Top Ten: Things to Do in Thailand by Mark Eveleigh
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Perfect Beach
With 1,700 miles of coastline in two blissfully tropical (and usually tranquil) seas Thailand has the perfect beach to match your tastes; Pattaya, Phuket and Ko Samui are all-time favourites with the party crowd; Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Lanta are the rising stars but tiny Ko Phi Phi manages to retain a reputation as a beautiful and laid-back tropical backwater. ‘PP’ as it is affectionately called is small enough so that you can walk from end to end in about 2 hours – over a rainforest ridge that is seemingly worlds away from the busy beach. At the far northern tip of the island is the wonderful stretch of white sand and turquoise water around cape Laemthong, and one of the last settlements of Chao Ley (‘Sea Gypsies’).
Hill Tribe Trekking
Chiang Mai is the usual departure point for Thailand’s ‘northern wilderness’ and many visitors combine a beach/island holiday with a trek to visit the hill tribes or to see the famed Golden Triangle. During the high season more accessible valleys can become overrun with tour groups but a knowledgeable and reliable guide can help to assure a level of ‘exclusivity.’
The highlands remain relatively cool (at times, nights can be downright chilly) and are ideal for trekking. The Akha hill tribe are perhaps the proudest and most traditional (although the poorest) and a night spent in one of their villages – protected by carved guardians, with genitalia of sufficient size to frighten even the spirits – is a highlight of many visits to Thailand.
Magnificent Temples
Bangkok’s magnificent Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) and Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) are the most iconographic temple complexes in Thailand. Wat Phra Kaew is the site of more than 100 holy buildings and few visitors leave without spending a day exploring the ancient royal and religious neighbourhood that makes up this part of Bangkok.
It is said that Thailand has a temple for every face in this land of smiles and, while this might be a slight exaggeration, no matter where you travel you are sure to come across more than a few Buddha’s, stupas, prangs (Khmer-style towers) and wats. For something very different in the way of temple visits, head to Wat Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampanno Forest Monastery, which is also a home for orphaned tigers.
Luxurious Spa
Chiva-Som is one of the world’s most luxurious spas. The 57-room resort is set in seven acres of beachfront tropical gardens – with handsome Thai-style pavilions, turquoise pools and tumbling waterfalls – in Hua Hin: the coastal hideaway of Thai royalty and elite. The resort has more than 80 therapists specialising in everything from holistic health, to skin rejuvenation techniques, to yoga, to massage, to Reiki, to aromatherapy to Tai’Chi. This year Chiva-Som is further extending its facilities to offer an incomparable menu of 150 different treatments. The award-winning Banyan Tree spa offers a couple of Thailand’s most exclusive and luxurious retreats in Bangkok and Phuket.
Traditional City
Once spurned as a sweltering, noisy, over-populated Asian metropolis Bangkok has now taken a place as a thriving and attractive business and leisure capital. The key to a relaxing visit is to avoid the congested roads wherever possible and travel instead by river or along the web of canals. Bangkok’s greatest appeal to western travellers lies perhaps in the reluctance of this modern city to shed its character as the religious and royal heartland of the country. Despite being one of the world’s most exciting cities, with an almost incomparable nightlife, it is a staunchly traditional city. There are countless temples and every workplace (even down to the seediest haunts of the red-light districts) is equipped with a shrine to which workers will always bow at the start of their working day/night.
Dozens of Elephants
Elephants have always held an immensely important place in Thai tradition. The biggest event on the pachyderm calendar is the re-enactment of the great wild elephant round-up, which takes place in Surin (near the Cambodia border). It features up to 300 immaculately turned out elephants. The highlight is the choreographed battle scene with dozens of fighting elephants saddled with spear-studded howdahs.
Kanchanaburi – of ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ fame – is the centre for elephant treks and if you want to know more about the well-being and the problems that these gentle giants face in modern day Thailand visit the Thai Elephant Conservation Center near Chiang Mai.
Diving Expeditions
Similan Islands National Park is probably the jewel in Thailand’s submarine crown. The park is made up of nine islands about 50 miles off Thailand’s Andaman Sea coast, and is renowned as one of the premier dive-sites on the planet. The coral reefs are among the world’s best but there are also astounding sea mountains and drop-offs, home to everything from the humble sea-cucumber to the awesome whale shark. There are no dive facilities in the park itself but day-trips and multi-day live-aboard expeditions can be arranged with reputable dive-operators on the mainland or on Phuket.
Souvenir Shopping
Approach the unavoidable bouts of haggling with a smile and good humour and you will realise that Bangkok is a shopper’s dream. With almost a dozen huge malls and super-stores (like MBK, Central World Plaza and Central Chidlom), Bangkok can satisfy the tastes of even the most demanding shopaholic. The Chatuchack Weekend Market however, remains the great granddaddy of all markets. You could spend all Saturday exploring and still come across ‘unexplored territory’ on Sunday.
For something different take a dawn trip to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (about 40 mins from Bangkok). Souvenir stalls are plentiful but take a closer look at the stock and the clientele and it becomes clear that this remains a working local market and a real Thai icon.
Cookery Courses
Cooking courses have appeared in pretty much every part of Thailand that boast, both hungry tourists and lemongrass. Chiang Mai might well be the capital for courses though: from massage, to Thai language, to kick-boxing. Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School is the oldest and most established but there are more than a dozen independent cooking schools in Chiang Mai and many more guesthouses offering this facility. The best courses will often include visits to the local market and even orchards so that you also learn how to choose the best raw material for your culinary masterpieces.
Eye on Eco
Thailand’s dense population (coupled with decades of refugee arrivals from across the borders) has put great pressure on natural resources. An estimated 28% of the country’s natural forest cover still remains, but logging of natural forest has been banned since 1989, and the government hopes to reforest back to 50% by the middle of this century. Many sensitive tour operators with an eye on sustainable tourism in this beautiful country are working for the benefit of the rural people, wildlife and environment as a whole. There are also many NGO’s in the country that rely on volunteer assistance – most notably The Wild Animal Rescue Foundation of Thailand, Friends of Asian Elephant and the Tiger Temple.
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