Thailand Info for tourists

Doi Suthep : a mountain of history, legend and tradional

2012-01-19T02:21:00.000-08:00

Doi Suthep is among Thailand's highest mountain, located about 18 kilometers from the Chiang Mai city. This mountain is one of most famous tourist attraction during the day in Thailand, because it offers many things to do and to see.

What attracts both Thai tourists and foreigners to travel to this more than 1000 kilometers above the average sea level high mountain is the temple, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. This temple can be seen from the city and the people there say, that if you didn't visit this temple, then you are not arrived in Chiang Mai yet. This temple is believed to be build in 1383. Due to the White Elephant legend a monk found a piece of bone which is believed to be the bone of lord Buddha and this piece of bone has magical power. It duplicated itself in two pieces, one was placed on Wat Suan Dok and the other was placed on the back of a white elephant released in the forest. The white elephant then climbed up Doi Suthep, trumpeted three times and died. This was seen as a sight and the King ordered to build a temple at the location. To reach to temple one have to climb more than 300 steps of naga lined stairs, this is the traditional way. But for those who aren't capable of doing this or just not willing to do, they can take the tramp, which costs 30 Baht for foreigners. In addition to the magnificent Buddha and Jedis that you can see here, this temple offers a view point, from which you can see the whole Chiang Mai city.

Once you finished visiting the temple, you can go further to Doi Pui and Phu Phing Palace.

Phu Chi Fa : at sky pointed mountain

2012-01-16T21:47:00.000-08:00

Phu Chi Fa is a mountain located in Chiang Rai. It is quite popular for Thai tourists, but for foreign or western tourist, is quite unknown. Because of its pointed summit, people named it Puh Chi Fa, which means, a mountain, that's pointing to the sky. This is an ideal place for those seeking peace and nature.

What most tourists expecting to see, when they visit Pu Chi Fa, is the sunrise in the morning, when the mountain is covered with fog. And when the sun rises, the fog slowly disappears, then you have to wonderful view of the Mekhong River. The best view point is at the summit on top of the mountain, which can't be reached by car, so you will have to walk or take a bike.

Chiang Mai : the historical capital of Lanna culture

2012-01-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

Chiang Mai is undoubtly one of the most visited places in Thailand and that for a good reason. There are plenty to do and to see in Chiang Mai, is it shopping that you want to do, some adventure like elephant riding or water rafting, visiting beautiful temples and ruins or just a quite place to calm yourself.

Chiang Mai once was the capital of the Lanna kingdom, that's why you will see ruins of wall and the four gates of 700 years old in middle of the city. And alongside this wall, there is a canal which was build to protect the city in the past. There are more historical relics to see in this city, such as Wat Jedi Luang, a temple ruin of more than 500 years.

And in this city full of ruins there are also modern building and shopping centers, but what attracts shopping tourist to Chiang Mai aren't these malls though. It's the Night bazaar or Night market, which is consisted of plenty of stalls offering handmade goods, such as silk, silver jewelry or paper umbrella. And if you want to buy those in mass, you can visit the producing places, which are in the city and not difficult to get there.

And for families activities you can visit the Chiang Mai zoo, one of Thailand's biggest zoos and here there is the Night Safari trip, a trip take you around the zoo in the night. This zoo is at the foothill of Doi Suthep, a high mountain with waterfalls and hill tribe villages. At the top of mountain it the Phratat Doi Suthep, a sacred temple, which offer a wonderful view to Chiang Mai city. And if you go further, there are hill tribe villages for tourist to visit. And for adventure lovers, there is an elephant riding tour at the Mae Sa Valley.

Chiang Khong : the gate to Luang Prabang

2012-01-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

Chiang Khong is a small town in Chiang Rai, Thailand's nothernmost city. It's a small typical Thai town with nothing special, but if one explore this little small town properly, you will discover the charm of Chiang Khong.

Many tourists come to Chiang Khong in order just to cross the border to Laos to go to Luang Prabang, so most of them don't have to time or just don't to stay in Chiang Khong, so they don't have the chance to get to know this little small town.

But if one have the time to stay, he or she will find, that Chiang Khong is a town that is good for relaxing. And there are also some attractions, like the little water fall in the hill, it's an ideal place for those, who want to spend a quiet day without being surrounded by people. But because it's a little bit difficult to get there, there aren't many people that know this place. And you can rent a bike, biking along side the Mekhong River and around the town, the road here is quite ideal for biking, and there aren't lots of cars on the road, except that you are riding the bike on the main road.

And in the evening you can have a nice dinner at the many nice restaurants alongside the Mekhong River. The view from those restaurants is quite something, you can see the lights from the many restaurants on the Laos side. But after midnight, everything closes and it becomes really quiet.

Doi Tung : most beautiful garden in Thailand

2012-01-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

Doi Tung is one of the most famous destinations for tourist visiting Thailand because of its nature beauty. There are many things that draw travelers here, such as many hill tribe villages, the palace of the King’s mother and the Mae Fah Luang Garden.

In Doi Tung there are hill tribe villages of several hill tribe races, like Akah, Egoh, Chan and Maew, for you to visit. Their tradition way of life is really interesting, their foods, their clothes and such, you won’t get to see elsewhere in the world. And like in many tourist attractions, there are souvenirs for you to buy.

The palace of the King’s mother, or Phra Tam Nak Doi Tung called in Thai, has its unique charm, which make it really attractive for tourists. It fuses the Lanna and Swiss architectural styles, which resulted in a really impressive sculpture.

Then the highlight of this place, the Mae Fah Luang Garden. Mae Fah Luang is the name given to the King’s mother by Thai people, it means, mother of big sky, because of her, Doi Tung, which used to be a place for growing opium, has become such a beautiful place. The garden is full of beautiful flowers. You don’t want to let you chance of visiting this place go if you are in Chiang Rai.

by tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com

Mae Sai : Thailand’s northernmost city

2012-01-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Thailand’s northernmost city, a border town, which is a stepping stone for visit Mynmar and it is a good a starting point for traveler to visit tourist attraction in this area, like the Golden Triangle and Doi Tung.

To get here there is a bus from Chiang Rai which will cost you just 40 Baht and take about 1.5 hours. But the bus will take you just to the bus station, which is located about 2 kilometers away from the border, so you have to take the songthaew, it will cost you twenty Baht more.

Mae Sai is probably the only tourist attraction in Thailand, which has Thai people more than foreigner coming here. They come here to cross the border to Tachileik, the town opposite to Mae Sai in the Burma side, to go shopping there. The Tachileik market offers you very cheap products of all kind, but with low price comes low quality, which are mainly imported from China. There are some forbidden products, which are not allowed to take across the border. And there are limit of how many things you can take across the border, if what you bought surpasses the limit, you will have to pay tax. The market is really crowded, and you will be charged, with men and women, selling cigarettes, porn, viagra and such things. Here you have to be really careful, because I have seen many times that tourists provoke the merchants to much, so that it comes to a fight. So if you don’t want to buy what they offer, then just ignore, though they are really stubborn and will follow you and it’s really annoying, but after a time, when they see that you are really not interested, then they will leave you alone. Beside the market, there are some tourist attractions on the Burma side.

The main reason foreign tourists come the Mae Sai is to extend their expiring visa. By going to Burma and coming back to Thailand, it will extend your visa by 15 days. This costs 500 Bath or about 17 Us Dollar.

Oh there is one thing that I like about coming to Mae Sai. The chestnuts, which are freshly prepared on a grill, are very cheap, tasty and aromatic. So don’t miss the chance to try these chestnuts.

by tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com

Wat Rong Khun : Thailand’s white templte

2012-01-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Wat Rong Khun or White temple has its unique beauty and is different from the other temples in Thailand. It was designed by the famous artist Ajarn Chalermchai Kositpipat, whose inspiration to build this temple are nation, religion and the king. The construction began in 1997 till now it isn’t finished and still continue. The artist that he has already planed everything, money for the construction and apprentices who will continue building the temple after his death. What a great man XD

What makes Wat Rong Khun is the white color of Phra Ubosot(ordination hall), which is decorated with white glass. There are large mural paintings of the Lord Buddha in different gestures. A gable is decorated with a gable apex, a leaf-shaped gable-edging - in the shapes of Phya Naga, dragon and mythical creatures, which are entirely made of white stucco. Surrounding Phra Ubosot, there are small hall for recitation, called viharn, reception pavilion and museum of paintings from Ajarn Chalermchai Kosipipat.

Wat Rong Khun isn’t far from Chiang Rai city, you can get there by bus or private car, and is open daily from 9 am - 5 pm. It is one of Thailand's most beautiful temple and a must visit if you ever come to Chiang Rai.

By http://tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com

Thailand's Goldentriangle : an area once famous for opium production

2012-01-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

Goldentriangle, it sounds beautiful right, as if there would be temples or palaces full of gold and such. But in reality there aren’t any magnificent temples or palaces here. But why golden? Because in the past Goldentriangle was an area well-known for the growing of opium. And the opium has so high value that people have to trade gold for it, which was called “black gold”, in the exact same weight. And where the triangle comes from? You can guess right? It’s because this area is where the three country Thailand, Burma and Laos meet.

Goldentriangle is in ampoe Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai, which is northernmost part of Thailand. So it is really far from Bangkok, if you want to go there you can take a plane to the airport in Chiang Rai, it will take you about one hour, or if you want to travel by car, it will take you about ten hours of non-stop driving.

Many tourist come to Goldentriangle with high expectation to see something special, they sure will be disappointed. But it doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to and not worth coming here. Just don’t expect too much. The spot where the Mekhong river and the Ruak river meets is quite beautiful, from there you can see Burma and Laos. And that place is where they tried to do something to attract tourists. There is a giant golden Buddha on a ship which is called “Phra Chiang Saen Si Pan Din” and elephant statues where you can clamber to pose atop a palanquin. Around this area there are many souvenir shops and restaurant where you can eat and enjoy the view of Mekhong River. Oh and there is a boat ride offered here. It will take you to the small island Don Sao, which belongs to Laos.

And after you finish sightseeing here and still have time left, you can visit Phra Thai Doi Pu Khao, a temple located on the hill just before the Goldentriangle. And one of the most interesting places here that you can’t miss is the Hallo of Opium. It’s one of the best museums in Thailand, which exhibits the history of opium and the process of production, the effect of opium smoking.

by http://tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com

Pattaya floating market : one of the most attractive markets in Thailand

2012-01-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Are you not tired of buying things in big shopping centers, that look like almost everywhere in the world? I am sure that some of you are, but don’t know where to go. Here is my suggestion; Pattaya floating market. Like its name it’s located in Pattaya. You can get there by driving along the Sukhumvit Road heading south passing through Pattaya Central and South. The market is a little bit further from the South Pattaya crossroads. You will see lots of cars parking on the left side of the street and that’s where the Pattaya floating market is.

Although Pattaya floating market is a new built market opened to the public in November 2008. But it is built in the traditional way. Most of the shops are made of wood. In Thai language this market is called “Talad Nam Si Pak”. It means four region floating market. And like its name, this floating market is divided in 4 part, which represents the 4 regions of Thailand; Northern-, Southern-, Central- and North-Eastern (Isan) region. In each part you will find the famous products of that region. Most products here are handmade.

If you go to the northern part, you will find wood carving, silver products, native clothes and paper umbrella. In the Isan part you will get to see scented candles, backrest pillow and mudmee silk. In southern part, there are many products made of coconut and wooden ships models. And in the central part you will be offered with wicker furniture and traditional handmade accessories.

Not only are the products that are different in each region, but the structure of the buildings also different. If you observe the roof carefully, you’ll find that they are different. Each region has its unique style.

Ah and what makes me love this floating market and want to go there again and again is the food that are being sold there. Especially the sweets, there are so many traditional sweets here, and you have to tried all of them. You will love them and want to eat them till your belly explodes XD

And now you must think, a floating market must have boats, right? Yes, there are more than 80 paddle boats here to take you through the canal around the market. You can choose if you’re going to paddle yourself or let the staff do it and you just sit there and relax.

In addition to the products and foods that you can buy here, there are special shows like Coconut-Shell Dance, Dance of the Colorful Torches, North Dance and Kalasin Beauty Dance. Each dance represents its Region. But what I think is the highlight of this place is the sea boxing show. It is really exciting and many of you will like it, especially the male ones.

Oh and you don’t have to wake up early to come to the market because this floating market is opened from 10 am – 24 pm. Pattaya floating market isn’t the only floating market in Thailand, but it surely is one the most beautiful. So if you come to Pattaya, don’t miss this.

By tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com

Mini Siam : Thailand in mini format

2012-01-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

If you are in a car heading to Pattaya, once you get to Naklua, try to look to your left outside the window. You will see two giants with big teeth holding a mace. And above him you will see the sight Mini Siam. Yes, that is what I will tell you about today. But know you may still wonder what the heck is that giant, right? It’s a character in the epic Ramakian, which I think has very high cultural value and should be preserved to the future generation. Thai kids these days are not interested in such things anymore. Though it’s in the Thai book that every Thai student has to learn, but they just learn for the exam then forget all about it. Let’s come back to the topic, if you want to know more about the Ramakian, I will write an article about it when I have time.

Mini Siam or Mueng Jum long, this is what Thai people call, is a re-creation of famous buildings or tourist attractions in Thailand in mini format, like Wat Phra Kaew, the most famous temple in Thailand, or even structures from the past, like Ayutthaya in its full before destroyed by Burma. Thailand’s attractions aren’t the only things you will get to see here, but there are famous places or structures from all over the world, like the France’s Eifel tower or The Opera House in Australia. Some of you may have seen these in real already, but when I was a kid, I got so excited each time my mother brought me here. What I want to say is that if you bring children with you, they could have their fun here.

And if you go there in the evening, there is a thai dancing show from 18 – 21 pm. Now don’t think about the Agogo Dancing you see in the bars here in Pattaya, that’s not it. It’s the traditional dancing, which was taught from generation to generation. You won’t see it elsewhere in this world, so if you are already here, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity or else you will regret it.

How to get there is not difficult, because Mini Siam is at the Sukhumvit Road, which is to main Road from Bangkok. The admission fee is 300 Baht or about 10 dollars, which isn’t much in comparison to what you will get to see. And kids get a discount, but don’t remember anymore how much.

Oh and the last time I was there, which wasn’t long ago, there is a market beside Mini Siam. What they sell there was really cheap, because it’s a “Klong Tom Market”, originally it’s a market for second hand product, but nowadays it’s known as a market for cheap things like clothes, toys or tools. Beside that you can buy something to eat here, but don’t expect service like in a restaurant XD. There are fast foods like Pad Thai or grilled meatballs, which is one of my favorite things to eat. But be careful, if you can’t eat spicy food, then don’t take the sauce, but if you want to try, it’s up to you, it’s your tongue that will get numb afterwards not mine XD

By tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com

Pattaya : Thailand's city where there are more foreigner than thai people

2012-01-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

I think who has ever heard about Thailand, he or she must also have heard about Pattaya. Pattaya is really famous among the tourists who are fleeing from the snow and the cold weather, especially the male ones.

Pattaya is a city in Chon buri, which lies in the east part of Thailand. You can get there via bus or van. If you fly to Thailand and land at the Suvarnabhumi Airport you will find many companys offering you transportation to Pattaya, like buses, taxis or vans. It will take you about two hours to get to Pattaya. And in Pattaya you can travel via taxi or motorcycle service, but these are little bit expensive, and they often charge tourists. But there is one other service offering here. The “Song Taew” is what they are called. Song Taew means two rows, and like its name, these are “taxi” that has you rows of seat, running in a routine. It’s really cheap travelling by using the Song Taew, but if you are the first time here, there is a high possibility that you will get lost, so I suggest you to look around yourself carefully and try to remember what you are passing, so you can help yourself when you get lost. And keeping a name card of the Hotel, which you are staying at, with you is really helpful. And if the Song Taew you are taking doesn’t pass the place you want to go, you can try to hire them. They often accept the offer. How much it will cost, depends on the distance of the location and the driver. But remember one thing you are the one paying. If this one ask too much, you can reject and wait for another one.

Pattaya is divided in three parts, North Pattaya, Central Pattaya and South Pattaya. If you expect to see a beautiful beach like in many advertising pictures here, you will surely be disappointing. Pattaya once had a beautiful clean beach, but that was long long ago maybe even before I was born. I am not old XD But I won’t tell you my age, it’s a secret: D So let’s come back to the topic. Nowaday the beach is really polluted, full of garbage. But I have come this far and I want to go to the beach. Then I suggest you should go to the Jomtien Beach, or Naklua Beach, there is less garbage there.

What attracts people to come to Pattaya isn’t the beach, but its many many nightclubs and bars, especially in the Walking Street. It’s a street where cars can’t enter after 6 pm or so, because Then the nightlife begins. There full of bars and seafood restaurant along the street. Some bars offer you special show like Thai boxing, some has a girl dancing in a glass room to attract tourists. There aren’t only Thai girls working here, but also other nationality, like Indian and Russian. You can find these bars not only at the Walking Street but almost everywhere in Pattaya. And there are street performer too, like musician or break-dancer or b-boy. Oh and there is a boy, who can really good football tricks, I heard that an English football team manager saw him and took him to England to perform his tricks. I don't know if this is true, it's rumor.

There are more tourist attraction in Pattaya like the Floating market, Nong Nuch Garden, Mini Siam, Pattaya Park and many more. If you are interested, visit my blog http://tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com/

Oh almost forget. There is a beach in Pattaya where there aren't so many people and garbage. Not so many people know about this beach because it's quite difficult to get there. But if you want to go, it's called Had Yin Yom. Good luck there. Bye

Wat Phra Kaew : Thailand's famous temple

2012-01-04T05:40:00.000-08:00

Many of the tourists come to Thailand because they want to see temples. And if you are one of those, then do not miss Wat Phra Kaew, since it is one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand. Now I am not going to tell you about the history of Wat Phra Kaew. Because it is really really long and someone else has already written it on Wikipedia. Here is the link.

There are many ways to get to Wat Phra Kaew. The fastest and easiest way is to take a taxi XD But if you have a private car, then I think that you are not the first time in Thailand and know how to get there, but if you are the first time here and have a private car, then you should follow the Rajdamnern avenue heading to Sanum Luang. You will see the tempel next to Sanum Luang. You probably don't know what Sanum Luang is, have fun finding it XD Na it’s not that hard to find if you are used to the traffic in Bangkok. The last option is to take the bus. There are so many buses passing the Temple. 1, 3, 9, 15, 25, 30, 32, 33, 39, 43, 44, 47, 53, 64, 80, 82, 91, 201, 203, 501, 503,508, 512 take any of the bus-lines listed here and you will get there, though it may take a little bit long cause of the terrible traffic and the bus stops all the time. You won’t miss the Temple because it is really big and most are getting off here, unless you are sleeping really deep XD

If you finally get there, you will see many shops selling souvenir outside the temple along the street. Ah and there are long pants for rent too. You may think, what? Pants for rent ? Yeah, you read it right. Because it is forbidden to wear short skirts or short pants in the temple, that’s why the service. If you are wearing a short skirt and don’t want to change, then you will have to wait outside, the guard is very strict here. And that would be really a waste because you have come this far and have to wait outside. So I suggest wear long pants from home or hotel or wherever you are staying at or just rent the Pant there. Once you pass the door, you will see what makes Wat Phra Kaew so famous and why so many people are going there. It’s so beautiful the architecture the Buddha the whole things XD You should take your time enjoying the charm of this temple. Shoot some photos, recording videos then showing them to your friends or family, who didn’t come along. I’m pretty sure that they will definitely envy you.

Most of thai people about 90% or something like this are Buddhist. Wat Phra Kaew is regarded as one of the most sacred temple in Thailand, so many of thai people come here praying for their wish to come true. Maybe you should do that too. There is nothing bad about it. It is not that your belief in what you are believing now will decrease or anything. And if you are lucky, your wish will be granted.

Now that you are finished sightseeing the temple, don’t forget to return the pant you rent XD

by http://tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com/

Here are some pictures.

Thailand: the land of smile

2012-01-04T04:49:00.000-08:00

Thailand: the land of smile. Have you ever heard that? Thailand where the hell is that country? Is it not Taiwan?

For those, who have never heard anything about Thailand yet, Thailand is a country, located in the Southeast Asia, is the neighbor country from Burma, Laos and Malaysia. For more geography information you can read it on Wikipedia. Here is the link

That you are on this site here means that you are interested in making a trip to Thailand, right? Let me tell you some interesting facts about Thailand.

If you are flying to Thailand, you will land in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). I am pretty sure that sooner or later you will notice that thai people smile very often, that’s why it’s called the land of smile. And do you know while they smile? This is what Christopher Wright, an English teacher at the same time a comedian, once said in his talk show. 50% of the smiles come from being nice and kind and the other 50% they smile because they don’t understand what you are saying, so they just smile. Funny right? But it’s true. I’m not saying that thai people don’t know English, but they are just not used to it, so you have to speak slowly and clearly. And if possible don’t add any of your accents, which will just make it worse.

So now that you arrive at Bangkok. Bangkok is the center of almost all aspects about Thailand. So there are many types of tourist attraction here, such as the many beautiful temples, which have interesting history, floating market, which shows you the traditional way of life in the past, shopping centers, that aren’t less impressive than those in western country, nightclubs, that can offer you almost everything for your sexual pleasure and many more things. For more info about the specific tourist attractions I will write another article. You can see many things in Bangkok expect one thing, the nature. In Bangkok you won’t find any natural forest waterfall or sea, well there are zoos and such but you know what I mean. If you are a nature lover, Bangkok is the wrong place for you. All you will find here is the traffic jam.

If you are going to make a first trip to Thailand, let me give you an advice, do not spend too much time in Bangkok, you will waste your time in the car or whatever transportation you use. Two or Three days should be enough to see the temples and other tourist attractions. Then go to somewhere else. Thailand has almost everything for you to relax, except snow XD If you like forest, mountains then go north, there you can also visit one of many hill tribe villages. If you want to see beautiful beach and clear sea water, go south or east. But don’t go to Pattaya, unless you want to see hot chicks dancing in Agogo Bar. And if desert is what you desire to see, I suggest you to go northeast to Isan, though you won’t find any desert there. But it is very dry there, and in comparison to other parts of Thailand, Isan, has the higher poverty rate than any other. Many people left their home heading to bigger city like Bangkok or Pattaya. If you are going to Pattaya, you will surely see that most of the girls working in the bars are from Isan.

By http://tourist-thailandinfo.blogspot.com/