HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Bangsai arts and crafts go on sale at Aisawan Resort

Stuck overweight woman traps tourists in cave

Odd tourist queries revealed

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Bangsai arts and crafts go on sale at Aisawan Resort

Vimolrat Singnikorn
Aisawan Resort and Spa is the first hotel in Chonburi to support the Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center in a project that displays products from the center for sale to visitors.
Tanin Kraiwichian, privy councilor and vice president of the Arts and Crafts Foundation, who is heading the organizing committee for the Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center project, officially opened the display of products at the Aisawan Resort and Spa on December 25.

Tanin Kraiwichian, privy councilor, visits the exhibition and studies the beautiful artwork.
Souvenirs were presented to supporters including Rerngsak Mahavinitchaimontri, deputy governor of Chonburi, Pol Lt Col Wutichat Luansukhan, superintendent of Pattaya Tourist Police, Pol Col Suthin Srappuang, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, and Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh.
The Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center, which is under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, has developed a strategy of marketing produce to Thai and overseas visitors during the high season by setting up display centers in various hotels.
Aisawan is the first, and will feature the product display for one month. Following this will be Long Beach Resort and Spa, the Mountain Beach Hotel, and the Sun Beam Hotel, each of which will showcase the products for one month.
The Bangsai Arts and Crafts Center was officially opened on December 7, 1984 and is located at Changyai Sub-district, Bangsai District, in Ayutthaya Province. The center occupies a large area of some 750 rai of land, and has 30 departments for training diverse arts and crafts skills, providing employment for rural people and preserving Thai arts, cultural heritage and craftsmanship.

Tanin Kraiwichian, privy councilor and vice president of the Arts and Crafts Foundation, gives his official opening speech for the “Bangsai Arts and Crafts Centre of HM Queen Sirikit of Thailand Distribution Project”.

Dignitaries at the opening ceremony inspect the beautiful products on display.

Privy Councilor Tanin Kraiwichian poses for a photo with local personalities at the opening.

Tanin Kraiwichian, privy councilor, cuts the ribbon at the official opening.

Local politicians, police, wives and dignitaries pose for a photo with Privy Councilor Tanin Kraiwichian at the opening.

Stuck overweight woman traps tourists in cave

An overweight woman became wedged in between rocks in a South African cave on New Year’s Day, trapping another 22 tourists for over ten hours, according to reports.
Although staff at the Cango Caves in Western Cape warned the woman that she may not be suitable for certain areas within the caves, she insisted on trying. After a number of hours attempting to free the woman and the other tourists, she was eventually tugged free by a pulley after the surface was greased with paraffin.
Hein Gerstner, manager of Cango Caves, told the BBC: “The obstacle has a narrow base. She lost her footing and went down in a splits position. There was no way she could get her body weight up.
“We believe what goes in, must come out again. People get stuck all the time - that’s one of the unfortunate things that happen, it’s part of the adventure.”
One of the tourists trapped was diabetic, but fortunately a rescuer was able to climb over the woman and provide insulin. (eTN)

Odd tourist queries revealed

Staff at the British national tourism agency have been left scratching their heads at some of the questions posed to them this past year. These include such clangers as: “Are there any lakes in the Lake District?” And: “Is Wales closed during the winter?”
Half a million holidaymakers every year drop by the information office of national tourism agency VisitBritain seeking advice on how best to use their time in the UK. At the Britain & London Visitor Centre on Regent Street in London’s West End one visitor wanted to know: “What is the entry fee for Brighton?” Another asked: “Do you have any information on (former Page 3 girl) Samantha Fox?”
Unimpressed by the planning behind royal homes, one tourist wanted to know: “Why on earth did they build Windsor Castle on the flight path of Heathrow?” And taking the name of London Underground stations perhaps too literally, another person asked: “Can you tell me who performs at the circus in Piccadilly?” Other geographically-challenged queries included: “What Tube line runs to Edinburgh?”
Encounters could be just as strange north of the border at the help centres of VisitScotland, where questions from tourists included: “What time does the midnight train leave?” “Which bus do I get from the Orkney Islands to the Shetland Islands?” and “Is Edinburgh in Glasgow?”
Some of the other daft questions posed to VisitScotland staff included: “Can you tell me where the mountain is in Scotland?” “Are there any curves in the roads here, or are they all straight?” and “Are there any Sheena Easton museums in Glasgow?”. Another tourist wanted to know: “What time of night does the Loch Ness monster surface and who feeds it?” (eTN)

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