Triumph for Bangkok Puppet Troupe: The Bangkok-based Joe Louis puppet theatre troupe has won the top award at the World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague. This is the second international award for the troupe, which presented The Birth of Ganesha, a famous episode from the Ramayana, at the same competition two years ago. The Ramayana (or Ramakien in Thai) is the Indian epic tale, filled with all kinds of intriguing plots. Instead of remaining behind screens during the performance, the puppeteers are an integral part of the show as the picture shows. Another troupe from Thailand, the Sema Thai marionette troupe, won the Most Poetic Creation award. Twenty-five puppet troupes from 17 countries around the world competed in the event.  

Thai elephants: You will find them everywhere. Small ones adorn hotel lobbies and big ones carry tourists on uncomfortable treks or work in forests moving tree trunks. They decorate most souvenirs. The elephant is revered by Thais because it was used to fight wars and as a beast of burden.

Bangkok: Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific is developing a new Radisson hotel in Thailand - the Radisson Suites Bangkok Sukhumvit. Scheduled to open at the end of 2008 the hotel will be located in the heart of Bangkok along one of the city’s best-known roads, Sukhumvit Road . The suite hotel will comprise of two towers – one existing 11 storey tower to be fully renovated and one new seven storey tower featuring a roof-top pool.

Weekend Deals at the Conrad: If you feel like splurging out $500 plus for a fun weekend in Bangkok, the upmarket Conrad Hotel has an executive weekend package which includes the following goodies: Guaranteed upgrade to an executive room, round trip airport transfers in a new Mercedes Benz S Class and late check out until 6pm. You also get the executive floor benefits of a fine breakfast in the executive lounge on the 29^th floor and coffee, tea and soft drinks throughout the day. Then there is afternoon tea with cakes and sandwiches and evening cocktails with canapés from 5.30pm until 7.30pm. There is no charge for Internet access and local calls and faxes are free too. You get free pressing – a limit of three pieces per stay. You must stay two nights and those nights must be on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Thai fact: Only 200,000 new cars are sold annually, compared to more than two million motorcycles.

Bangkok: Microsoft Corp has bought software, intellectual property and other assets from privately held Bangkok-based Global Care Solutions.
Global Care worked with Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok to design its system, which serves more than 1.2 million patients a year from nearly 200 countries. The hospital uses Global Care's system to manage scheduling and medical records in multiple languages. The software runs on Microsoft Windows operating systems.
Peter Neupert, vice president of Microsoft's Health Solutions Group, noted in a statement that Global Care's "state-of-the-art health information system" allows patients to see a doctor within roughly 17 minutes after arriving at Bumrungrad. 
Microsoft said the acquisition will complement its portfolio of health solutions and give hospitals another option to help improve workflow and patient safety. Read more about the hospital’s work in the medical vacation pages on this website.

Send your news and

reviews to

thaiguide@msn.com

Bangkok: The new Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok is now open for business. The hotel has an introductory rate $120 per night. The 318-room complex is on Rajdamri Road close to fine restaurants, shopping and office centers. This is Marriott’s ninth property in Thailand and its fourth in Bangkok. Room features include Internet access, 32-inch flat screen TV, coffee maker, large work desk, cable TV with pay-per-view movies and dual line phones with voicemail. Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport is 30-minute drive away. The property is within easy walking distance of a Skytrain station giving easy and inexpensive access  to many parts of Bangkok.

Ko Samui: The Vana Belle Samui Resort and Spa, a Luxury Collection hotel, is planned for Chaweng Noi, near to Chaweng. Scheduled to open in 2011, the resort will have 180 rooms, including 30 stand-alone villas, four restaurants, meeting facilities, a spa and fitness center, business center and swimming pool. The resort will have superb views of the Gulf of Siam from its 250-meter beachfront location. Other Luxury Collection hotels include GrittiPalace in Venice and The Phoenician in Scottsdale, USA.

Thai fact: The first parliamentary elections in the country's history were held in November 1933. Less than 10 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.

Minimum wage: The minimum wage in Bangkok is to go up to 194 Baht a day ($6.14 or €4.29). The Thai Labor Ministry has agreed to raise the minimum wage in 56 provinces, including Bangkok, where the increase is three baht – slightly less than a U.S. dime - a day.

Buddhist monks: They are forbidden to touch or be touched by a woman, or to accept anything from the hand of one. If a woman has to give anything to a monk, she first hands it to a man, who then presents it.