Within the next few months, the digital divide will disappear in one of Thailand's most remote provinces, Mae Hong Son.

The small, tranquil province, all but cut off behind the mountains of northern Thailand, is about to get one of the country's first WiMax wireless broadband services, giving local access to the Internet, online learning and video conferencing with quality equaling that of fibre-optic connections in Bangkok.

The so-called WiMax IT Valley Project is a collaborative effort involving the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).

It is not a commercial WiMax service, but one of two current trials of the technology in Thailand. The other involves the deployment of a Cisco WiMax network by private telecom company TT&T at Mae Fah Luang University, also in the mountainous North.   

WiMax stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access. Although the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) has authorised the trials, it has not yet issued licences for commercial WiMax operations.

The Mae Hong Son project involves the installation of four WiMax base stations and WiMax Clients, or points of access - called customer-premises equipment (CPEs) - at 45 sites throughout three main districts: Pai, Muang Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang.

The network and all its equipment will be ready for use in May. However, the project will be officially kicked off on Sunday by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at NAC2010 - the annual conference of Nectec's parent body, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA). The project's official opening will be broadcast live through the WiMax network in Mae Hong Son.

The IT Valley Project has its origins in commemorations of His Majesty the King's 80th birthday. It is a human-resources development scheme involving the use of information technology...

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Any visitor to Chiangrai cannot fail to recognize the richness and obvious affluence that abound in this northern most province of Thailand . Its proximity to the Golden Triangle has influenced the development of the land and only here does one see fenced-off properties, farmhouses, hedgerows and smooth four-lane highways never in need of repair. There is more to the province than this, of course, with some of the most challenging back roads in Thailand also being here. However, the overriding impression is one of almost a different country. This diversity should, perhaps, be the alternative travelers initial reason for visiting the Golden Far North.

The riches of Chiangrai province can be instantaneously compared when making an excursion into Myanmar at the border crossing of Mae Sai. The poverty on the Myanmar side is all too blatant and far more obvious than at other Myanmar crossings. The cross-border visit does not require a visa, nor is your passport stamped. All that you need are two photocopies of your passport details and a fee, usually five dollars.

From Mae Sai border excursions can be made to the Royal Mountain project at Doi Toong and eastwards to the opium museum at the Golden Triangle itself. Chiang Saen is a small distance beyond this.

Westwards is mae Salong and Thaton with its Maekok River Lodge and onwards to Fang and mae Hong Son along some of the least used (you’ll find out why) roads in Thailand. There is spectacular scenery all along the way.

Doi Toong is now a fully developed Royal project. Basically a whole mountain range overlooking Burmese territory, it now affords visitors not only grand vistas but also home-grown Thai coffee and tea, soft fruits and temperate vegetables. All have been introduced into hilltribe farming patterns and now contribute greatly to the economies of many villages as a substitute for the declining opium crop farming, which is all but eliminated from Thai soil now. Wat Doi Toong itself, perched like a nest on the final hilltop, is an important pilgrimage center for Thai people and there is day-long temple activity here.

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Saturday, May 1, 2010

Source: monkeying around at Mae Hong Son Zoo - Mae Hong Son, Thailand ...

There are 26 provinces that make up Central and Eastern Thailand, and Bangkok is one of them. Geographically, this is Thailand’s heartland, extending from Lop Buri in the north and covering the rice bowl of the Central Plains around the Chao Phraya River. Further south, the area embraces the east and west coasts of the upper Gulf of Thailand.

This is Thailand’s most fertile farming area, a wide-ranging landscape of paddy fields, orchards and plantations. More than 1,000 years ago Thai settlers moved down from the north, gradually replacing Mon and Khmer influences and establishing communities at Lop CENTRAL & EAST COAST Buri then at Sukhothai, before founding a kingdom that lasted 417 years with Ayutthaya as its capital. When the Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767, the capital moved to Bangkok.

The Central region has a dramatic history, and its heritage of ancient temples, battlefields and ruins and two capitals, Ayutthaya and Bangkok, are a continuing fascination for visitors. The east and west sea coasts at the region’s southern end also draw huge numbers of visitors every year. Bangkok residents spend long weekends enjoying the relaxing seaside atmosphere, while holiday-makers from around the world to discover the delights of the tropical beach life.

On the eastern side, 400 kilometres of coastline extend from Chon Buri to Rayong with some of the finest beaches in Asia. Pattaya, with an enormous range of resorts, hotels and guesthouses, is its centre. If you are seeking a more relaxing experience, travel further down the coast to Rayong or Ko Samet, and the lovely islands of Ko Chang National Park near the Cambodian border.

On the west coast, the resorts of Cha-am and Hua Hin attract international travellers who prefer their more sophisticated yet laid-back atmosphere.

Far from the sea in the northwest of the region is Kanchanaburi, whose forested mountains, waterfalls and caves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries on the border with Myanmar provide some of Thailand’s most enthralling scenery.

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