Interesting places in Thailand

BANGKOK

The capital city of Thailand, located on the huge Chao Phraya River (Menam), 20 kilometers from the Gulf of Thailand; it is the city with 7 million inhabitants. It is a place combining many cultures and various social stratums. Next to modern sky-scrapers and hotel complexes built for crowds of tourists visiting the city, there are many poor inhabitants of the city living there.
The Old Town lies in the very centre of Bangkok and is its historic spirit. The Grand palace with the Emerald Buddha worshipped by the Thai people is located here. Moreover, the oldest temple in the city and the place of royal ceremonies, which is one of the few areas without any buildings in the city, are also situated here.

While visiting Bangkok, it is also worth to visit a lively Chinese district. In the past, it was a kind of a financial centre of the city and, although it lost much of its economic significance, it is still a fast developing part of the city.

The Dusit is a centre of the governmental district of Thailand and it is an oasis of peace and quiet in the city full of chaos. Streets with planted trees and old low buildings are still preserved here. In the neighborhood, there is the royal “marble” Wat Benchamabophit temple and the Chitrlada Palace – the residence of the royal couple. In the Dusit there are also: The National Assembly, the seat of the government, a few ministries and the residence of the prime minister. As a setoff to the governmental center, there is also much entertainment offered here, for example, horse racing in the Royal Turf Club, boxing in the Ratchadamnoen stadium and a zoological garden.

The Wat Arun, whose name commemorates the Hindu god of dawn, Arun, is an extraordinary building in Bangkok. Its name comes from a legend Taksin king – he was supposed to come here at the dawn in October 1767. The ruler changed a small temple standing here into the Royal Chapel, where the Emerald Buddha was kept. Its main prang is 67-meter high and the base circuit amounts to 234 meters. The style of this historical building, is unique in Thailand and comes particularly from the Khmer architecture.

Many interesting monuments and other tourist attractions are located outside the city. In the eastern direction, there is the Sukhumvit street with numerous shops, restaurants, small galleries and museums. The shopping lovers should not omit the Chatuchak bazaar and a show, i.e., the swimming Damnoen Saduak market, located west from the city. In the southern and eastern direction, there are many parks, for example, the City of Monuments with the copies of the most important Thai historical buildings. In the vicinity, there is the Crocodile Farm, where crocodile fights take place; to meet some wild-life, it is worth to go to the Safari Word. Art and antique lovers will find the Prasart Museum interesting. A very pleasant one-day trip can be made to the green outskirts of the city – Nonthaburi and south from Bangkok to Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom cities, where the highest Buddhist building – Phra Pathom Czedi is located. In the Rose Garden, there are rides on elephants and shows presenting the Thai culture.

THE MENAM LOWLAND

The historic centre of Thailand and the richest region with the biggest density of population. Both dynamically developing cities and vast rice fields coexist here. Two nature reserves and national parks are located here and tourists seeking adventure can meet wild animals here. A very interesting city for tourists and one of the oldest cities in Thailand located in this region is Lop Buri and Ajutthaja. In addition to that, the remnants of the Sukhothai Kingdom and its satellite towns, such as: Kamphaeng Phet and Si Satchanalai are also worth seeing. They have been lately renovated and turned into a well-organized historic park. The attention of tourists is also drawn by a lively trade center Phitsanulok which is an important communication junction linking the region with Bangkok and the northern part of the country. In the neighborhood of Mae Sot, Burmese influence is clearly visible in the town architecture; very often Karen, Shan and also Burmese people cross the border to handle goods here.

NORTHERN THAILAND

It is one of the most interesting regions in Thailand due to its rich history and the beauty of its landscapes. A tourist attraction here is Chiang Mai city– the second-biggest metropolis in Thailand. A lot of old temples, ruins of the former old town, national museum and many shops with souvenirs, restaurants and other entertaining places are located here.

The further northern part of Thailand is known as the Golden Triangle; it is a land divided by borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos and historically connected with the production of opium. Currently, its picturesque region is inhabited by numerous mountain tribes and attracts the lovers of hiking.

The biggest attraction here are its picturesque and different landscapes. A hiking trip among braes densely overgrown by trees, along the border with Burma and Laos on the Mekong, which winds along the border of this region, can make a lasting impression on the visitors.

THE KORAT PLAIN

One of the least fertile regions of Thailand inhabited by the poorest Tai people, but it is a place of numerous monuments from the period of Khmer empire’s reign in this region. Within a few last years, beautiful stone temples in Phnom Rung and Phimai located at the road linking the plain with the capital city of Khmer country in the past – Angkor, were thoroughly renovated. The center of this region is Korat city that leads to other interesting towns and sites of this region, although it requires traveling a long distance. North from Korat there are two cities: Khon Kaen and Roi Et; further to the north there is a prehistoric site called the Ban Chiang. Main tourist attractions located east from Korat include the Khmer temples in Phimai and Phnom Rung. In the neighborhood, there are Ban Ta Klang and Surin that have historic links with elephant trade.

THE MEKONG VALLEY

It is an agricultural region of Thailand which is relatively rarely visited by tourists and due to this fact it remained unchanged up to now. A town called Pha Taem with its prehistoric paintings on the walls showing huge figures and untypical geometric patterns is worth the attention. Not far away from this place, in Khong Chiam, the Mun River connects itself with the Mekong River and creates “the Two Color River”. At this place, the Mekong leaves the territory of Thailand and flows to Laos an later to Cambodia. Due to the fact that the border between Thailand and Cambodia is the place of military fights, it is not always possible to get to one of the most magnificent sites of Khmer architecture- the Prasat Khao Phra Wihan.

SOUTHERN THAILAND

One of the most diversified regions of Thailand both from the cultural and geographical point of view. Next to mountain areas overgrown by tropical forests, there are also vast sandy beaches. On the shallow waters there are rugged and inaccessible calcareous islands and rocks with the height of almost 300 meters. The majority of tourists visiting this region, stay in the sea resorts such as Phuket and Krabi, but the far south offers also many attractions, for example, historical towns– Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, and nature untouched by human activity. In the south, there is a hot and humid climate for the whole year long; monsoons bring to the Andamanese cost rainfalls from May to October and to the Gulf of Thailand from November to April. This region differs much from the rest of the country in many aspects. Local architecture and ethnic groups are under a visible Hindu, Chinese an Malay influence. The skin color of the inhabitants is much darker, they have a very melodious dialect related with Malay and Indonesian language ad their dishes are spicier and include curry with curcuma. The majority of inhabitants are Muslim.

THE GULF OF THAILAND

This region is mainly known for its large number of resorts visited by the crowds of tourists from all over the world. The beaches spreading for a few kilometers are a paradise for sun lovers. Tourists have a lot of possibilities here to do water sports and to try local seafood dishes. Nevertheless, apart from its recreational advantages, the Gulf of Thailand is also a rich source of valuable monuments and is a ethnic and cultural mosaic. Extremely picturesque and untouched islands are located in the vicinity of modern and extremely build-up resorts; in some areas of the coast there are petroleum refineries and industrial complexes, but further in the land, there are magnificent and rarely visited national parks.

The western part of the Gulf of Thailand with many kilometers of sandy beaches remains under a visible influence of Islamic culture. There are also beautiful hotels here and all the attractions that tourists are looking forward to during their stay in Thailand.