so I just need him to drop me at the gym first and then I can go back to nap again later.

One thing (from a lot of things) that different between Thailand and here is “size”. Yes,size…

I grew up with the size that different from Thai women size. What is the Thai women size look like? Hmm…mostly for Thai women will have the average height around 5′ to 5’5″, most of them thin and also small but for me is 174 centimeters or 5’8″. And do you know seem like I’m the tallest one in my nursing class on that time. So when I stay with my Thai girl friends I will be a lot different from them.

The problem was when I went to shopping either with them or by myself I have to pray for myself…please have my size for these sexy dress, please let me fit with these Jeans or those cute pants something like that. One good thing is I’m not a fat girl so not that difficult for me for find my size at least sometimes anyway. Still for my clothes size will be “large” or “extra-large”, once a while will be lucky with medium but just occasionally.

First few weeks since I got here, Steve said I need to get the coats and some clothes for wintertime. Ok, I said because I think it would be nice and can see what and how is the shopping mall in here look like. After we’re done with choosing process and then I have to try them on. Steve asked me what size do you want to try on Golf? For me no need to think though because I know my size. So I told him right away “extra large” or at least “large” honey. But you know what…make me surprise a lot! Because they’re too loose and for finally I ended up with smaller size!!! OMG

I couldn’t believe on that time, I called and talked to my friends. They laughed so hard and said if they come over here they might have to wear the kid size. ;-D

I had the conversations with some of my friends at work. And I brought this story up while we talked because I wanted to know what and how do they think about it. Most of them had exactly the same idea that because people in here, a lot of them are overweight and big so that’s why they have to produce the size of the clothes similar to the size of people in here.

Hmm ok, I got it…but what if they have to travel to Thailand then what ‘s going to happen?

In Thailand we don’t have so many places where we can drive through just like in here. We don’t have McDonald’s drive through, the banks drive through or Starbucks drive through etc. Every place we need to go and get the service from we need to walk in and not so convenient like this. Well, we have the delivery for some, but still not as good as drive through. And I like it a lot…but sometime I think it’s too much. Because when you can get every things so easy and so convenient, you will getting lazy and for finally don’t want to do anything.

Just my idea…

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Hi everyone,
this is Golf and today is the first day that I have a chance to share my thought
and to be Steve’s guest. I have to think about what I want to write and post to this website for a while because I’m not a good writer and also English is not my native language, but after I start and then I can’t stop (laugh).

I’m a tall girl from north-west of Thailand, Tak is a province where I was born. It’s not usual that Thai girl will be as tall as me but I’m proud of my height because I got this gene from my dad so I’m happy about it. I was studying at my hometown almost 10 years and then moved to Bangkok for study nursing degree. 4 more years for studied nursing and also worked like a nurse 2 years in Bangkok either Public and private hospital. I spent my sigle life for almost 25 years until I met Steve from internet, the guy who changed my life and then we decided to marry after we talked for 4 months and got a chance to meet each other. Who knows on that time the guy from cyber-world will change my life and comes to be a part of my life right now. What do you call “destiny”?

It’s not that easy at all because we both live in different country like a half world away and have to find many ways for keep in touch, oversea phone call and internet are the best way to help both of us to stay alive on that time. I have to say that, because can you imagine that when you love someone so much but can’t live with together yet…

About 8 months later Steve flew to Thailand again after spent the money for 2 trips to Thailand already, so all together 3 times in one year. But this trip much better than the other 2 because we both will have wedding ceremony in my hometown and then I will fly back to the US with him. We have a wonderful wedding in Tak with so many guest…my parents, my friends and alot of people from my village…sometime in the future I will show you for our Thai wedding photos.

We’re live together in the US since then and we both know how much we love each other and don’t want anything to make both of us far apart again. This’s how I started to stay here in the beginning…and a lot of things that I miss but I choose to do it because I’ve just wanted to stay with the guy who I love so much…I hope everyone enjoy with my real life story…

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One of the greatest things about Thailand is the amazing cuisine. The food choices in Bangkok and all around Thailand are, in my mind, the best in the world. When Golf and I go to visit one of the first lists that we make together is all the places we want to go to eat! I’m pretty sure that Bangkok has the most restaurants of any city in the world and I have yet to get a truly bad meal at any of them whether we are in Bangkok or out in Tak province visiting her parents or vacationing on one of Thailand’s amazing islands.

Top on my list of fantastic food in Bangkok is the street vendors. You can’t miss them because they are everywhere and the food is outstanding. Everything from fresh fruits to fried chicken (Thai style) to noodle shops to desserts. I am amazed that I don’t gain 25 pounds every time I visit Thailand. The great thing is that Golf lived in Bangkok for 7 years and knows all kinds of great street restaurants where we can both eat for less than 200 baht for dinner (US$5). One of our favorite places is at the end of Silom Rd on the right side. It is an outdoor restaurant right on the corner of the street there and the food is amazing. I can taste their garlic and pepper duck just thinking about it.

I know that everyone warns you about getting sick from eating at them, but hey you only live once right? Anyway, the worst I have ever gotten is some diaharea and one time a fever for two days, but it was still worth it. And it seems even the Thai’s worry about the safety of some street vendors. I still remember once when I stopped at a stand near one of the ferries and got some sausages. They were fantastic, but when I caught back up with Golf she was pissed at me. All afternoon this lasted and I had no idea why, I thought it was just because I didn’t tell her I was stopping. No, it turns out she was pissed because she was worried that I was eating from a food stand that wasn’t clean. She wasn’t all that familiar with the area and didn’t know if it was safe to eat there. Turns out that it was fine. My suggestion is that you take a chance sometimes because the street restaurants in Bangkok and all around Thailand have some of the best food in the world.

It definitely isn’t the only reason to visit Thailand by far, but the amazing food of Thailand is one great reason to pay a visit to the land of Smiles.

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Thailand – A country in southeast Asia that lies west of Cambodia and Laos, north of Malaysia and east of Myanmar. Thailand is also affectionately known as the Land of Smiles or LOS. Prior to 1939 Thailand was known as Siam and has also been known as the Kingdom of Thailand. The country is predominately Buddhist with 95% of Thais being Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. This helps to contribute to the Thai’s being a very hospitable and generous people. When you come to Thailand you’ll find that many of it’s people will welcome you quite warmly. Add to this the sub-tropical weather and the abundance of wonderful foods and you’ll understand why Thailand has been dubbed the Land of Smiles.

Musing – to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

So, now you understand where I came up with the name for this blog. It will come from my own thoughts and opinions of Thailand and all things Thai. From the people and culture, to foods, places like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the islands to the politics and religion of Thailand to sports like Muay Thai to nightlife, travel and hotels to working in Thailand and anything else Thai related you can think of. If it is connected to Thailand you’ll eventually find it here.

Since this is my own musings on Thailand and it is such a broad subject area there’s no telling what you might find here on any given day, so please feel free to sign up for the feed, there’s no telling what you’ll learn!

My name is Steve and I first visited Thailand in 1997. Since then I’ve been a regular visitor and have even married into the culture last year. My wife’s name is Golf and she is a Thai citizen, you may find her as a guest blogger from time to time, but she is a bit shy right now so it will require some coaxing. Right now we are living in the U.S., but as you can imagine we travel back to Thailand frequently so she can keep in touch with family and friends.

Future plans include a move to Thailand and then I can report first hand. Until that time I’ll be posting from my own memories and experiences as well as current events from news stories, travel reviews, current events and any other topic that can be researched through a combination of the internet and Golf and her friends. If you have something you are interested in and I haven’t written about it or haven’t answered questions you have then write to me and let me know. I am always happy to answer questions either personally through email or by a new post.

So now a warm welcome to all who visit Thailand Musings. Sawasdee khrap!

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