Lovers of funky, soulful house music travelling or living in Southeast Asia are in for a treat at the Mango House Festival 2011, March 7-12, 2011 at Mango House Bar + Restaurant in Lanta Old Town.

Staged on the street of Thailand’s most charming fishing village, located on the southern Thai island of Koh Lanta in Krabi province, the house music festival is a popular event at the island’s annual cultural extravaganza, the Laanta Lanta Festival.

Mango House Festival 2011 is pleased to showcase ‘Six Nights of House’ featuring a few, seriously funked-up lads from overseas – DJ Colin Edwards from Ireland, DJ Nick Power,  2 Good Souls and DJ Steve Bray from England, DJ Tommy T from Canada – plus two of Asia’s most soulful house DJs from the Phuket House Mafia, DJ Taz and DJ NuTrip.

This free event starts nightly at 9:00 PM and will go late.  The Thursday and Friday night events will be recorded for future broadcast on the world’s premiere online house music station SSRadio www.ssradio.com.

Colin Edwards is known for his voice and immensely popular Funk It Up radio syndication show and his signature ‘sexy, soulful, dance floor driven’ style. Nick Power is a member of the elite Soul Kandi team and has played at some of the biggest and the best clubs on the globe.  2 Good Souls are resident DJs at London’s famed Ministry of Sound.

The Mango House Festival is dedicated to ‘Funking up Asia’ by promoting real house music events featuring world-class, international and regional DJs. Mango House is also a proud sponsors of the ‘SSRadio Funks Asia Tour’ in Thailand, Mar 10 to 20, 2011.

The Laanta Lanta Festival in Lanta Old Town is an annual cultural event that showcases the town’s cultural diversity.  Its three distinct ethnic Thai groups – Chinese, Muslim and Sea Gypsy – have coexisted in harmony for over 200 years. The five-day event features an amazing assortment of traditional food, beverage and entertainment.

MANGO HOUSE FESTIVAL – DJ SCHEDULE

Monday, Mar 7 – DJ Taz + DJ NuTrip

Tuesday, Mar 8 – DJ Taz + DJ NuTrip

Wednesday, Mar 9 – Tommy T + DJ Steve Bray

Thursday, March 10 – Nick Power + Colin Edwards

Friday, March 11 – Nick Power + Colin Edwards

Saturday, March 12 – 2 Good Souls (Ministry of Sound resident DJ)

For more details about the Mango House Festival see www.manghousesessions.com

Mango House Festival is pleased to announce that two of house music funkiest veterans – DJ Nick Power and DJ Colin Edwards – will help spread the love of house music at Mango House on Thursday, March 11th and Friday, March 12th. The events will also be recorded for future broadcast to the world on SSRadio www.ssradio.com

Other DJ’s are currently being scouted to fill the first three nights… if you know a DJs that may be interested in grooving at the festival please contact duane@mangonation.com

Nick Power is a member of the elite Soul Kandy team and has played at some of the biggest and the best clubs on the globe. You can find him live on the radio across London’s airwaves on 89.4 FM, and worldwide via the internet with his Soul Kandi. www.nickpower.dj

Colin Edwards is known for his voice and immensely popular Funk It Up radio syndication show and his signature ‘sexy, soulful, dance floor driven’ style blending elements of funk, soul and disco, combined with uplifting vocals. His show can be heard in most parts of the world including most of Europe, US, Africa, Venezuela, Canada, Australia and Mexico to name but a few. www.funkitupinternational.com

Stay tuned for more details coming soon.

Bleached Coral in shallow areas at Ko Cheuak

Ko Cheuak, which lies in the Hat Chao Mai National Park in Trang province, has been closed by the Department for National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation in Thailand in response to a coral bleaching episode that occurred during April & May of last year.

Ko Cheuak is best known as a snorkeling site and is often visited as part of the popular 4-Island tour from Ko Lanta. There are rumours that neighbouring snorkel-site, Ko Maa, may also be closed if surveys commissioned and undertaken by Thailand’s Department for National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation reveal extensive coral damage at this site.

All Dive Sites and All Other Snorkeling Sites in the Ko Lanta Area Remain Open and All Regular Diving and Snorkeling Trips are Running as Usual

The more popular sites on the 4-Island Tour including; the Emerald Cave, Ko Mook, Ko Ngai and Ko Kradan, all remain open, as do all islands in the Eastern Islands group and all Lanta’s dive sites.

Map of closed dive sites

Sites listed to close lie within just 7 of Thailand’s 148 National Parks and include sites within the National Marine Parks of; Ko Surin, Similan, Phi Phi, Petra, Tarutao, Chumphon and Hat Chao Mai.

Many world-class dive sites are to be found in Thailand’s National Marine Parks – however none of these have been affected by the recent closures, despite the fact the some of the closed sites do lie within famous Marine Parks, like Ko Phi Phi and the Similan Islands.

It’s unclear how individual sites were chosen for closure. Although many of the sites listed are within high-profile marine parks that are famous for attracting large numbers of divers each year, none of the actual sites listed as banned are among the major diving destinations in Thailand. We expect that there will be very little impact on people visit Thailand to dive or snorkel.

The difference between healthy coral and bleached coral

What we hope will have a more lasting impact, is the message that any visitors to a coral reef environment need to be extremely careful and fully aware of the need to cause no impact on the condition of the coral, in order to limit any potential stress to damaged coral as it recovers.

Bleached Hard Coral

The condition of the shallow reef areas at Ko Cheuak show that, in areas above 9m, hard corals have been quite badly affected by the bleaching phenomenon that can occur during prolonged periods of unusually warm sea temperatures. There are areas in which hard coral, especially staghorn and table corals have died.

Clownfish living in bleached anemone

Soft Corals have not been affected and continue to flourish and deeper areas are either untouched or recovering well.

The good news is that the current temperature of the sea actually a degree or two colder than normal for this time of year and many sites such as Ko Haa and Hin Daeng & Hin Muang are positively flourishing at the moment. Divers are seeing an increased number of Manta Rays – there have been multiple Manta sightings every day for almost 2 months and both marine and coral life is positively glowing.

Soft Corals remain healthy and continue to flourish

Many local dive operators in southern Thailand are actively involved in reef monitoring projects in collaboration with Project AWARE, Greenfins and the Phuket Marine Biology Centre in order to study and limit the effects of global warming and coral bleaching.

Please do not hesitate to contact a local diving or snorkeling centre if you have any questions about current diving and snorkeling conditions in our area.

For further information about current dive site conditions around Ko Lanta, take a look at this article: http://www.scuba-dive-lanta.com/news/ko-lanta-dive-sites-unaffected-by-closures.

Got any Questions?

Please feel free to send us a message

On November 21st, starting around 4pm, there will be a parade through Old Town with displays of magnificent Krathongs and beautiful Thai ladies! this will be followed by a beauty pageant, a competition for the best Krathong, a competition for the best ideas for promotion and preserving this kind of Thai tradition, stage shows and, of course the launching of the krathongs.

In true ‘Old Town’ fashion, we expect this to be a really great event and we invite all of you to come along, with your ‘krathongs’ (no Styrofoam please!) and enjoy it with us.

Come join us in Lanta Old Town SUNDAY Nov 21^st for all the fun!

sunrise .... setting the boat adrift

Our favorite party in Lanta Old Town!

This Saturday evening, October 23rd is the traditional Chao Ley ceremony “Loy-Rua (Floating Boat Festival)”. The village Chao Ley men will build a symbolic boat and place wooden statues of themselves in it along with nail pairings, hair, popped rice and food. By performing this ritual, they ask for forgiveness from the sea gods and for any offenses they have made to the sea. It is believed that all evil is carried away in the symbolic boat when it is set a drift at dawn.

Traditional Rong-Ngeng Dance & Music and popular Thai music will be played all night. Food, plenty of drink and fun for the kids.

Hua Laem 2 (next to the Ko Lanta Hospital, Lanta Old Town)

Exercise in style!

As if by magic, this new exercise area recently appeared next to the famous Old Town Light-house, next to the river. 15 colourful, and sturdy exercise machines to help you burn off all that extra energy after a hard day’s sunbathing on the beach!

Many of the town’s local residents can be seen taking full advantage of this great public facility, usually in the early evening, when it’s a little cooler.

Once you’ve had your work-out, you can gently stroll  down Old Town’s beautiful main street, or maybe stop at Hammock House for some serious relaxation therapy, or Mango House for much needed re-hydration therapy!

Enjoy!

A unique opportunity to take part in an islander’s way of life, the Ko Por Cultural Homestay lets you get to know a traditional Thai fisher-family’s way of life in a way that not many other people in the world will ever experience.

Ko Por Cultural Homestay visits can be arranged on request by contacting Mr. Sanae:
Mobile: +66 (0)874 743 247
Email: sanae.yamae [at] yahoo.com

How much does it cost?

• 700 THB per person, per night

this is payable in cash, each evening, to your host family

What’s included in the price?

• Return Longtail boat transfers from Old Town Pier to Ko Por
• 3 meals per day
• Simple accommodation in the host family’s home. (A bed with a mosquito net is usually provided in a private room)
• Daily activities with your host family – usually the normal daily activities they do every day

What’s activities can I expect to take part in

• Cutting and collecting Sap from the Rubber Trees in the Plantation
• Fishing Trips by Longtail boat to catch crabs or prawns
• Digging for Mussels at the beach
• Preparing freshly caught seafood to eat
• Making hand-made curry pastes
• Sight seeing around the Island or Bird Watching

If you decide to stay longer, we can arrange for more activities such as visiting nearby islands or snorkeling trips.

Please note: All activities depend on the Tides and the time of the day. Sea conditions are considered very carefully and trips will only be made if the weather permits.

What do I need to bring with me?

• Sun cream
• Mosquito repellent
• Personal toiletries
• Sarong
• Long sleeved tops and long trousers (for the early evening when mosquitos may be around)
• If you’d like to swim off the beach, you’ll need modest clothing too – bikinis are not allowed (board-shorts and a rash guard is fine – or even shorts and a T-Shirt) and you should try to cover up as much as possible in accordance with the Muslim faith. A short-sleeved T-Shirt and long shorts is acceptable – spaghetti-string tops and hot pants are not!

Please don’t bring alcohol, no gambling, please dress discreetly and kindly respect the Muslim way of life.

Other customs that need to be respected include:

• Alcohols and Drugs are strictly prohibited
• You must sleep in separate bedrooms if you’re not married, due to Muslim Regulations
• All activities depend on the Tides and the time of the day
• Sea conditions are considered very carefully and trips will only be made if the weather permits

Ko Por Cultural Homestay visits can be arranged on request by contacting Mr. Sanae:
Mobile: +66 (0)874 743 247
Email: sanae.yamae [at] yahoo.com

KO LANTA HONORED AS A TOP DESTINATION IN TRIPADVISOR’S 2010 TRAVELERS’ CHOICE DESTINATION AWARDS

Ko Lanta, Thailand, was chosen as a Best Destination in 3 categories, Beach & Sun, Romance, and Relaxation & Spa by TripAdvisor® in the 2010 Travelers’ Choice® Destination Awards, with Lanta Longtail / Sun Island Tours, Kantiang Bay and Lanta Klong Nin Beach being given a special mention in the ‘Don’t Miss’ section of each award.

• Beach & Sun: Ko Lanta – 1st Place in Thailand, 3rd Place in Asia
• Romance: Ko Lanta – 1st Place in Thailand, 4th Place in Asia
• Relaxation & Spa: Ko Lanta – 2nd Place in Thailand, 6th Place in Asia

The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destination awards and honours the world’s top destinations, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on the millions of real reviews and opinions from travelers on TripAdvisor.com™. The top destinations were determined by a combination of TripAdvisor travelers’ favorite places and overall popularity on TripAdvisor.

“Millions of travelers on TripAdvisor have identified the world’s most amazing destinations”

said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

“From stunningly beautiful locales to spots with outstanding attractions, the 2010 Travelers’ Choice Destination Award winners are truly incredible places that travelers love.”

• For reviews on Koh Lanta, go to Ko Lanta Reviews.
• For the complete 2010 Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards list, go to Travellers’ Choice Destinations.

About TripAdvisor:

TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 34 million monthly visitors*, 15 million registered members and 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions. TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries.

©2010 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

Performances include Shadow Puppet Theater (Nang Talung), Traditional Thai Dance and Sea Gypsy Folk Music (Rong Ngeng) Enjoy great and affordable Thai & Western food, beer, coffee and many local Arts & Crafts exhibits. Get away from the crowds and become a part of a real Thai Fishing and Cultural Community!