Thailand from North to South - A trip to open the mind

One of the places that surprised me the most was Thailand. The place where everything is possible. I have traveled in Thailand for about 6 months.
Thailand erstwhile known as Siam is situated in Southeast Asia. It is bordered in the North by Myanmar (Burma) and Laos, East by Laos also and Cambodja, in the South by Malasya and Gulf of Thailand and in the west by Myanmar´s sea.

The Thai people are very friendly but can be a bit reserved sometimes. They are open minded and relax. More than 90% of Thais are Buddhists. Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand. Catholics represent about 0.7% of the all the population. The Thai food is exceptionally diverse and well spiced. You have to taste the Pad Thai varieties or the curries. You can taste the best specialities in street markets or restaurants. Many guides advice people not to eat in the street markets. I love eating there for shure.

The tourism in Thailand had a big boom in the near past and some areas were afected by mass tourism. But there are many beautifull places to go. Go there before they dissapear.

If you go to Thailand for the first time and have your flight to Bangkok you should stay in one of the many guest houses or hotels near Kao San Road. This is like a starting point for travelers.

Kao San road

A special warning to readers about the male Thai ladyboys. It is advisable to redouble attention in night scenes, especially if the night is long and you end up drinking more than usual. Male travelers often get very upset when they discover, too late, that they have a girlfriend that is "different."



Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand and it´s huge, noisy, busy and has a lot to offer to travelers. Bangkok has about 12 milion people and is the economic center of the country. In Bangkok you can enjoy the day walking aroud and visiting cultural places, markets and the gastronomy. The
The nightlife in the city is also very fun. Khao san road has many diferent bars for you to appreciate,  have fun and meet people.     

The city has many cultural and historical places to visit. In the list below you can see the most wanted and interesting to go:

1.  The Grand Palace - the most famous and spectacular city land mark. It was build in 1782 by King Rama 1 and for 150 years was home of the Thai kings. One of the main attractions inside the complex of the palace is the Temple of Emerald Buddha. The emerald buddha is carved from a single block of jade. You have to be properly dressed to enter and cannot take photos. The admission fee is about 400Baht




2. Wat Arun (The temple of dawn) The admission fee is about 100Baht
3. Wat Pro (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha),
4. the floating markets (Bang Khu Wiang Floating Market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - take the bus 73 on Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Thai) and catch the yellow bus to the market(cheaper) or go by boat. Taling Chan Floating Market)
5.  the Dusit Zoo. It has more than 300 mammals and 1000 birds.
6. Siam Ocean World, the largest aquarium in South Asia. It ocuppies an area of about 10000 square meters and displays hundreds of different water animals having a water volume of 5 million liters.

Recomended places to stay in Bangkok:

•  Four Sons House: it isn´t in Kao San Road but it´s near. Cheap and quiet. Best for backpack travelers.

• Villa Cha-Cha: it´s near Kao San. A bit more expensive but with more services like wi-fi, restaurant and others.

• K.S. House (Guest House & Restaurant)

• Buddy Lodge: Nice hotel where you can taste thai meals and varieties of western dishes.

                                        

Advices in Bangkok:

• If you leave Bangkok´s airports by taxi just take a registered one.
• If you travel out of Bangkok in the big and lighted travel buses please look out for your bags. When the motorist or the crew alerts you to see if your wallets, money and possessions are well kept don´t put your hands on them. Confirm it earlier. In some cases during the night or when you are sleeping they robe you and you don´t even notice.  
• During your stay in Bangkok never buy ilicit stuff to taxi drivers or tuk tuk drivers near Kao San.
• Haggle always the prices with sellers.
• Control your luggage when traveling.

   

                                                                Bangkok easy guide (click)

After some days visiting Bangkok you can go North to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, into Mountain or Forest or go South to the beaches and islands paradises.

If you go to North Thailand to Chiang Mai, you will taste multi experienses. In Kao San Raod you can easily find a good price for tickets to Chiang Mai. The gastronomy is realy rich and marvelous. You can temple spotting or walk to the country side trekking. The scenarío is lovely. It´s a mixture of mountain and forest. I love the Doi Inthanon National Park. It´s a great place to see Thailand´s animals in the wild and be in contact with nature. The park covers a total area of 48.240 hectares.

What to do in Chiang Mai: Chaing Mai has more than 300 budhist temples(Wat). You should visit them. The most important are: Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep ( The city most great temple), Wat Chiang Man( the oldest temple) , Wat Umong (a forest and cave temple in the foothills west of Ching Mai) and many others you can see. If you go there in mid April (from 13th to 15th) dont miss Songkran festival the traditional New Year's Day). If you go there in February dont miss Chiang Mai Flower Festival. A 3 day festival held during the first weekend in February when Chiang Mai's temperate and tropical flowers are in full bloom. National Museum and Tribe Museum (history and culture of the local mountain tribes). Hill-tribe trekking: Many tour companies offer organized treks among the local hills and forests on foot or on elephant back. Also visit the various local hill tribes.                                                                                                    elephant trekking                                                                                                                          chiang mai easy guide ( click)

 

Recomended places to stay in Chiang Mai:

• The Pub Backpacker: It is simple, quiet and cheap. For backpakers.
• Awanahouse: Another quiet and cheap guesthouse

On the otherwise if you go South Bangkok there are many Islands that you have to visit and other cool palces.
You can stay some days in Cha Am, the area where Thais do vacations. I didn´t find it very interesting to see. After you can buy a Bus ticket to Chumphon, an abandoned merchant city. This city is huge and looks a bit abandoned because of the change in the routes of the merchants.
You can stay the night there and the catch the fery to Koh Tao, the dive paradise.

If you want or need to relax, to snorkl or dive or take a dive course this is the place to do it. The variety of sea life is exuberant and the dive courses are very cheap. This is one of the beautifull islands of Thailand. Koh Tao is considered the dive´s center in Thailand. It has beautifull crystal water and many coral reefs to explore. You have many diving companies and they have almost the cheapest courses in the worls. Koh Tao is considererd almost exclusively a diving destination. The infraestructures in this island are very basic.

                                                                                This is an exelent paradise for relax your mind and body and live close with nature. The confort and luxury is substituted by the peace, beauty and nature of the island. It is small and  measures just about 21 square km. But it is realy big in beauty and it is considered a Heaven for those  who seek natural beaches and hikking in the wild. It´s a cheap island to stay a few days. Just explore the island and enjoy it´s natural beauty.

The Mae Haad is the door of Koh Tao. It is an "ungoverned vilage" where you can find many ocidental restaurants, internet spot, ATM, 7 eleven and other things. It´s better to go to other quiet places in Koh Tao. The Saire Beach is the most popular spot of Koh Tao. It offers the most extensive sands of the island and where are concentrated major dive centers, hotels, inns, restaurants and the most interesting beach bars on the island. Most likely, this is the place where the traveler spend most of their leisure time. But look out because drinks and dive don´t combine together. The Bans Divers and the Asian Divers are the two most popular and safe diving schools but there are many others. Koh Tao is a paradise for amateur divers.

After some days there you should go to the next island - Koh Phangan. In my opinion it is one of the best places to go if you travel to Thailand. You can go by ferry boat.





This island is very special. It offers to travelers a mixture of peace an harmony with having fun, parties and agitacion. The best thing to do is rent a scooter and discover the place. The North of Koh Phangan is quiet and calm. In contrast with the South of the island where takes place the full moon party or other knowen festivals like Half Moon party, Dark Moon Party or Jungle parties. Koh Phangan is a paradise for those who want to rest the mind and have fun. You can sleep in the North of the island and go to the south to have fun. You take about 45 minutes by scooter. It´s the best thing to do. In North you have a great palce to sleep and eat in Mae Hat - Haad Mae Hat View Resort. This unique complex of bungalows is situated in Northwest of island and it´s managed by a cool and friendly family. The palce is great and beautifull and a bit hidden in the left side of the beach.

                      

Mae Haad View Resort 

 

                                                                        Mae Haad Beach

The north part of the island has also great beaches to explore and coral reefs to snorkle or dive. The place is amazing. The snorkle is amazing and with luck you can see a whale shark passing by. The nature in the island is also varied. You can see big varanos, snakes, tropical fishes and many other species. You can see the waterfalls, explore the hight points and absorve the positive energy around this island. You have to go to Thong Sala. There is an exeptional food market where you can eat and try a big variety of traditional food.

 

                                                                         Thong Sala food market



In the South of Koh Phangan you find great parties to have fun. Haad Rin beach is the most animated and crowded place by night as you can see in the video below.

 

 

If you decide to leave Koh Phangan you can take a ferry to the next istand Koh Samui. In my opinion this island is a bit crowded with mass tourism. You can stay a few days and explore the island or you can catch a ferry to Surat Thani and from there catch a minibus to Satun and the catch a a ferry to Koh Tarutao - the first marine national park of Thailand. It is a natural reserve island in the south of Thailland.  This is the paradise. The island hasn´t cars. You can move yourself by renting a bike or walking. You also don´t always electricity. You can hike and explore the nature of the island. You have the eagle´s temple to see or the crocodile´s cave to kayak. It is a great island to visit. It´s almost natural and with very few tourists.

 

                                                                                    koh Tarutao

 

If you leave Koh Samui by plane you can go to Phuket a great island to have fun. It is a beautifull and crowded island where the nature is still preserved, not destroyed.

 

Thailand is a great country to visit and it´s beauty is enormous. If you want to relax your mind and have some adventure and fun this is definitly a great destination to travel. The people, the places and the food are great realy. Don´t miss it