Thailand Holiday Tip - Money Exchange!

Did you know? ..that the Money Exchange rates are better in Bangkok than in the other holiday destinations like Phuket, Koh Chang or Koh Samui. So if you are traveling through Bangkok better change your currency there.

You will find many authorized money exchangers at Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport they accept all kind of foreign currency. The rates are shown at the currency board. 

   Thai Baht Exchange Rate

Thai Fruits

Rambutan

Scientific Name : Nephelium lappaceum L. Color : bright red skini with green spintern; white flesh
Taste : sweet and fragrant
Shape : oval and thick skin,cover with long spintern
Availibility : Apr. - Aug.

Preparation And Eating Cut the fruit in lengthwise. Remove the skin. Remove the seed.

Uses : Eaten fresh and frozen ,added in fruit salad and added in syrup as desserts and canned rambutan.

Storage : 3-5 weeks at 2-7C, 90-95% Relative Humidity Do not leavethe frit directly exposed to ambient air,because the spintern and red rind will turn dark brown rapidly.

Pummelo

Scientific Name : Citrus maxima(Burman) Merr.
Color : dark green skin;pink , or yellowish flesh
Taste : sweet and juicy
Shape : globular
Availibility : All year
Peak Period : Oct. - Dec.


Preparation And Eating: Use a knife to curve the outer green skin off. Peel off the white fleshy part of the skin. Cut the fruit into two pieces. Separate the segment and remove the skin and seeds.

Uses : Eaten fresh , made juice and added in fruit salad. Storage : 4-6 weeks at 12-15C,95% Relative Humidity.

Pineapple

Scientific Name : Ananas comosus
Color : dark green or yellowish orange rind;mild yellow flesh
Taste : sweet and sour
Shape : cylindrical, and shallow seedy
Availibility : All year
Peak Period : Apr. - Jul


Preparation And Eating: Remove the rind with a knife and make sure to cut off the enough skin to got the eyes. Slice the fruit lengthwise into 8-10 pieces. Remove the core. Cut up the pieces crosswise and arrange them on a plate.

Uses : Eaten fresh ,added in fruit salad, made jam and juice, green salad, Thai cuisine and deserts and canned pineapple. Storage : 2-4 weks at 7-13C, 85-90% Relative Humidity.

Mangosteen

Scientific Name : Garcinia mangostana L.
Color : thick skin with dark purple color;white flesh
Taste : sweet juicy and mild fragrant
Shape : globular
Availibility : Apr. - Dec.
Peak Period : Apr. - Jul.


Preparation And Eating Cut the rind around the middle. Open the fruit, the segments inside will stick to the basal part. Use a fork to lift the segment out.

Uses : Eaten fresh and frozen, added in fruit salad and made wine.

Storage : 3-4 weeks at 13C,90-95% Relative Humidity

Mango

Scientific Name : Mangifera indica L.
Color : mature fruit-dark green; flesh-white. it should be eaten this stage
Taste : sweet, slightly sour and crispy
Shape : oblong
Availibility : Mar. - May.


Preparation And Eating Peel of the skin. Slice or sliver the flesh along the length of the mango.

Uses : Eaten fresh with sweetened fish sauce relish, added in fruit salad and desserts.

Storage : Keep the fresh fruit at ambient temperature(25-30C). It can be kept for 3-4 days before ripen.

Lychee

Scientific Name : Litchi chinensis Sonn.
Color : bright red skin; white flesh
Taste : sweet, slightly sour and fragrant
Shape : globular
Availibility : Apr. - Jun.


Preparation And Eating Slit the with a knife or using strong thumb-nail around the fruit from end to end. Remove the skin. Remove the seed.

Uses : Eaten fresh and frozen, made juice, added in desserts and canned lichi. Storage : 3-5 weeks at 2-5C, 90-95% Relative Humidity. Do not leave the fruit directly expsed to ambient air because the red rind will turn dark brown rapidly.

Longan

Scientific Name : Dimocarpus longon Lour.
Color : brown skin; white flesh
Taste : sweet
Shape : flattened spherical shape
Availibility : All year
Peak Period : Jun. - Aug.


Preparation And Eating Slit the skin with a knife or using a strong thump-nail around the fruit from end to end. Remove the skin. Remove the seed. Uses : Eaten fresh, added in fruit salad and canned longon. Storage : 2-3 weeks at 4-7C, 90-95% Relative Humidity.

Jackfruit

Scientific Name : Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.
Color : yellowish brown skin; golden yellow flesh
Taste : sweet and fragrant
Shape : ovate or oblong, approximately 7-15 kg/fruit
Availibility : All year
Peak Period : Apr. - May.


Preparation And Eating Cut the fruit in half lengthwise. Wipe ot all the latex with paper. Remove the core. Place each the half fruit on a table or a flat surface; press the skin along the edge down with your hands to separate fruit sections. Pull out each sections,cut to open the flesh and remove the seed.

Uses : Eaten fresh or frozen, added in fruit salad smoothie, ice cream and desserts. Storage : 2-3 weeks at 15-20C,90-95% Relative Humidity, depending on cultivar and maturity stage. The pulp can be refigerated up to 7 days in closed packaging.

Durian

Scientific Name : Durio zibethinus Murray
Color : mature fruit-golden yellow-brown; flesh-creamy yellow
Taste : sweet with strong smell
Shape : elongated with spiny rind, the base has a pronounced beak
Availibility : May. - Aug.


Preparation And Eating The fruit should have a good smell when it ripes. insert a knife and slit from end to end along the two grooves. The rind will naturally split open from the bottom to the top. Separate the sections and take out the segments. Remove the seed. Uses : Eaten fresh ,made durian chip, cake and ice-cream.

Storage : Mature unripe durian10-15 days at 13-15C, 90-95% Relative Humidity. Ripe durian(whole fruit):7-14 days at 13-15,90-95% Relative Humidity without refrigeration The ripe fruit has a shelf life only 2-5 days. The pulp can be refrigerated up to 7 days in closed packing or frozen for later use.

Hand carved Soap Flowers

This Carving Art came from Chiang Rai a northern Province of Thailand were the People did it as hobby. Nowadays you will find Soap Carvers everywhere in thailand. You can buy Soap Flowers in any Tourist area here in Thailand.

Hand carved Soap Flowers are a very nice souvenir!

Som Tam - famous Thai Food

Som Tam , otherwise known as Papaya Salad. The meal is quite simple to make. The main ingredients are shredded green papaya, chopped green beans, tomoato, dried prawns, unsalted roasted peanuts, chillies, garlic and lime juice.

These are all pounded together in a mortar using a pestle. The sound it makes is "pok pok". Whenever I hear that sound while walking down the street I always turnaround to look for the som tam stall.



The papaya salad is best served with sticky rice (khao neow) and grilled chicken. But you can have fish instead. There is also a recipe which has crab.

When you come to buy Papaya Salad, it is nearly always prepared in front of you. Salad with sticky rice from a roadside stall will cost you about 40 baht.



Som Tam can be very spicy!

Basic Thai Language Video

It would be nice to speak some words Thai while your Holiday. Here is an easy Thai Language Video:

Did You know?

Many Thais like to wear diffrent Colors each Day of the Week. This makes this colorfull Country even more colorfull! Here are the Colors for every Day in the week.

Danger! beware of Drowning at the Sea

Most tourist drownings in Thailand involve people caught in RIP CURRENTS on popular beaches. Phuket and big Ko Chang have the worst records, but rip currents can occur anywhere there is a surf running.

All that water heading beachwards has to get back out to sea somehow, and that is the rip current. Waves in Thailand are more a wet season thing, during and after periods of prolonged strong winds. Waves are absent to very small 99% of dry season.

Inexperienced people finding themselves shooting out to sea in a rip current try to swim against it, get exhausted, take in water, and drown. more...

Agoda with Amazing Thailand Hotel Deals!

To get in on the Christmas spirit and celebrate the coming new year, Agoda.com, an online hotel reservations service, is offering customers a number of unbeatable, last-minute Thailand hotel deals. To boost tourism Thailand hotels have begun to slash their rates, even during this normal "peak period". Agoda is now able to offer further savings of up to 40% off these already discounted rates.