The highly popular King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will take place this year from March 23 to March 29 in the northernmost region of Thailand known as the Golden Triangle.

This year’s event will see 12 teams go trunk to trunk to win the coveted King’s Cup trophy.

An opening parade and blessing ceremony will be held in Chiang Saen town on March 23 to showcase the culture of the Golden Triangle region with northern traditional-style dancers, hill-tribe villagers in traditional costume, elephant spirit men (Khru Ba Yai), and colourfully decorated pachyderms. The parade will mark the kick-off of the weeklong competition held on the banks of the Ruak River which divides Thailand from Burma.

During the first five years of the tournament, the event took place in the Royal seaside town of Hua Hin before moving to the native home of elephants in 2006 – the Golden Triangle.

The King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament is a charitable event that raises money for the country’s National Elephant Institute in Lampang, northern Thailand. Since its debut in 2001 it has gone from a small two-day event with six teams into a week-long extravaganza, which in 2008 featured 12 teams from four continents, encompassing 40 players from at least 15 countries.

To date the tournament has raised over US$200,000 for the National Elephant Institute, which provides medical care, sustenance, employment, and mahout training to Thailand’s elephant population. In 2008 the funds were used to run the custom built ambulance that was donated at the opening ceremony of the most recent tournament.

It is estimated that Thailand has around 2,500 domesticated elephants and 1,500 wild elephants. This is down from an elephant population of around 50,000 in 1950 and 100,000 in 1900.

Last month, filmmaker Shawn Heinrichs visited Misool Eco Resort to work on his documentary about the global shark fin trade. His story appeared on the front page of CNN.com on 11 Dec and included reference to Misool Eco Resort’s efforts to combat it in their No-Take Zone. You can read the article on Anderson Cooper’s blog:http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/12/10/the-world-needed-to-see-what-i-was-witnessing/   – gruesome reading!

Ten aircraft have been submerged off Bang Tao Bay in Phuket’s Talang district in the Andaman Sea to form a new artificial coral reef and diving site. The 16-18 meters deep area where the fleet was sunk has a sand bed, and is one kilometre away from the natural coral reef and the Bang Tao Beach.

The fleet of sunken aircraft consists of four Douglas C-47 Dakota Skytrains and six Sikorsky S-58T helicopters. They once belonged to the Royal Thai Air Force and were housed at an air base in Lopburi Province. The For Sea Foundation initiated the project to create an artificial coral reef following operations to fix natural coral reefs that were damaged by the devastating Tsunami that hit Asia in late December 2004.

It took two years for the agencies concerned to complete the feasibility study on the environmental effects of the project and determining the best location to sink the fleet. It was found that the aluminum body of each aircraft is non-corrosive, while their shapes do not obstruct water currents. Most importantly, it was found that they do not pose any harm to the ecological system.

The diving spot is expected to help boost Phuket’s strategic position as a world-class marine tourism centre with this new fascinating dive site. Corals will form a new reef along each craft, marine fauna will have a new habitat and the ecological system in the area will also eventually rehabilitate itself.

Ms. Cathleeya McIntosh, one of Thailand’s best known actresses and an experienced diver herself, has been chosen as the project’s Goodwill Ambassador.

The anti-government protestors that had been holding Bangkok’s two major airports – Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang – as well as Thailand’s tourism industry and image under siege, returned the airports to the official authorities on Wednesday, after having caused enormous damage to the Thai economy.

Flights are however gradually returning to normal at Suvarnabumhi, but it is extremely important that passengers check with their airline about any new check-in procedures, locations etc.

It will take the airports some time before they can fully resume operations. For airlines, there is also the complication of newly scheduled and confirmed flights to other areas of Thailand, giving priority to stranded passengers, and those passengers that should have been leaving around this time anyway, etc

The anti-government protestors that have been holding Bangkok’s two major airports – Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang – as well as Thailand’s tourism industry and image under siege, are packing up and leaving today, after having caused long-lasting damage to the economy.

However is it at all clear, when Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang Airports will be fully operational despite the autorities delaring that they will be fully open by Friday midday. The first Thai Airways International flight to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, TG 2109, arrived shortly after 14:00 today, 3 December 2008, from Phuket. International flights are expected to gradually resume Thursday. 

It will take the airport some time before it can fully resume operations. For airlines, there is also the complication of newly scheduled flights to other areas of Thailand, giving priority to stranded passengers, and those passengers that should have been leaving around now anyway etc.

Then of course there is security, something both Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang seem to have a problem with, when you consider they have been held under siege by pretty much unarmed protestors for over one whole week. With protestors being allowed to roam free, some pretty intense security checks are going to have to take place before traffic can resume.

Watch this blog for further updates.

Nov. 17 (Bloomberg) — A magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi at 1:02 a.m. local time today, the U.S. Geological Survey said. One person was injured and buildings collapsed, Agence France-Presse reported.

The quake hit 135 kilometers (85 miles) northwest of the city of Gorontalo at a depth of 26 kilometers, the U.S. agency said. Two aftershocks hit the area within 80 minutes, one measuring 5.6 and one 5.5.

The quake had the potential to generate a tsunami along coasts within 1,000 kilometers of the epicenter, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an e-mailed alert. No tsunami was reported after five hours. Indonesian authorities lifted a tsunami warning they issued after the quake, AFP reported.

Several buildings were destroyed in Gorontalo, which is about 1,950 kilometers east-northeast of Jakarta, AFP reported. In Tolitoli, to the west of Gorontalo, residents told AFP buildings had collapsed. An Indonesian official told the news agency he expected there to be casualties.

A magnitude-9.1 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra to the northwest of Jakarta in 2004 produced a tsunami that left more than 220,000 people dead in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

Indonesia lies in a zone where the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, Philippine and Pacific tectonic plates meet and occasionally shift, causing earthquakes that sometimes trigger tsunamis.

SOURCE: Bloomberg Asia.

Siem Reap Air, a partnership airline of Bangkok Air will be starting direct daily flights from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City and Ho CHi Minh City to Siem Reap.

These daily flights will be scheduled as below:

SR- HCM FT981- 11:00am-11:55am- Daily

HCMC- SR FT982- 12:40pm-13:35 Daily

Daily flights will begin on 26 October 2008.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat met in Bejing on Friday, at the Asia-Europe Summint, to discuss the recent conflict at Preah Vihear.

The two Prime Ministers made an agreement to avoide anyt further fighting on the border. They also agreed to set up a committee and negotiate bilaterally the disputed border. However, there was no agreement made in relation to removal of troops along the disputed territory.

Thursday: Siem Reap-A meeting between Thai and Cambodian military officials continued late into Thursday night but failed to end in an agreement.

The two sides refused to agree on the issue of redeployment of troops into the Preah Vihear area and also failed to come to any agreement on establishing a joint Thai-Cambodian committee to facilitate negotiations concerning the demarcation of the boundaries.

Talks are expected to continue today.

The situation on at the border between Thailand and Cambodia, near the temple of Preah Vihear has remained unchanged, since violent clashes last week ended in a cease fire agreement.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, (the Prime Minister of Cambodia) and Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of Thailand have confirmed that there will be a meeting in Bejing later this week to discuss border issues. 

The travel situation in Cambodia has remained unafected by the tensions. All major airports are still operating as usual and bus systems are unaffected. Travel to Preah Vihear however, is not possible.

 

 

For people hoping to dive at the world renowned island of Sipadan, off the north coast of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, I would advise planning – and booking – well ahead!

The issuance of diving permits is very strict these days. The quota per day is limited to 120 divers and there are now 12 diving/resort operators vying for slots within this quota.

Each dive operator – whether located on Mabul, Kapalai or on the mainland in Semporna – has to submit the names of their guests well in advance if they are to ensure that they will get the chance to dive there, and there is no way of knowing what the demand is likely to be on any one day. This means that applying for a permit does not automatically guarantee success.

“A tense quiet hangs over Preah Vihear temple [today]” (Tha Cambodia Daily).

After four hours of negotiatins between Thai and Cambodia military officials an agreement had been made that no gunfir will be exchange “just like before” (The Cambodia Daily).

In what seems to be a somewhat unworkable agreement Cambodia and Thailand have agreed that neither side will withdraw its troops but instead have joint border patrols to “reduce chances of a misunderstanding that could lead to another clash” (The Cambodia Daily).

Cambodia has freed the 10 Thai soldiers that were captured after the clash and further talks were agreed upon by the military commanders, however no date has been set.

The tension at the border is isolated to one small section of the border about 4km in length and 4km wide. Two hundred civillans living at the temple were evacuated.

The situation at the border has had little effect on the conduct of people living elsewhere in Cambodia. Airports are still open, bus systems and other forms of transport are unnaffected. Those people planning to visit Cambodia should keep up to date with the situation at the temple but the main tourist destinations of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville remain unnafected by the conflict.

This is a lament! 

 

My last visit to Boracay was in 1997 when the very first few concrete buildings were just making an appearance along the famous 7km White Beach – voted the best beach in the world countless times for its flawless, squeaky white sand.  Then, 99% of all the guest houses and small hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, etc were discretely constructed from wood and bamboo and were hidden behind the palm trees.  Only a couple of them had swimming pools… after all, who needs them when you have such a perfect beach and aquamarine sea to swim in?

 

2008 – 10 years on and what a shock!  Well it would have been had I not been heavily forewarned.  

To walk along the central part (Station 2) of White Beach now is like fighting your way along London’s Oxford Street!  Hoards of tourists being herded into conveyor belt restaurants, touts selling everything from fake watches to sexual services, box-like concrete hotels built on corridors of land leading back to the now traffic-congested road that runs down the middle of the island, each one tightly wrapped around a swimming pool.

On the other side of the island, famed for windsurfing and kite surfing competitions, modernistic Miami-style apartment blocks scar the hillsides.  This is no longer a “Robinson Crusoe” tropical island where you leave your shoes on the mainland.

There are saving graces.  Fridays Resort at the northern end of the beach (Station 3) is still very nice, although bang next to it is a white shiny monstrosity called Discovery Shores or something.  And the south end of the beach (Station 1) is still low key with more backpacker standard accommodations.

 

A gem of a find, however, was a new little resort, perched on rocks at the top end of White Beach called Boracay West Cove.  Part owned by famous Filipino boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao, I would never have found it if my curiosity wasn’t roused by a small tunnel I spotted leading through the cliff face.  Every room is unique and has stunning panoramic views over the sea.  There are no straight lines; the walls mirror the rock face… and trees that might have been in the way during construction, were simply absorbed into the architecture and are now core features, sometimes growing right through the middle of a room or bathroom.

 

I visited Boracay during the rainy season when the winds swing round and blow in from the west.  The usually glass-like sea along White Beach is rough at this time of year and wind breaks are constructed all along the sea front to prevent sand from blowing into all of the hotels.  Come mid October they will be pulled down and the wind should start blowing from the east again… heralding the start of the kite surfing season.

 

 

Boracay is still a fun place to go, but it is a lot more commercial and main stream than a few years ago.  No longer the hideaway for which it earned its reputation.  Not too cheap either!  A must for kite-surfers!

THAI and Cambodian soldiers exchanged gunfire across their shared border yesterday in a  battle over a small and remote plot of jungle adjoining an ancient Hindu temple.

At least two Cambodian soldiers were reported to have been killed and five Thais and two Cambodians were injured in the afternoon battle at the mountain-top Preah Vihear temple.
Perched on the top of a 490m cliff, Preah Vihear can be reached far more easily from Thailand than from Cambodia. The territory was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice after lengthy legal arguments, which involved maps produced during Cambodia’s French colonial period. However, one plot of jungle, which measures 1.8 square miles, was never allocated clearly, and it is over this land that the two countries fought.

Each side accused the other of opening fire first and gave a different account of the duration of the battle. Journalists on the Cambodian side of the border reported seeing rocket-propelled grenades fired by the Thais. At least 10 Thai soldiers who were stationed in a pagoda surrendered to the Cambodians.

“We are not the ones who ignited the violence,” Somchai Wongsawat, the Thai Prime Minister, said in the capital Bangkok. “The situation has returned to normal now. It is not serious and I am convinced there will be resolution.”

After the outbreak of fighting military talks were announced, which are scheduled to be held today.

The Situation in Cambodia:

The figthing is concentrated on a very small area on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Preah Vihear is situated to the north of Cambodia. All inhabitants of this small area have been moved to a safer area and the site is closed to tourists.

Locals in other parts of Cambodia are going about their daily busisness. Flights from Thailand to Cambodia are still running as usual, buses from Bangkok to Poipet are also unnafected by the fighting.

At this stage it is unlikely It for tensions to exculate as  diplomatic talks are being conducted today. This blog will be updated with news about the dispute regularily.

Text for this blog was taken from The Australian. For more information please go to the following sites. http://www.bangkokpost.com/, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24505494-2703,00.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7672891.stm

Claimed to be the longest underground river in the world (although Ii hear rumours that a much longer one has been found in South America somewhere) is located in the St Paul’s National Park in Palawan, Philippines.

Emptying directly into the South China Sea through a cave at the bottom of karst limestone cliffs, topped in rich rainforest, the river flows underground for about 8 km, and it is possible to row small boats through the cave system for at lest half of that distance.  By kayak, much further… although I am told it is not possible to actually emerge the other side.

To get to the entrance of St Paul’s National Park and to the underground river, you have to take a banca (Philippine version of an outrigger boat) along the Palawan coast from the small seaside town and beach of Sabang. 

Once there, you disembark onto a pristine white sand beach (shoes off) from where there are forest trails leading off into the jungle. One of these leads to a boat landing point where you charter your boat and boatman to take you into the caves.

This is a popular day out for local Filipinos and there can be quite a long wait to get a boat, so get there early or plan to spend some time bird watching and wildlife spotting along some of the other trails in the park. In the short time that I was there I saw various monkeys and several large monitor lizards – very close up – in addition to plenty of our feathered friends.  Reinforcing the reputation of the park, there was also a posse from the Philippines Birding Society there laden with expensive-looking optical gear.

The St Paul’s National Park is named, it is said, for the shape of the mountain above the caves (see pic) which strongly Catholic Filipinos reckon looks like the profile of a well known Saint!

Most visitors come to visit the underground river from the main town of Puerto Princes, a 2-3 hour drive away (parts of the road are still under construction and parts are very poor).  To be there early, I would recommend staying overnight or longer in Sabang where there is one delightful little resort right on the beach called the Daluyon.  Swimming pool, nicely appointed rooms in 2 storey villas and excellent food!  There are backpacker places at the other end of the beach in Sabang town itself.