Chiang Dao Cave

Chiang Dao Cave has long been a popular tourist attraction, famous among Thais and foreigners for its magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations. The cave itself is surrounded by fertile and healthy forests. Inside the big beautiful caves there are smaller caves such as Horse Cave, Sleeping Buddha Cave and Glass Cave.

Beautiful and unusually formed stalactites and stalagmites adorn the interior of each cave . The biggest cave is at the mouth of the location. It consists of Buddha Images, other structures and an opening which lets sunlight in called "Plong Sawang". In front of the cave stands a Lanna-style Pavillion with a pond and a stream nearby where there are many kinds of fish.
Apart from being a tourist attraction known for its beautiful natural surroundings, Chiang Dao Cave has also been a restored and well-kept religious site. It is visited by thousands and thousands of Thai and foreign tourists. It is accessible by road and has ample parking space. The interior of the cave is mostly well-lit. Stalls of flowers, incense sticks and candles, souvenirs, herbs, fish food, food and drinks and local products fill the space outside the cave. Toilets and telephone booths are also provided.

National Museum of Royal Barges

On April 1932 King Rama VII crossed the lower span of the Memorial Bridge and embarked on the barge "Suphanahong" to travel by barge procession to the Grand Palace to mark the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Chakri Dynasty and Bangkok as the capital city. That was the last Royal Barge Procession of an absolute Monarch of Siam, for the following June a coup d'etat changed the government from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.

The barge sustained severe damage during bombing of Bangkok in World War ll, soon after his return from school in Europe, the present king, H.M.King Bhumibol Adylvadej went to see the barges in their dock. Noting their deterotiatiom, His Majesty ordered their restoration; and decided to revive the ancient tradition of the Royal Barge Procession for auspicious occasions. Artists under the direction of the Fine Arts Department spent more than a year repairing the damage. In 1972 this dock was then renovated and established by the Fine Arts Department as the National Museum of Royal Barges.

The National Museum of Royal Barges is situated in a boathouse on the bank of Bangkok Noi Canal, Arun-amarin Road, Bangkok and is under the responsibility of the Fine Arts Department. As space is limited, only eight out of a total of 52 royal barges are displayed at the museum. Six are docked at Wasukri Pier and the other 38 are kept by the Royal Navy. One of the boats featured at the museum is the Supannahong Royal Barge, which was rebuilt during the reign of King Rama VI. (It was first built during the reign of King Rama I.) The barge was recognized as a Heritage Boat by the World Boat Organization on June 4, 1992.

Introduction of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, the important province on the northern of Thailand, and the center of the Lanna Kingdom in the pass, was founded by King "Meng-rai" in 1296. It was governed by the King "Meng-rai" Dynasty until 1558 when it came under Burmese control around 200 years until 1774. Then, after having been deserted for 20 years, it became a dominion of Bangkok in 1782, ruled by local princes. It was finally upgraded to province of Thailand.

With governmental reform, Chiang Mai has undergone many changes, political, social, and economic. There has also been influence from the west and from those people who have come to settle in the province. However, Chiang Mai can still boast of its own outstanding identity.

Location and Area

About 750 kilometers from Bangkok, in the northern of Thailand, total area about 20,107 square kilometers, and borders with the Shan state of Myanmar in the north, Tak Province in the south, Chiang Rai, Lampoon, and Lampang Provinces in the east, and Mae Hong Son Province in the west.

Topography

High mountains and lush forests account for about 78% of the total area of Chiang Mai. Major mountain ranges include the "Dan Lao", "Thanon Thongchai", and "Pi Pan Nam" Ranges with several well-known peaks such as "Doi Pui", "Doi Suthep", "Doi Khuntan", and "Doi Chang." There are many valleys, and in the lowlands rivers such as the Ping River and the Kok River.

Climate

Average temperature: 26 degrees Celsius, 30 degrees on average in the hot and 14 degrees in the winter.

Social-Economic Conditions

Chiang Mai people are almostly involved in agriculture growing rice and various kinds of farm crops including beans, onions, garlic, tobacco, tea, other vegetables, flowers. Longan and lychee which are major local fruits. There is some cattle-raising for local consumption. In addition to agriculture-related industry, there are also a lot of handicraft factories, e.g. wood carving, pottery, umbrella-making, weaving, and clothes-making. As a tourist town, the service industry has brought a lot of income to the province.

Thai money

In the ancient times, the Thais used "pod duang" (bullet money) as currency. Pod duang was similar to a grub lying curled up. It was generally called ngern klom (round metal currency) in accordance with its round figure. Later, in the reign of King Rama IV, the expansion of international trade was to have a profound effect on the mode of production of currency. Gradually melted and made by hand, Pod duang was not enough to be a medium of exchange. It could only produce 2400 Baht per day.

In 1853, in order to solve the problem of currency shortage, King Rama IV ordered the issues of money called "Mai" to meet the demand of a growing money economy. The first paper money was made of white pound paper. Its design was printed with ink at both sides. Included were the vermilion seal of the national emblem: Chakra and that of His Majesty's emblem: Grand Crown to prevent counterfeiting. However, it was not popular and disappeared at the end of the reign.

In 1874, King Rama V had temporary issues of paper money at low denomination. The money made from pound paper was named Ut - Kradat. There were big Thai alphabets which could read "This worths one Ut" printed in the middle of the leaf-designed bill. It was sealed with His Majesty's emblem. Since it was temporarily used, it lasted not very long.

The bank notes have really been in circulation since 1907. The first series of bank notes issued by the Royal Thai government were printed by The Thomas de la Rue and Company Limited of England.

The Thai bank notes have undergone changes through times. Most of them were printed abroad until 1961 when the cabinet entrusted the Bank of Thailand to establish a Note Printing Press. The Opening of the Note Printing Press of the Bank of Thailand was presided over by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on June 24, 1969. As a matter of fact, the 5 Baht and 10 Baht bills in Thai currency were first printed from this Note Printing Press.

Thai national flag

The traditional Thai flag of old, which was red, must have been flown in Thailand since the kingdom of Ayudhya (1680 A.D. or 2223 B.E.) It was common for the Thai ships at that time to display the red flag to be seen on the high seas and in the ports of neighbouring countries. In the Bangkok period, in order to differentiate the private merchant ships from state vessels, King Rama I had the picture of the royal insignia, the Chakra. A disc- like weapon of Lord Vishnu, placed at the centre of the red flag to be hoisted over the state ships.

When the three white elephants, highly coveted prizes to the Thai royalty, were acquired in the reign of King Rama III, the picture of white elephant was inserted in the Chakra on the red flag. King Rama IV, considering that the Chakra had been reserved only for the monarchy, ordered the removal of the Chakra out of the flag.

Therefore, the elephant flag was raised over both state and private ships. In 1914, at the royal command of King Rama VI, the official flag was the red elephant flag portraying the decorated white elephant positioned on the stand while the merchant flag was the striped red and white flag.

In 1917, taking note that the striped red and white flag was not so majestic, King Rama VI himself redesigned the flag by inserting the ark blue in the middle of the flag and named it “Trirong” or tricolour. The “Trirong” flag was proclaimed the Thai national flag on October 1, 1917, and was to be used in the public and private sectors alike. It consists of five horizontal bands of, from the top, red, white, a wider dark blue white and red. In the modern Thai flag the monarchy is represented by blue; Buddhism, by white and the Thai nation by red.

During the First World War, the “Trirong” flag was flown among the flags of the allied countries. On March 16, 1918, King Rama VI graciously bestowed the Thai Victory flag. The Brass Band played” La Croix” to decorate the Thai victory flag. The Brass Band played “La Marseillaise,” while the French and the Thai soldiers were shouting “Hurrah” harmoniously in their own mother tongues.

Thailand in Brief

Thailand located in Southeast Asia borders Laos to the Northeast, Cambodia to the Southeast, Burma to the West and Northwest, and Malaysia to the South. It covers an area of 518,000 square kilometres. Its longest North to South distance is about 1,620 kilometres while its maximum dimension of East to West is about 730 kilometres.

According to the Thais, the shape of Thailand on the map has been compared to the ancient axe. The northern part serves as the top of the axe with the largest area of the central part as the axe itself; and the long lower part as its handle. Looking at the Northeastern plateau starting from Nakhon Ratchasima province, some people may think of the head of a decorated elephant whose trunk extends down the Malay peninsula. The Northern part from Uttaradit province up to Chiang Rai province is similar to the crown. The mouth of this elephant is the gulf of Thailand while its lower lip is the Southeast.

Majestic mountains and forests in the North and the West are the source of four major rivers in the North: Ping, Wang, Yom, Nan, which link up to form the great Chao Phya river which transverses the rice bowl area of the country.

In the ancient time, the Thais called their homeland “ Muang Thai,” while the seafarers took its name from the capital, “Aydhaya.” An Englishman, Sir James Lancaster, who voyaged to the Far East in 1593, first applied the name of “Siam” to Thailand. The word “Siam” appeared for the first time in Thai language when the trade treaty was made between Thailand and England in the reign of King Rama IV. Siam was changed to Thailand on June 24, 1939. The total population is approximately 62,000,000.