AriyasomVilla@amazing Thailand tamboon 2 !

A couple more photos as we ran out of space on the previous blog!

AriyasomVilla@amazing Thailand tamboon!

We attended the festival at Wat Po Hom - Angthong province - about 18 km north of Angthong - near Wat Chaiyo. Every year at about this time the temple holds a festival to mark the passing away of the first Abbot.

As usual the Temple was gloriously decorated and decked out - it was really quite something. The leading light at the temple is Mae Chee Dow and the decoration and smooth running of the event is a testamount to her organizational ability.

We were invited to take part in the "rong tarn" - as usual we took along our pancake stove and cooked pancakes. I think we produced about 500 over - but there was probably more than 800 people attending.

The events included an Isarn band , colourful folk dancers and as usual a very professional group of Khon dancers - the show was terrific - esp the khon.

we are including some photos of the events - hope you enjoy them.

AriyasomVilla@Thailand Travel Mart+2010

AriyasomVilla recently attended the Thailand Travel Mart + 2010 organized by the TAT - Tourism Authority of Thailand. Several hundred hotels, tour agents and activity organizers put up their booths and held meetings with upwards of 300 foreign tour operators. Two full days of meetings were held at The Meung Tong Thani Exhibition Centre.

AriyasomVilla had a booth - B19 - we tried hard to give the flavour of AriyasomVilla - Boutique Hotel in Bangkok.

AriyasomVilla - Boutique Hotel and Spa in Bangkok

AriyasomVilla - Bouttique Hotel and Spa near Bumrungrad Hospital.

Looking forward to welcoming you all to AriyasomVilla soon!!

Fresh Muffins @ AriyasomVilla

We regularly host meetings and events at Ariyasomvilla - normally in the Library - a very pleasant venue for small meetings, lunches or dinners. For morning coffee break we are frequently asked to bake fresh muffins.

For your next meeting why not have it here at the Library @ AriyasomVilla and enjoy our fresh muffuns - home baked!

AriyasomVilla Boutique Hotel and Spa near Bumrungrad Hospital

AriyasomVilla Boutique Hotel and Spa near Sukhumvit Road

AriyasomVilla Bangkok Boutique Hotel.

www.ariyasom.com

AriyasomVilla and Doi Khum

Doi Khum - the King's Project produce a huge variety of fresh vegetables and fruit. Largely organic and always fresh, AriyasomVilla buys every week from the store at Or Tor Gor. Currently, they have on offer fresh raspberries, fresh mulberries, fresh passion fruits, avocado as well as all the usual salad vegetables.

Passion fruit is wonderful either on it's own or on Pavlova. Raspberries and mulberries make wonderful pies and tarts. Imported fruit - especially temperate fruits are just so prohibitively expensive. Often what is available is grown for it's look rather than taste and I am sure they are highly chemically treated.

Being able to buy temperate fruits grown in the north of Thailand under strict supervision is a wonderful thing - the prices are also affordable.

Check out Doi Khum at Or Tor Gor and you won't be disappointed - or better still come to Ariyasom and try our delicious desserts made from their fruits.

AriyasomVilla - a boutique hotel and spa near Bumrungrad Hospital

AriyasomVilla - a boutique hotel and spa near Sukhumvit Road

See you at AriyasomVilla soon!

David

Jeff Oliver@ AriyasomVilla - 26.08.10

Thursday the 26th August,2010 - Dharma Discourse by Jeff Oliver.

Jeff:

Jeff has given a number of talks fat AriyasomVilla over the last year or so. Previously he practised both as a monk for 6 years, and as a layman under the tutelige of revered Burmese master U Janaka in the Mahasi Sayadaw lineage. More recently he has been practising with the Burmese master Sayadaw U Tejaniya.

Topic:

Much of dhamma is a small shift in attitude or focus of attention. Life goes on otherwise as normal – just like a small pinch of salt transforms the taste of some particular food. In particular, changing ones attitude to "Suffering" has big effects. Changing ones attitude to Vedana (liking and disliking – which rules the untrained heart) makes a huge difference. What shifts in attitude are required, or are useful? …..

Schedule:

6:00- 6:45pm – OPTIONAL :Yoga with Japanese teacher Natsuko (free if you want to just try it out)

6:15-6:50pm - Meet for coffee/snack at Ariyasom Villa Library

7:00 – 8:00 - Dhamma Talk with Jeff Oliver

8:00 – 8:15 - Q&A

8:15 pm – Finish (Jeff will still be around for those who want to stay longer)

Location:

Directions

Could not be easier – go down Sukhumvit Soi One, right to the end, and Ariyasom is on the left.

Check out the link to Littlebang. Org at:-

http://littlebang.org/2010/08/04/dhamma-talk-w-jeff-oliver-thrs-26th-aug/

AriyasomVilla Boutique Hotel and Spa near to Bumrungrad Hospital

AriyasomVilla Boutique Hotel and Spa @ Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok

August@AriyasomVilla

Please have a look at our August food promotions and our new "Quick Lunch" menu - at Bt 180++.

AriyasomVilla - Boutique Hotel and Spa near Bumrungrad Hospital,

Ariyasomvilla - Boutique Hotel and Spa at Sukhumvit Rd

www.ariyasom.com

+66 (0) 2-2548880

Yin Yoga @ Ariyasomvilla

Yin Yoga @ Ariyasomvilla - starting on the 2nd August at 17.30 we will be starting our Yin Yoga classes - thereafter every Thursday and Monday. Lead by teacher Nat who has extensive experience teaching "restorative" yoga. Aimed at helping the body to regain it's natural strength and immunity -Yin Yoga is good for everyone! There will be a charge of Bt 1,000 per 3 classes or Bt 400 for drop in. Call us on 02-2548880 or contact us on info@ariyasom.com. We look forward to welcoming you to Ariyasomvilla and our yoga classes.

Ariyasomvilla is located just 150 metres from Bumrungrad Hospital on Sukhumvit Soi 1

Our Restaurant - Na Aroon - serves vegetarian and seafood with the accent on healthy organic foods.

Ariyasomvilla Boutique Hotel and Spa

Thai Tea Bread @ Ariyasomvilla

An interesting variation on Delia Smiths' " Irish Tea Bread". Instead of the Lapsang Souchong tea we used the really strong orange Thai Tea!

Soak the dried fruits - sultanas, raisins, candid orange peel in a strong infusion of Thai tea and soft brown sugar. Leave it over night to be soaked up by the fruit.

Toasted nuts ( cashew or almond or pecan), 1 egg and self raising flour all given a good mixing with the fruit mixture - put into lined baking tins and bake in at 170c for about 1 hour +.

Can either eat on it's own or with a little butter.

Ariyasom Boutique Hotel and spa - just a 150 metres from Bumrungrad hospital.

www.ariyasom.com - 02-2548880

APPLE FRANGIPANI TART @ ARIYASOM

A quick and easy dessert - prepare the pate sable as usual and par bake. Make your frangapani - ground almonds, butter, sugar, egg & vanilla. Spread evenly in the base of the tart and then arrange your sliced apples on top. Sprinkle sugar over the top and then bake. It seems totake a bit longer to bake this tart - about 45 mins and it's nice to caramelize the top of the apple.

Serve hot with fresh cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

HOMEMADECOOKIES@ARIYASOMVILLA

I've always been a big fan of Delia Smith as all her recipes work and this ones no exception - "Chocolate Nut Crunchies". Of course, I made a few minor modifications! Easy to make - a quick tip - if your working in a hot kitchen refrigerate the mixture before forming into balls - its easier to work with the dough. Bake quickly - about 12 minutes.

Should be on the menu @ Ariyasomvilla Boutique Hotel and Spa soon.

As most people know Ariyasomvilla is located in Sukhumvit Soi 1 - about 100m from Bumrungrad Hospital ..... not that with my cookies you'll need the hospital!!!

FRESHBREAD@ARIYASOM

With just a little flour, yeast, olive oil, salt and water you can make great tasting fresh bread. This recipe is from the famous baker - Richard Bertinet. I've prepared this bread several times and it has always come out well.

The only other ingredient is effort - making bread takes effort - quite a bit of physical effort actually. Bertinet's kneading method is a little different and pretty strenuous but the results are always worth it.

Ariyasomvilla is just a 100m or so from Bumrungrad and a short walk from Pleonchit BTS station.

For details of the hotel or the restaurant ( Na Aroon) contact us on 66(0)2-2548880 or write to me on davidlees@ariyasom.com

Yoga@ariyasomvilla

For the last few months we've ben hosting the Monday evening meditation classes run by Aj. Pandit. These have proved popular and we regularly get 25 - 30 meditators attending.

From the 14th June we will add a pre mediation yoga class from 18.00 - run by well known yoga teacher Khun Natsuko . The aim is to help the body feel more comfortable during the mediation practice. For anyone who has done mediation - anything that helps reduce the pain has got to be a bonus!

We are going to run these sessions for free for the next few weeks and see how they are received - so do come don and join in both the Yoga and the Meditation.

David