Aditayadorn Agricultural Learning Center, Ban Ra Sai in Muang district of Surin, has announced a sunflower festival.
The centre was initiated by HRH Princess Adityadornkitikhun in 2015 to promote farming techniques based on King Bhumibol Adulyadej's sufficiency economy to farmers, students and visitors.
The centre grows sunflower plants after harvesting rice. The flowers are now in full bloom. The festival is organised to promote tourism at the centre.
There will be a farm zone where visitors can feed livestock including goats. Visitors can also enjoy a shopping zone featuring rice, processed food, handicrafts, Otop products and well-known goods of Surin such as silverware and silk clothes.
There will also be unique collections of ceramics printed with paintings drawn by the Princess.
During the weekend, there will be performances, concerts and workshops. Topics for the workshops include bottle gardens, tie-dye clothes and cake-decorating.
The sunflower festival kicked off yesterday and will run until Feb 28. There is no entrance fee.
Visit the Facebook page or call 091-016-9470.
Bangkok most-gridlocked
Bangkok tops the list of the most-gridlocked cities in Asia.
According to an analysis by Inrix's Global Traffic Scorecard, it ranks the impact of traffic congestion in 1,360 cities across 38 countries. These cities are ranked by number of peak hours the average commuter spent in traffic in 2017.
Los Angeles is in first position for the sixth straight year. Drivers spent 102 hours in traffic during peak time periods in 2017. Tied for second are Moscow and New York (91 hours), followed by Sao Paulo (86 hours), San Francisco (79 hours), Bogota of Colombia (75 hours), London (74 hours), Magnitogorsk of Russia (73 hours), Yurga in Russia (71 hours) and Atlanta (70 hours).
Bangkok was ranked 16th worldwide (64 hours).
Compared with other cities in Asia, Bangkok was number one and other cities in the top 10 in Asia are located in Indonesia. Ranked second in the list was Jakarta (63 hours), followed by Bandung (46 hours), Malang, Yogyakarta, Padang (tied at 45 hours), Medan (42 hours), Tarogong (39 hours), Surabaya and Semarang (tied at 37 hours), Sungai Pinang (35 hours) and Bengkulu (33 hours).
However, the research did not include countries that also had traffic congestion problems like China, South Korea and the Philippines.
Airlines update
More flights from China will fly to Thailand during the Chinese New Year, according to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AeroThai).
There will be 20,677 flights, up 6% from the year before, from Feb 15-21. The flights between the two countries contributed to the largest numbers of international flights, according to AeroThai President Sarinee Angsusingha.
By average, there are 350 daily flights, accounting for 27% of the total international flights.
The top rise of international air traffic during the Chinese New Year will be at Phuket Airport, which will increase 11.3% to reach 364 flights a day, up from 327 daily flights.
Samui Airport will have an 8% traffic increase, followed by Suvarnabhumi and Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai, up 4%, while other international airports, including Don Mueang and Chiang Mai, will have a 1% traffic increase.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will launch a blockchain-based airline loyalty digital wallet.
The KrisFlyer digital-wallet app will allow frequent-flyer members to use miles for point-of-sale transactions at participating retail merchants in Singapore. The wallet app will be enabled through blockchain technology, using an SIA-owned private blockchain involving only merchants and partners. The airline plans to launch the app within the next six months.
Hotels update
The Okura Prestige Bangkok will host a cooking competition for university students. The winner will be awarded a nine-day educational trip to Hotel Okura Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Applicants must be Thai nationals aged 18-25 years old. They must have a minimum GPA of 2.75 and be in their third or fourth year of study in the faculty of tourism, hospitality or cooking school at an accredited university, or in their second year of study at a higher vocational cooking school.
Each applicant must produce a 3-5-minute cooking video. The hotel chef will select 10-20 students for interviews. Only five candidates will be selected for three weeks of training with its master chef. At the end of the course, each student must cook his or her signature dish for a judging committee at the Judges' Panel Night on June 22.
The winning prize, valued 100,000 baht, includes a round-trip air ticket to Amsterdam, eight nights' accommodation at Hotel Okura Amsterdam, a luncheon and dinner at Michelin-starred restaurants Yamazato and Ciel Bleu, a day trip in Amsterdam, visa arrangements, travel insurance, pocket money and a training course with two-star Michelin chef Onno Kokmeijer.
The last day for registration is March 30.
Visit www.okurabangkok.com or call 02-687-9000.
Email karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th if you have any comments to share.
