Over on the HHAD forum they have launched a couple of photo competitions, one for Hua Hin related images and one for general photographs. Voting is open to all though you must be registered on the forum and it is likely there will be more competitions held if there is enough demand so all the camera buffs out there get snapping:
Hua Hin , what where when why who whom? in Hua Hin following me.
Almost all the people in Thailand are interested in Ong Jatukarm Ramadhep, this name comes from the south and is a very famous name. In Hua Hin District at the famous Huay Mongkol temple an Abbot named Pra-Kru Phairoch has made Ong Jatukarm Ramadhep (as a Magical Buddhism) so it made the holy Jatukarm a reality, at the present time there are many monasteries required to make Ong Jatukarm for sale, they are good for making money.
Wondering of making sacred by some magic, the Ong Jatukarm, I have been in formal procedure all the people just looking at the sky who saw the sun was encircled by a halo, and another day the sun was a Jatukarm as a picture of reality, not only this all the television shown a Jatukarm surprise.
Jatukarm made by the magic soil & some magic praying & banana & flower, this is similar to making the magic Buddha rather strong informed sources, so the price changed very fast and is very expensive, starting from 299 baht to 3,500 baht. This is because the people are taking a lot of interest Jatukarm at the moment.
May I introduce to Dr Chainan Thayawiwacha (pictured), managing director of Hua Hin Hospital. He was worried about the medical equipment, especially since the hospital has no budget, his mission was to try to find someone to donate. Finally he went to meet Pra Kru Phairoch Prapasro, Abbot of Huay Mongkol temple, he needed to have around three hundred thousand Ong Jatukarm Ramdhep images. Out of his kindness the abbot donated 3 million baht to the hospital.
Today Dr Chainan Thayawiwat said now our hospital has funds of about 90 million baht, we can buy the medical equipment already, he said the committee decides how to take care how to use then money and at the present time we have 25 doctors at Hua Hin Hospital.
Reported by Tuck Dechapanya .
You might have noticed that a lot of people in Hua Hin are wearing what appear to be Olympic bronze medals suspended by a chain around their necks. There is nothing athletic about them. They are Buddhist amulets, called Jatukam, believed to have magical powers. The whole country has been swept up in Jatukam mania.
It all started in the southern city of Nakhon Si Thammarat, located at about the same latitude as the much more famous Phuket, although on the Gulf of Thailand side of the Malay Peninsula rather than the Andaman Sea. From there is spread throughout the country.
This historic city (it traces its origins to the 13th Century and beyond) is still the epicenter of the phenomenon. Of the city’s 560 Buddhist temples more than 200 are producing the special amulets. Along the main street whole stores are given over to displays of the amulets in their plastic containers, selling for 2,000-5,000 baht.
Busy times on the forums last month as our membership reached 2,500 and readership exceeded 45,000 per month making HHAD officially the town’s best read website. Plenty of discussion on local issues such as Hua Hin’s water supply, the state of Soi 102 where the immigration office now resides, and litter problems around town and the beach and what we can do to help. As low season is now upon us the streets of downtown Hua Hin seem a little quieter but the number of people moving to the town on a semi-permanent basis is definitely on the increase.
All that jazz …
A great time was had by all at this years Hua Hin jazz festival, the music certainly didn’t disappoint with solid performances from Italian lounge jazz band Montefiori Cocktail. They were the only band of the evening to get the crowd up and dancing, some were even in the ocean and on Hua Hin’s famous rocks. Saturday’s lineup was also very impressive with some awesome guitar work by Prode Tanapat and a powerful performance from Caroline Henderson. Unfortunately though the overcrowding problems were worse than previous years due to the scaling back of the event from three nights to two and two venues to one. We hope the organizers will bear this in mind for next years jazz festival. A website has been setup by local jazz and Hua Hin aficionados to help promote the event online, it can be found at www.jazzfestivalhuahin.com
Another year, another Hua Hin jazz festival, this one to be bigger and better than the rest … however that wasn’t quite the case! Everything from the musical talent, fewer international artists, to the number of nights, the number of stages, and even to the toilet facilities seemed to be scaled back this year. The only thing that was bigger was the crowds squeezing onto a rapidly diminishing stretch of beach as the tide came in. Organisation problems aside it was still a great event with a fantastic show by Italian band Montefiori Cocktail on friday night. The twin brothers entertained the crowds with a top notch performance which had people dancing in the ocean before the night was out. Saturday afternoon was throughly pleasant however it became very busy very quickly with hordes of Bangkokians getting down for the weekend, with at least 10,000 people and only one stage on the beach we did not stay for the final act but did enjoy the smooth electric guitar solos of Prode Tanapat. We hope a little more thought will be given to the organization and number of people attending future events. More photos and info on the event can be found at www.jazzfestivalhuahin.com
A strange phenomenon was observed in Hua Hin and all over Thailand on Friday when the sun appeared to have a halo around it. Mystified locals emerged from their houses and consulted each other in hushed voices at the solar spectacle. The halo is actually caused by ice crystals in thin clouds in the upper atmosphere, the crystals behave like tiny lenses and as they are all similar in shape refract the light at 22 degrees which corresponds to the radius of the sun halo. Needless to say more lottery tickets were purchased in Thailand that day!
Hot topics this month on the Hua Hin forum were actually wet topics as there was plenty of discussion on the recent deluges we have had. Several tropical storms have caused heavy rainfall in the area and some flooding along Petchkasem Road and down town. The concern is that this is the beginning of the rainy season and we have another four months of it to look forward to!
The theme park saga raises its head again with reports in national newspapers of large expanses of land in Cha-am being earmarked for development. Plenty of discussion on this as the arguments for and against such a large development and impact on the local community are laid out. Another related topic is the future of Hua Hin and what it will be like in the year 2029 some have visions of a great Riviera of resorts and high rise condos stretching from Hua Hin to Cha-am, high speed monorails linking it to Bangkok and international air connections. Others see it as possibly going back to its old quiet fishing village origins following an economic and political collapse in the Kingdom. Either way change is inevitable and it made for an interesting discussion.
Accommodation hunters have another option as we welcome Putahracsa resort to our booking system, luxury villas are on offer here however they also have a fine restaurant and bar and welcome local expats. Accommodation will become scarce for the Hua Hin jazz festival weekend so get online and book early. The organizers finally unveiled the press release and official dates of 8th and 9th of June. It seems to be a smaller affair this year with only one main stage and two nights. Hope to see you there.
Having just returned from Phuket I thought I would compare it to Hua Hin from a purely tourist point of view. I’ve broken the categories down for easier viewing and comparison:
Accommodation:
We stayed in a 3/4 star hotel with pool walking distance from Karon beach, the week spent there was booked on the internet at a rate of 1,500 baht per night. There are fewer options in Hua Hin with these facilities at this price but they can be found, accommodation options in general are better in Phuket but then the place is much bigger.
Admiring an Andaman sunset
Transport:
I drove myself and found that the roads in Phuket are much bigger, more organised and traffic seems to flow better without the bottlenecks and crazy makeshift police barricades that can be found in Hua Hin. That said there did seem to be a greater volume of traffic there, the likes of which Hua Hin only experiences on weekends. Hua Hin is far better for public transport and motorbike taxis, Phuket seems to be overrun with a taxi mafia with fixed inflated prices.
Every year this huge market and fair comes to town, it occupies most of the length of Naebkehardt Road and lasts about a week. Most of the produce is OTOP stuff and includes clothing, toys, household appliances, furniture, ornaments, tools, electrical goods, plants, food, and media. There is also a large fairground for the kids and a number of attractions where you can win prizes. A big stage has been erected on the corner of soi 51 where local bands play. It is extremely popular and very busy so expect a long walk as you will not be able to park anywhere near it!
Little known to many there is a Kung Fu school in Hua Hin, its actually located in Khao Takiab and school is probably the wrong word to describe it. Most visitors to Thailand that already have an interest in martial arts want to get into Muay Thai because its the “thing to do”, they overlook more effective martial arts like the ancient Chinese system of Wing Tsun. WT is a self defense system that teaches self discipline and awareness along side speed and reflexes, its not all about fighting and can also be used as a method of relaxation through its forms or “Siu Nim Tao”. The camp offers group and individual courses with optional fitness programs so if you have an open mind and are interested in learning something new get yourself along there, more details can be found on their website: www.wt-thailand.com
We, the Proletariat, have cars seven years old or older. We are burdened to have these veterans inspected every year while simultaneously getting a new road tax sticker. In Hua Hin this is easy to do at the inspection station in Vichaiyud Insurance Co. Take soi 56 west on Phetskasem, cross the railway and at the light turn left (south) on Canal Road. Vichaiyud is about 500 meters down the road on left. Good, quick service and you can have all your insurance matters attended while having your car inspected.
Those of you rich kids with newer cars, you can get your annual road tax sticker from the same place.
Here’s the station:
And this is why one must have the Oldies inspected.
For the first time in a few months I was out on two wheels this morning, and I don’t mean the motorised type. Hua Hin is a great place for bicycles if you get out of the centre of town where you’re likely to end up as roadkill. Take the canal road north and turn off any of the bridges on the left and pedal towards the hills. You will soon find yourself in open country side surrounded by plantations, fields, lakes and a housing estate or twelve. The roads here are quiet both from noise and traffic so you can take it at a leisurely pace and enjoy the scenery. The closer you get to the hills the more rural it becomes with cattle crossings, local kids playing in streams, rickety old houses and the occasional Buddhist shrine. The contrast between downtown Hua Hin and the surrounding country lanes just a few kilometers away is astounding, what a great way to spend the first couple of hours of the day!
It’s been a rough few years for Thailand as regards negative publicity - SARS, bird flu, tsunami, government corruption, military coup, terrorist attacks and dodgy government decisions contributing to stock market crashes and an artificially strong currency, which has led foreigners, both businesses and individuals, to look at alternative destinations to exist in. Some of these problems have been Asia-wide, but most not, and many people have been talking about Malaysia as an alternative to the Land Of Smiles. At first glance this would appear to be a decent alternative - similar climate, a more welcoming immigration policy, the ability to buy property, better infrastructure, a diverse culture and equally beautiful landscape, so on a recent trip there I tried to look at things there from the perspective of possibly living in that country instead of Thailand.
Last week, I went on a mission. That was to find out some concise details about schools in Hua Hin for friends. All they wanted was contact telephone numbers and addresses. If I could find out more about certain English language curricula, so much the better. So, off I went.
First stop was the Tessabahn Tourist Office. They were really helpful, but couldn’t answer my questions. So, I was pointed in the direction of Hua Hin’s Education Department just up the road. Now, I’ve lived here for some time with my Thai wife and I never even knew the office existed.
Went into there very politely and was met with a barrage of questions and suspicions. “How did you find out where we are?” “The Tessabahn told me”.
Following on from the post on behaviour on the beach I would like to add one about temples. These are places of worship so a bit of respect really is required from people visiting them. I was up at Wat Khao Takiab yesterday, it was busy as many people were making merit for Macha Bucha day. On seeing shirtless farangs wandering around the complex it was painfully obvious that this behaviour is unacceptable, however the benevolent Thais will not say anything about it. It took another farang to politely indicate that walking around a temple with no shirt on really is a bad idea. The culture guide on the website and similar ones in guide books should be read and adhered to for visiting Thailand.
