Events, festival, parties and more

Go visit Farmer Jim

The Jim Thompson Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima will be a great place for a family outing from December 9 to January 10, when plenty of fun is piled on to an education in silkmaking.

Sericulture and silkweaving are on view amid giant pumpkins and vast fields of sunflowers daily from 9 to 5. Adults pay Bt60 and chil¬dren Bt40. For more details, call (02) 762 2566 or visit www.JimThompsonFarm.com.

Getting Ritzy in Krabi

The RitzCarlton Reserve opens on December 22, just in time for Christmas, on Krabi's Phulay Bay. The new getaway destination has 54 villas and a beautiful pavilion, and boasts what company president Simon Cooper calls "oneofakind boutique resorts" with a "sense of place reflecting its history and culture". The rates start at Bt19,550 per night.

Daily Phuket-Saigon flights

AirAsia now flies daily and direct between Ho Chi Minh City and Phuket.

Tassapon Bijleveld of Thai AirAsia says demand for jaunts to south¬ern Vietnam has jumped, with flights to and from Bangkok being 85 per cent full on average.

"The great demand has led us to introduce the visitors from Ho Chi Minh to Phuket, a worldclass holiday destination."

Tutelage in a teapot

Hear John Toomey's tales of the teapot at a Siam Society gathering on December 17. The American lecturer on world history and arts will talk about "Tea Ceramics: China, Thailand, Korea and Japan", an explo¬ration of remarkable utensils forged from earth, air, fire, water - and the human hand and spirit. Admission is Bt200. Call (02) 661 64707 or email info@siamsociety.org.