Krabi is a holiday paradise for the whole family and includes the unmissable Phi Phi island, relaxing beach resorts of Lanta Island and stunning scenery of Railay beach and Ao Nang.

Krabi is a family destination, unhurried and unpretentious, with resorts that are protected from the usual tourist hustle and bustle, yet within close proximity to Krabi’s international airport. Krabi offers world class diving, kayaking and rock climbing to match its top quality resorts and restaurants. It’s all part of Thailand’s fabulous hospitality, which is why we’re called…

“The Land of Smile”

Population
Cave paintings and artifacts found around Krabi indicate that the area has been inhabited since prehistoric times.

Today the people of Krabi represent a mix of three different ethnic groups who came to settle from other regions. It is said that each ethnic group has written a page in Krabi’s rich history.

The origins of the Chao Ley or “Sea Gypsies” are unknown. Living mainly on the islands, these nomadic people live in small settlements and earn their living from fishing, collecting shells and diving.

They still retain their own language and beliefs and spiritual worship is still strong in the community. Although overexposure to tourism, and inevitable assimilation with mainstream culture is unfortunately threatening their small communities.

Some of their traditional ways are preserved the yearly sea gypsy sailing ritual held in May on Koh Lanta, Koh Pu and Koh Cha and various ceremonies still celebrated within the community.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigrants from southern China flocked to Thailand in search of work. Many assimilated into Thai society but their descendants still retain their Chinese heritage and are prominent in the business community. Many still speak Chinese dialects, have Chinese (and Thai) names, and observe Chinese rituals and religious beliefs which form part of the local culture.

Krabi is also home to many Muslim communities, due to its close proximity to Malaysia and strong ethnic ties with the border provinces, providing a rich diversity to the area.

Tags : Thailand, Thailand Travel

Thai can be a difficult language to learn mainly because it is a tonal language. One word can have several different meanings depending on the tone used when speaking. Take, for instance, the word mai…depending on the tone when said it can mean: Not, new, burn, silk, and wood. In all there are five tones used in the Thai language and they are: Low tone, mid tone, high tone, rising tone, and falling tone.

Below is some guides to learn easier Thai language

1. Try to surround yourself with the language. Definitely the best solution is to go to Thailand and live there for some time.There you will be able to hear, read, speak and thus train this language 24/7. If it’s impossible get Thai TV, subscribe to Thai papers and magazines and watch Thai movies. This will speed the process of learning Thai considerably.

2. Get Thai friends. After all you want to communicate with Thai people. You can do it either personally or over the Internet. There are many social portals you can strike up new wonderful friendships while speaking and writing in Thai.

3. Try to be like a Thai person, learn what they like, what their traditions are. This will help you to understand a fascinating Thai culture and when something fascinates you – learning it and about it is a pure pleasure. Studying the Thai language is a key to understanding Thailand.

4. Study every day and repeat often what you have learned. We learn by repetition so the more you repeat the better your command of Thai will be. Even half an hour of studying and repeating each day is much better than studying 5 hours once a week.

5. Put emphasis on writing and reading. Spoken Thai is much easier so you should find time every day to practice these two skills.

6. If you don’t understand something – ask. Find Thai language discussion forums on the Internet and ask your questions there. There will be many people there that will readily help you.

7. Talk your friends into studying Thai with you or find somebody who learns it too. Studying with other people is very motivating, effective, and simply brings much more fun.

8. Set up reasonable goals for yourself. Raising the bar to high can discourage you since you will tend to think you are making no or little progress.

9. Make studying this language fun. When you practice reading – choose something interesting, when watching a film let it be something fun, etc. You will notice then that Thai is close to you since you can express and understand things that are of interest to you.

10. Last but not least. Stay optimistic as Thai people are. Even one word learned a day is bringing you closer to your aim – communication in Thai.

Tags : Education, Thai Language, Thailand Information

The Kingdom of Thailand is spread across 513,115 square kilometers. It is equal to the size of France and a little smaller than Texas. The capital of Thailand is Bangkok. Other cities of Thailand are Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai and Muang.

The capital of Thailand is Bangkok, which is the largest city in Thailand and also owns one of the world’s biggest international airports. Thailand has 75 provinces and two special governed districts: one is Bangkok and the other is Pattaya. Thai population is virtually made up by ethnic Thai and Lao and more than 94% of them are Buddhists. Thai people worship Buddha and ancestors and that’s what makes the Thai culture. Thai people respect their religion and ancestors so much that it comes into their way of greeting each other: they greet other people with a prayer-like gesture. Thais are very friendly and smiling, that’s why this country is also called “the land of smiles”. Thai people like talking openly to everyone, including foreigners. Tourists coming to Thailand are always warmly greeted by all Thais, from kids to old people. Even if you don’t know much about the Thai language, you can still have a good time interacting with the local residents.

Thailand is a typical tropical country with a hot and humid climate. There are two seasons in a year: the dry and the rainy season. The rainy season is from July to November. It is very inconvenient and uncomfortable to travel in the rainy season. The best time to come to Thailand is from February to March when the weather is the finest and the beaches are the most beautiful.

Thailand has never been colonized. Since its foundation date in 1238, Thailand has been growing and has become one of the most prosperous countries in Asia. The official currency in Thailand is the Baht, which exchanges at about 34 to the US dollar. Nowadays Thailand has a fast growing and open economy which benefits a great deal from the tourism industry. More than 10 million tourists go to Thailand every year, but this number fell sharply after its tsunami disaster at the end of 2004. The most badly affected area is Phuket – one of the most beautiful destinations for tourists, with its glorious beaches. Much advertising effort has been made since, to recover the tourism industry.

Besides tourism, agriculture is also the strength of this country. Thailand has been the leading country in exporting rice for more than a decade. However, the Thai economy and food chain has been stricken once more by the recent avian flu epidemic which has adversely affected poultry farming in the entire area.

In contrast to the beautiful city sights, grand hotels and luxury resorts, a large proportion of the Thai population still live in poverty in suburban areas and ragged villages, although the government is always trying to develop the Thai economy as well as improving the living standard for the poor across the country.

Tags : Thailand, Thailand Business, Thailand Tourim