Fah Thai Magazine May-June 2017

HAPPENINGS
THAILAND
PHUKET / KRABI
SPOTLIGHT
We Gather
Here Today...
Phuket will again play international
matchmaker and bring together
business operators in the wedding
industry from around the world.
The Destination Wedding Planners
Congress (DWP) meets at the
Banyan Tree Laguna Phuket from
May 2 to 4. More than 400 delegates
from 60 countries will be in Phuket
for the major event organised by
QNA International and hosted by the
Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Benefiting are couples from all over
the world who are looking for exclusive
and high-end wedding arrangements
since Thailand is where luxury
wedding planning is in great demand
globally. The industry event is relevant
in bringing together experts in related
fields and finding potential clients.
Against a perfect background
of Phuket’s sun, sand and sea, the
three-day congress offers the most
unique destinations, extravagant
accommodations, wedding suppliers
and creative partners. Expect the
presence of wedding couture designers,
photography representatives, furniture
rentals, jewellery partners, cake
designers and hoteliers to share their
experience and knowledge with one
another and lay the groundwork for
many nuptials in the future.
destinationweddingcongress.com
FLOAT ON
If you want to learn more about sea gypsies,
don’t miss this rare opportunity during the Loi
Ruea Chao Le Festival (literally Floating Boats
of the Sea Gypsies). It happens on Lanta
Island only twice a year.
Usually held on the full moon night of the
sixth and eleventh months of the lunar calendar,
the festival this year will fall on May 10 and
October 5. A ritual is performed by the sea
gypsies on Lanta Island in Krabi province, as well
as those living on the seas in Phuket and Satun.
On the night of the festival, the sea gypsies
will gather, dance, and sing Rong-ngeng songs
(a southern traditional performance) around
their beautifully decorated boats, and then
float them out into the sea. It is believed that
the sea sweeps away bad luck while those
participating will receive good luck in return.
If you want to see the behind-thescenes
of the ritual, be on the island two
days before the festival. By that time,
men begin repairing their shelters in the
morning while women start making sweets
as offerings to their ancestors. On the
morning before the festival, men will go
into the forest to cut wood to make their
boats and women start to sing and dance
around the decorative boats and prepare
them to float. The afternoon before the
ceremony takes place, there will be a ritual
to make sure the boats make it to the sea,
instead of returning to the beach.
tourismthailand.com
C
M
Y
CM
MY
A RUN IN PARADISE
Runners who love the beach, get your gear and ‘outfit’ ready and mark your calendar for “Run Paradise”
at the Laguna Phuket Marathon. Unique for its landscape, the race loop will start at Laguna Phuket
and take participants through local villages, pineapple and rubber plantations before taking
everyone back to the starting point.
Designed as one of the most family-friendly marathons, the 12th edition of the Laguna Phuket
Marathon will be held all weekend. The 2km Kids Run (for children up to 12 years old), the 5km
community walk and 10.5km race for novices (for participants aged 13 and up) will be held on Saturday
afternoon, while the half marathon (for runners aged 16 and higher) and full marathon (for participants
aged 18 onwards) will be on Sunday morning. The 5km community walk welcomes everyone.
the naka_HPH.pdf 1 12/2/16 4:52 PM
The marathon has its own theme song
‘Run Paradise,’ to encourage the harmony of
runners and local communities and welcome
guests who are part of the ‘good deeds’
marathon. Since 2009, part of the proceeds go
to the Laguna Phuket Foundation to support
the educational and social development of local
communities, marine and the natural environment
conservation and an emergency relief fund.
It’s been over a decade since the marathon
began, gaining in popularity and drawing in
runners from around the world. Last year, about
6,000 participants from more than 60 countries
joined in the race.
June 3 and 4, phuketmarathon.com
CY
NATURAL HEALING
You haven’t truly arrived in Phuket if you haven’t gone to a spa. And the “sand spa” at Haad
Mai Khao is one of a kind. Unlike the original practice that involves immersion in mineral-rich
water or seawater, this one instead requires being pampered in a pool of beach sand.
The beach locally known as Haad Mai Khao is home to a mix of delicate, rough and
coarse varieties whose unique qualities have turned into quite an advantage. The locals
believe the coarser sand in the area has made it possible for healing and drawing out
toxins. By being buried in a sand pit at Haad Mai Khao, locals believe the practice could
heal joint pain and improve on any form of paralysis, gout, diabetes, or high blood
pressure. Make an appointment with Manote Saithong, Mai Khao village head,
at +66 (0) 81 895 4833.
CMY
K
98