Page 147 - Asian Paradises 2019-20

— Thailand —

THAILAND

Situated midway between India and China in a fertile Further south along the east coast, beautiful Koh Samui is
monsoon belt, Thailand shares its borders with covered with coconut plantations and circled by palm-fringed
Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. beaches. The twin Phi Phi islands in Krabi are famed for
Its east coast is on the Gulf of Thailand and the west their unusual and spectacular landscapes, while the country’s
coast on the Andaman Sea. largest island, Phuket, lies in the Andaman Sea off the
country’s southwestern coast. All of these places are popular
The country is divided into four main regions: the Central Plains tourist destinations.
of the Chao Phraya River; the region of the northeast plateau; The people
the fertile valley and mountains of Northern Thailand; and
the rainforested southern peninsula. Each region has its own The majority of Thailand’s 68 million people are concentrated
topographical identity and subtle differences between both the in the fertile Central Plains and in the capital, Bangkok.
people and dialects. An easygoing people, Thais are known for their tolerance of
other cultures and friendliness to visitors. Thai people will be
Capital and major centres offended only if there is any perceived disrespect to the king or
It is worth enduring the inevitable traffic jams, pollution and humid Buddhism. Constitutional since 1932, the monarchy is revered
weather to experience Bangkok, easily one of Asia’s most exciting almost as much as when kings were chakravartin, or ‘lords
cities. Known in Thai as Krung Thep, the ‘City of Angels’, Bangkok of life’. Buddhism is the dominant religion and orange-robed
is the spiritual, symbolic and geographical heart of Thailand, and monks and gold, marble and stone Buddhas are common.
home to nine million people.
Nature
Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second largest city and an ideal base from One-quarter of Thailand is covered by monsoon forest or
which to explore the mountains and villages. The region is famed rainforest, and the country has an incredible variety of fruit trees,
for its many fine temples and handicrafts. Ban Chiang, found in bamboo and tropical hardwoods. National parks and wildlife
the northeastern province of Udon Thani, is most fascinating for sanctuaries cover 11 percent of the country and contain more
its archaeological site which was discovered by accident in 1966. than 850 resident and migratory species of birds and dwindling
Artefacts on display are thought to date back to around 3600BC. numbers of tigers, leopards, elephants and Asiatic black bears.
Khorat, or Nakhon Ratchasima, was part of the ancient Khmer The sights
empire, and is today a rapidly expanding business centre.
The Chao Phraya River, ‘river of kings’, is Thailand’s most
Along the east coast, on the Gulf of Thailand, lies Pattaya, which important waterway, draining some of the country’s fertile
offers many beaches and is popular with families. On the sunrise rice growing land, and providing another means of travel
coast of the Gulf of Thailand are Cha-am and Hua Hin. The in Bangkok. A few kilometres inland from Bang Saen, a
former has experienced a dramatic surge in popularity since beach resort popular with Bangkok residents, is the Khao
the mid-80s and catering mainly for Thais, its quiet village Kheow Open Zoo, which has more than 50 wildlife species
atmosphere has become a lot livelier. Nearby Hua Hin was roaming its spacious, semi-free enclosures. Stretching north
Thailand’s first beach resort and in the 1920s was a popular from Bangkok are the picturesque Central Plains with
retreat for minor Thai royalty. Nowadays the King and Queen their checkered patterns of green rice paddies. In the heart
reside here when they’re not in Bangkok. of this region is Ayutthaya, the nation’s second capital.

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