ENTERTAINMENT
Thais are a fun-loving people. Nationwide, boxing stadiums, race and golf courses, tennis and squash courts, billiard halls, nightclubs, gourmet restaurants, lounges, amusement parks, bars, museums, theatres, art galleries, traditional Thai massage centres, zoological gardens and cinemas lure pleasure seekers throughout the year.

Thailand’s English-language newspapers carry daily listings of concerts, exhibitions, displays and theatre events. There are also a dozen free magazines offered throughout Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya and Hua Hin that give great advice on how to occupy one’s time. Progressive English-language monthlies such as Metro Magazine are available in bookstores and some hotel kiosks. They supply listings useful to visitors and locals on popular destinations, restaurants, nightlife, movies and future happenings around the kingdom.

PARKS AND GARDENS IN BANGKOK
Bangkok’s parks and gardens offer a welcome respite from the heat and noise of the city. They include :

Lumphini Park (Bangkok’s largest and most well-known park) at the northern end of Silom Road is popular with joggers, keep-fiten-thusiasts and families, especially during the morning and late afternoon when it’s coolest. A lake offers boating and an ample lawn, shaded by towering tropical trees, provides a comfortable setting for picnics. There are two restaurants in the park.

Chatuchak Park, in Lat Phrao, is another wide green space situated conveniently beside Chatuchak Weekend Market. One can easily reach this destination by taking the BTS skytrain.

Chatuchak Park, in Lat Phrao, is another wide green space situated conveniently beside Chatuchak Weekend Market. One can easily reach this destination by taking the BTS skytrain.

Khao Din Zoological Garden or Dusit Zoo is an artfully landscaped enclave with an artificial lako. King Rama IX Park is an extensive park with potanical gardens located deep inside Sukhumvit Soi 103 in Bangkok’s eastern suburbs. The botanical gardens were opened with private and public donations to honor H.M. King Bhumibol’s 60th birthday.

THEATRE
Theatrical events in major cities across Thailand include traditional Thai dance and puppet performances, English and Thai-language dramas, musical performances, stage shows and concerts by visiting international artists. Visitors are advised to consult English-language newspapers, particularly Friday’s edition when events are posted.

Major theatrical venucs include the Thailand National Theatre, adjacent to the National Museum at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang. This theatre is a venue for concerts and Thai classical drama performances. Weekend performances of Thai dance dramas are periodically staged.

Other venues that stage theatrical and musical performances include the Thailand Cultural Centre on Ratchadaphisek Road, the Alliance Francaise Auditorium on Sathon Tai Road, the AUA Language Centre Auditorium on Ratchadamri Road, the British Council Centre in Siam Square and the Goethe Institute on Soi Atthakanprasit, off Sathon Tai Road, and the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre on New Ratchadaphisek Road.

INTERNATIONAL AND THAI SPORTS

Golf, football, boxing, badminton, tennis, bowling and snooker figure prominently among international sports enjoyed by Thais. Indigenous games and sports include Thai boxing, takro, kite flying and boat racing.

ุ DEEP SEA FISHING
Pattaya and Phuket are the principle centres for fishermen seeking game fishing. Both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea coast are graced with marlin, king mackerel, tuna, sharks and other varieties of game fish. It’s simple to charter fishing boats with all the amenities from either one of these locations.

ุ GOLF
Thailand’s mild weather means that golfers can enjoy their sport year round at a variety of challenging courses. There are more than 200 professional golf courses in Thailand offering bargain prices. Many of these are championship courses, designed by PGA legends such as Greg Norman and Jack Nickiaus.

ุ HORSE RACING
Weekend races can be seen at the Bangkok Royal Turf Club and the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.

ุ MOTOR SPORTS
The 2.4 kilometer Bira International Pattaya Circuit regularly features local and international motor and motorcycle racing.

ุ SAILING
A wide range of saiboats, from lasers to 60 foot cabin cruisers, can be chartered from Pattaya, Hua Hin, and Phuket. in phuket each December, the King’s Cup Regatta is held to celebrate H.M. the King’s birthday. Sailing enthusiasts and serious competitors from around the world converge in Phuket for a week of racing and fun.

SCUBA DIVING / SNORKELING
Thailand offers some of Southeast Asia’s finest diving opportunities, Depending upon the season, visbility can be as far as 60 meters underwater. The Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman sea coast play host to dozens of worldclass dives stes perfect for beginners or the most experience I diver. Dive shops, most operating under PAI standards, can be found competing with each other at all major dive areas. This competition resulus in some of the lowest prices for scuba sports to be found anywhere in the world. In Iddition, snorkeling opportunities abound throughout Thai waters.

TENNIS / BADMINTON / SQUASH
Numerous courts are found in leading Bangkok hotels and resort hotels outside the capital. A list of courts where visitors are welcome can be four din Bangkok’s English-language Yellow Pages.

THAI SPORTS THAI BOXING : MUAY THAI
Thai boxing was developed as a form of self-defense during the early part of the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767). King Naresuan the Great (1555-1605), one of the country’s most celebrated warrior-heroes, made Muay Thai a required part of military training. In the old days, Muay Thai was a dangerous sport, with no safety gear of any kind for the fighters, and only lengths of cords to wrap around their fists in place of gloves. Over the years, rules have been written along the line of international boxing regulations. In 1995, the World Muay Thai Council was set up by cabinet resolution to promote this national heritage at national and international levels.

Today, Muay Thai, along with soccer, is the most passionately followed sport in the country. Thai boxing is featured throughout the week at Ratchadamnoen and Lumphini Stadiums. Fights usually begin around 6:30 p.m. with preliminary bouts featuring younger boxers, nd build up towards the main event, usually around nine o’clock. At Lumphini Stadium, there is an emcee that announces all boxing matches in English.

Muay Thai is fought in five three-minute rounds with two-minute breaks in-between. A match is decided by a knockout or by points, which is determined by three judges.
Fights in Bangkok :
Lumphini Stadium, Rama IV Road, Bangkok, Tel. 66-2252-8765, 66-2251-4303, 66-2252-6525. Fight Nights : Tuesday and Fridays from 6:30 p.m., Saturday afternoons 5:00-8:00 p.m., Saturday nights from 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices : 220, 440, 1,000 Baht.

Ratchadamnoen Stadium, Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, Bangkok, Tel. 66-2281-4205, 66-2280-1684-6. Fight Nights : Mondays, Wednesdaysm Thursdays, Sundays, starting at 6:30 p.m. Ticke Prices : 220, 440, 1,000 Baht (ringside); special discount on Sunday nights, with ringside ticket going for 500 Baht each.
Channel 7 Stadium, Behind the old Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit), opposite Chatuchak Park, Bangkok, Tel. 66-2272-0201. Fights Sehedule : Sundays from 1:45 p.m. and the third Wednesday of each month starting at 12:00 noon. Ticket prices : Free admission.

Check with Tourism Authority of Thailand for fight stadiums in your vicinity. If you with to learn this unique self-defense art, Thailand has established a school for Muay Thai. Feel free to contact.

Muay Thai Institute, 336/932 Prachatipat Rd., Rangsit, Amphoe Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani, 12130 Thailand Tel 66-2992-0096-99, Fax : 66-2992-0100

TAKRO
Takro is similar to the Western game hacki sack. The sport is traditionally played by a loosely formed circle of men who use feet, knees, thighs, chests and shoulders to acrobatically pass a woven rattan ball to each other, endeavoring to keep it airborne, and eventually kick it into a basket suspended above their heads. A modern version involves the use of a badminton net with which the rattan ball is passed back and forth.

KITE FIGHTING
During the summer season, particularly March and April, opposing teams fly male Chula and female Pakpao kites in a battle of the sexes. The small, agile Pakpao kite tries to fell the more cumbersome Chula, while the male kite tries to ensnare the female kite and drag it back into male territory.

BOAT RACING
Regattas are featured as part of the country’s fairs in many parts of Thailand to celebrate the end of the rainy season. The long, narrow boats are decorated with flags and flowers, manned by oarsmen and raced with great excitement. The most noteworthy races are neld in Nan, Phichit, Nakhon Pathom, Surat Thani, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani.