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Think ‘Chiang Mai’ and images of mountains and waterfalls come to mind. First time visitors might be forgiven for thinking that Chiang Mai’s key attractions and activities include temple tours and trekking, and that the Northern culture is defined by colourfully dressed hill tribe folk and an ancient moat. But one of the city’s greatest selling points is its fantastic shopping and the Baan Tawai craft centre south of the city is a cornucopia of handicrafts, home décor and Asian cultural souvenirs.

Few people come to Chiang Mai without an evening spent wandering the famous Night Bazaar and going home with a lot more than they intended. The range and prices of goods on display are astonishing, featuring everything from antiques to Zen art. But this is simply a convenient warm up for Baan Tawai, where many of the crafts are made and sold at much cheaper prices.

“We had a fantastic day there” says, Judy Hickman, from Kansas City. “In the end I spent more than a thousand dollars, and the lady at the shop is shipping for me”. She confessed that she didn’t intend to redecorate her home while on holiday but the prices were too good to ignore. “They’re making us a hyacinth sofa for out TV room and we got a bunch of awesome Buddha carvings, one huge one for our lounge wall” she gushes.

The area has been an artisan centre for quite some time, but with the influx of tourism it has expanded considerably in the past five years and now includes several arcades of stalls and small shops, with a whole new wing recently added. The road leading to the centre is also lined with larger shops dealing in furniture, outdoor ceramics and antiques. Handicraft dealers from all over the world now fly in regularly to stock their shops abroad, spawning a whole industry of sourcing agents and logistics support.

But if you’re just here for a little souvenir shopping you won’t regret squeezing a half day tour in to your Northern Thailand schedule. Baan Tawai is the cheapest place in Thailand to find silk, antique reproductions, incense, candles, oil and soap gift packs, ornaments, lamps, bamboo products, wall hangings, frames, vases and much more. They can all be found on market stalls at tourist centres in Bangkok, Phuket and Samui, but the range is far less and the mark-up almost 200 per cent. Most the items on display at Baan Tawai are uniquely Thai, many characteristically Northern and hand made from natural materials.

Wood is definitely the spirit of the place, with plenty of carved figurines, Buddhist art pieces, décor items and wall hangings. But the Thai have a knack for creativity and the range has diversified incredibly in recent years, introducing contemporary designs and ideas. Many of the shops construct teak furniture, made to order, at stunning prices. And although a bedside table doesn’t exactly fit into your suitcase, a professional packing and shipping infra-structure has developed which means you simply have to show up with your credit card.

Apart from spending money, just wandering among the stores and seeing the artisans at work is fun. The Thai are very gifted with their hands and you can see them weaving rattan, carving busts, painting, adding colourful finishes to figurines, or applying delicate lacquer work in time-worn traditions. Another wonderful aspect of Baan Tawai is the pride that the shop owners take in decorating their small shops. Chiang Mai has a distinctively romantic character and the locals love to create small ponds, gardens, water features and displays in the shops, hotel lobbies, restaurants, galleries and coffee shops all over the city. But by far the best little tropical gardens can be found at Baan Tawai.

Baan Tawai is also famous for Asian antiques, some of which rank among the world’s best. Chiang Mai is possibly one of the best places in the region to find not only valuable pieces but very authentic looking reproductions. After all, for 200,000 baht you can become the proud owner of a late-eighteenth century Burmese Buddha head made from marble or you can outfit your entire apartment with equally impressive looking copies for the same price.

“There’s a bigger market now for reproductions”, says Khun Monsit Boonvipatsavee, owner of Chilli Antiques – one of the most established dealers in town. “Now antiques are very expensive and difficult to spot, that’s okay if you’re a dealer, but now people are just looking for something that looks old”, he explains. His gallery on the Hang Dong–Sarapi road has some fantastic examples of ancient-looking Buddha figurines, bronze bowls, pewter and Burmese masks. He has perfected methods of burying newly crafted pieces soaked in acid to speed up the aging process to create truly impressive pieces of pseudo antiquity. Aged bronze Buddha heads are very popular accessories on the décor list of the expensive villas in Phuket and Samui and his pieces can be found in some the country’s most expensive hotels.

Thai products are fast becoming famous the world over, they are cheap and beautifully crafted. From silk bed throws to the ubiquitous triangle cushions, the distinctive styles are now found on flea markets and in decors shops from London to Christchurch. You may not have planned to take too much back with you but once you discover the delightful products available and the prices, you’re likely to be dashing to one of those luggage stalls at the night market.

Thai food is widely known for being hot and spicy since almost all Thai food is cooked with basic ingredients such as garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass and fresh coriander leaf and fermented fish sauce (nam pla) or shrimp paste (kapi) to make it salty.

Since rice is the staple food in Thailand, it is usually eaten at every  meal with soups, curries, fried vegetables and nam phrik. Nam phrik is a hot sauce prepared in a variety of ways and differs from region to region: nam phrik pal pon is a ground dried fish and chilli sauce, nam phrik pla raa is a fermented fish and chilli sauc, nam phrik kapi is a shrimp paste and chilli sauce, nam phrik oong is a minced pork, tomato and chilli sauce. In general the basic ingredients of nam phrik include shrimp paste, garlic, chilli, fermented fish sauce and lemon juice.

Other common seasoning in Thai food include galingale (khaa), black pepper, ground peanut, tamarind juice, ginger and coconut milk. As a result, it takes hours to prepare a propoer Thai meal in the traditional way as it involves so much peeling and chopping and pounding so it needs time to prepare in advance.

In fact, Thai food varies from region to region, for example, glutinous or sticky rice is more popular in the North and Northeast than steamed rice. Moreover, in some rural areas, certain insects are also eaten e,g, crickets, silk worm larvae, red ant larva. At the same time, Thai desserts are often made from sticky ric or coconut milk, flour, egg and coconut sugar while a variety of fruit is available all the year around.

Meanwhile, the basic characteristic taste of Thai food in different parts of the country can be described in different ways: in the central region, food is hot, salty, sweet and sour. Rice is served with different types of nam phrik and soups e.g. tom yam kung (prawn soup with lemon grass). Dishes usually contain a lot of condiments and spices. In the North, food is mild or hot, salty and sour, but never sweet. Stikcy rice is served with boiled vegetables, nam phrik oong and soups or curries. The North is also well-known for its sausage called “naem” which consists of fermented minced pork. It has a sour flavour and is sold wrapped in cellophane and banana leaf.

Food in the Northeast is hot, salty and sour. Their favourite foods include papaya salad (som tam), sour chopped meat salad (koi), sour minced meat salad (larp). People use a lot of condiments but not many spices. Their meals generally consists of sticky rice and nam phrik pla raa accompanied by a lot of vegetables including those found growing wild.

On the other hand, food in the South is renowned for being very hot, salty and sour-tasting. Curries are popular and made with a loy of spices and condiments. Khao yam (a mixture of rice) raw vegetables and fermented fish sauce or boo doo is also a common dish. Generally southern people eat little meat and other varieties of nam phrik are not so popular, the most common one is nam phrik kapi.

Though the major portion of Thai food is described as being spiced and chilli hot, it currently enjoys worldwide popularity especially the eotic Tom Yam Kung, a uniquely piquant prawn soup that is renowned for its simplicity, creativity, artistic flair and delicious taste. Above all, the tastes of Thai cuisines can be amended to suit individual desire, for example, by reducing the amount of chillies in certain dishes to  lower the “heat” or increasing amounts of lime juice to increase sourness. Visitore who have tried the exotic Thai food will never forget to order them again whenever their favourite dishes are available.

Read More about Thailand Guide and Thailand Hotel Booking at SiamHotels.biz

If you’re looking for a nice combination of a holiday with a good measure of exercise thrown in you should go to Thailand and engage in some kick boxing or “Muay Thai”. Muay Thai is a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand and is the country’s national sport.

Muay Thai is a mixture of several techniques employed in the rest of the forms of martial arts. It has been around for more than 2000 years and is basically regarded as the oldest variant of martial arts. Muay Thai was once called the martial art of the kings because of the fact that in 1914 the sons of the King Sen Muajng Ma fought until their death for the throne of their father.

Muay Thai fighters are expected to be strong and powerful since all the movements can really be energy-draining. Muay Thai training then enhances the fighter’s adaptability, strength, and stamina. Some important elements employed for the Muay Thai training techniques are running, stretching, and shadow boxing. A Muay Thai fighter must have the “never say die” attitude at all cost.

The techniques of Muay Thai are divided into two categories—the Luk Mai or that which is known as the Minor techniques and the Mae Mai or the Major techniques. The very reason why Muay Thai is held to be distinct from the other variants of martial arts is because it utilizes the whole body movement while the hip can either be rotated fully or partially for every block, kick, and punch executed.

Thailand has many different places and accommodations where you can try out Muay Thai. You can take up Thai Boxing as a professional sport or simply as a recreant. Muay Thai is very popular in Thailand and hence you have many gyms in different cities where you can exercise the Muay Thai. There are great and famous professional Thai Boxing Camps in Pattaya. You can also watch Thai boxing if you don’t wish to participate in one.

There are a number of different venues that offer Thai boxing in Pattaya. Few of the popular and famous venues for Muay Thai are Sitpholek Institute of Muay Thai Techniques, Scorpion Pattaya, Sydodthong Camp, Kombat Group Pattaya and Muay Thai Fairtex.

The Thailand military actually use a form of Thai boxing in their training. Boxers who engage in Thai Boxing in Pattaya use kicks and punches to score points. Many refer to this form of Thai Boxing as The Science of the Eight Limbs” because participants use their hands, shins, elbows and knees. The best trained are able to score with strikes using eight points of contacts.

Many visitors to Pattaya try to catch a match to watch this sport live and learn more about its art. There are typically a number of different opportunities to see Muay Thai in Pattaya. Asking your hotel staff is a good way to find out if there are any matches or exhibitions during your stay in Pattaya. Travelers who enjoy getting a true sense of a culture may want to try to attend Muay Thai while visiting Pattaya to get a better understanding of Thai boxing in Pattaya.