Clinical-epidemiological Investigation of Moldy Corn Poisoning in at Udayapur District, Nepal

Clinical-Epidemiological Investigation of Moldy Corn Poisoning in at Udayapur District, Nepal

1. Dr.Kedar Karki

Senior .Vet. Officer,

Dr.Poornima Manandhar SVO

Central Vet. Laboratory. Tripureswor Kathmandu Nepal

Abstract:

An clinical epidemiological investigation of Acute sudden death syndrome due to which 31 mules from a herd of 9oo died within the period of 2006-7-12 to2006-10-21 in Udayapur District Nepal. These animals were being used for good transportation work in hilly region of Nepal. On rout these animals were being fed only whole maize and grame.Normally healthy looking animals started dying suddenly. Initially suspected for acute bacterial disease and treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics and vaccinated with bacterial vaccine.On close observation of herd their feed stuff revealed grains fed to these animal during rainy season was found 20% moldy in appearance. On Postmortem examination acute severe congestion and hemorrhages in liver, lung, spleen heart, intestinal mucosa were found.Histopathological examination of tissue from these organs revealed infiltration of mononuclear cell in tissue indicative of chronic nature of condition.Continous use of apparently 15-20% moldy grain (maize, gram) was used as feed. On laboratory analysis of sample of same grain was found to be containing 60-110CFU/gm of Penicillium spp of fungus. When remaining herd still using same feed treated with toxin binder (toxicurb, varishta), liver tonic like bioliv,hepatocare, digevet, mineral mixture promin and immunocare controlled the mortality may be indicative of the disease syndrome being caused by moldy corn poisoning similar to condition Equine Encephalomalacia.Laboratory findings and response of treatment indicates that during rainy season and immediately after rainy season feeding of stored grains are going to be detrimental to equine species. During this period care should be taken to feeding grains to this animal if treated with any toxin binder as well as herbal immunomodulater is going to reduce the chances of occurring this syndrome.

Key word:

Equinelukoencephalomalcia,moldycorn,hepatocare,Varishta,Toxicurb.bioliv,Immunocare,mule,Nepal,Penicillium.

History: The DLSO Udayapur reported the periodic death of total 31 adult mules during o63/2/16-o63/7/6.With sowing symptoms like Abnormal behavior, aggression, changing habits, Abnormal proprioceptive positioning, Abnormal pupillary response to light, Agalactia, Anorexia, Ataxia, Blindness, Circling, Colic, Coma, Cyanosis, Decreased amount of stools, absent feces, constipation, Decreased borborygmi, Decreased, absent thirst, hypodipsia, adipsia, Dehydration, Difficulty in prehending or chewing food, Disoriented, Dullness, Dysmetria, Dysphagia, Dyspnea, Excessive salivation, Excitement, Generalized weakness, Head pressing, Head shaking, , Head, face, ears, jaw weakness, droop, Head, face, ears, jaw, nose, nasal, swelling, Head, face, neck, tongue hypoesthesia, Hemoglobinuria or myoglobinuria, Hyperesthesia, Icterus, Inability to stand, Increased respiratory rate, Mydriasis, Opisthotonus, Paraparesis, Petechiae or ecchymoses, Propulsion, Red or brown urine, Reluctant to move, Seizures or syncope, Skin edema, Sudden death, Sweating, Tetraparesis, Tongue weakness, Trembling, Tremor, Underweight, poor condition, thin, emaciated, unthriftiness, ill thrift, Weight loss

Death within 10-15 minutes after collapsing on the ground. These herd were being treated with antibiotics and vaccinated against anthrax during this period with unchecked mortality. On field investigation, obtaining a thorough history and completing a physical examination, it was discovered that the horses were being fed cracked and moldy corn.

Review of Literatures:

Penicillium grain mold is probably the second most common grain mold pathogen. It may be caused by several species of Penicillium, including P. oxalicum and P. chrysogenum. Penicillium species are well adapted to survival in many types of storage facility. Kernel infection can occur in the field or in storage. Symptoms range from external mold development to internal discoloration (“Blue Eye”) of the embryo. Symptoms caused by Penicillium are easy to confuse with those caused by Aspergillus glaucus. Mycotoxins most fungi produce a class of chemical compounds called secondary metabolites. These compounds have a wide range of biological activities including antibiotic (antibacterial and antifungal), acute and chronic toxicities (plant, animal, and humans), and hormone and growth regulation (plants and animals). It is not unusual for more than one species of grain mold pathogen to be present within a single storage bin and many grain mold pathogens can be active under the same environmental conditions providing for the opportunity to have more than one mycotoxin produced in a lot of contaminated grain. The nature of the toxic effects caused by mycotoxins varies greatly. Some mycotoxins cause acute toxicities (i.e., immediate effect) where a certain organ (e.g., liver, kidney) loses complete or partial function; other mycotoxins cause chronic toxicities (i.e., long-term) resulting in symptoms such as weight loss and reproductive dysfunction. Still other mycotoxins impair the immune system predisposing the affected animal to a variety of infections or other ailments. For some mycotoxins damage is not permanent and affected animals can recover from ingestion if the contaminated feed is removed from the diet.( Jim Stack, ).

Equine leukoencephalomalacia commonly called “Moldy Corn Poisoning”, is a disease of the central nervous system that affects horses, mules, and donkeys. It is commonly associated with feeding of moldy corn over several days to weeks. The clinical signs associated with the neurologic form of Equine leukoencephalomalacia in horses include apathy, drowsiness, pharyngeal paralysis, blindness, circling, difficulty backing, staggering, hyper excitability, seizures and eventual recumbency. However, in some cases, sudden death may be the only clinical sign observed. Once animals show the neurological signs, death usually occurs within 48-72 hours. If an animal survives the acute syndrome, neurological deficits are observed. A recovered horse is sometimes referred to as a “dummy” because of its loss of intelligence. Histologically, there may be diffuse vacuolization of hepatocytes, fatty degeneration, centrilobular necrosis with inflammatory cell infiltrate, bile duct proliferation, bile stasis, increased mitotic figures within the hepatocytes, or periportal fibrosis. Equine leukoencephalomalacia is a generally fatal, rapidly progressing neurologic disease of horses (and other equids) caused by ingestion of fumonisin. Horses showing these signs will usually become recumbent and comatose in 1 to 10 days and may show clonic-tonic convulsions before dying. In some cases, frantic behavior such as head pressing, agitation, hyper excitability, profuse sweating and delirium may be observed. It is characterized by liquefactive necrosis of the cerebral white matter. Liver lesions can also occur. The extent of contamination of raw corn with fumonisins varies with geographic location, agronomic and storage practices, and the vulnerability of the plants to fungal invasion during all phases of growth, storage, and processing. The levels of fumonisins in raw corn are also influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and rainfall during pre-harvest and harvest periods. High levels of fumonisins are associated with hot and dry weather, followed by periods of high humidity. High levels of fumonisins may also occur in raw corn that has been damaged by insects. Horses, along with rabbits, are the species most sensitive to the toxic effects of fumonisin. Ruminants, mink and poultry are more resistant than horses, rabbits, catfish and swine to fumonisin. Onset of clinical signs can occur from 1-21 weeks after beginning eating feeds containing fumonisin, but generally occur within 2-9 weeks. Time of onset depends on the concentration of fumonisins in the feed. Clinical signs of fumonisin poisoning in horses are usually related to liquefactive necrosis of the white matter of the brain and include progressive ataxia, depression, anorexia, delirium, aimless wandering, recumbency, coma and death. Death can occur from 12 hours – 1 week after onset of clinical signs. At necropsy, lesions in the cerebral cortex can range from none to multifocal areas of hemorrhage and necrosis, to the presence of large cavitations of liquefactive necrosis. Histologically, there are multifocal areas of liquefactive necrosis within the cerebral cortex with infiltration of macrophages. Differential diagnoses should include rabies, equine encephalomyelitis, equine herpes virus, botulism, head trauma, hepatoencephalopathy, and bacterial meningoencephalitis (Dr. Steve Hooser, Dr. Duane Murphy 2003).

Material and Methods:

Mule population and Husbandry in Udaypur:

A total 900 mules are being used for domestic good transportation to hilly district under Mule Transporters Society since B.S.2060.A total of 50 members are being involved in this bissunes.Mules are generally fed on dry whole maize,grame grains. These grains are generally purchased from market only small part of it is utilized from domestic production. These grains are having moldiness upto15-20%and are not processed before feeding.

Preliminary Field Investigation:

Post-mortem examination of death Mule revealed severe congestion of liver, lung,speen, heart,serosangqinus fluid in thoracic cavity.Haemorrhage in stomach mucosa. Preliminary cause of sudden death was suspected for moldy grain poisoning.

For bacteriological culture of smear, swab,blood.

Liver, lung, spleen, heart tissue for histopathology.

Blood for bacteriological, parasitological examination.

Liver, lung, spleen,heart,intestine for toxicological analysis

.Fecal samples for endoparasite examination.

Serum for serological examination.

Feedgrains:Maize,Grame for mycological culture identification,quantitification were collected.

Mules in herds were provided with toxinbinder, adaptogen, immunomodulater, vitaminBcomplex as treatment and preventive measure.

Laboratory Investigation:

Bacteriological culture of tissue specimen, swab blood: revealed no growth of any bacteria. Blood parasite: Negative.Chemical toxin in tissue: negative. Intestinal parasite: Mixed Strongyels spp.

Penicillium, Aspergillus, Candida spp on mycological media.

6*10-110*10 CFU/gm Penicillium colonies recorded in feed samples.

Histopathological changes: Liver,: Fatty degeneration of hepatocytes.Mononuclear cells infiltration in the form of few nodules.

Lungs: Perivascular cuffing. Infiltration of mononuclear cells in the form of nodules.

Kidney:Deep medullary region reveals infiltration of mononuclear cells.

Spleen: The number of white cells seems to be increased in the area of white pulp. Suggestive of chronic/viral disease.

Serum sample :

Revealed positive for for Japanese’s Encephalitis(Elisa)

Treatment and Control Measure advised:

Advised for proper drying of grain before feeding. 2% Copper sulfate to be mixed in grain before feeding. Commercial toxinbinders,Varishta, Toxicurb @ 1kg/tone of grain for 15days along with Liver tonic, Immunomodulaters, Vitamin B complex.

Result and Discussion:

Approximately 15-20% moldy corn infestated with Penicillium spp being fed regularly to these herd.Intermitent but acute sudden death during post rainy season suggest the death due to fungal toxin.Histopathological changes in the tissue of lung ,liver, kidney are similar to the findings of other workers. Histologically, a center of necrosis with no recognizable structure will be observed. The transition between normal and necrotic tissue will often show hemorrhage, edema, congested blood vessels and neuronophagia. In animals with the hepatotoxic syndrome, livers will be swollen and a diffuse yellow-brown color. Irregular nodules and pale foci can be seen in hepatic parenchyma. (Dr. Steve Hooser, Dr. Duane Murphy 2003).Pathogenicity of Fusarium revealed that it causes hepatic congestion with mild triaditis, pulmonary congestion, and splenic lymphoid hyperplasia (Karki 2003) .Further more a positive response to treatment with toxinbinder, adaptogen,immunomdulater further confirm the sudden death was due to moldy corn poisoning. Further monitoring of finding of this investigation is suggested.

Conclusion:

Findings of this investigation indicates that moldy feed grains and ingredients are infested with toxic fungus is emerging as a new health hazard for livestock and poultry.Simultonious use of toxinbinder,adaptogen like livertonic,mineralmixture and Immunomodulaters drugs promises to help in minimizing health risk in livestock and poultry production should be looked into.

References:

1:MOLDY CORN POISONING HORSES:(Equine LeukoencephalomalaciaMark Russell, PhD, Department of Animal Sciences Don Scott, PhD, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology William Hope, DVM, Department of Veterinary Clinical SciencesCooperative Extension ServicePurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN 47907 , BOLETIM TÉCNICO No. 15 – http://www.micotoxinas.com.br/ Retrieved on 21/6/2007

2:FINAL DIAGNOSIS -Moldy Corn Poisoning (Equine Leucoencephalomalacia, Fumonisin Toxicity) in Horses : Dr. Steve Hooser, ADDL Toxicologist Dr. Duane Murphy, ADDL Pathologist Spring 2003 Newsletter http;//www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2003/Spring/finaldx.shtml. Retrieved on 21/6/2007

3:Prevent mycotoxin’s harmful effects from impacting your horse’s health and performance.Mycotoxins in Equine Feed,: By Trevor K. Smith, PhD, PAg www.ecmagazine.net/…/mycotoxin2.jpg Retrieved on 21/6/2007

4:Grain Molds and Mycotoxins in Corn: Jim Stack, Extension Research Plant Pathologist Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture.http://cbc.homestead.com/Archives.html, Retrieved on 21/6/2007

5:Toxocurb:www.polchemgroup.com.

6:Varishta:www.varshagroup.com

7:Pathogenecity Assessment of Fusarium graminearum in Mice. Kedar B.Karki:pp14,Vetcon 2003, 7th national veterinary conference 2003,Nepal Veterinary Association.

Acknowledgement:

We would like to acknowledge Dr.Rebti Man Shrestha Chief Veterinary Officer,Dr.Salina Manandhar,Dr.Binaya Kumar Karna,Dr.Pragya Koirala Veterinary Officer and all laboratory technician for their contribution in Laboratory work and investigation work.

Mouth-Watering Thai Desserts

Thai cuisine is famous for its intriguing delicacy and spiciness. However, Thai desserts have been overlooked. The three Thai desserts famous outside of Thailand are mango with sticky rice, deep-fried bananas and coconut ice cream. There is a broad tradition of desserts in Thailand over the centuries which offers many ideas and choices.

Thai desserts have long been with the Thai people, certainly back to the Sukhothai period (1238-1350). Thais had long traded with China and India, which helped in exchanging cultures and traditions as well, including food. In the Ayuthaya period (1350-1767), Thais started trading with Western countries. The Portuguese were the first westerners to introduce the use of eggs and the oven. Thai desserts like Thong Yip (Pinched Gold), Thong Yod (Drop of Gold) and Foi Thong (Golden Threads) originate from Portugal, not Thailand as most people would guess, including Thais.

Thai desserts are renowned for intricacy and elaborateness, their organization, and the punctilious and patient care with which they are created. Characteristic of Thai desserts is not only a range of sweetness, but also other elements such as a good fragrance, achieved starting delicately and exquisitely from the ingredient preparation to the final product. There are many methods to make Thai desserts, varying from steaming, baking, boiling, or deep frying, to complex processes like cooking egg yolks in syrup. The main ingredients for most Thai desserts include coconut milk, sugar, flour, eggs, salt, food coloring and fragrance.

To make high quality Thai desserts, fresh coconut is a must. Back in the old days, only fresh coconut was used in making Thai desserts. And at present, to make coconut milk, finely grated coconut meat is still steeped in warm water, not hot water. It is then squeezed until dry. The white fluid from the first press is called “Hua Ka Ti”. Warm water is then added again to make the second and third pressed coconut milk, which is called “Hang Ka Ti.” Finely grated coconut meat is generally used about 3 times and then discarded. Freshly pressed coconut milk has a better taste and aroma than commercial coconut milk in a can. However, with a fast pace of life, or the focus more on other elements of life, it becomes more common for a family to use commercial coconut milk.

Sugar is one of the main ingredients in Thai desserts. The two common sugars used in Thai desserts are Coconut Palm Sugar and Palm Sugar. Coconut palm sugar is made from coconut palm, whereas palm sugar is made from the sap of the sugar palm or palmyra palm, called Taan in Thai. Palm sugar is often used interchangeably with coconut palm sugar but they are different in many ways. For instance, palm sugar is dryer and more solid than coconut palm sugar. It is also more expensive than coconut palm sugar. In some dessert recipes, coconut palm sugar is often replaced with palm sugar. The replacement may lend the same general look to the dessert but the dessert will be different in taste and aroma.

Thai desserts are well known for their intriguing light tones. Generally the colors used to attract people are made from natural flowers or plants. The following are examples of the most common color sources used in Thai desserts:

Pandanus leaf (Bai Toey): giving a dark green color;

Spathe of coconut or palmyra palm leaf (Kab Ma Prao or Bai Taan) : giving a black color;

Turmeric (Kha Min): giving a yellow color;

Flower of Chitoria Tematea Linn (Dok Un Chun): giving a blue color (adding lime juice will give a purple color);

Flower of Aeginetia Pedunculata (Dok Din): giving a black color (but the flower is actually a dark purple color);

Saffron (Yah Fa Rang): giving a yellow-orangish color;

Roselle (Kra Jiab): giving a dark red (maroon-like) color;

Lac (Krang): giving a red color;

Fragrance is another unique characteristic of Thai desserts. There are many ways of making good aromas with Thai desserts but the most common ones are using jasmine flowers (Dok Ma Li), rosa damascene (Dok Ku Laab Mon – roses family), cananga odorata flowers (Dok Kra Dang Nga) as well as fragrant incense candles (Tien Ob). Since the old days, Thais love using jasmine water in desserts because of its aroma. Thais would pick jasmine flowers around 6pm and gently rinse with water so that the flowers do not get bruised. The jasmine flowers (Dok Ma Li) are then soaked in water with a closed lid, and left until around 6am-7am the next morning. The resulting scented water is then used to make the dessert. Keeping the jasmine flowers for more than 12 hours will start to bruise the flowers and the water will not have a good aroma. Rosa damascene (Dok Ku Laab Mon) is used in a different way. Thais only use the pedals. Each pedal is torn into 2 or 3 pieces and then placed in a closed container that has a dessert in it for a certain period of time, usually overnight. For cananga odorata flowers (Dok Kra Dang Nga), Thais first burn them with a fragrant incense candle, and then place only the pedals in a closed container that holds the dessert. For some desserts, burning fragrant incense candles next to desserts in closed containers will be enough to give the desserts an intricate aroma.

What are the common desserts that Thais eat? Thais loves desserts (called Khanom in Thai). The well known dessert is Mango with Sticky Rice, but it is a seasonal dessert, around April to June. Deep-fried banana fritters (Gluay Tod in Thai) or bananas in coconut milk (Gluay Buat Chee) are also well known desserts in Thai restaurants in the U.S. In Thailand, there are all kinds of desserts, both non-seasonal and seasonal, from deep-fried to steamed. Some of the most common Thai desserts include the egg-yolk desserts; Thong Yip (Pinched Gold), Thong Yod (Drop of Gold) and Foi Thong (Golden Threads). Thong simply means Gold. The color of these three desserts is a yellow-like golden color from the egg yolk, and is used to signify prosperity and auspiciousness. These “three musketeers” desserts are often used in wedding ceremonies or commemoration of a new house as well.

Khanom Chan or layered dessert is another common dessert. The name of the dessert comes from the fact that it has 9 layers with color variations. The dessert uses only 2 colors: white and a light tone of a color like green or purple. White is used in every other layer. This dessert is also used in important ceremonies like weddings or the grand opening of a new business. Thais believe the number “nine” is an auspicious number which represents progress and advancement.

One of my favorite desserts is Luk Choob. Made from mung dal beans, this dessert is a collection of miniature replicas of fruits and vegetables. The fruits and vegetables are colorful and glossy, artistically carved, and styled with vegetable dyes and glazed in the gelatin-like agaragar. Bua Loy Benjarong is another interesting dessert. Bua Loy Benjarong is gluten balls in coconut milk, a dish that has been with Thailand for over 200 years. The little balls, the size of the tip of the pinky, are made from sticky rice flour mixed with natural colors. Benjarong refers to 5 natural colors: green (from pandanus leaf), purple (from taro and Chitoria Tematea Linn flower), yellow (from pumpkin), blue (from Chitoria Tematea Linn flower) and white (from jasmine water).

Additionally, tapioca and black beans in coconut milk (Sakoo Tao Dum), coconut custard in a hollowed pumpkin (Sangkhaya Fak Thong), grilled coconut cakes (Paeng Jee), mung dal beans and lotus seeds with coconut topping (Tao Suan Med Bua) are desserts, to name a few, that are common in Thailand.

Thai desserts have always been a part of Thai culture. They reflect caring, patience and an enjoyable way of life. Unfortunately, as time passes, some of the traditions and beliefs are being forgotten in Thai society, although most kinds of desserts still exist. Their tempting and satisfying tastes leave a lasting impression – which is in turn an integral part of why Thai desserts have not been lost with time.

Lhasa – Kathmandu Overland Tour

LHASA – KATHMANDU OVERLAND TOUR

This overland tour connects two old capital cities, Lhasa in Tibet and Kathmandu in Nepal. The tour begins in Lhasa and ends in Kathmandu. En route, you cross over several high mountain passes with spectacular mountain views, including those of the majestic Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Makalu and Shishapangma.

This tour gives you an insight into the rich culture and history of Lhasa. Most popularly known as ‘Sunlight City’, Lhasa is regarded as the heart and soul of Tibet. It is the most sought after tourist destination in Tibet. As you drive across the Tibetan plateau, you can visit all the Tibetan monasteries, temples, monuments and important tourist sites. In Lhasa you can explore the Potala Palace, Sera Monastery, Norbulingka, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery and the busy Barkhor Square.

This tour gives you an opportunity to discover the real Tibet and introduces you to the rich Tibetan culture, art and history. From the bustling old cities to the ancient villages and settlements, you get to observe Tibetan lifestyle at close quarters.

Lhasa’s Main Attractions

Potala Palace is situated at the west of old Lhasa, atop the “Moburi (Red) Mountain”. In 1994, the Potala Palace was declared the United Nations World Cultural Heritage site. It was originally built in the 640’s, during the reign of King Songstan Gampo. The 13-story palace stands 117 meters high and has over 1,000 rooms. Covering an area of 130,000 sq meters, the entire building is made of stone and wood. The palace is widely known for its treasures, which includes sculptures, murals, ancient Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, Buddha figures, antiques, and jewelry. These are of great cultural and artistic value. The Red Palace contains various chapels and mausoleums for previous Dalai Lamas. The White Palace contains the living quarters of successive Dalai Lamas and their tutors. The offices of the old Tibetan government and their assembly halls are also located here. The original Potala was destroyed in the 9th century, during the breakdown of the Tubo Kingship era. It was rebuilt during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama and completed in the late 17th century.

Jokhang Temple is located in the centre of old Lhasa city. It was original built in 647 AD. It is said the site was chosen personally by the wife of King Songstan Gampo, the Tang Princess Wen Cheng. It was built by craftsmen from Tibet, China and Nepal and thus features different architectural styles. The Jokhang is the spiritual centre of Tibet and the holiest destination for all Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims. In the central hall is the Jokhang’ s oldest and most precious object-a sitting statue of Sakyamuni Buddha ,when he was 12 years old. It is a gilded statue adorned with many jewels, in an elaborate setting. Pilgrims have prostrated themselves in front of this statue for centuries.

Drepung Monastery lies in the west of Lhasa under Mt. Gambo Utse. Built in 1416, it is considered as one of the largest monasteries in the six principle monasteries of Gelu Sect. Drepung Monastery used to be the living palace of Dalai Lamas before the reconstruction of Potala palace. This magnificent monastery resembles a huge walled city. From its roofs, one can enjoy the scenic view of Lhasa city. As the most powerful of the “Gelukpa” monasteries, Drepung had seven colleges and, at its height, housed over 10,000 monks. It owns many splendid murals, elaborate statues and other rich treasures. A giant golden statue of Buddha “Jiangba Tongzhenma” sits near the precious conch shell. During the building of the foundation of Drepung, Tsong Khapa discovered a magical white conch shell with counter clockwise swirls, believed to be buried by the Sakyamuni Buddha. Tsong Khapa bestowed this religious treasure to Drepung, and it can still be seen today in the “Great Sutra Chanting Hall”.

Norbulingka is the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama. Located in the west of Lhasa, Norbulingka was built in 1755.It covers an area of 46 acres, with 370 rooms of different sizes.

Barkhor Street is found in the heart of Lhasa. It means “a pilgrim’s inner circuit”, and is the oldest street in Lhasa. Barkhor Street is an essential pilgrim route. It bustles with activity and is always jam-packed with trades people. The market is “a must visit site” for souvenir-hunting tourists. Many people call the Barkhor “the window of Tibet” as it offers a typical reflection of Tibetan life. The old circumambulation circuit is always crowded with pilgrims. Here you will find people from all over Tibet.

Sera Monastery – Sera means “Hailstone” in Tibetan. Legend has it that hail stones rained while laying the foundation of this famous monastery. Sera was the last of the three principal Yellow Sect monasteries to be built in Lhasa. It was completed in 1419, under the supervision of Shaka Yeshe. Shaka Yeshe traveled to Beijing and as far as Mongolia to preach Buddhism. He was given the title “The Tutor of the Empire”, by the Ming Emperor, Xuan De. Many precious gifts were sent to Sera by the Chinese Emperors, many of which are kept well preserved and can be seen at Sera to this day. Sera comprises a great sutra chanting hall, a college and 32 sections. It once housed nearly 10,000 monks.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

The Tibetans are classified as belonging to the Mongoloid family of people. They are probably descendents of a variety of nomadic tribes who migrated from the north and settled along sedentary cultivation of Tibet’s river valleys.

The Tibetans living within the borders of present day Tibet are easily identified by their distinctive dialects, social customs and dress. The Topas live in the highland regions (Lato and Ngari), the Tsangpas in the West Tibet (Tsang), the Upas live in central Tibet, the Horpas comes from the north (Nagchu/ Jangtang), the Kongpowas from the south, the Khampas live in the east, the Amdowa in the northeast, and the Gyarongwa in the extreme east.

In Lhasa, you will find some Tibetans speak a bit of English and are happy to have a chat with you. Travelers to Tibet inevitably find Tibetans to be friendly and possessing a great sense of humor. It is appreciated when you try and use Tibetan language when communicating with Tibetans. Religion is extremely important to the majority of Tibetans, and travelers should endeavor to respect their customs and beliefs. Always circumambulate Buddhist religious sites or monastery in a clockwise direction, and when in a monastery do not wear a hat, smoke or touch frescoes. In addition, refrain from climbing onto statues, mani stones or other sacred objects. Don’t photograph people without permission, and be aware that some locations prohibit photography without a fee.

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The Royal Barge Procession – splendor on the Chao Phraya Riv

The Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok, conducted on very rare occasions, is a spectacular royal armada on the Chao Phraya River. This procession is normally conducted on the following occasions:

<ul><li>When the King ascends the throne.</li>

<li>When the King goes down the Chao Phraya to present robes to the monks during the Royal Krathin Ceremony after the Buddhist Lent in October.</li>

<li>When the King goes to Saraburi to pay homage to the Buddha’s footprint.</li>

<li>When Bangkok receives important Buddha images from other cities.</li>

<li>When receiving foreign diplomatic dignitaries to Bangkok.</li><ul>

Some of the memorable Royal Barge Processions during the reign of King Rama IX, the present King, were:

<ul><li>On 14 May 1957, to commemorate the 25th century of the Buddhist era.</li>

<li>On 06 Apr 1982, to commemorate 200 years of the Bangkok era on the Bangkok Bicentennial.</li>

<li>On 05 Dec 1999, to celebrate the 72nd birthday of King Rama IX.</li><ul>

The most recent Royal Barge Procession was on 20 Oct 2003 for the closing ceremony of the APEC Conference in Bangkok, in honor of the visiting heads of state.

This procession was special as this was the first time it took place at night, amid special light and sound effects for the stretch of the river fronting the VIP’s. The guests were seated in the Royal Thai Navy Institute across the Chao Phraya River from the Grand Palace.

At 2000 hours, 50 barges consisting of the Suphannahong, the Narai Song Suban King Rama IX and escort barges were launched from the Wasukri Pier upriver.

This flotilla of royal barges, when fully deployed in a sailing formation of five columns abreast and 90 m wide, stretched 1.5 km along the Chao Phraya.

Concurrently at the Royal Thai Navy Institute, a 10-minute sight and sound presentation in six languages was made on the history and tradition of the royal barges.

The presentation was timed to end as the Royal Barge Procession sailed into view, on waters apparently lit with gold, as a curtain of mist fell over the river, creating an ethereal air.

Two thousand men of the Royal Thai Navy in ancient ceremonial uniforms rowed steadfastly by in perfect unison, honed through months of intense practice. Their chants of the ancient boat song, that dates back to the days of King Narai of Ayutthaya, drifted across the river.

Just then, the night erupted as fireworks burst, filling the sky with the brilliant national colors of the participating nations. The lights cascaded down illuminating the Royal Barge Procession as it streamed past the Grand Palace, a splendid finish to a grand event.

The royal barges can be viewed at the Royal Barge Museum, Bangkok.
About the Author

This article by Eric Lim first appeared in Tour Bangkok Legacies, a historical travel site on people, places and events that shaped the landscape of Bangkok. Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok, Thailand.

A Reserva Legal No Brasil E O Mercado De Carbono

O avanço da legislação ambiental e das plantações florestais industriais no Brasil demandam a revisão das formas de exigência da Reserva Legal no Código Florestal por haver a necessidade de se ajustar a Lei 4771/1965 ao desenvolvimento da sociedade e as transformações que esse processo envolve. Para enfrentar os desafios impostos pelas mudanças climáticas globais e aproveitar os benefícios que o mercado de carbono oferece para os produtores rurais, essa revisão do Código Florestal ganha tons de urgência. A exigência da Reserva Legal e de sua reposição pelo Código Florestal implica na inelegibilidade dos projetos de recomposição dessas áreas nos termos do protocolo de Quioto, e,portanto, determina que essa atividade não receba créditos de carbono no Brasil, enquanto já remunera o setor rural, por exemplo, na China.

Foi o Protocolo de Quioto, em 1997, que estabeleceu o controle sobre os Gases do Efeitos Estufa GEE, que são: CO2 Dióxido de Carbono; CH4 Metano; N2O Oxido Nitroso; HFCs Hidrofluorcarbonos; PFCs Perfluorcabonos e SF6 Hexafluoreto de Enxofre. Entre 1970 e 2004, a proporção destes gases na atmosfera aumentou em cerca de 70%. No Brasil, as mudanças de uso da terra são responsáveis por cerca de 75% das emissões de GEE, principalmente de CO2, CH4 e N2O.

Para controlar as emissões mundiais, o Painel Internacional das Mudanças Climáticas IPCC (do inglês International Pannel on Climate Change), elencou 7 atividades com grande potencial, 4 delas diretamente relacionadas com o agronegócio: fornecimento de energia; agricultura; florestas e; resíduos. Por conta da abordagem que se faz da questão da Reserva Legal nesse contexto, vamos destacar o potencial da Agricultura e Florestas. O potencial desses dois setores varia de um mínimo de 4,6 GtCO2eq até um teto de 10,6 GtCO2eq, considerando preços de até US$ 100,00 por tCO2eq. Segundo o próprio painel, 65% desse potencial está nos países em desenvolvimento.

Uma das maiores pressões exercidas sobre o agronegócio no momento atual diz respeito à recuperação de Reserva Legal e Área de Preservação Permanente através do plantio de espécies arbóreas nativas, conforme estabelece o Código Florestal de 1965, que foi modificado pela MP 2166/67. Portanto, segundo a legislação brasileira, é obrigatória a recuperação dessas áreas degradadas. É preciso abordar essa questão sob dois aspectos principais: o primeiro referente a essa obrigação legal e segundo referente ao quadro do mercado internacional de carbono.

A obrigação legal de manter a Reserva Legal implica em perdas de ambos os setores, tanto o produtivo como o de conservação. Ao estabelecer um percentual fixo para as áreas de Reserva Legal são ignorados os aspectos locais de qualidade de solos para a produção agropecuária e também as características de relevância das áreas naturais para sua conservação. Por conta disso, ora são obrigatórias as reposições florestais em áreas de alta produtividade realizando perdas de produtividade, ora são liberados desmatamentos em solos pobres, levando a um processo de degradação. Os mercados de compensação da Reserva Legal dentro de microbacias não são suficientes para compensar essas perdas e nem capazes de corrigir as distorções de uso da terra que isso ocasiona.

Por outro lado, ao considerarmos o mercado de carbono do Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo MDL, verifica-se que a existência de uma exigência legal para a reposição da Reserva Legal nas propriedades inviabiliza a apresentação de projetos nesse sentido para receber créditos de carbono. A exigência legal da Reserva Legal torna inelegíveis as atividades de reflorestamento nessas áreas, bem como impede, no caso brasileiro, que sejam tomadas medidas adequadas para aumentar a contribuição dessas atividades de projeto para mitigação dos efeitos das mudanças climáticas globais por não haver critério de flexibilização dos usos na Reserva Legal, devendo ser utilizada obrigatoriamente para “reabilitação dos processos ecológicos, conservação da biodiversidade e o abrigo e proteção de fauna e flora nativas” (MP 2166/67).

Desta forma, a exigência da Reserva Legal termina por determinar prejuízos para a produtividade do solo brasileiro e para os esforços de conservação, além de oferecer uma barreira imposta pela Lei 4771/1965 para que a recuperação da Reserva Legal e Área de Preservação Permanente possam ser atividades elegíveis para receber créditos de carbono no MDL. Vale lembrar que existem dois conceitos principais de florestas adotados no cenário internacional, o conceito de florestas da Organização das Nações Unidas para a Agricultura e Alimentação FAO (do inglês Food and Agriculture Organization) e o adotado pela Agência Nacional Designada AND, junto à Convenção Quadro das Nações Unidas para as Mudanças Climáticas UNFCCC (do inglês United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

O conceito da FAO diz que florestas são: “porções do território com mais de 0,5 ha, com uma cobertura florestal com mais de 10%, que não sejam prioritariamente utilizadas para a agricultura ou uso urbano.” Enquanto o conceito adotado pela Comissão Interministerial das Mudanças Climáticas Globais CIMCG (AND Brasileira), diz que florestas são: “áreas com valor mínimo de cobertura de copa de 30%, estabelecidas em uma área mínima de 1 ha, com árvores de pelo menos 5 m de altura”(Art 3.º, Resolução n.º 2, de 10 de agosto de 2005).

Se adotada esse redação para o uso da Reserva Legal, por exemplo, são tornadas elegíveis atividades florestais, silvipastoris, agroflorestais e de plantio de palmeiras biocombustíveis, fazendo com que a sua recuperação possa ainda receber créditos de carbono. A recuperação de áreas degradadas gera créditos de carbono em três momentos diferentes: reduz emissões do solo ao interpor uma cobertura vegetal; seqüestra CO2 atmosférico no crescimento das plantas e; fornece biomassa e biocombustíveis renováveis para substituir a matriz de combustíveis fósseis (não-sustentável). Também não são excluídas as atividades de conservação, que continuam podendo ser praticadas pelos proprietários rurais nelas interessados.

A recuperação de áreas degradadas foi a única atividade florestal que recebeu até hoje créditos do mercado de carbono junto ao MDL. Para o caso brasileiro, estima-se que a atividade possa gerar, no mínimo, cerca de 6 tCO2eq/ha/ano, a um preço de R$ 25,00 / tCO2eq, são R$ 150,00 / ha/ano, ou um total de R$ 3.150,00 / ha para projetos de 21 anos de permanência. Somente para os 20 milhões de áreas degradadas da Amazônia Brasileira, isso significaria R$ 3 bilhões/ano de investimentos diretos na base produtiva do agronegócio. No Paraná, com mais de 1 milhão ha de áreas de Reserva Legal e APP para recuperação, poderiam ser gerados R$ 150 milhões/ano para os produtores rurais com a flexibilização das regras da Reserva Legal, considerando um valor mínimo para a comercialização desses créditos. Vale lembrar que a agregação de vários projetos individuais em torno de uma iniciativa única, a nível de Estado, eleva a quantidade de créditos e torna o negócio atrativo para os grandes compradores atuando nesse mercado de carbono. Quanto aos projetos de conservação da natureza, uma postura voluntária de utilizar a propriedade nesse sentido, pode receber maior apoio institucional e financeiro de organizações que apóiam diretamente projetos de conservação, e não agem senão como fiscalizadores na Reserva Legal e Área de Preservação Permanente. Com a possibilidade de conversão das áreas, essas organizações podem exercer um papel mais ativo na assistência técnica e financeira aos produtores que considerarem, de fato, sua Reserva Legal e APP como ferramentas de conservação da biodiversidade.

Para conseguir isso, é urgente que se altere a redação do art. 16 da Lei 4771/1965, incluindo no texto que as áreas de Reserva Legal: “…são suscetíveis de conversão para outros usos florestais (conceito de florestas da FAO) ou exploração sustentável através de PMFS, podendo ser então declaradas categorias de Unidade de Conservação de Uso Sustentável, averbada pelo proprietário em cartório…”. Além disso, o art. 14 da Lei 9985/2000, também precisa ser alterado, permitindo incluir a Reserva Legal averbada pelo proprietário que desejar investir em atividades de conservação da natureza, entre as UCs de Uso Sustentável. Com isso, ficam garantidos os direitos dos proprietários rurais de utilizar seu potencial produtivo ao máximo e encorajadas as atividades de conservação em propriedades privadas, utilizando incentivos positivos para essa imensa tarefa.

No Estado do Paraná, a Secretaria de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos, através do Programa Paraná Biodiversidade, promove a biodiversidade local através da criação de corredores para servir de exemplo de práticas que conciliem a conservação com a produção. O módulo de seqüestro de carbono é um projeto de reflorestamento de pequena escala, sob o âmbito do Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo do Protocolo de Quioto. Através desse mecanismo, o projeto espera conseguir o pagamento antecipado dos serviços ambientais de retirada do CO2 atmosférico para financiar outros plantios e assim sucessivamente. O projeto inicial envolveu 200 produtores de diversos municípios paranaenses e 400 ha de pastagens, lavouras e áreas degradadas (CHANG, 2006), em APP e Reserva Legal, que devem seqüestrar perto de 100 mil tCO2eq ao longo de 21 anos do projeto. A tonelada de CO2eq pode gerar entre R$ 8 e 35 no mercado de carbono, o que significa uma perspectiva de renda de R$ 3,5 milhões em 21 anos, ou algo como R$ 42,00 /ha/ano para os produtores em créditos de carbono. A exigência da reposição florestal no Código Florestal é um fator que prejudica projetos dessa natureza.

Artigo escrito com Ederson Augusto Zanetti. Engenheiro. Florestal. Mestre pela Universität di Friburg – Alemanha. Professor convidado junto a Harper College – Chicago/USA.

 

Thailand – Where to be at

Thailand is a country where tourism is one of the major mainstays of the country’s economy. Royal Thai Government gives its full support and cooperation in development and facilitation of tourist facilities, as tourism is the largest earner of foreign exchange in Thailand. Thailand has well-developed infrastructure to handle ever-increasing tourist and business traffic. There are several hotels ranging from five star deluxe to budget hotels to suit all types of tourists to Thailand. Not only as Thailand Tourist Destinations, Thailand is fast growing as venue for conventions and symposiums.

Thailand as a Tourist Destination is very safe option. The people in Thailand are very friendly and always smiling, thus giving the country the title of ‘The Land of Smiles’. Thailand Tourist Destinations offers bustling cities, panoramic beaches, ancient temples, picturesque riversides and elaborate shopping malls for sightseeing and shopping.

What follows is various information about some of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, as well as a number of other places. I have tried to give a summary of information about each area, as well as mention some of the most interesting things to do there, basically listing all of the sort of info that I think may be useful in making the vacation worthwhile.First of all,communicating is a huge concern in this part of the world, so, here are a few common terminologies for you to start off…..

Baht – 1). The unit of currency in Thailand.

2). The unit used in measuring the weight of gold in Thailand.

Khao Sarn – It is the name of the main road in the backpacker infested neighbourhood of Bangkok, but did you know that in Thai it actually means “”un-husked rice”".

Ko – Thai for island.

Kop khun – Thai for thank you!

Ta – Thai for port or pier.

Teeruk- Thai for darling.

Wat – Thai for temple.

The cities elaborated with different places and events here include:Bangkok , Phuket, Pattaya, Ko Samui , Chang Mai, Udon Thani, Cha am All the above

locations have airports except for pattaya and cha am (there’s one in Hua hin)

Bangkok

Bangkok is truly a city that never sleeps, a city with a real energy that can induce you in, take a firm hold of you and in some cases, refuse to let go! Bangkok is not a city of endless tourist attractions and must see museums, but a city you visit to feel the vibe. Bangkok has an energy seldom found elsewhere.To the uninitiated, it can appear to be another big, drab grey city but if you persevere, exploring the city can be a rewarding experience.

Before you decide to go all out on the exploring stuff, I am sure its agreeable to get a suitable accommodation. Some of the Hotels/resorts giving best value for oney can be found here As far as attractions and interesting things to see and do in Bangkok go, there are a handful. The old part of town, that is the area down near the river, not far from the Khao San Road area, is where you’ll find a lot of the more culturally and historically significant building and temples. That is one part of the city that is actually quite pretty. For many the highlight of the area is the Grand Palace (Wat Pra Kaew), the most culturally important of all of Thailand’s 40,000+ Buddhist temples. The dress code for entry is strictly enforced – you shouldn’t wear anything to brief or a sleeveless shirt.Sort of over and behind the Grand Palace is Wat Po, which is preferable to the Grand Palace. The other major temple in this area is Wat Arun, most probably the most photographed temple, or for that matter, location, in all of Bangkok. Wat Arun is the fascinating temple just over the Chao Praya River from the Grand Palace and Wat Po.The tallest building in Bangkok is the Baiyoke 2 Tower which towers above everything else. It’s located a few hundred metres up from the Central World Plaza in a busy parks of the Pratunam Market. The tower soars around 300 metres into the sky and from the top, on a clear day at least, you get good views of Bangkok There’s a somewhat dated but still interesting

SNAKE FARM right in the heart of the city. Located on Rama 4 Road, within the Red Cross compound, it features a show that is presented in both English and Thai.Also in the Lumpini area is one of the city’s two major Thai boxing stadiums, Lumpini Stadium. Rather than go for ringside seats, I think it is a lot more fun to sit up in the main stand with the Thais and watch them gambling. Heaps of fun!The Ancient City, known as Meuang Boran in Thai, located a fair distance from the centre of Bangkok, is another excellent attraction, in fact the word excellent really doesn’t do it justice. It truly is a photographer’s dream. There are a number of different companies offering dinner cruises on the Chao Praya river. Some of the deals are for a buffet dinner and some are a la carte.

Pros: The Thai capital is less about tourist attractions – although there are many, but more about the vibe. Friendly people who are easily excited like to have fun – and their attitude and zest for life can be infectious.

Cons: It’s a drab, grey city with awful traffic problems. It is also home to many people who prey on tourists with various scams. You won’t get hit on the head, but you might get tricked out of your money.

The Bottom Line: Worth a few days of your time!

Phuket

It was the beautiful island of Phuket that first lured me to the Kingdom Of Thailand. In fact when I first moved to Thailand my plan was to go to Phuket and secure a job teaching English down there but for whatever reason, it never happened and I ended up in Bangkok.Phuket is one of the world’s premier beach holiday destinations and ranks alongside the French Riviera, the Mediterranean and Hawaii as places where people will happily endure up to 24 hours discomfort on a plane for the promise of the quintessential beach holiday.

Phuket is an island connected to the Thai mainland by a bridge, and is located about 1,000 km from Bangkok There are many beaches around the island province of Phuket but by far and away the most developed is Patong Beach. Patong Beach is tourist central where all of the nations of the world come together. Here you will find far, far, far more Indian and Italian restaurants than you will Thai restaurants, proving just how touristed Patong place has become.Patong is the nightlife capital of the island, not that much different to Pattaya, only smaller. For Phuket nightlife, Patong is the centre.South of Patpong Beach is Karon Beach, my favourite of Phuket’s beaches. 3 km of soft white sand lead gently down to the beautiful Andaman Sea. While accommodation prices have moved in a similar manner to those at Patong, the prices at Karon are more attractive than Patong.South of Karon Beach is Kata Beach, a somewhat smaller beach that is NOT a private beach for Club Med as some people believe.This, like Karon, is another really lovely beach and a great place to wile away the days and baste yourself under the hot Thai sun.Accommodation and restaurants are a little cheaper there than the other beaches. It is certainly much quieter and less hustle and bustle than Patong. .

There are many day trip options available from Phuket.Two of these in particular are well worthwhile. The first recommended day trip is the one that takes you to Phanga Bay and the so called James Bond Island. The second day trip that is well worthwhile is over to the small paradise like island, Phi Phi.

Pros: Beautiful, diverse island with a little something for most people. Some beautiful beaches. Some SUPERB day trips available including Phi Phi Island and Phanga Bay.

Cons:Phuket isn’t cheap. A lot of very jaded Thais work the Phuket tourist scene. Local transport is far too expensive. Food prices, especially some of the restaurants in big hotels targeting Westerners, are expensive.

The Bottom Line: If you want a comfortable beach holiday with Western comforts, Phuket is the place for you.

Pattaya

Nowhere on earth can you find such a well developed tourism industry where sex is such a big part of it, as you can in Pattaya. It is located 150 km south east of Bangkok.Once you’ve reached Pattaya you’ll have to find somewhere to stay and if there is one area where Pattaya really excels in a huge choice of very affordable accommodation, like the Dusit Resort, the Marriott and the Sheraton. But it is in the mid-range where Pattaya accommodation represents the best value for money.There are a few beaches in the Pattaya area. The first and most popular beach is Pattaya beach. Over the hill to the south is Jomtien Beach which is very popular with Thais, especially at the weekend, and to the north of Pattaya are Nagleua and Wongamart beaches, both of which are popular with older Europeans, particularly German speakers (meaning not just Germany, but Austria and Switzerland too.)Naglua Beach, just north of Pattaya Beach: Pattaya Beach. Well, what can I say? It’s your typical crescent shaped beach, perhaps 3 km long, and is one of those beaches that is just long enough that you can walk from one end to the other without taking a break and without getting bored or tired.There are numerous fishing vessels moored relatively close to the beach and while one understands that they have a living to make, they can be quite an eyesore. Over the hill from Pattaya, is Jomtien Beach, a nicer beach than Pattaya Beach, and a quieter area.Being next to the sea and home to a lot of fisherman, the seafood is obviously pretty good in Pattaya although I have to say that I much prefer Hua Hin for good, inexpensive seafood.

The sun sets at Pattaya: There is a reasonable shopping centre in Pattaya called Royal Plaza and another mediocre one called Mikes Department Store. On the top floor of Royal Plaza is a cinema multiplex, various amusement and fair style games and a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum. It’s a good place to spend an hour wandering around in air-conditioned comfort away from the heat.

Pros: Close to Bangkok and therefore both cheap and easy to get to. Very reasonably priced accommodation and easy to get around. Good level of English due to high tourist numbers. Most reasonably priced of the popular Thai beaches. Good seafood as well as many very good, reasonably priced restaurants.

Cons: Prostitutes are everywhere – though this will appeal to some. Beaches are far from the best in Thailand. The British lager louts as well as the Russians have discovered Pattaya – and there can be some tension at times as some people consume way too much alcohol – and prove they can’t handle it by getting into fights.

The Bottom Line: It really depends on what you want in a holiday but frankly, if you are not interested in going on a holiday and meeting a local to have as your travel companion, amongst other things, Pattaya may not be for you. While reasonably priced, the beach really is nothing special at all. Still, there is a very pleasant atmosphere about Pattaya.

Ko Samui

Ko Samui, once known as an affordable destination and a backpacker’s paradise, is the second largest island in Thailand. You can reach Ko Samui on Thai Airways in a flight that is a little under an hour.There are several flights between Bangkok and Samui every day. You can reach the island overland by travelling by Bangkok to Surat Thani by road and then taking a boat across.Samui is dominated by two beaches, Chaweng Beach which is the largest and most popular beach and Lamai Beach which is a few kilometres south and also very popular, although perhaps a little quieter as it is smaller and has less places to stay than the heavily developed Chaweng. There are other locations all over the island including Big Buddha and Bophut The infrastructure on Samui is still coming along and for many that it is one of the big appeals about the place.

Nearby Samui is Ko Phangnan and not far from Ko Phangnan is Ko Tao. Ko Phangnan is where a lot of the backpackers end up these days, a smaller island that is a short boat ride north of Samui. There is nothing on this page at this stage as I have never been there. It happens to be the home of the Full Moon Party when everyone parties all night and gets silly on dope and all sorts of other illicit and dangerous substances – not really my idea of fun but many seem to have a real blast there. Ko Tao is said to be one of the best places in Thailand for diving, although again, I have never been there.

Pros: Nice beaches. Has a nice atmosphere, not too quiet but not too developed. Still affordable – but for how much longer?

Cons: Getting there from Bangkok is a little pricey. Too many backpackers arguing over who has paid the least for this or that.

The Bottom Line: A nice alternative to Phuket. It is not as developed as Phuket, which may or may not be to your taste.

Chiang Mai

Tourism is a huge part of the local economy and the city of Chiang Mai is set up very well for visitors. Accommodation is available in all price ranges, though there are not that many flash places in the centre of the city. If you are looking for lots of 5 star options, you won’t have anything like the range of properties that are available to you in Bangkok.In Chiang Mai there is heaps to see and do. The city itself is pleasant with a lot of temples and there are a couple of very impressive temples outside the city including Doi Suthep which to me is probably the most impressive temple complex I have ever visited. It is in my mind a MUST visit attraction if you make it up to Chiang Mai. Another of the popular trips is to Doi Inthanon, which is the highest point in Thailand.

First of all, the weather is much more pleasant, it is cooler (though this depends on the time of year), has less pollution and at night it was genuinely cool. Secondly, the food up in Chiang Mai is a little different to what is available in Bangkok. Apart from the khao soi, sort of crispy noodles in a mild curry. The people in Chiang Mai are noticeably friendlier, more polite and generally a whole lo nicer than people from any other part of the country.The north of Thailand, of which Chiang Mai is the centre, has done a much better job preserving the culture of the country, and indeed the region, than any other parts of the country and Chiang Mai is THE place to go to celebrate the major Thai festivals like Songkran and Loy Kratong.It is ironic that it took 7 years living in Thailand before I made it to Chiang Mai for the first time. It is something I want to fix and an extended stay up there is well in order! I have only spent two days up there and thus my report on that part of the country is relatively short.

Pros: Very well set up for tourism, affordable, pleasant people, pleasant environment and heaps to see and do! It is much more a cultural visit than is Bangkok.

Cons:I can’t think of any but some might consider it a bit quiet compared to Bangkok.

The Bottom Line: Very much worth visiting!

UDON THANI

Another 100 or so kilometres up the road from Khon Kaen is Udon Thani, a smaller provincial capital which has proven to be popular with Westerners in recent years and even has a thriving farang bar scene. The city of Udon doesn’t have any major tourist attractions, or at least none that I am aware of. The provinces attractions are well outside the provincial capital and include national parks and Ban Chiang, a site where a lot of old fossils and relics were found and a spot said to be of archaeological significance. A friend who has visited was not that impressed but that said, I have not been there myself. In downtown Udon there is a large shopping centre with a greater vibrancy than any of the other shopping centres in the major centres of Udon. Here you will see far more Westerners than anywhere else in Isaan, some are tourists and some are locally based. I guess most make it to Udon with their teeruk.This shopping centre is where many of the more well to do Udonites venture at the weekend and I cannot imagine what they think of establishments opening that target farangs directly, bars and restaurants.Food in Udon Thani is very good. Westerners rave about the Irish Clock, a small Irish bar which I have yet to try. There is also a very, very good Italian restaurant called Roma Piccolo which is superb. It is located a bit outside the city centre, out on the road past Big C. It is well worth going out of your way for!

Cha Am

About 25 km north of Hua Hin on the way to Bangkok is Cha Am, a beach that curiously you’ll read much less about in the guides and brochures than Hua Hin, but which at the weekend seems to be almost as busy, if not busier than its more well-known neighbour, Hua Hin itself.Cha Am is a long beach which is very popular with Thais and becoming increasingly popular with Westerners. It is very popular with Bangkok Thais, as well as upcountry Thais, who flock their in droves at the weekend.The big advantage of Cha Am over Hua Hin is that generally speaking, Cha Am attracts Thai tourists who are a bit more sensitive to price than Westerners. That means that things are cheaper. So, if you are sensitive to price, then Cha Am offers you nice Thai beach resort at very reasonable prices.

Pros:Cheaper than Hua Hin, especially in the case of lower end accommodation.

Cons:The beach really is not that special.

The Bottom Line: An alternative to Hua Hin.

Ko Samet

Ko Samet is located about 200 km from Bangkok and as the word “”Ko”" designates, it is an island. If you’re coming from Bangkok you will need to make your way to Bahn Pe where most of the ferries leave the mainland from, bound for Ko Samet, or Samet Island as it should technically be called in English.Ko Samet can be reached from Bangkok in about four hours and there are a couple of different ways of getting there. Once at Bahn Pe, you take a boat over to the mainland. There are a number of different piers with ferry boats going to the different bays on the island – so you need to know which part of the island you wish to go to.Samet is small in size and there is very little industry on it apart from tourism, fishing and basic services offered for both tourists and the island’s residents.With this in mind, a lot of what is sold on the island has to be brought over from the mainland and this means the prices of basic goods can be much higher on the island than on the mainland.Samet can get quite busy at the weekend, especially long weekends, when Bangkokians escape the madness of the capital and rooms can be hard to come by. Samet is one of few places in Thailand I would not head to without making a reservation first as there is only a limited number of places to stay, and there are even less in Bahn Pe, on the mainland.

Pros: Not too far from Bangkok and relatively easy to get to. Beautiful beaches on a paradise island. Low level of development – comparatively.

Cons: Not a huge amount to do there – but some would consider that a bonus. Accommodation is expensive for what you get. It can get busy during the high season and the beach can get over run.

The Bottom Line: Paradise is only four hours from Bangkok. A little pricey given the poor infrastructure but a nice place that appeals to some, and not to others.

Comment Trouver Quelqu’Un À Aimer Et N’Être Plus Jamais Seul!

Trouvez quelqu’un à aimer, peut paraître quelque chose d ‘extrêmement difficile, voire impossible, pour certaines personnes, alors que pour d’autres celà est très facile, amusant même, pour certains qui pratiquent la drague comme un jeu.

La séduction, car c’est bien de celà qu’il s’agit, n’est pas quelque chose que nous avons en nous, ou que nous n’avons pas et que nous n’aurons jamais.

Eh bien non! Séduire est quelque chose qui s’apprend, comme la musique, la natation ou le vélo…

Il est vraiment désolant, aujourd’hui, de voir le nombre impressionant de personnes qui vivent seules. En France 1/3 des logements, soit 8,4 millions, sont occupés par une personne seule. Bien sûr certaines ont fait leur choix et pour rien au monde elles se mettraient en couple, préférant leur vie tranquille et bien rangée, aux alléas et aux problèmes de la vie à deux.

Mais à part ces gens-là, combien y a-t-il de personnes qui souffrent de leur solitude? Sans doute des milliers,voire des dizaines de milliers…Il y a des jeunes, qui voudraient fonder une famille, des femmes ou des hommes divorcés, des veuves ou des veufs encore jeunes qui rêvent de refaire leur vie et qui par manque de communication ou parce qu’ils ne savent pas comment s’y prendre, pour rencontrer quelqu’un, passent le restant de leur vie seuls.

Par manque de confiance, par timidité, ou bien parce qu’ils craignent de se faire repousser, beaucoup d’hommes n’oseront pas aborder la femme qu’ils ont repérée, et ainsi manqueront des occasions qui ne se représenteront sans doute jamais.

Que les personnes timides, introverties, ou qui se sentent mal à l’aise avec quelqu’un de l’autre sexe, que ceux qui n’osent pas aborder la femme qu’ils aimeraient tant séduire, se rassurent. Ils peuvent apprendre les techniques de séductions et ils s’apercevront vite que c’est plus facile qu’ils ne le pensaient.

N’importe qui peut aborder et essayer de séduire la personne qu’il désire, s’il s’en donne la peine. Il y a un demi-siècle, il était vraiment mal vu d’aborder une femme dans la rue, dans un magasin ou en tout autre lieux, et l’audacieux se faisait vite remettre à sa place. Mais de nos jours, les choses ont bien changées, et une femme ne trouvera pas déplacé d’être acostée par un homme, s’il reste bien sûr, poli et courtois.

Il existe, maintenant, beaucoup de méthodes et de techniques, souvent gratuites, qui vous proposent d’apprendre les bases de la séduction, ou bien comment vaincre votre timidité et faire le premier pas. Je conseille, aux personnes ayant ce problème, de faire l’effort nécessaire pour sortir de la solitude et connaître enfin le bonheur de la vie à deux et l’amour.

Je me permet de vous offrir un livre de 77 pages, qui vous donnera toutes les techniques de séduction et de drague pour rencontrer et aborder facilement toutes les femmes que vous voulez. Mettez ces techniques en pratique, et vous ne rentrerez plus jamais seul le soir.

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Wilderness Survival Backpacking Tips

Why should you learn wilderness survival skills just for backpacking? They may save your life someday, and for ultralight enthusiasts like myself, skills replace gear, and therefore weight. The best reason, however, may be that it’s just a good feeling to know you can deal with whatever comes up. It makes you feel more at home.

To survive means to stay warm and dry, hydrated, uninjured, and to find your way out of the survival situation. Eating is nice too, but not crucial if the situation is for a few days. Below are some more or less random survival tips, just to get you interested.

Wilderness Survival Tips

1. Warmth: Sleep with your head slightly downhill to stay warmer. This may take some getting used to, but it works.

2. Food: In North America, there is no berry that looks like a blueberry, strawberry, or rasberry, that can hurt you from one taste. Just spit it out if it doesn’t taste right. If it looks and tastes like a blueberry – it is.

3. Fire starter: If you put dried moss or milkweed fuzz in your pocket as you walk, you’ll have dry tinder to start a fire, just in case it’s raining later. Experiment with different materials.

4. Direction-finding: Mark the tip of the shadow of a stick, and mark it again fifteen minutes later. The line between the the first and second marks points east. A few techniques like this can save you when your compass is lost.

5. Weather: In the Rocky Mountains you can see the clouds forming just before the afternoon storms. Being able to read the sky can keep you out of trouble. Lightning kills hikers in Colorado regularly.

6. Staying dry: Hypothermia is the biggest wilderness killer, and getting wet is the biggest cause. Watch for ledges or large fir trees to stand under if you see the rain coming.

7. Shelter: A pile of dry leaves and dead grass can keep you very warm in an emergency.

8. Hydration: Fill water bottles every chance you get, and you won’t have such a hard time with any long dry stretches of trail.

9. Injury: Pop a “blister” on the trunk of a small spruce or fir tree, and you can use the sap that oozes out as an good antiseptic dressing for small cuts.

10. Fire starter: White birch bark will usually light even when wet.

These are just a few of the wilderness survival tips and techniques you can easily learn. Why not practice one or two on your next backpacking trip?

Prenez un bon départ avec le Marketing de réseau

Avant de passer dans le vif du sujet, avec quelle compagnie je travaille ? Je ne donnerai pas la réponse, mon but de ce livre que J’ai écrit ces de partager avec vous des informations cruciale qui pourrait orienter votre avenir.!

permettez-moi de vous rappeler un fait surprenant !

Savez-vous que sur 100 personnes qui veulent gagner beaucoup d’argent, quatre-vingt-quinze d’entre-elles n’y arrivent jamais ?

Savez-vous pourquoi ?

Eh bien tout simplement parce que la plupart des gens restent persuadés que pour gagner beaucoup d’argent il faut posséder une solide instruction, être intelligent, être très travailleur, être doué, avoir des relations et une bonne dose de chance.

Tout cela n’est pas faux, mais regardez autour de vous… Et vous constaterez sans peine que cette affirmation n’est pas toujours vraie.

Je suis certain qu’en réfléchissant un peu, vous serez d’accord de reconnaître que vous connaissez des gens intelligents et travailleurs dont on peut dire qu’il ne gagne vraiment pas beaucoup d’argent !

Et vous en connaissez certainement d’autres, pas spécialement intelligents, pas spécialement instruits, ni spécialement travailleurs, qui vivent aisément et gagnent de confortables revenus sans trop de risques.

Moi-même par exemple, à l’époque je gagnais à peine plus que le SMIC. De plus avec des dettes que j’avais, je ne pensais vraiment pas que je m’en sortirai un jour.

J’étais nerveux et irritable. Je peux vous assurer lorsque le 25 du mois arrivaient, nous n’avions souvent plus assez d’argent pour aller faire nos courses et je n’étais pas à prendre « avec des pincettes ».

Je me souviens encore de ce fameux jour où mon épouse Jacqueline m’a téléphoné au travail en pleurant. Le propriétaire était passé à la maison pour encaisser le loyer et nous n’avions pas d’argent pour le payer.

Heureusement, les choses ont changé. J’ai trouvé un autre travail avec un revenu bien plus confortable, puis en l’an 2000 j’ai saisi une opportunité dans le domaine du marketing de réseau, depuis Je n’ai plus besoin de demander des crédits, plus besoin de compter le moindre sou.

Cela fait maintenant presque sept ans que je gagne tellement d’argent que j’ai du mal à en croire mes yeux, lorsque, certains mois, je reçois mon relevé de compte.

Laissez-moi vous dire que je sais aujourd’hui qu’il n’y a rien de malsain à gagner beaucoup d’argent. J’aurais plutôt tendance à croire le contraire.

Je sais que si vous mettez en application dans votre vie le marketing de réseau vous allait pouvoir être totalement en paix avec vous-même et vos semblables.

Avant d’aller plus loin, permettez-moi de vous dire que je ne suis pas le seul à avoir gagné beaucoup d’argent. Depuis des années, d’autres l’ont fait avant moi et cela marche très bien.

Permettez-moi également de vous mettre en garde. Cela ne vous rendra pas multimillionnaire du jour au lendemain, mais vous permettra de gagner des sommes raisonnables que vous pouvez programmer vous-même dès le premier jour, ensuite, si vous êtes persévérants, travailleurs, à l’écoute de votre sponsor, la vous aller toucher le pactole.

Maintenant passons aux choses sérieuses c’est votre tour… Êtes-vous prêts à découvrir le marketing de réseau pour gagner de confortables revenus supplémentaires et vous mettre à l’abri du besoin pour toujours ?

Si votre réponse est oui, je vous invite à poursuivre votre lecture. Dans les semaines à venir je suis persuadé que votre situation financière aura pris une tournure totalement différente.

Le marketing de réseau, est une nouvelle vague à la fois excitante, motivante qui va vous permettre de gagner confortablement votre vie, il faut bien l’admettre est en voie de devenir un incontournable pour tous ceux qui désirent prendre en main leur avenir financier.

Le marketing de réseau, est une technique d’affaires qui existe depuis plus de 40 ans, cette technique permet de ne pas avoir d’intermédiaire entre le fabricant et le client, en effet le seul intermédiaire entre le fabricant et le client c’est un distributeur indépendant.

Ne pas confondre le marketing de réseau et le système pyramidal. Il faut savoir que le système pyramidal est interdit à travers le Monde, prenez toujours garde des propositions illégales, un petit conseil, renseignez-vous sur la compagnie avant d’accepter toute collaboration.

Peut-on gagner beaucoup d’argent ?. Est devenir riche rapidement ? c’est possible ? Il n’y a pas secrets, c’est un métier, il faut apprendre, il faut travailler très fort, je vais vous donner un secret pour devenir riche rapidement c’est d’aller jouer au loto. Soyons sérieux ! Les soi-disant plans pour devenir riche rapidement, à ma connaissance je n’en connais pas, à moins de toucher un héritage, ou bien joué à la loterie, mais on peut toujours rêver, personnellement on peut toujours croire, pour ma part je préfère le marketing de réseau, croyez-moi ce n’est pas une loterie, vous allez comprendre pourquoi, que j’aime par-dessus tout le marketing de réseau.

Faut-il avoir des compétences ? Je préfère poser une autre question. Avez-vous des qualités ? Pourquoi plutôt cette question ? Les compétences viennent naturellement au fur et à mesure de votre aventure dans le marketing de réseau. Mais pour réussir dans le marketing de réseau il faut naturellement avoir des qualités innées. Maintenant, posez-vous ces questions.

– Aimez-vous aider les autres ?

– Aimez-vous travailler fort ?

– Aimez-vous d’être formé ?

– Aimez-vous former les autres ?

– Aimez-vous travailler en groupe ?

– Aimez-vous la libre entreprise ?

– Avez-vous des rêves ?

– Êtes-vous tenaces ?

– etc.

Avec toutes les qualités ci-dessus et en utilisant convenablement votre temps vous êtes sur la voie du succès, vous trouvez la bonne compagnie, vous décidez d’agir, et vous avez la possibilité de vous construire un empire.

Toute compagnie de marketing de réseaux à des distributeurs indépendants, les distributeurs vendent des produits ou services, mais il y a une autre manière de gagner de l’argent dans le marketing, c’est de parrainer des personnes comme vous, il suffit d’un dialogue avec vos amis, famille, collègues de travail, ou d’un autre groupe de références. Quelles sont les personnes qui refuseraient d’avoir un revenu complémentaire ? Aider les autres ? De posséder un empire ? Etc.

http://www.business-mlm.info

India city map

Mapsofindia.com is a very enlightening and instructive site. One of the web pages of the site displays India city maps. The site is very helpful for tourists who want to visit India Cities. The India Map in the website gives detailed information of the Indian cities.

The page, India city map informs us that as the economy of India is booming, the country has seen a considerable growth. According to the census of 2001, 27 Indian cities have the total population of more than one million. Some of the popular cities of India are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh etc.

Under the section the City Maps of India, there are nearly 100 maps of cities of India. These maps are very systematically arranged in alphabetical order in the website. One can view the maps by clicking on the name of the cities in the web page. The Indian cities are categorized as the name starting from A – D, E – H, I – L, M – P, Q – T, U – X.

The cities of India that belong in the category of A – D are:

Abids, Agra, Ahmedabad, Alappuzha, Alwar, Amritsar, Anna Salai, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bharatpur, Bhavnagar, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Bhuj, Bijapur, Bikaner, Bundi, Calangute, Chandigarh, Bijapur, Chennai, Chittaurgarh, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Dalhousie, Dehradun, Delhi, Diu Island

The Indian Cities in the section of E – H are:

Ernakulam , Faridabad, Gandhinagar, Ghaziabad, Greater Mumbai, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Gwalior, Haridwar, Hubli, Hyderabad

The Indian Cities in the section I – L are:

Imphal, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalandhar, Jamshedpur, Junagadh, Kanpur, Kanyakumari, Khajuraho, Khandala, Kochi, Kodaikanal, Kolkata, Kollam, Kota, Kottayam, Kovalam, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Ludhiana

The cities of India that belong in the category of M – P:

Madurai, Manali, Mandu Fort Map, Mangalore, Margoa, Mathura, Mount Abu, Mumbai, Munnar, Mysore, Nagpur, Nainital, Noida, Ooty, Orchha, Palakkad, Panaji, Patna, Periyar, Pondicherry, Porbandar, Port Blair, Pune, Puri, Pushkar

The cities of India that belong in the category of Q – T are:

Rajkot, Rameswaram, Ranchi, Rishikesh, Sanchi, Secunderabad, Shillong, Shimla, Somnath, Surat, Thanjavur, Thiruvananthapuram Map, Thrissur, Tiruchchirappalli, Tirumala

The Indian Cities in the section of U – X are:

Udaipur, Ujjain Fort Map, Vadodra, Varanasi, Varkala, Vasco da Gama, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam

When readers click on the links in the web page, it displays a colorful map that appropriately marks the roads, rivers, lakes of the cities. The maps of the cities also points out major tourist places, hotels, hospitals, colleges and other landmarks. Apart from the map, the site also provides information on various topics like the places to visit, the hotels in the city, real estate, school, colleges, weather, means of communication and many more.

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