Food and Pasttime in Southern Thailand

Map of Phattalung describing the location of Thalay Noy

The famous and delicious roast pork of Trang. Guaranteed the best ever tasted.

Phraya Ratsada better known as Khaw Sim Bee wax figurine in Khaw Sim Bee Museum at Kantang

Rubber tree in Trang City- one of the oldest para rubber tree

Dinner hosted by the Governor of Trang- notice the authentic Thai dish

Fried mix vegetable - Trang City

Trang City Provincial Pillar Temple - A must visit site

Hawker at Patthalung - Seafood is the best in Phattalung- Reasonable

Betong- Main gate to the Piyamit Tunnel ( CPM hideout)

A visit to Khaw Sim Bee Museum at Kantang

Activities In Trang

Province of Trang and Trang City

The best of Trang is the food which consist of "The famous  roast pork" and of course the "Khanom" or cake.
A good place for food lovers and a place to relax.

Trang is a good place for adventure seekers , especially for those that is interested in island hopping, and caving. It is blessed with unspoilt mother nature, the exciting caves and island. Among the island is Koh Libong and Koh Sukorn .

Trang become famous because it was developed by Phraya Ratsada (known to Thais ) however in Penang he is known as Khaw Sim Bee. He had helped develop Trang City and is a very well respected figure for the Thai communities in Trang.
He had transformed and save the Southern Thai Communities from collapsing by introducing rubber as a substitute and alternative to the traditional Thai conventional economy.
A monument was erected to comenmorate this great man whom was the Governor of Ranong and Trang .
The monument is located in the heart of Trang City at the Trang Municipal Park.
Also it is advisable to visit Phraya Ratsada Museum at Kantang where we can see his legacy and contribution to Thailand .

Phraya Ratsada Nupradit Mahitsara Phakdi ( a title conferred to him by King Rama V) 1857–1913, born Khaw Sim Bee ( 許心美) was a Siam provincial administrator. He is the youngest of the six sons of Khaw Soo Cheang, a trader from Fujian, China in 1810 befoe leaving for Thailand in 1822. He was in Penang before leaving for Thailand (better known as Siam during the heydays)

As a member of the Na Ranong  family which held the governor's post in Ranong for generations, Khaw was assigned to become governor of Trang in 1890. His most significant contribution was the introduction of the rubber tree from Malaysia to Thailand, which at his time was only grown in Malaysia. His contribution was well acknowledge during the decline of the tin industry. His introduction of rubber in the early 20th century had since help to revive the economy of Siam .It has since become one of the major crops of Thailand. He also initiated the connection of Trang with Nakorn Si Thammarat and Patthalung by road as well as the railroad connection to Nakorn Si Thammarat, one of the first railroads of Thailand.
In 1902, he was assigned to become the High Commissioner of Monthon Phuket, till his death in 10th April 1913.
A monument commemorating him was erected in the city of Trang.He was a well-known prominent figure in Trang ( a corrupted word from Malay word "Terang" meaning bright) In 1992, he was also honored as one of the five most distinguished government officials in administration.

A road in Penang named after Khaw Sim Bee and a road named after the city in which he is the Governor, which is Trang.

At the Phraya Ratsada Museum at Kantang District

THE TRANG EXPERIENCE

Trip to Trang -the most enjoyable one.

At Phraya Ratsada Monument ( Phraya Ratsada is known as Khaw Sim Bee) in Trang Municipal Park

Photograph session with Governor of Trang at Thumrin Thana Hotel.

Outside Hotel Thumrin Thana - our visit to the Governor of Trang Office

At the back section of Trang's City Hall ( Governor's Office is located) -background the statue of King Rama V ( better known as King Chulalongkorn )

At Phraya Ratsada Museum located at Kantang (opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday)

Travelling to Thailand-Part 3 -Festival

Loy Krathong is a Thai Festival

(please click in the title " Travelling to Thailand-Part 3-Festival) to see about Loy Krathong

Usually it is held on the month of November each year .


This year Loy Krathong is held on 28th November, 2012



Interested to attend the Loy Krathong, please contact me at my e-mail : lgseng2@yahoo.com and I will be more than glad to assist.



I will be featuring a topic of "How to make a krathong" soon and many tourist/visitors will have a hands on in making a krathong( Thai mini raft)

Travelling To Thailand (Part 2 )-Thai Language

The biggest problem for tourist to Thailand is the language barrier and without it, one finds it difficult especially when it comes to shopping and going around. So it is very important to learn a few phrases.


Learn A Few Simple Phrases of Thai

- sa wa dee krap/ kha = wishes ( must be accompanied with Thai gesture of "wai")

- yar pai rong rem .( name of hotel) ktap/ kha = going to hotel ( hotel's name)

- kin khao reu yang ? = have you eaten rice ?

-thang mod raka thau rai krap /kha = total how much is the price?

-aun nee thao rai krap? = how much is this one?

-lot noi dai mai krap/kha ? =can reduce the price please?

-peang= expensive

-dai = can

-may dai= cannot

-khaw me-nu noi krap/kha = give me menu please

-khob khun krap/kha = thank you

-mai mee= don't have

-kept thang = come and collect money ( use in restaurant when you ask for bill)

-ngern =money/silver

-nam = water

-ron =hot

-nam ron=hot water

-nam yen= cold water

-nam som= orange juice

-nam oi = sugar cane juice

-hor mok talay ma-praow = "otak-otak" seafood in coconut shell

- moo = pork

-gkai = chicken

-pla =fish

-nuea =beef

-mai phet = not so spicy

-mai aow = don't want

-mai roo / mai sarp= don't know . ( better use mai sarp = more polite)

-nong sao= young lady (use to address a person in public)
-nong chai = young man (use to address a person in public)

-pee sao = elder lady (use to address a person in public)
-pee chai =elder man ( use to address a person in public)

-chuay = please help

-chuay phom dai mai = can you please help me?

-rak= love

-chorp = like

hong nam=toilet/restroom

Numbers :

1- neung
2- song
3-sam
4-see
5-har
6-hock
7-cjet
8-peat
9-kow
10-sip
11 -sip aet

100 -neung roi
1000- neung phan

Food ( Thai Fruits)


malakor-papaya
sapporot- pineapple






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Travelling Thailand

Thailand is amazing .

Welcome to the "Land Of Smiles" .
This is where you will find the real hospitality, culture and fun.
Thailand is well know for it festivities such as "The King's Birthday" , "Songkran", "Wesak" , "Loy Krathong" and many more.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, but the Thais call Bangkok as " Krung Thep" .
It is a city of excitement and many people will be amazed with it. Along with it, places such Phuket, Koh Samui offers the beauty of nature and food. It is a good place for relaxation.

November is the month of " Loy Krathong" and it is a very exciting occasion to take your family for an outing.

Please see the video cutting below to learn about Loy Krathong song.

Thailand is also blessed with numerous authentic food, where our locals mainly know about is Tom Yum. Tom Yum is a soup , if you quote "Tom Yum Kung" means the soup contains prawns or shrimp. Tom means boil, while Yum means soup and Kung means prawn. Seafood in Thailand is known as "Ah-hann Talay"

Learning Thai is not difficult. They have some similarities to Malay and Chinese language and dialect. The Thais societies/ general public consist of Siamese, Thai Malay, Thai Chinese, Thai Indian. But very special is that all of them calls themselve Thais, unlike Malaysia where we have to divide between bumiputras and non-bumiputras. So no wonder, the Thais are very proud of the country and their King.

Thailand can be reached by land and air. For places like Haadyai, we can drive down to the border which will takes us about 2 hours.And later another 2 hours to Haadyai .

Before we cross over to the border, we will reach Bukit Kayu Hitam, we may get our currency change and do some duty free shopping .

Exactly at the border Thai Immigration check-point is Danok- a small town flourishing up with nite clubs, massage, spa and many others.

Here we can enjoy the food which is relatively cheaper, the people in Danok mainly can speak Malay and Mandarin or Hokkien.

Services For Stop-Over and Back Packers

Many foreigners of "Farang" addressed by Thais that is residing in Thailand would come over to Penang to have their long stay visa to be renewed by the Royal Consulate of Thailand in Penang.

For assistance of visa renewal, please do drop me an e-mail at : lgseng2@yahoo.com

I'll be glad to assist for a nominal amount of service charge.


At your service

Lim GS