Phuket's jungle gourmets forage the forests of Phang Nga
Premchit Na Thalang has an affinity for the fruits of the forest. An encyclopedic knowledge of ancient Thai recipes and an eye for the healthful ingredients available in the Southern Thai jungles has allowed Chef Prem to create a remarkable culinary adventure for visitors to Phuket.
Phuket Today talks with Chef Prem and her husband, Norman Jones, about why they decided to return to forest.
Zip above the trees in Phuket
Zipping above the trees in the tropical jungles of Phuket, in the rain. Its our way of celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary and also a novel way to conquer our fear of heights! We are actually terrified of being in the high tree canopies but at the end of the 17 stations (yes, 17!), we think we're more confident in doing this sort of crazy thing again.
This was done at Thalang in Phuket through a company called Cable Adventures. And as you can guess, its a rain or shine activity. A word of warning though, the zip is faster in the rain because its wet, so brake hard when you have to.
If you are thinking of trying this, we'd recommend it - we had fun, even though it was raining hard that day!
Blue Tree, a world-class HUGE waterpark in Phuket.
The new Blue Tree Phuket is going to open its doors at the start of next year. It's a world-class HUGE waterpark and a lot, lot more. We spoke to the GM Michael Ayling at today's launch...
Phang Nga floating market plan
Special Report for weekly Andaman News NBT TV (VHF dial) at 8.30am broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & repeated on satellite C Band (usually net black) frequency 4134 Mhz at symbolate 2530 at 1pm, Friday 21st May 2010 & & YouTube.com/AndamanNews Send comments to AndamanNews@yahoo.com
Prompt: Visitors to the Andaman may mainly expect sea, sand, sun, and a bit of local culture. Our special report today features attempts by a public sector and local community in a bid to develop new tourism products for visitors. Our reporter has more details:
This may look like an ordinary canal in a mangrove forest near town but it wont stay this way for long. This canal called salty water canal or 'Klong Nam Kem' in Thai - is to be developed into a Floating Market claimed to be Thailands first salt water floating market, unlike the fresh water markets near Bangkok.
The project is the brainchild of the Phang-Nga provincial Agricultural Office, the local Phang-Nga Municipality and the local community of Wang Moh Gaeng.
According to the Phang-Nga Mayor, Khun Chu-chote Koy-kul, the Office of Agriculture has allotted 14.8 million baht for the project, while the Phang Nga Municipality has the reserved the area for development and has the backing of the local community, which has been actively involved. The development has been seen as a good tourist attraction which could generate income for the community and local residents.
The Mayor detailed the progress of the project saying that its under the final design plan and includes three major facilities. They include an exhibition hall to be constructed in the shape of a junk boat, a building for the sale of local products, especially farm products, and a spacious parking lot. He noted that the facilities will be built on shore while the floating market will be located on the water allowing the vendors to sell their products from boats. While promoting the new project as Thailands first Salt Water Floating Market, Khun Chuchote admitted that the canal needs special development as at the moment it is susceptible to the rise and fall of the tides.
Voice ****
We still need to improve the canal to be able to accommodate paddle boats all year round. Currently, access to the cave, or paddling along the mangroves, can only be done at certain times of the day, depending on the tide. It will take the funding and expertise of many organizations, including the Irrigation Office and the Office of Strategy and Management for the Provincial Cluster in Andaman, to complete this project.
He added that interested visitors can also take a boat to visit a cave while at the same time experience the diversity of the mangrove forest along the canal. The cave is reported to house an ancient sea shell cemetery.
Chairman of the Wang Moh Gaeng Community, Khun Niran Pin-yo-watana-porn, told us of the significant historical importance of the site, which was once an ancient pier used by the local community.
Voice ** * This area used to be a pier where boats and junk boats brought goods and supplies for sale. With the growth and development of the town, the canal became shallow and populated. I myself see the new development not only as a boon for tourism and the economy, but also to revive the old way of life for the new generation here.
Both the mayor and the local community leader of Wang Moh Gaeng expect the new Floating Market to not only be a new tourist attraction for Phang-Nga, but also as another outlet to promote local OTOP products and community agricultural produce. The project is expected to completed by the end of 2011 or early 2012.