Travel Thailand: 5 Top Destinations

Travel Thailand: 5 Top Destinations
By Robert Thatcher

With several sights to see and surprises to offer, Thailand could be one of the best locations you should not miss to visit. Culture, beaches, people, and heritage sites are some of the things you can expect when you travel to Thailand.
Bangkok – Traveling Thailand wound not be complete without visiting Bangkok. As the nation’s capital with an estimated population of over 10 million (including the neighboring provinces), this city is by far the largest in the country. The city is divided into 50 districts or khet but for tourists and those who are new in the place, 6 divisions would be more useful. These are Ratchadaphisek in the northeast section of the city, Sukhamvit in the southeast, Silom in the south, Thonburi in the west, Rattanakosin in the central north, and Phahanyothin in the north. The whole Bangkok district would give you a diverse taste of culture, history, religion, modernity, and fast-phase life. You can actually witness how all these blend together to comprise the whole Bangkok package. Buddhist temples, historical museums, towering buildings, contemporary restaurants and hotels, shopping centers, canals and rivers, and food make Bangkok a one of a kind city in Southeast Asia.
Phuket – Down south, Phuket features magnificent beaches, tropical sunsets, white sands, blue seas, and breathtaking sceneries. No wonder it is the most popular vacation destination in Asia beating every beaches of the neighboring countries. It has several beaches like Kata Beach, Karon Beach, Patong Beach, Kamala Beach, and Surin Beach. The island showcases several water sports and activities including parasailing, jet-skiing, and scuba diving. By day, Phuket is alive with beachgoers and shoppers and by night, lights, sounds, and party people dominate the whole island.
Chiang Mai – The second largest city in Thailand with an estimated population of more than 200,000. This city located in the northern part of the country offers greener and quieter city. Chiang Mai’s tourism is becoming more and more popular and permanently settling at this city is very common. When you travel Thailand and visit Chiang Mai, you surely would want to see museums such as Hilltribe Research Institute Museum and the Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Center. With religion and history enriching the city, you can see several Buddhist temples such as Wat Chiang Mun, Wat Chiang Mun, Wat Phra Singh, Wat Oo-Mong, Wat Phra Jao Mengrai, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, and Wat Chedi Luang. The oldest temple dates back in the 11th century. Chiang Mai features attractions such as Chiang Mai Flower Festival in February, Bo Sang Umbrella & Sankampang Handicrafts Festival in January, The 2nd Orchid Fair also in January, and the Loi Krathong Festival usually falls in November.
Pattaya – Located 150 km. north of Bangkok, Pattaya is one of the most popular tourist destinations, which offers great beaches, beer and go-go bars, and a wide array of sport activities. Visit Pattaya when you travel Thailand is a must. Although it is the most overdeveloped part of the country in terms of tourism, prices in Pattaya still remains with reach. In fact, prices of foods, accommodation, and transportations are very affordable.
Krabi – In a small province of Krabi lies a small town with the same name. Paying a visit Krabi town when you travel Thailand is worth the time. Located south of Bangkok near Phuket and Phi Phi island, the town features great beaches along with high end hotels and not so expensive hotel that cater tourists of different classes.
Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides Thailand travel resources on http://www.your-thailand-travel.info.
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Festival in chiangmai

travel in thailandYi Peng Festival
Yi Peng Festival is held annually on Loi Krathong day. It is a very interesting event of Chiang Mai. The festival features launching lanterns into the sky to worship the gods. There are also fireworks, lantern contests, and beauty pageants.


Bo Sang Umbrella Festival
Bo Sang Umbrella Festival is held in January in Bo Sang Handicraft Centre. The festival features paper products, paper parasols in particular, cultural shows, a parade showing traditional ways of life, and several contests.


City Pillar Inthakin Festival
City Pillar Inthakin Festival is held to invoke blessings of peace, happiness and prosperity for the city and its residents. Buddha images are paraded around the city. It is held at Wat Chedi Luang for 7 auspicious days and nights in the 7th lunar month.


Doi Suthep Pilgrimage
On the night of Visakha Bucha Day, worshippers gather to light candles and make the 7-kilometre pilgrimage up to the temple on Doi Suthep.


Flower Festival
Flower Festival is held in February. The festival includes ornamental garden flower contests, floral floats parade in the morning and beauty pageants. The parade begins at Chiang Mai Railway Station and passes Nawarat Bridge and ends at Nong Buak Hat Park.


Songkran Festival
Songkran Festival is held annually from 13 to 15 April. The 13th of April is the Great Songkran day featuring the revered Phra Phutthasihing Buddha image parade around Chiang Mai town for bathing, sand pagoda making, blessing of elders, and water splashing.

PHUKET TO HOST 19th BABA-PERANAKAN CONVENTION
Travel in thailand

Date : AlwayPlace : PhuketThe 19th Baba - Peranakan convention will be held in Phuket, Thailand, during 1-3 December 2006 under ‘the Golden Chain of the Baba Peranakan’ theme. The three-day event will feature a seminar, exhibition, and Peranakan culture show.
Peranakan are local born Chinese descendants whose fathers or ancestors married to local women and settled in the Malay Peninsula which includes Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, particularly in the south. This community has adapted their cultures and lives in harmony with locals and call themselves ‘Baba – Peranakan’.
The annual event is co-hosted by the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (PPAO), Thai Peranakan Association and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Participants will include representatives from brethren associations from Singapore, Malacca, Penang, Kuala Lampur and Thailand.
The PPAO’s Chief Executive Officer Anchalee Vanit Theppabutra said the event aims at promoting their unique culture and provides an opportunity for the Baba – Peranakan communities to foster and share their common heritage.
The PPAO is also working with Satree Phuket School to have student guides lead participants on tours of Phuket city’s cultural routes under Baba – Peranakan Phuket City Tour programmes.
The Baba-Peranakan exhibitionThe Baba-Peranakan exhibition will also be held during November 25 – December 5, 2006 on the 3rd floor of Central Festival. Old photos depicting various aspects of Baba-Peranakan culture and way of life will be on display.
Anchalee further states that the association is now open for new membership to keep the heritage alive.
More information can be obtained at the PPAO’s Education Department tel. 076 217087 or www.phuketcity.org

Contact information: TAT Southern Office – Region 4 Tel: +66 (0) 7621 2213, (0) 7621 1036, (0) 66 7621 7138Fax: +66 (0) 7621 3582E-mail: tatphket@tat.or.th

Long-stay in Thailand

Linked to the health-and-holiday concept is the promotion of long-stay visitors, with is mainly targeted at getting retirees from countries that have harsh winters and a higher cost of living to stay for extended periods in Thailand, where it is both warmer and less expensive.
Thailand owes much of its international popularity to the remarkable variety of its natural attractions. On offer is a tremendous choice of settings – blissful beaches and islands, rugged hills and jungles, teaming rivers and waterfalls.
Now a related product of this diverse environment, the country's rich natural healing heritage has started to attract a new generation of discerning tourists. With the increasing international popularity of health centred holidays, Thailand is pushing to the fore its world-renowned traditional massage, herbal steam baths, healing arts,
meditation, aromatherapy, yoga, acupuncture, cookery and beauty treatments, as will as an ever-expanding selection of world-class spas. Longer stays are the order of the day as visitors seek not just to experience these healthy ways fleetingly but to absorb maximum benefits over an extended period, while at the same time experiencing the country's history and culture at a deeper level. Once the process of rejuvenation and enlightenment starts to bear fruit, the logic of making this choice becomes beautifully apparent and quite irresistible.
What to do during your long-stay in Thailand

- Enjoy the healthy Thai food and learn the art of Thai cooking
- Enjoy the benefits of traditional Thai massage or learn the techniques for yourself at numerous resorts and spas, as well as the famous Wat Po in Bangkok
- Enjoy traditional Thai healing in the form of a herbal steam bath designed to improve circulation, reduce stress and muscle fatigue, enhance the respiratory system, ease allergies and cure skin ailments.
- Meditate your way to health and happiness.
- Rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit in a distinctively Thai atmosphere at the finest of spas
- Take up yoga and achieve harmony of mine, body and spirit
- Experience the rejuvenating power of the 4,000 -year-old Chinese art of acupuncture, a technique that awakens the body's self-healing responses and restores the balance of yin and yang.
- Experience the holistic healing power of aromatherapy and wave good-bye to negative energies and depression.
- Pamper yourself with all kinds of beauty treatments, modern and traditional, at amazing Thai prices.
- Learn the Thai language for a better understanding of the country and its people, so making your long-stay more fun and meaningful.
Suggested programmes
HEALTH & ADVENTURE
Day 1: By road to Chachoengsao to pay homage to the revered Luang Pho Sothon Buddha image at Wat Sothon Wararam Worawihan. Visit Wat Pho Bangkhla to see the fruit bats living there. After lunch, by road to Prachin Buri for inspection of Phraya Abhaibhubet Hospital's facilities. Dinner and overnight at Prachin Buri.
Day 2 : Spent the whole day taking part in the various health programmes or enjoy Thai massage and herbal sauna facilities at Phraya Abhaibhubet Hospital . Dinner and overnight in Prachin Buri.
Day 3 : Depart for Sa Kaeo, stopping to buy silk items at Kabin Buri. Lunch at Aranyaprathet on Cambodian border, followed by shopping at Rong Kreua market. On to Nakhon Nayok. Dinner and overnight at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.
Day 4 : Briefing and visit to academy's museum. Enjoy a orning of activities from tower parachute jumps to biking, canoeing and swimming. Lunch at the clubhouse. Depart for Bangkok