Meditation walk for Khao Yai Forest

AWAY

June 5 marks World Environment Day. This year is special for being declared the International Year of Forests and the years 2011-20 are also the Decade of Biodiversity. To mark this occasion, several environmental protection and Buddhist groups in Thailand invite all to join the Meditation Walk for Khao Yai Forest from June 3-5.

Khao Yai Forest’s Haew Narok waterfall.

On June 3 at 2pm, participants will gather at Wat Khao Yai near Chao Phor Khao Yai Shrine in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district. They will stay overnight to pray, exchange knowledge and opinions on environmental protection and prepare for the next day's walk.

On the second day, all will pray and meditate from 5am-6am when they will start their meditation walk towards Khao Yai Forest. From 11am-1:30pm, they will have lunch, meditate and listen to a sermon by Thai Zen Bhikkhuni Niramisa of the Plum Village at the resting zone at the Kilometre Post 30. After that, they will continue walking and stay overnight at Kong Kaew Youth Camp, where they will pray, meditate and share viewpoints.

On the last day, they will continue walking along Khao Yai-Prachin Buri Road until reaching Haew Narok Waterfall where they will pray and declare their intentions to protect Khao Yai Forest which is rich in biodiversity, with its rich variety of flora and fauna.

For more information, visit www.birderhouse.com or call 086-192-7855 or 089-0464-8198.

South of Thailand travel fair

The Tourism Authority of Thailand invites all to its "Miracle of Two Southern Coastlines", being held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre's C and Plaza zones from now until May 29.

The fair features 170 booths selling hotel, resort, farm stay, tour, spa, diving, rafting and other packages for 14 southern provinces. Its aims are to assist tourism business operators affected by the recent floods and mudslides in the South and promote tourism in the area.

For more information, contact the TAT Call Centre on 1672.

Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary covering two forests—Hala in Yala province and Bala in Narathiwat province— is well known among birdwatchers and nature lovers as home to several species of hornbill.

Cheap travel with budget airlines

Thailand's budget airline, NokAir, will start operating one Don Muang-Narathiwat flight and one Narathiwat-Don Muang flight daily on June 3. The all-inclusive prices range from 1,300 to 3,300 baht per flight per person depending on travelling dates and classes.

Reservations can be made via www.nokair.com or the Nokair Call Centre on 1318.

Meanwhile, AirAsiaGo, a one-stop online travel portal, has come up with an exclusive offer for Kbank credit card members to enjoy hotel deals all across Thailand starting from 999 baht per night.

Bookings must be made before June 15 for travel from May 3-Sept 30 at www.AirAsiaGo.com.

From now until July 31, Thailand's boutique airline, Bangkok Airways, is offering the "Summer Fly Summer Free package" for travellers to journey in pairs between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Lampang, Trat, Phuket, Samui, Luang Prabang, Yangon, Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

Travellers may start booking now for travel from now until July 31.

The prices for a return air ticket and two-night accommodation and airport transfer, except for Rangoon Airport taxes, start from 4,900 baht per head for Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Bangkok-Sukhothai, Bangkok-Lampang and Bangkok-Trat; 5,900 baht per person for Bangkok-Phuket; 8,500 baht per head for Bangkok-Samui; 9,900 baht per head for Bangkok-Phnom Penh and Bangkok-Yangon; 11,900 baht per head for Bangkok-Siem Reap and Bangkok-Luang Prabang.

For more information or reservations, check www.bangkokair.com/summerfly or visit the airline's booth at the Ultimate Dreamed Destination travel fair being held at Siam Paragon until May 22.

If you have any comments or news to share, send them to pichayas@bangkokpost.co.th.

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