WITH SUMMER vacations being planned, the seaside is a favourite destination, and one of the top new choices for a family stay by the shore is the water-park resort Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin.

All 300 rooms and suites in the tallest building in town share an ocean view from private balconies, complete with glorious sunrises to start the days perfectly.

At last month’s glittering grand opening, centred on the resort’s lofty Vana Nava Sky Deck, more than 400 guests, including many celebrities, were treated to live entertainment and fireworks.

The Vana Nava Sky Deck, 110 metres up, has a glass floor.

On any day or evening, though, the 27th-floor Sky Deck with its 360-degree views is stunning. Guests are required to demonstrate a little bravery, however. The floor is clear glass, so you’re looking straight down at the ground 110 metres below.

Bangkok-based consultant Ashley Sutton, who’s designed some of Asia’s most eye-popping bars, including Maggie Choo’s and Iron Fairies in Bangkok and Ophelia in Hong Kong, conceived this breezy, thrilling experience in Hua Hin.

The lofty double infinite pool.

One storey down – that’s still way up on Floor 26 – are two infinity pools with their own jarring front-row seats for the sweeping panorama of the Gulf of Thailand. This is another fantastic spot to greet the morning sun, but also ideal for all-day lounging as well as family fun – there’s a separate pool for kids, with a slide.

Right next door, opposite the gulf, is the Vana Nava Water Jungle Park, filled with adventure rides and huge slides that guests can enjoy for free as many times as they like. Non-guests pay a high price for admission, but everyone staying at the resort has unlimited access.

Youngsters will take full advantage of their unlimited access to Vana Nava Water Jungle Park.

The hotel – though fully equipped for top-notch hospitality, meetings and other large events (there are five function rooms and a large ballroom with cutting-edge technology) – is not actually on the beach, so the water jungle is a major draw.

The resort is suitable for any type of stay, from fun-filled “stay-cations” to couples’ getaways, family holidays and special business events. Its owners expect the Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin to become an iconic destination.

Every room has free Wi-Fi, and there’s a fitness centre open round the clock.

The Kid Suites are the stuff dreams are made of.

For children age 12 and under, the entire Holiday Inn chain has a “Kids Eat and Stay Free” deal.

Guests are greeted on arrival by a realistic likeness of the resort’s marine emblem, a Bryde’s whale, one of the more common cetaceans in the Gulf.

The subterranean theme continues throughout the hotel, including in a series of inter-connecting rooms painted bright sea blue and vivid coral orange. The bathrooms in all guestrooms have wall tiles designed to resemble fish scales.

The Kid Suites are set up like submarines, decked out with bunk beds and play areas. Elsewhere in the hotel is the Bryde Kids’ Club for more fun. It has rides, toys, games and digital media, and alert staff members keep an eye on the action.

The parents, meanwhile, are apt to be relaxing and unwinding at the Tea Tree Spa, where trained therapists use wholly natural products to rejuvenate muscles and ease away the tensions of the urban hustle and bustle.

The restaurant Plamong serves seafood all day.

There’s great dining all day long at the resort restaurant Plamong, which is festooned with netting and traps to evoke Hua Hin’s past as a fishing village.

Seafood is in the greatest demand, of course, but a wide range of international dishes is also on offer. Everything we sampled was quite flavourful, though there was room for improvement.

AT A GLANCE

Highs: Unlimited access to Vana Nava Water Jungle Park. The hotel is stylish and well designed.

Lows: Amid plentiful safety measures, there is no first-aid room. And staff at this new hotel needs more training.

Find it: 129/129 Petchakasem Road, Nong Gar, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kiri Khan

Call it: (032) 809 999

Browse it: http://www.HolidayInnResorts.com

Phuttal Residence

Featuring free bikes and BBQ facilities, Phuttal Residence is situated in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, a 13-minute walk from Ayutthaya Historical Park. A 20-minute walk from Chao Sam Phraya National Museum and 1.8 km from Wat Chaiwatthanaram, the guesthouse features a garden and a terrace. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property and Wat Mahathat is 2 km away. Phuttal Residence offers certain units with river views, and rooms have a private bathroom. All units are fitted with a seating area.

There’s a children’s playground for the little ones and guests can enjoy cycling around the area.

Silp Pa Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya

Located just 900 metres from Wat Mahathat, Silp Pa Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya provides a garden and shared lounge. Built in 2015, the property is within a 16-minute walk of Chao Sam Phraya National Museum and 1.7 km of Ayutthaya Historical Park. All guestrooms in the hostel are equipped with a flat-screen TV and the private bathroom is fitted with a shower and free toiletries. All units provide guests with a fridge.

Wat Yai Chaimongkol is 2.1 km from the accommodation, while Wat Chaiwatthanaram is 3.6 km away.

iuDia Hotel

Located among the ancient ruins of temples and old palaces, this boutique property faces the Ayutthaya World Heritage Park. Offering rooms with free Wi-Fi, it also features a cafe and an outdoor pool. Air-conditioned rooms at iuDia Hotel feature courtyard or Chao Phraya River views. Furnished with antiques, they are equipped with a flat-screen TV and a DVD player. Tea/coffee making facilities and a minibar are included.

A 15-minute walk from Chao Sam Phraya National Museum, iuDia Hotel is 1 km from Mahathat Temple and 3 km from Ayutthaya Train Station. Guests can explore the surroundings on their own as free bike rentals are provided. Drivers can park on-site for free.

Niwas Ayutthaya

Niwas Ayutthaya is located in the historical town of Ayutthaya, a 10-minute walk from Wat Mahathat and Wat Rajchaburana. Free Wi-Fi is available in all areas. Boasting Thai architecture, Niwas Ayutthaya’s rooms come with air conditioning and a TV. Equipped with free toiletries and shower facilities, guests have access to the en suite bathroom or a private external bathroom. For added convenience, the guesthouse also provides laundry and massage services.

The property is a 15-minute drive from Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Provincial Railway Station and is a 1-hour 15-minute drive from Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

Ayothaya Riverside House

Located next to Wat Kasattrathirat, Ayothaya Riverside House offers free Wi-Fi throughout the property. Guests can take a stroll in the garden or simply unwind by the river. The residence is a 5-minute drive to Wat Chaiwatthanaram Temple, Queen Suriyothai Memorial and Wat Thakarong Floating Market. Each unit is equipped with a choice of air conditioning or fan and comes with either an en suite bathroom or shared bathroom. Selected rooms have a TV, fridge and balcony.

The residence provides free public parking on site. Laundry services are available. Several local restaurants are within walking distance.

Luang Chumni Village

A 5-minute walk to Wat Maha That, Luang Chumni Village offers traditional Thai-style rooms with free Wi-Fi. Free public parking is available on site. The hotel is a 5-minute drive to Chao Sam Phraya National Museum, Ayutthaya Railway Station and the bus terminal.

Surrounded by greenery, each air-conditioned room features satellite TV, fridge and desk. Shower facilities and free toiletries are included in a private bathroom, located downstairs. For exploring the local area, the hotel provides a bicycle rental service. Guests can take a stroll in the garden.

It will be available for two adults with one child under 15 years old travelling anytime between April 1 and October 31.

The package includes free bed-and-breakfast accommodation and free round-trip shuttles from the airport to 100 participating hotels in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Samui.

Royal Orchid Plus members can accrue triple miles with this package.

People who arrive from overseas and purchase this package for travelling to domestic destinations operated by THAI get a free ticket for one child under 15.

Find out more at (02) 288 7335 weekdays from 8am to 5pm, RoyalOrchidHolidays.com/th or sales@toureurngluang.com.

THAI has meanwhile joined with THAI Smile and Nok Air to launch Don Mueang-Mae Hong Son flights during the Songkran festival beginning on March 25 as a way of promoting secondary cities.

There’ll be three flights per week – on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Visit ThaiAirways.com, call the 24-hour THAI Contact Centre at (02) 356 1111 or drop by any THAI sales office or travel agent.

The event is usually held every first weekend of April to celebrate the unusual phenomenon when the rays of the rising sun shine through all of the Khmer temple’s 15 doorways at the same time.

This awe-inspiring spectacle takes place four times a year at the Phanom Rung Sanctuary and is believed to bring great blessings upon everyone who is there to witness it. For wanting to see it this year must be present at the sanctuary on April 3-5.

Several other activities will also take place as part of the event, including a dimensional mapping light and sound show and a special light show highlighting the legend of Phanom Rung Sanctuary, a ritual to worship the gods and celestial beings, as well as a grand procession and Apsara dance performances.

Local arts and crafts as well as souvenirs and a wide range of local cuisine will be on sale at the traditional-style flea market.

Other attractions to explore include Muang Tam Sanctuary in Prakhon Chai district, Wat Khao Angkarn – the Buddhist temple on an extinct volcano, the silk and cotton weaving village of Tambon Charoensuk, and Lamnangrong dam of Non Din Daeng.

Another place of interest in Buri Ram is the i-Mobile Stadium (Thunder Castle), which is currently the largest football stadium in Thailand and a new magnet attracting visitors to Buri Ram. This 32,600-seat football stadium is owned by the Thai Premier League club Buriram United. Also not to be missed is the Chang International Circuit, which will host the MotoGP 2018 in October.

This year’s event joins the action-packed Thailand Tourism Year 2018, which promotes the time-honoured cultural events and festivals, as well as helping to spread tourism income to the local communities across the country.

For more information, call the TAT Surin Office (044) 514 447-8, or 1672, email: tatsurin@tat.or.th, or visit http://www.TourismThailand.org/surin.

MINGLING ROMANCE, fantasy and history, Channel 3’s hit comedy series “Buppesannivas” (“Love Destiny”) has managed to bring classical Ayutthaya back to life. True fans are flocking to the old capital of Siam to dress in elegant period costumes and pose for pictures among the ruined temples and palaces of Ayutthaya Historical Park.

Fans of the television series can easily imagine Khun Sri Wisanwacha and Karaked paddling in a boat to the market.

The government’s Fine Arts Department recently organised a one-day tour for public and a media mob to the site in a bid to get folks better informed about the long history resting silently in its stones.

Tourists in all of ages enjoy dressing up in period costumes and posing for snapshots.

“‘Buppesannivas’ has inspired many more people to visit Ayutthaya,” said Anandha Chuchoti, the department’s director general. “Wat Chaiwatthanaram, for example, which is one of the main locations seen in the TV series, welcomed more than 30,000 tourists within three weeks of the show going on air.”

The department is developing a map of the key sites used in the TV show and incorporating QR codes that visitors can scan as they follow a designated route. Guides are also on hand to explain the architecture and describe the way of life hundreds of years ago.

“And next month we’re hosting a one-day excursion from Ayutthaya to Lop Buri to showcase the beauty of both cities during the reign of King Narai,” Anandha said.

Towering Petch Fortress is another point of keen interest, sitting at the convergence of the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers. King Mahadhammaraja erected it in 1580, with eight apertures left in the brickwork for cannon. Here, merchants from China, Portugal, Japan, England and France once gathered.

Petch Fortress was once a hub of international commerce. 

Ayutthaya was known as “the Venice of the East” long before Bangkok inherited the description, said archaeologist Pathravadee Deesomchoke, who’s in charge of the department’s local operations.

“The old capital was completely surrounded by rivers and moats, making it an easily defended island. There were also 16 fortresses, and King Narai allowed only the Chinese and Persians to settle downtown.”

Pathravadee described the flourishing trade of 300 years ago. Diplomats were sent to France and Western innovations were adopted, such as using bricks and cement in construction rather than clay.

“Ayutthaya had many markets, both on land and in the waterways, each one specialising in a certain kind of merchandise. Talad Pa Lueng sold monks’ robes and Talad Chee Kun was where you bought jewellery.”

She pointed out that Bangkok’s original defensive walls were built with bricks salvaged from the ruins of Ayutthaya during the reigns of the first three Chakri kings. “So the Fine Arts Department has had to add new bricks to the ruins here to maintain their structural strength.”

Wat Thanon Jeen was unearthed just last year and reveals that a Chinese settlement was located there more than 300 years ago. 

Wat Thanon Jeen was only unearthed last year. This is where the Chinese community and Talad Nai Kai were located almost four centuries ago. The ruins indicate the influence of Lanna culture. One pagoda resembling a medieval castle tower has a square base and a bell-shaped top. Sandstone statues of the Buddha statues discovered here are now displayed in the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.

“The Klong Nai Kai community had one of the biggest markets in Ayutthaya,” said Veerasak Sansaard, another archaeologist. “It was famous for its fresh seafood and Chinese home accessories.

“We can’t specify when Wat Thanon Jeen was built, but we found a beautifully sculpted stone grave-marker dated 1766. The craftsmanship suggests that the residents weren’t too concerned about the Burmese army encircling them at the time.”

The level of craftsmanship is both stunning and surprising, as seen in the displays at the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum. The two-storey building, which opened in 1961, has three galleries. The current exhibition is “The Gold of Ayutthaya, the Traditional Heritage”.

Chao Sam Phraya National Museum is showcasing a collection of antiques.   

Mainly it’s golden nielloware found in the crypts of Wat Ratchaburana and Wat Maha That. One gilded stone container in the

shape of a fish held relics of the Buddha. You can also see a miniature royal elephant adorned with precious stones, and a lady’s headdress woven from gold thread in floral motifs.

What’s on view from Wat Ratchaburana, though, is only one-fifth of the treasure that was kept there. Robbers made off with the rest in 1957.

The main hall features a huge bronze Buddha bust in the U-Thong style. It was made in the first half of 15th century. Also on display are gilded Buddha statues that were found in 1956 hidden within the torso of a gold Phra Mongkol Bopit statue.

There’s also a carved wooden gable depicting Vishnu mounted on his avian carrier, the Garuda.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet occupies the former grounds of a royal palace after which Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha was modelled. King U-thong constructed this palace in 1350, but Somdet Phra Borom Tilokkanat preferred his palace to the north of what is now the historical park and the old site became a monastery.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the model for Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha. 

Today visitors admire the ruins of three large bell-shaped pagodas that are believed to contain the ashes of Kings Borom Trai Lokanath, Borom Rachathirat III and Ramathibodi II. Alongside is the assembly hall, which, until the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, housed the Phra Sri Sanphetdayan – a 16-metre-tall Buddha image that was coated with 143 kilograms of gold.

The Portuguese arrived in Ayutthaya in 1151 and established a settlement south of the island. It too has been excavated and now shares the story of Marie Guimar, who concocted recipes for several famous Thai sweets.

The European-style Catholic church is also a ruin, but you can still make out the mundane (like the toilet) and the divine (as in the ceremonial hall). In an adjacent exhibition are the skeletons of priests and other residents discovered beneath the church.

The Portuguese Village has a display of the skeletons of priests and other residents.

According to the TV series, Wat Phutthaisawan has a magical door through which Karaked accesses the secret military camp of Khun Sri Wisanwacha. We found the door, but it wasn’t magical. This temple on the west bank of the Chao Phraya was built by King U-thong and has a beautiful, long balcony lined with Sukhothai-style Buddha statues.

Saint Joseph Catholic Church, erected by the French, pays tribute to Bishop Pierre Lambert de la Motte, who landed in Ayutthaya in 1662. The original wooden structure was rebuilt with bricks in 1695.

During the second war with the Burmese, Siamese sheltered in the church, but the invaders burned it down with the rest of the city in 1767. Nevertheless, St Joseph rose again in 1888, with Bishop Jean Louise Vey overseeing its conversion to a more Romanesque style of architecture.

St Joseph Catholic Church boasts magnificent Romanesque architecture.

Fans of the TV show are most eager to see Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a monastery constructed in 1630 by King Prasart Thong on the land where the cremation of his mother was hosted before he ascended to the throne. It has a Khmer-style grand pagoda surrounded by prangs and cloisters, representing Mount Pha Sumeru of Hindu belief.

One of the visitors scouting for “Buppesannivas” locales was officer worker Chanya Srisuk, 53.

“It’s fun getting dolled up in beautiful traditional attire and taking pictures on the film set,” she said. “It makes me feel like one of characters of the series.

Tourists in all of ages enjoy dressing up in period costumes and posing for snapshots.

“The show is amusing to watch, but it’s also educational. And the story is easy to follow, so that I can easily picture the kingdom in the past.”

Apichai Santichatsak and his family were spending the weekend browsing around the historical sites.

“My wife’s family lives in Ayutthaya and I like taking pictures of the old temples. I love seeing all the tourists dressing in period costumes. It’s another way we can show respect to these historical places. The TV series also teaches us ancient Thai words we’ve never heard before. That’s a big selling point.”

WITH ARCHAIC moats and stone boundary markers indicating where the settlement of Champa Sri was located 1,000 years ago, the small Maha Sarakham town of Na Dun is sitting on a rich vein of history.

Culture and religion flourished here atop Thailand’s vast northeastern plateau during the Dvaravati Period. Nowadays, they seem to be enjoying a revival.

Downtown Maha Sarakham is 45 minutes away by car. Na Dun welcomes visitors – many of them pilgrims – with the Phra That Na Dun, a shrine built in 1985 to house revered relics of the Lord Buddha. They were moved here from the original bronze stupa that was unearthed in 1979.

Thousands of residents of Na Dun don costumes to pay homage at Phra That Na Dun. 

On the morning we arrived, a nine-day temple fair was just beginning. About 5,000 residents were performing traditional Isaan dances of homage at the shrine. There was a colourful procession along the one-kilometre main road lined with food stalls and little shops selling handcrafts and other merchandise.

After participating in a heart-cleansing ritual, we headed to a nearby hamlet, Ban Nong No Tai, where a troupe of dek thevada was a treating folks to a striking mor lam hun performance at a communal theatre.

Artist Preecha Karoon got the dancing going in 2008 with the support of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. They bring in skilled mor lam and shadow-play enthusiasts to teach the youngsters how it’s done. They’re having fun as they help preserve traditions unique to the Northeast.

Young artists in Ban Nong No Tai present mor lam hun retellings of the story of Angulimala.

“I worked at the Patravadi Theatre for two years, and for this some young talented people and I created our own puppets – they’re adapted from second-hand kratib,” says Preecha, referring to bamboo containers containing sticky rice.

“The performers’ costumes are made from old wrap-skirts and the theatre itself was built with money we made performing in other locales. We also had the help of university lecturers in setting up home-stays and making souvenir hun kratib to sell. Most of all we’re all very grateful to Grandma Somsri Phadeechan, who donated the land.”

The story the troupe depicts draws on local legends and Buddhist lore. In anywhere from 10 minute to an hour, depending on the telling, they illustrate the lives of Sang Sin Chai and Angulimala, with three artists controlling each puppet figure.

“We have 32 members who can be split up into three groups based on age,” Preecha says. “We spent three months rehearsing. It’s a new approach, with mor lam artists singing and playing the khene [mouth organ] as they recount the story.”

A rice paddy becomes an outdoor gallery for an eyecatching display of huge straw figures.

In the area next to the theatre, tourists are marvelling at giant straw statues. There’s a lion in full “king of the jungle” mode, a unicorn making chums with a naga, a buffalo flying a kite and a camel wondering where the desert went.

Next, there’s more shopping to do in the village of Ban Phaeng in Kosum Phisai, where women artisans fashion reeds into mats, handbags, cushions and other home accessories. The 90-member group was formed in 1988. In 2002 the government helped them build an Otop centre (Thaksin Shinawatra’s One Tambon, One Product idea) and organised skill-building workshops.

“Reed grows very fast and withstands both fire and floods,” says Chaweewan Wandee, one of the weavers. “Our families have been making reed mats for more than two centuries, and we still use the same techniques, handed down from generation to generation.

Ban Phaeng folks show how to harvest and dye reed to be woven into mats and other items.

“Craftsmen in Chantaburi showed us how to modernise our designs so they appeal more to tourists, and our products are now sold at Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok.”

Tractors have been turned into shuttle buses for sightseeing tours. It’s a lot of fun spending 30 minutes or an hour riding around the big plantations and seeing the dried reed before it’s transformed into woven mats.

“The reed takes two or three months to grow,” Chaweewan says. “Once harvested, it’s dried for a few weeks until it becomes golden in colour, which ensures there’s no mould. And the mats are soft but very durable.”

A mat can cost anywhere from Bt75 to Bt2,000, depending on how intricate the decorative design is – it can be floral, a plaited pattern or a mudmee motif. They’re invariably in earth tones, but easy to mix and match with other, more colourful items.

DO SOME DANCING

There’s a full programme for the mor lam hun shows on the “MorLamHun.DekThevada” page on Facebook.

The Otop centre in Ban Phaeng will organise sightseeing tours with a guide for Bt500.

Call (086) 855 1911.

NORTHEASTERN Kalasin’s remoteness and its place on the government’s Human Achievement Index among Thailand’s five poorest provinces tend to mask the facts that it’s blanketed with green rice and vegetable plantations (thanks to the Lam Pao Dam built in the 1960s) and boasts a long and remarkable history.

Kalasin Dinosaur Park is the traveller’s gateway to the Jurassic world. 

Billing itself as the cradle of Isaan culture, Kalasin was settled by the Lawa tribe 1,600 years ago. Millions of years before that, though, dinosaurs roamed the arid Isaan plateau – more there than anywhere else in present-day Thailand.

The bones dug up in Kalasin since 1978 have ensured a steady stream of both professional and amateur palaeontologists and geologists, who have collectively opened a window on the Kingdom’s own Jurassic world.

The dinosaurs come to life – almost – at Kalasin Dinosaur Park, an hour’s drive from the provincial capital, in Sahatsakhan district. Tourists and locals roam the mock prehistoric jungle, getting their pictures taken with lifelike, full-size replicas of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Apatosaurus.

Real-life palaeontologists are at work in the Sirindhorn Museum, a research centre that opened in 2008 and is run by the Department of Mineral Resources. Visitors are welcome to gawk at a huge variety of fossils.

Sirindhorn Museum is the place to see the wonderful array of dinosaur fossils that have been unearthed in Thailand since the first bones were found 1978.

Exhibits, interactive educational games and replica skeletons are spread over two floors. The first gallery examines the origins of the universe and the Earth in the Big Bang. The second dives into the origin of life in the terrestrial oceans and follows its migration onto land.

The third zone arrives in the Palaeozoic Era, by the end of which complex reptiles were already munching on the first modern plants. Then we discover Pangaea, the super-continent that gradually broke apart with the motion of tectonic plates in the Earth’s crust, triggering mass extinction but paving the way for the emergence of the dinosaurs and, much later, the earliest mammals.

There are nine types of dinosaur fossils in the fifth room, all unearthed in the Thai Northeast.

Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, the first sauropod found in Thailand, was famously named after Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, a keen student of palaeontology. Isanosaurus attavipatchi is the oldest sauropod found here and was named for the region, Isaan. Its bones are estimated to be 209 million years old.

Sirindhorn Museum is the place to see the wonderful array of dinosaur fossils that have been unearthed in Thailand since the first bones were found 1978.

Psittacosaurus sattayaraki was the first Ceratopsian dinosaur found – from a family of giant reptiles with parrot-like beaks. There is the plant-eating Hypsilophodon, and Siamtyrannus isanensis –a cousin of T Rex whose discovery caused global ripples.

Ginnareemimus, the first “ostrich dinosaur”, was dug up in Khon Kaen. Albertosaurus gets its name from Alberta in Canada, but the specimen here came from Montana in the United States.

Siamosaurus suteethorni was the basis for Thailand’s prominence in world palaeontology, the first to be unearthed – and only its teeth at that.

Phu Kum Khao, the original site where fossils were found, is examined in the sixth section. Visitors can see the region’s biggest laboratory and many more dinosaur fossils as they learn about the process of excavating and identifying specimens.

Then it’s on to the mammals of the Cenozoic Era, 65 million years ago, whose lineage is traced down to the modern elephant, horse, rhinoceros, whale and bat.

The Phu Kum Khao sig site is where more than 700 bones from seven different specimens of Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae turned up. 

Finally we see our own direct ancestors, follow our evolution from primeval times – and confront the geo-hazards we face to this day, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The aim here is to raise awareness about environmental conservation.

“Our team is studying plant-eating dinosaurs at the Phu Noi site in Kalasin,” researcher Sasidhorn Khansubha tells wide-eyed visitors. “We’ve discovered the bones of fish, turtles and crocodiles from 150 million years ago – more than 2,000 fossils so far.

“We’ve also found more than 200 footprints of dinosaurs, ancient ostriches and crocodiles and other small, plant-eating animals in Nakhon Phanom’s Tha Uthen district, which the public can see at the Dinosaur Footprint Park.”

The Phu Kum Khao excavation site is in Wat Sakkawan, adjacent to the museum. This is where the temple’s abbot, Phra Yanwisala Thera, discovered Thailand’s first dinosaur bones, in 1978. He knew they were not buffalo or elephant relics.

A French palaeontologist and geologists from the Department of Mineral Resources began digging in 1994. Since then, more than 700 bones from seven different specimens of Phuwiangosaurus have been unearthed – making the site more productive than any other in Southeast Asia.

In Phu Faek Forest Park are the footprints of carnivorous dinosaurs, preserved on a rocky escarpment. 

We wanted to see the great beasts’ footprints, so it was off to Phu Faek Forest Park in Huai Phueng district. Within these lush woods, a local family noticed the strange tracks along a rock terrace. Researchers have since 1996 identified 21 prints belonging to carnivorous dinosaurs – likely stomping through mud 140 million years ago – although now only seven footprints can be seen clearly.

Dinosaur hunting works up an appetite, so we headed downtown to the Ricemill Market, so named because it used to be one. Architect Worapong Boonsawat spent Bt15 million transforming his family’s mill and warehouse into a place where people can socialise, shop and dine. It dates all the way back to 2014.

“My family decided to close the mill after 45 years’ operation,” he says. “I turned it into a market to preserve the local history and give younger people a new place to hang out.”

The second phase, opening later this year, will feature a museum filled with antiques that will tell the story of local Thai-Chinese culture and rice mills.

The dinosaur-shaped roti at the Ricemill Market 

The eight-rai market has more than 50 food-stalls, cafes and restaurants. You can get pretty much anything you want, from Isaan hotpot to Italian pizza, but no visitors is going to skip past the dinosaur-shaped roti.

The next morning, the Pong Lang Phrae Wa Festival was underway, marking the town’s 224th anniversary. They had 2,224 women dressed in lovely costumes of phrae wa silk perform a traditional Phu Thai dance in honour of the province’s first governor, Phraya Chaisoonthorn.

“Residents believe the festival brings good lives and happiness,” says the current governor, Kraisorn Kongchalad. “The performers come from all parts of Kalasin in their costumes, which promotes beautiful phrae wa silk as well as Phu Thai culture.

“Meanwhile we’re also promoting Kalasin as a city of art, though the focus is on the art of living rather than creating artwork. Kalasin is famous for its unique phrae wa silk and is the country’s second-biggest supplier of giant freshwater prawns. Any visitors interested in silk weaving can book home-stays at Baan Khok Pong.”

This year’s Pong Lang Phrae Wa Festival had 2,224 women dancers wearing Kalasin’s highly regarded phrae wa silk, paying homage at a monument to the first governor, Phraya Chaisoonthorn.  

Back out in Sahatsakhan district is Wat Phutthanimit, built in 1997 with a proud mix of Thai and Lanna architecture. The magnificent ubosot is all hardwood, with beautifully carved windows and ceiling panels depicting the lives of the Lord Buddha.

The main hall, the Wihan Sangkhanimit, is decorated with rare Buddha images and amulets and has a revered, two-metre-long Buddha statue reclining on the left side.

A square dominated by four towering Buddha statues is scheduled to be unveiled in April, built with durable laterite stone from Surin as a showcase for Thai and Khmer craftsmanship.

The latest route is AirAsia Malaysia’s seventh to Thailand and a step towards the airline’s ambitions efforts to provide the widest network in Asean and connect less travelled destinations in the region to the world.

“We are thrilled to introduce the Kuala Lumpur-Hua Hin route to our ever growing network, the airline’s Spencer Lee told The Nation.

“Since launching Phuket in 2003 as our first international route from Kuala Lumpur, we have added flights to another seven cities in Thailand. In 2017 alone, we carried about 1.3 million passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand. With Thailand was ranked ninth among the world’s most visited countries by the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation, we are positive that Hua Hin will be the new preferred holiday destination for Malaysian tourists and hope that the new route will further contribute to the tourism growth for both cities,”

AirAsia Malaysia currently operates 165 weekly flights to Thailand. Besides Hua Hin, the airline flies to Bangkok 80 times weekly, Phuket (35 times weekly), Krabi (21 times weekly), Hat Yai (7 times weekly), Chiang Mai (14 times weekly), and Pattaya (4 times weekly).

Kuala Lumpur is known for its excellent representation of the harmoniously multi-racial Malaysia. From its humble beginnings as a tin mining city, the city has transformed into one of the most developed capitals of Southeast Asia. Kuala Lumpur’s world-famous landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers is among popular places to visit as are the Central Market (Pasar Seni), Petaling Street and Bukit Bintang.

Attractions like Port Dickson, Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Bukit Tinggi, Putrajaya, Batu Caves, and Sunway Lagoon are an easy day trip from the city centre.

AirAsia’s offers a range of domestic flights to the idyllic island Langkawi as well as to Kota Kinabalu, home to Southeast Asia’s highest peak Mount Kinabalu, the Mulu Caves and Sipadan Island.

To mark the announcement of the new route, AirAsia is offering promotional all-in-fares from Bt990 one way on http://www.Airasia.com and on AirAsia’s mobile app from now to March 4 for travel between May 18 to October 26.

Find out more at Facebook.com/AirAsia.