#Wat Pho

#Wat Pho included in Unesco Programme

Phra Chetupon Temple, more commonly known by Thais as Wat Pho and home of the Reclining Buddha, has been included in the Unesco Memory of the World (MOW) Programme for 2009. The temple was recognised for the historic inscriptions and hermit statues teaching traditional Thai yoga house inside it. The temple's nomination has already been approved by UNESCO committee members in Australia. Official documents affirming this will be sent to Thai authorities on March 31. Wat Pho was built during the Ayutthaya period on the orders of King Rama I and is one of the largest and oldest temples in Bangkok. It is home to more than one thousand Buddha images, the most famous one being the giant Reclining Buddha, which is also a tourist attraction. (BangkokPost.com)

Inscriptions at Wat Phra Chetuphon or Wat Pho, will be proposed as a Memory of the World?. The proposal will be submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which will consider it in June this year. Educational minister Wichit Srisa-an, in his capacity as Chairman of the National UNESCO Committee, said that Wat Pho is regarded as Thailand's first University and a center for traditional Thai massage, where people can learn techniques of various natural remedies for health. At least 1,000 foreign tourists visit Wat Pho each day. Wat Pho 's inscription contain Buddhist teachings, literary works, and Thai wisdom, especially concerning traditional medicine, which can also be seen from hermit statues showing postures for muscle pain treatment. Thailand deems it appropriate to propose the inscriptions to UNESCO's memory of the world program for the pride of the nation. King Ramkhamhaeng's inscription No.1 in the 13th century was Thailand's first piece to be given Memory of the World status by UNESCO in 2003.

Khunying Maenmas Chavalit, a member of the National Memory of the World Program, stated that these inscriptions are valuable and useful not only for Thailand but also for the whole world. She said that King Rama I, who ruled the Thai Kingdom more than 200 years ago, ordered the preservation of traditional medicine texts passed on from the Ayutthaya period. This knowledge has developed over centuries. The hermit postures, in particular, have been included in today's exercise regimes in Thai health Spas. Exercise with these postures is believed to bring about good physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Traditional Thai massage at Wat Pho is recognized worldwide, largely because it takes a holistic approach to healing. Each year, about 100,000 people attend traditional Thai massage courses provided by this temple. On the walls of Wat Pho, there are a number of 19th century murals diagramming energy points and meridians of the human body.

Popularly referred to by foreigners as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho is recognized as the temple of King Rama I, the first monarch of the Rattanakosin period. It is one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temples in Thailand. Originally built in the reign of King Phetracha, who ruled the Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1688 to 1703, Wat Pho underwent a major renovation during the reign of King Rama I. The walls were inscribed with royal drug remedies. The King also established a royal dispensary there, much like the one in the Ayutthaya period. Later, King Rama III ordered experts in various fields to combine their knowledge, and in words and graphic presentations, it was incribed on stone tablets found in the temple compound. (The Government Public Relations Department)

#Golf Capital of Asia

#Thailand is one of the Most Popular Golf Holiday Destination

Thailand is acknowledged as the "Golf Capital of Asia". Due to many reasons golfing in Thailand is truly a great experience, which among many others, are exciting as well as challenging golf courses, exceptionally low playing fee, superb club house facilities, excellent course lay out, astounding atmosphere coupled with charming buddies, and much more. Additionally, one of the fabulous things regarding golfing in the country is amazing assortment of location as well as environment in which these golf courses are located. From the busting capital city of Bangkok and Pattaya bestowed with enthralling scenery to the lush green hills of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai and Phuket, acknowledged as the island paradise, Thailand truly presents a veritable drapery of golf delight. In fact, Thailand is one of the best destinations for a relaxing golf holiday amid blowing scenery. No matter how much remote is the area you are visiting in Thailand, it is absolute that there would be one or more goft courses in the area or nearby. Also, a specialty of this mystical tropical paradise is that one can play golf all year round. However, golf in Thailand is not a new sport. According to records, golf was one of the most popular recreational sports even before 100 years ago, the evidence for which is the sports reported at the Royal Bangkok Sports club on a period as early as during the beginning of 20th century. Erected by Scottish Engineer within the beach resort of Hua Hin regarded as the first recognized 18-hole golf course in Thailand. But now the country has one of the largest assortments of golf courses in Asia. Majority of the world-class golf courses in Thailand were built during the great economic boom period. In order to guarantee the best facilities in these courses, many of the owners hired the services of renowned golfers as Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Robert Trend Jones, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer to apply their expertise, values, and signatures. All these make each of the more than 150 golf courses in Thailand of international standard as well as one of its kinds. Perhaps the greatest thing the

at set a part Thai Golf courses is its highlights such as caddy system. Mostly, this function is undertaken by Thai ladies with polite nature as well as excellent knowledge and idea on golf courses in Thailand. In other words, these ladies are adept in almost all facets of golf and can help a golfer with a number of things such as how to choose a golf club, which is the most perfect to lay up and info on the speed of green. Another great thing regarding playing golf in the country is its salubrious climate. Above all, an obvious benefit of playing golf in the country is that you can play it for an exceptionally low alluring price.

Option vailable within these golf facilities are truly stupenous, with many of them boasting of brilliantly designed individual holes coupled with almost all types of exciting hazards, from intimidating lakes and mighty bunkers to canyons. When comes to club house facilities, they are mostly well-constructed and are inclusive of almost all comforts including first-class restaurants, bars, specialized areas for postournament functions, and air-conditioned facilities for changing. For real golf freaks, even such facilities as accommodation choices and fitness and sauna facilities are available.

In addition, many of golf courses are attached with excellent practice area, which is sometimes coupled with the services of pro to guide you in shaping your golfing skills. Also, many of the golf courses come with a well-stocked pro shop and provide options for golf cart rentals.

Alpine Goft and Sports club and Dynasty Goft and Country Club in Bangkok, Rayong Green Valley Country Club and St. Andrews 2000 in Pattaya, and Dusit Polo Club in Hua Hin, are just few among many of the world class goft facilities in Thailand.Apart from these, many of the top end hotels and resorts spread across the nation provide state of the art facilities for enjoying goft vacation in Thailand. Some of them even render superb value packages inclusive of three or four nights' accommodation in a highly sophisticated room, breakfast, seafood dinner, traditional massage treatments, and tee off two or three times, for an enjoyable goft holidays.In short, playing goft in the country is undoubtedly a rewarding experience, with an assortment of superb golf courses set amid scenic backdrop and coupled with excellent clubhouses and services of courteous caddies as well as pro. (Wolfgang Jaegel).

#Ayutthaya

#Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand (then called Siam) from 1350 until it was sacked by the Burmese army in 1767. This period of Thai history is now usually refered as the Ayutthaya period or Ayutthaya kingdom. The ruins of the old capital in the Ayutthaya historical park are now UNESCO World Heritage Site. The province is also home to the Bang Pa-in summer palace complex. Originally named Krung Kao (กรุงเก่า). the province was renamed to Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya in 1919 (http://en.wikipedia.org/). The province is subdivided in to sixteen districts (amphone), communes (tambon) and 1328 villages (muban). There are two districts which have the same English name ; however this is only because the different pronunciation and thus different spelling in Thai gets lost in romanization. Ayutthaya is unique among the provinces of Thailand in that the district of its capital city is not called Amphoe Mueang (Ayutthaya), as the common scheme would suggest, but rather Amphoe Phra Nakorn Sri Ayutthaya. Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya is located in the flat river plain of the Chao Phraya river valley. The presence of the Lop Buri and Pa Sak River make the province a major rice farming area.