April and May are full of holidays here in Thailand (must have something to do with the fact that these two months tend to be the country's hottest). One fascinating holiday that's coming up is the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which takes place on May 9 this year. The ceremony, which has been observed for more than 700 years, is part Brahmin ritual, part royal ceremony and it celebrates rice. Interesting, isn't it?

Thailand's monarchy is one of the things that makes the country so fascinating and alluring. While Thailand is a democracy with elected leaders, it also has a King and Queen who are considered the country's leaders. If you're coming from Europe, that may not seem so foreign, though for Americans it's not something we're used to. Find out more about the Thai monarchy, and what you need to know about it when you visit.

Earlier this month Thailand and the rest of the region were watching for a potential tsunami generated by an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia. Luckily a destructive tsunami did not materialize, but thousands of people in Phuket and other parts of the coast were forced to evacuate to higher ground until they got the all clear. The good news is that the tsunami warning systems put in place after the devastating 2004 Tsunami worked. People were warned in plenty of time and evacuation procedures seemed to be functioning. Tsunamis are very rare occurrences, but when they happen the destruction than can create is nearly unfathomable. Read up on tsunamis in Thailand.

Songkran came and went a couple of weeks ago and, right on schedule, on its heels is some seriously hot weather. How hot is it in Bangkok? This week it's been hovering in the high 90s and once in a while bumping into the low 100s. Even that might be tolerable but for the humidity. That's what we love about living in the tropics though! Seriously, it is really hot and muggy right now and the sun is relentless. There just isn't much you can do to stay comfortable, other than by staying indoors except early morning and late evening. Thank goodness this is the land of swimming pools. Here's more about Thailand's weather.