Web surfers around the world can now take a virtual tour of six of Thailand’s royal palaces via http://www.palaces.thai.net.

Run by the Bureau of the Royal Household, the website features the Grand Palace (including the Temple of the Emeral Buddha) and Vimanmek in Bangkok, Bang Pa-In in Ayutthaya, Phu Phing in Chiang Mai, Sanam Chandra in Nakhon Pathom, and Pak Phanang in Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Navigation is easy. Just take a look at the map of each palace, click the spot you wish to explore, and a 360-degree photo – which you can use the mouse to turn sideways or in any direction as well as zoom in and out at will – will pop up.

The virtual tour does not take you into the interior though. For that you’ll have to actually visit the palaces.

Coast guards for Phuket

Phuket is employing a team of 83 coast guards to provide protection and first aid to tourists this monsoon season.

The provincial administration is spending 10 million baht to set up the coast guard team that will be on duty 9am to 7pm daily at popular tourist spots including Patong, Kamala and Mai Khao beaches.

New mall in Chatuchak

A new shopping mall is rising in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok not far from the weekend market.

Called JJ Centre, the eight-storey mall being built at a cost of some 4.5 billion baht is located on Kamphaeng Phet 2 Road. Its builder, Deva Development, was granted a 30-year lease of the land which is owned by the State Railway of Thailand.

When the mall opens, towards the end of 2011, it will boast 40,000 square metres of space and, apart from the usual assortment of retailers and wholesalers, feature outlets selling Otop goods and handicrafts.

Aow Nang pollution

About 30 per cent of visitors do not want to return to Aow Nang Beach, one of the popular stops in Krabi, due to environmental pollution, according to a survey by the Tourism Association of Krabi.

The visitors were not happy with waste water management, they complained, was being channelled directly into the sea as well as the problem of garbage and taxi service.

The association will present the findings of the survey to the local administration in the hope to find a solution to the problems, for which it plans to enlist the support and cooperation from the public and private sectors.

THAI-KTB link up

Passengers flying Thai Airways (THAI) on domestic routes can now pay for their air tickets via Krung Thai Bank (KTB) ATMs.

The “Easy Fly Easy Pay” service allows passengers access to the bank’s 7,011 ATMs nationwide, enabling them to buy air tickets any time of day.

Danut Boonnak of THAI said that after payment, passengers will get a confirmation message via SMS, and they must present the payment slip at the check-in counter to receive a boarding pass.

KTB will also provide free travel insurance, with maximum payment fixed at 200,000 baht per passenger paying for air tickets via its ATM.

Honolulu-Bangkok flights

Hawaiian Airlines has introduced a Honolulu-Bangkok service through a codeshare agreement with Korean Air.

Bangkok is the newest Asia-Pacific destination for which Hawaiian is teaming up with Korean Air to offer codesharing benefits, said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley.

“The relationship with Korean Air allows us to offer our customers destinations in Asia beyond our own route network, while at the same time promoting Hawaii tourism by easing access to all of Hawaii from additional points in Korean Air’s network,” he explained.

Honolulu-Bangkok will be a daily flight with a stop at Incheon, South Korea. It will depart Honolulu at 12.30pm and arrive in Bangkok 11pm the following day. The return flight from Bangkok is at 12.30am and arrival in Honolulu at 10.10am the same day.

For more information, visit http://www.hawaiianair.com and http://www.koreanair.com.

High-flying chefs

Turkish Airlines has launched a “Chef on Board” service for business and first class passengers on the Istanbul-Bangkok route.

The chefs will be serving up an international menu that will be rotated every three months. The airline said the service, first introduced last April on the Istanbul-New York flights and later extended to Chicago and Tokyo routes, is like a luxury restaurant in the sky.

Bargains galore

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Fair 2010, which opens at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre on July 22, will feature about 800 booths that promise visitors attractive holiday packages and discounts of up to 80% on some leading brand name products.

Part of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s attempt to promote the country as a destination for shopping, the four-day fair that runs until Aug 1 is hoping to woo some 15,000 visitors with some very attractive packages put up by leading hotels, resorts, airlines and tour agents.

The event will also feature an “Amazing Thai Sweets and Fruits” zone as well as lots of family activities and fun. It will open 10am to 8pm.

Visit http://www.amazinggrandsale.com for more information.

karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th.

You can forget quaint notions of an isolated backwater where time is measured in tomorrows; La R?union is very much with us in the modern world.

A bit of France in the Indian Ocean, La R?union is as much a part of l’Hexagone as Bordeaux or Burgundy; the few bottles of wine produced on the slopes of this French d?partement, though, rarely leave the island _ except perhaps in duty-free bags carried off by lucky visitors travelling home to less endowed parts of the world where verdant forests, coral reefs, and benevolent volcanoes remain exotic items of curiosity.

These and many other appealing sights await visitors to La R?union, easily reached by a simple, nonstop flight from Bangkok.

Just how much a part of France La R?union is will be revealed on arrival, where such Gallic mainstays as Carrefour supermarkets, Mr Bricolage hardware shops, and Paul, the divine breadmaker, exert the same irresistible force over island consumers as over their continental counterparts.

That’s where the similarities end, for La R?union is a uniquely attractive destination; in a world of fierce competition for tourism revenue, La R?union’s typically French nonchalance toward the marketability of its charms is finally being challenged by a tourism board presented with the enviable task of bringing more visitors to an island bursting with beautiful scenery, diverse activities, and cultural appeal complementing a variety of microclimates from coastal tropical to highland chill.

Visitors are spoiled with choices of entertainment, too. What to do today? Moonwalk across the lunar-like Plaine des Sables (Plain Of Sands), float over the beach in a morning of paragliding, or fly over dramatic landscapes in a helicopter, the most popular activity of all?

Helicopter rides are well worth the outlay to enjoy the splendid experience of seeing La R?union’s magnificent scenery from above. After the excitement of the morning settles down, lunch will be a bonanza of flavours, as are all other meals on an island where the local cuisine cr?ole takes your tastebuds out for a night on the town at every encounter with a tasty m?lange of French, Indian, African, Malagasy, and Chinese influences.

When brave enough to pull yourself away from the table, the nightclubs pulsing with s?ga will welcome you to dance the night away.

On the island itself, the best thing to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the views. Let’s do that now, shall we?

• Published: 17/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Vendors at the popular Sam Chuk Market are fighting to preserve its traditional heritage which earned it a Unesco award as a sudden influx of tourists turns it into a gaudy, modern venue.

The committee which manages the more than century-old market in Suphan Buri is discussing ways to tackle overcrowding and an invasion of non-native products going on sale.

The market won the 2009 Unesco Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation. Since winning the award, it has appeared on tourism maps and is attracting more and more Thai and foreign visitors looking for a nostalgic experience from witnessing the old shophouse commerce.

The market in Sam Chuk district sits on the banks of the Ta Chin River. The market is well-known for its rows of wooden shop-houses which used to be a rest-stop for travellers in the old days.

Ratree Opas, a retired government official and community committee member, said the Unesco award has led to a sudden surge of tourist interest in the market.

However, the community committee is worried that increased popularity may come at a price.

The market risks losing its own cultural identity as many tourists do not care enough about the history, the culture or even the architecture of the market.

“Most of the tourists come here to shop. Only a few of them are really interested in our culture and way of life.

“We’re afraid the economic gains may have hidden the appeal of the cultural heritage the market has to offer. The appeal will one day vanish altogether,” said Mrs Ratree.

Mrs Ratree said some shops at the market were selling mass-produced items instead of local products reflecting the local cultural identity. She said the ‘threat’ could be curtailed through cooperation from traders. She recently convened a meeting of local shop owners and asked that they sell only locally-made products and food.

“But the problem is that we don’t have strict regulations to make them comply. It’s up to them whether they want to cooperate with us or not,” she said.

In addition to protecting culture, the tambon Sam Chuk Municipality and the Sam Chuk Market committee have now been training young students to be tour guides to give tourists information on different types of cultural heritage at the 100-year-old community.

The young guides, some of whom are English-speaking, are knowledgeable in local architecture, folk arts and tradition.

Pongwin Chaiwirat, mayor of tambon Sam Chuk Municipality and chairman of Sam Chuk Market community, said the market has been changing very fast over the past few years. Local residents have recognised the need to preserve the integrity of the local architecture and the culture of the market where traders form a close-knit community.

The traders banded together to fight against the Treasury Department’s plan to relocate the Sam Chuk Market and construct modern buildings at the present market location.

The traders wrote to the Fine Arts Department requesting that it declare Sam Chuk as a cultural heritage site so it could be preserved. The subsequent declaration prompted the Treasury Department, which owns the Sam Chuk Market land, to cancel the plan, Mr Pongwin said.

Mr Pongwin said in order to preserve the cultural heritage at the market it was necessary for locals, non-governmental organisations, universities and government officials to work together to make it a sustainable community. They must work together in their efforts to preserve the market.

“Even though we still want help from government agencies, especially in terms of funding and participation, they should first ask us what type of projects we want to see taking place here,” he said.

He said now the community wants the traders and vendors to be trained to speak basic English so they can communicate with foreign tourists.

Jankai Dejpien, 36, a salted egg vendor at the market, said after the market won the Unesco award, many more tourists started coming to the market.

“Some foreigners have dropped in at my stall, but I can’t speak English fluently. If they give me English training, I would attend it for sure,” said Ms Jankai.

Sompong Chotiwannasap,47, a cloth shop owner, said: “I’m ready to cooperate with the municipality and committee to help protect the culture of Sam Chuk Market.”

Poonsap Suksaranjit, 30, who sells toys, said she was also concerned that cultural preservation at the market might be threatened by an increasing number of visitors.

But she did not think selling modern toys there would be detrimental to the market. She was merely giving buyers a greater choice of products, she said.

• Published: 18/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Brunch

It’s well known that eating and shopping are favourite Thai pastimes, so perhaps it’s not surprising that a new floating market in Ayutthaya that has not yet held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony is already attracting thousands of visitors every day and is very crowded on weekends.

Informally launched on May 2, the Ayothaya Floating Market is on and alongside a giant man-made pond on a 30-rai plot of land situated just before the bridge over the Pa Sak River that takes you to the area of the old city.

The market is easily reached from Bangkok – signs point the way from the Rangsit area heading north.

The market came about as a 150-million baht investment from four Thai business people; one is a part owner of the Suan Luam Night Plaza and another is the founder of Ayothaya Elephant camp, which shares the same entrance as the floating market.

From the entrance, framed by a brick wall built to resemble the old city wall, you may cross a wooden bridge and go directly to the floating market or take a shuttle boat (20 baht per trip) to tour the pond and get an overview before exploring on foot.

There are about 300 shops in all, comprised of those built on stilts in the water and those run by vendors plying their goods on paddle boats and sellers in a flea-market zone. Here goods are put on tables or on the floor in imitation of an up-country market. The products are mainly food, snacks and clothes. There are also services including traditional Thai massage and spa and a fish spa.

Market manager Wilai Traweentusnee said there is great potential in this new travel destination to attract Thai and foreign visitors. “We tried to recreate the charm and ambience of old Siam, from the design of the buildings to the costumes of the vendors,” she said.

One of the outstanding buildings here is Khum Khun Phan, a Thai-style wooden house built on an island in the middle of the front zone. The house contains many rooms, one of which contains replicas of nine famous Buddha images from nine temples. Khum Khun Phan is surrounded by a lawn where cultural performances are held daily.

Next to the structure vendors sell food and drinks from wooden boats. They offer various local delicacies such as som tam, pad thai, moo sarong and khanom bueng. The dining area in this zone is a big floating platform where you sit on a mat and put your plates on a small table.

The food zone is connected to other shopping areas via wooden bridges and also linked to a bigger performance area where classical Thai dances are performed regularly, including likae (musical folk drama), khon (masked drama) and the Klong Yao Drum dance.

Almost at the end of the floating market is another food zone with proper tables and seats and more choices of food, snacks and drinks. During the weekend, however, you may have to fight for a table.

Besides shopping and eating, there is an elephant show and an elephant ride service offered in conjunction with Ayothaya Elephant Camp, which makes for an enjoyable side trip as well. There are also some interesting ruins not far from the market.

Ms Wilai said there is a plan to develop a second phase for the market, which will include the excavation of a canal through surrounding countryside. Visitors will be able to rent paddle boats to explore traditional Thai houses in the area. The second phase is expected to be finished within the next four months, said Ms Wilai.

USEFUL INFORMATION

The Ayothaya Floating Market is open daily from 10am to 9pm. There is no entrance fee.

Performances are hosted three times a day on weekdays at noon, 5pm and 7pm, and four times a day on weekends, at 11am, 2pm, 5pm and 7pm.

A light and sound performance, just been introduced this month, starts at 7pm.

The market offers parking for 500 cars, but on the weekend it may be hard to find a free space.

To get there, take Highway 32 from Bangkok and turn left into Ayutthaya town. Turn right at the first intersection marked by an old pagoda (Jedi Wat Sam Pleum) and keep driving on route 3058 for a short while. The floating market is on your right.

For details and map, visit the website http://www.ayothayafloatingmarket.com or call 035-881-678.

• Published: 18/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Brunch

Within only 70 or so kilometres of Bangkok there are many places that are perfect for some out-of-town relaxation, each having its own special setting. On the Eastern Seaboard there is Chon Buri. To the west is Jao Samran Beach and Phetchaburi. And Ayutthaya, with its many historical sites and ancient ruins, is to the north, although during the beginning of the rainy season it can get quite wet.

However, there are some areas that become all the more inviting when the rainy season gets under way. Nakhon Nayok and Prachin Buri become refreshing havens as the water level begins to rise in the canals and rivers, the foliage turns to a brilliant green and, more importantly, an abundant variety of fruit start to appear.

Fruit lovers can enjoy their favourite fruit straight from the hands of the grower with fine flavours at low prices. Besides the fruit, there are some local cooking traditions quite different from that of Bangkok to be explored along the way, as well. Since the dishes change from season to season, there are new eating experiences to enjoy all year round.

To get to Nakhon Nayok you have to pass through Rangsit. And if you get there in time for lunch, there are some great dishes available not to be missed. The Jay Buay food shop is right at the corner of the entrance to the road leading to Amphoe Thanyaburi, a little passed Khlong 6.

The menu at this particular shop offers only a few dishes, including haw mok pla chon (snakehead fish meat and herbs steamed in a spicy curried coconut custard-like sauce), tom yum pla chon (spicy-sour soup made from the same fish), dtap moo thod kratiem prik Thai (pork liver fried with garlic and pepper), and khai jiew koong (omelette with shrimp).

Regular customers know that none of these dishes will ever disappoint. Day in and day out the Jay Buay shop serves up flawless versions of excellent original dishes, especially their haw mok – a gold-medal champ that can’t be matched.

The route to Nakhon Nayok passes through a series of numbered canals, going all the way to Khlong 15. There are many sellers of ornamental plants near Khlong 15, offering both large plants and flowering annuals.

On holidays many Bangkok residents drive there to buy plants for their garden or to simply walk around and be marvelled by the beautiful array of plants, which feels like you’re at a giant flower festival.

If you don’t go as far as Khlong 15 and turn off at Khlong 14, there are still some interesting things to see. The road is a good one that runs along the edge of a canal for quite a distance. The people who live along this road have a lifestyle so rural that it is hard to believe a place so close to Bangkok can be so similar to the provincial countryside with banana orchards and rice fields.

The road reaches all the way to Amphoe Wihan Daeng in Saraburi, an area where straw mushroom farms thrive. And the road from Hehan Daeng goes through to Amphoe Ban Na in Nakhon Nayok.

The canal that runs alongside it frequently sees locals paddling boats and spraying fertiliser on the pak boong (morning glory) vines that grow in the water.

The local people plant the vines along the banks of the canal and allow them to spread out over the surface of the water. And they look beautiful when the fertiliser produces new shoots and fresh leaves. The farmers claim that the quality of the water does not suffer because the fertiliser produces no residue, and the canal water circulates constantly.

Ban Na district is close to two temples: Wat Charoen Tham and Wat Tha Sai. There are numerous places worth visiting in Nakhon Nayok, though most people opt to visit the waterfalls, Sarika and Nang Rong.

But there is even more to be seen in Prachin Buri province.

Both sides of the road to Prachin Buri are so deeply shaded by big, overhanging trees that it feels like you’re moving through a long tunnel of vegetation. Local people bring bamboo shoots, custard apples and santols to sell at food stalls set up alongside the road. This is a year-round feature because whenever different kinds of fruit come into season, they, too, find their way onto the shelves of the food stalls.

Prachin Buri farmers like to grow many kinds of fruit on the same plot of land like bamboo, mango, durian, santol, custard apple, betel nut, tamarind and papaya. Growing them all together this way is much better than just growing the one kind; the same way durian is grown in some provinces because the mixture creates an ecological balance with different plants contributing to a system that benefits them all. Some absorb water and store it, for example, while others attract red ants that control pests like aphids.

The eucalyptus trees that grow on the earthen dykes separating the fields may not look especially beautiful, but they bring the farmers extra income because there are many paper mills in the area that are always ready to buy the wood.

Prachin Buri is a very small province, but in the provincial centre there are many types of buildings, from concrete structures to wooden shophouses. Many visitors like to go to the Chao Phya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital because of the great variety of Thai herbal products sold there. The hospital is reviving the use of traditional Thai-style medical treatments of every kind, including the growing of medicinal herbs and the use of them in treating diseases. It can be seen as a model facility for traditional Thai medicine. The hospital also has a museum housed in an old building that once belonged to Phya Abhaibhubejhr, who was an important government official during the reign of King Rama V.

No one who visits Prachin Buri should miss trying the local dishes. One favourite dish is khao tom krapoh moo (rice soup with pork tripe), which was once served at many food shops, all of them good. But today there is only one shop left – Nai Tue – located next to the municipal market in front of the dam on the Prachin Buri River that still offers it.

It is a very old shop that offers various dishes to be eaten with rice soup. Among them are the pork tripe and seasoned, ground pork that is shaped into balls like the look chin served with noodles. The rice soup itself is made by first cooking the rice, then cooking it briefly again in hot water, then serving it into bowls. Some of the side dishes are spooned into the rice soup with a few vegetables added, and then it’s ready to enjoy. Though a long process, the end result is delicious. Nai Tue is open daily from 5pm until late.

There’s another old restaurant named Mangkon Thong (Golden Dragon), which is more upmarket, with all the dishes listed on the menus. It’s a family operated business; the father doing most of the cooking, while his wife and children take orders and serve the food to customers.

There are many tasty dishes available, including chu chee pla mae nam Prachin Buri (freshwater fish from the Prachin Buri River in thick coconut cream curry sauce). On some days, the blade-like pla neua awn is used, and on other days it will be with another type of local fish like pla khao or pla trakhoak. Also on the menu is tom yum pla (spicy-sour fish soup) with the choice of fish left up to the customer, pad phet pla (spicy stir-fried fish), and pla siew thod krawb (crispy fried local fish). Kangkon Thong is open for a late lunch and supper at 5pm.

This is a sample of what you might find in Prachin Buri. So plan a trip to discover more, but be sure to go during the rainy season when the weather is cooler.

The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore has opened Sands SkyPark, stretched across three 55-storey hotel towers to a height of about 200 metres. The park encompasses a restaurant, a 150m infinity swimming pool, floating crystal pavilions, gardens and an observation deck.

Owned by Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Marina Bay Sands opened its doors in late April and has 900 rooms, a casino, conference rooms and restaurants, but construction won’t be completed until the first quarter of next year, when it will offer 2,560 rooms and suites, as well as a museum, shopping mall and theatres.

For more information, visit http://www.marinabaysands.com.

ANDARA MAKES HOT LIST AGAIN

Andara Resort and Villas Phuket has for the second time been voted onto Property Report magazine’s Hot List of Southeast Asia’s 20 Finest Resort Developments.

The five-star resort on Kamala beach was developed by the Paradise Group, part of the Lan Kwai Fong Group of Hong Kong. The resorts features 37 suites and 26 pool villas, each with a butler and a private Thai chef. The resort has a beach club, spa and gym and offers a charter service on two motorised yachts.

Visit http://www.andaraphuket.com for more information.

ESTATES SAMUI LAUNCHES VILLAS

Minor International has launched the Estates Samui, an exclusive and private collection of 14 villas on Laem Yai Bay on Samui Island.

Each villa is fully furnished and features a living/dining area connecting to a large pool deck via sliding glass doors, a sunken dining pavilion, state-of-the-art entertainment and home-management technology, and a private housekeeper.

The two-, three- or four-bedroom villas are directly adjacent to the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.

LAGUNA HOLIDAY CLUB TO BENEFIT ORPHANS

Laguna Holiday Club in Phuket is sponsoring the Ban Fueng Fah Support Programme for the Ban Fueng Fah Home for disabled babies at Pak Kret, Nonthaburi.

The club will match the donations of its 6,000 timeshare members and turn the funds over to the orphanage to buy much-needed items. The Ban Fueng Fah Home cares for more than 400 mentally handicapped, deaf and blind children, from newborns up to the age of seven.

Visit http://www.lagunaholidayclub.com for more details.

For centuries, Phrae was best known for its forests and the high quality teak wood that came from them. Though logging is banned today, this legacy remains in the architecture of Phrae town and makes the charming mountain community all the more enjoyable to explore.

When you roam around the town you will come across many elegant wooden homes from the past. About a century ago, Phrae was quite a lively place as it was a hub for the logging business. As a result, a number of wealthy people built their houses there.

One of these is Kum Chao Luang – the governor’s mansion – on Khum Derm Road. It was the residence of the last royal governor of Phrae, Chao Luang Piriyachai Thepwong. Built in 1892, the two-storey “gingerbread” house with high ceilings even has a basement built from huge logs. Their Majesties the King and Queen once stayed overnight in this house while on a trip to Phrae in 1958.

The elegant wooden mansion has been well renovated and turned into a museum for displaying furniture, tools and other antiques. The mansion’s gables, walls, doors and windows are gracefully carved and decorated.

“Please walk backward when entering this part,” a caretaker warned us when we came to the basement. “These cells were once used to imprison slaves.” A Thai superstition says that walking forward into a prison brings bad luck.

In contrast to the rest of the elegant mansion, I found the basement prison quite depressing, with its low ceiling and uncomfortable atmosphere calling up its bleak past. The old chains that used to confine the inmates still hung on the wall.

“That cell has small holes with lids on the ceiling,” said the caretaker. “Probably, they once were used to observe inmates from above, and the food may have been dropped through them also.”

Aside from the prison below, the old mansion remains beautiful, although without any residents it has a somewhat lifeless feel to it. Ban Wongburi, also open to the public at certain times on Kham Lue Road, may be the best place to get a real taste of what it would be like to live in a luxurious old teak house. As the descendants of the original owners still live there, the house is quite vibrant. Cute modern decorations mingle with the valuable antiques, and visitors may even wander in on a small party on the back balcony.

Built in 1897 by nobleman Luang Phongphibun and Lady Sunanta Wongburi, the daughter of a logging concessionaire, the mansion was designed by a Cantonese architect and built from the best teak available from the surrounding forests. Skilled artisans contributed the delicate carvings that adorn Ban Wongburi. Facing southwest, breezes cool the house naturally for much of the year.

On display are exhibits from the old days like everyday utensils, beautifully decorated teak furniture, ceramics and rare documents such as slave contracts and forest concession certificates.

Another important teak structure in Phrae is the Vichai Racha House, on Vichai Racha Road. This architectural treasure has unfortunately not been as well maintained as the other two. Nevertheless, it has historic as well as aesthethic appeal. In 1902 Phrae town was looted by rioting ethnic Tai who made a particular attempt to rob and kill town millionaires, as well as officials from Bangkok.

Phra Vichai Racha, the treasurer of Phrae at that time, hid himself and three officials from Bangkok in the attic of the house while ethnic Tai robbers searched below. A number of locals, as well as 32 high-ranking officials from Bangkok, were killed in the riot, which lasted for a few weeks until the arrival of troops from Bangkok.

Despite the poor condition of the house, it makes for an enjoyable stop on your sightseeing tour. Tourists can roam freely around the two-storey mansion and view the intricately carved designs, particularly on the main gable. To say the least, this is a likely candidate for renovation.

These and many more fine old teak buildings reflect Phrae’s glory days and keep its logging legacy intact.

Once a common sight all over the city, the streetside seamstress is increasingly becoming a dying breed. And the sight of a man performing this task is even more unusual. Which is why I did a double take recently when I spotted this guy operating a sewing machine next to a major thoroughfare in Bang Lamphu. He was concentrating so intently on his work, fixing a seam in this pair of pale blue trousers, that a few minutes passed before he noticed that I’d stopped to watch him. He looked up with a gentle smile and was delighted when I asked permission to take his photo. His name is Aumpol and he told me that he’s been doing this job for more than 30 years now.

“I learned the trade from my aunt. She taught me everything I know, from running up simple seams to embroidery and making garments from scratch. I have to admit that I didn’t like the work very much in the beginning. But nobody else was willing to take over the stall so …”

He occupies the same pitch every day from 9am to 5pm and said he gets more than enough commissions to keep himself busy. It must be lonely labouring away without any company but Aumpol certainly seems to put his heart into his work. And that’s rare in this day and age.

The photos must be sent as jpeg files (at least1MB in size), and the text as document files. Horizons reserves the right to select and publish the photographs.

When it comes to durian the “King of Thai Fruits”, common species like chanee and monthong dominate the market.

But one orchard in Nakhon Nayok has set itself apart from other producers by growing some of the rarest durian species which were nearly lost forever to natural disasters.

At the Suan La-ong Fa (Sky Mist Orchard) in tambon Khao Phra of Nakhon Nayok’s Muang district, over 50 species of the popular fruit, some with names completely unknown to most Thais, can be found. The orchard has, against virtually impossible odds, managed to preserve some near-extinct durian.

Second-generation owner Chatri Sowantrakul said the story of his orchard began in 1942 when his father, Chom, quit his job at the Royal Forest Department after his wife’s death to start a durian garden in Thon Buri district.

His father developed an interest in durians after years of staying with his mother who made a living growing old species of durian in Uttaradit.

He invested a lot of time and energy to improve the species of the fruit in his orchard and the hard work paid off.

But in 1942, durian’s worst natural enemy struck – flooding. A major inundation wiped out Chom’s orchard. Nothing was left, not even durian seeds, Mr Chatri recalled.

The family was forced to start from scratch in rebuilding the orchard. Chom began collecting durian species by buying from orchards in Nonthaburi.

Mr Chatri said his father also picked up some seeds from the rubbish thrown away by rich families in Sampheng and Yaowarat areas.

As 200 new durian trees sprang up in the orchard, new problems emerged. Sea water intrusion had killed off many durian trees, and with the rapid urban expansion, Thon Buri was no longer suitable for growing the fruit.

Chom had no choice but to search for a new place to grow his durian and finally found an ideal place in a valley known as Ban Hup Khao in Nakhon Nayok.

A temple in the village was called Wat Khao Durian (Durian Mountain Temple), suggesting a very strong connection between the area and the fruit.

Local residents assured Chom the area had not experienced major storms or floods. The soil is fertile and the weather is right for growing durian.

The area is sometimes shrouded in morning mist, which explains the orchard’s name “Suan La-ong Fa”.

Mr Chatri, a graduate of the Bundit Patanasil Institute’s College of Fine Arts, inherited the durian orchard from his father who died in 1992.

At the time, Mr Chatri had already settled down in Koh Si Chang in Chon Buri. But the need to carry on the orchard which his father had worked most of his life saw Mr Chatri returning to Nakhon Nayok to run Suan La-ong Fa.

Mr Chatri calls the orchard his “inheritance of love” from his father.

Unlike other fruit orchards in the village, Suang La-ong Fa does not rely on dangerous and costly chemicals to repel insects and boost yields.

Instead of buying expensive breeds to grow in his orchard, Mr Chatri focuses on preserving the rare durian.

“Most farmers here always think they will make a lot of money from whatever crop they grow,” he said.

“This attitude has made them fall victim to greedy crop-breed traders very easily,” he added.

When many farmers produce a large quantity of fruit at the same time, prices become depressed.

The hemaraj durian may be unknown elsewhere, but at Suan La-ong Fa it is thriving. The tree produces a large durian fruit weighing between 3kg and 6kg.

Growers, however, have to wait 35 years before it bears fruit.

New durian species such as monthong, chanee and kan yao have become popular because they have been modified to suit the growers’ needs and consumers’ tastes and budgets.

These durian fruits ripen slowly allowing more time for transport and sale, unlike the old species that usually ripen in one or two days.

Although the old species are less suitable for commercial sale, some of them have their own distinct physical features.

For example, the devaraj, native to Chanthaburi, is a large, shapely fruit. Another known as son klin (hidden smell) does not have the typical, off-putting smell.

Nanthana Tantarat, a Bangkok University lecturer, said what sets Suan La-ong Fa apart is its ability to grow durian species which give a sweet, refreshing taste.

She and her husband are willing to drive all the way from Bangkok to buy the fruit when it is in season.

Ms Nanthana said the durian has a much better taste when the fruit ripens on the tree or soon after being picked than when it has been left to ripen after picking.

The 15-rai orchard also grows other tropical fruits for visitors to enjoy such as santol (a wild mangosteen), pomelos and pineapples. All of the fruits here are grown without using any chemical substances.

The philosophy of Suan La-ong Fa is that biodiversity is the key to farmers surviving the negative influences of commercialism that are to blame for overpricing.

Tom Knox’s The Genesis Secret, despite its interwoven British and Turkish storylines and broad international appeal, was written in a hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 8. That doesn’t imply the thriller was the product of a sightseeing tourist or expat’s frenzy of inspiration; it was a carefully considered, formulaically crafted marketing product.

The book opens with Rob Lutrell, a British journalist frazzled by covering Baghdad, sent to Eastern Turkey on what his editor assumes will be a peaceful assignment, to cover the archaeological dig at Gobekli Tepe, 12,000-year-old ruins of what could be the historical site of the Garden of Eden. Something happened at the site around 8,000BC and it was deliberately buried, preserving the remains for today’s archaeologists to puzzle over.

When the head archaeologist dies in an accident that looks suspiciously like murder, Rob is drawn into a mystery whose scope keeps expanding. Together with a French academic and romantic interest, Christine, he investigates a secretive, possibly Satan-worshipping local sect, the Yezidi, on a journey that takes him to Iraq, Istanbul, back home and through the history of child sacrifice.

Meanwhile, in the book’s other thread, DC Mark Forrester investigates a series of grisly crimes across Britain and Ireland. A band of youths is pulling off a string of cruel murders involving various elements of ritual sacrifice – dismemberment, flaying, burial, beheading, boiling intestines, breaking the spinal column and flipping the lungs over the shoulders – all begun while the victims are still alive.

The leader of this group, Jamie Cloncurry, is outrageously wealthy, hyper-intelligent, bloodthirsty and cruel – all the implausible elements that comprise so many thriller villains. Racist, sexist and paranoid, Cloncurry is trying to emulate the historical Hellfire Club, an 18th-century British and Irish collective of high-society rakes with the motto “Do what thou wilt”.

Lutrell and Cloncurry find themselves in a race to discover the meaning of the Gobekli Tepe, the Yezidi’s sacred Black Book and what actually happened in the Garden of Eden.

There is much that is interesting, even fascinating in The Genesis Secret; the Hellfire Club, the Fertile Crescent cults and locations are all real or based on historical fact. The Gobekli Tepe especially is an absorbing site that could have great implications for our understanding of human history, especially the decline of hunter-gathering and counter-intuitive shift to agriculture. How these elements interweave to form a narrative, though, is more a feat of formula manipulation and engineering than a literary achievement.

The popular success of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code in 2003 – despite critical apathy – caused many changes in the publishing industry. It would be unfair to characterise The Genesis Secret as an imitation, but without Da Vinci’s success this book almost certainly wouldn’t have been written. For it follows the thriller template that Brown has set in stone – an early murder, interweaving storylines, quick pace, a cliffhanger to end each chapter, ancient puzzles and secrets, romantic sidekick and all the rest.

There is copious use of italics and exclamation marks in Genesis just in case you missed anything. There is no bad language, little sex – but the violence is graphic and gratuitous. As Cloncurry remarks to a victim whose lungs he is about to remove: “Rather lurid, if you don’t mind my saying so. But I suppose that’s how you accrue sales.”

And this book is very much about accruing sales. Tom Knox, the pseudonym of Sean Thomas, during an interview at the Bangkok International Book Fair, admitted to the formulaic aspects of the novel. Even the name “Tom Knox” was designed to be memorable and masculine, he said, to fit alphabetically in the middle of a bookshop’s shelves and be more visible. He insisted, though, that the violence was crucial to understanding the story and its theme of horrific child sacrifice.

Perhaps villains like Cloncurry are so implausible in order to keep them safely sanitised, far enough removed from readers that the violence doesn’t offend them. The overall result, though, is a book with flat characters with empty ordeals. It’s difficult to join in mourning Forrester’s loss of his daughter, or Lutrell’s panic at the possibility of losing his, because they are pieces of a template rather than flesh-and-blood characters who come alive on the pages.

In Thai translation or in the original English, this is simply another fast-paced thriller with the requisite twists and turns, implausible coincidences, a disappointing deus ex machina resolution and a “secret” that is just plain silly.