Thailand was never in my mind. Every time someone said am going on a trip to Thailand, I would smirk and think to myself, “Why Thailand when there are so many better countries?” Call it ignorance or arrogance, to me, and it always looked like a place to party, a place where people go to take happy ending massages, a place where people booze to their heart’s content.
But it so happened that when I planned my first vacation after a career break, it was to Thailand. On a rainy evening, I was staring at the India map and was wondering where next. But I knew it rains in most parts of the country in July. And my eyes just moved to the right of the map and thought, “Okay, maybe Thailand then!”
I chose Thailand merely for two reasons,
- Am on a career break. I have a lot of days on my hand. When I was working, I need to be careful about the ten days of leave that I accumulate, and I better go to a place from my bucket list. But now that I have enough leaves, I need not worry about that.
- Every Tom, Dick, and Harry seems to be heading there; let me also check out. But the moment I started to chart out the itinerary, I realized my notions about Thailand were utterly wrong. The initial plan was to do Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. However, as I was jotting down the places, I had already crossed 50 days.
Due to personal commitments, I had to cut short this trip, and so 50 days turned into 40 days and subsequently chopped off few places from the list. With the knowledge of researching for the trip and having spent 40 days in Thailand, here are some helpful travel tips, places to choose, planning itinerary, what to expect, etc.
In short, a small Thailand travels guide for you to plan your trip.
Thailand Travel Guide – Places visited in 40 days
Thailand Travel Guide – Places to Visit:
It is a tad tight schedule. At some of the places, I was there just for a night, and at some of the places, even though I spent a couple of nights, I wanted to do more.
Thailand has five regions – North, North East, East, Central, and South. Bangkok is not to be missed, and it is full of vibrancy and grandeur. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is crowded than other cities, but it is also more organised and well connected. It has a mix of palaces, wats (Buddhist temples), nightlife, food streets, shopping markets, something for everyone. I spent three days there, but it needs a minimum of 4 days.
The iconic Bangkok palace
Briefly let me jot down places to visit based on what you can expect.
City Life/ Night Life/ Shopping/ Culture – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket.
All of these places have something for everyone.
National Park with waterfalls, cave exploration, and trekking options – Khao Sok (huge lake with limestone Karsts too), Khao Yai to see elephants and gibbons, Khao Sam Roi Yot, Erawan National Park, Sai Yok.
Islands to visit for a snorkel, beach time, and scuba
– It’s a long list, and I have made a blog on “How to choose best Thailand Islands to Visit.”
In short, the east has Ko Chang and Ko Kood. The Gulf of Thailand has good snorkel and white sand beach options like Ko Tao, Samui, and Phangan. South Thailand has places like Phuket, phi, Lanta, and Krabi. South has the best limestone karsts beaches and blue water.
History of World War II – Kanchanaburi. Was emotionally overwhelmed on a visit to Kanchanaburi and going through the Burma railway & Hell Fire pass.
Khmer Ruins: Liked Angkor Wat in Cambodia?
A big extent of these Khmer ruins lies in the Northeast of Thailand. I visited Phanom Rung, Phimai, and Lopburi. But throughout Isan province, most of the Khmer empire ruins can be found. Having Nakhon Ratchasima as a base and covering these places is an easy option.
Phimai – One of the Khmer Ruins
- Kingdom of Siam – the Kingdom of Siam is nothing but Thailand from the 17th century until the 19th century, after which it was named Thailand. However, the Kingdom of Siam includes a transition from the Ayutthaya Kingdom to the Sukhothai kingdom to the Thonburi kingdom to the Rattanakosin kingdom.
- Visiting these places and museums gave the most informative insight into the history of Thailand, how the kingdoms changed, who were the prominent kings, how the architecture differed, and so on. These can be found in Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, and Bangkok.
- Trekking: All the national parks listed above have trekking options. Additionally, Pai, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai also have many trekking spots near them as they are in a hilly region.
- Border Crossing: Thailand is bordered by Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, aka Myanmar. Many travelers across the border not just to move between countries but also as an experience day trip.
- Some of the famous crossings are – Tak to Burma (Tak is close to Kanchanaburi), Mae Sai to Burma (one day trip to Tachileik can be made from here), from the south into Langkawi Malaysia, Surin to Siem Reap Cambodia, from Nong Khai to Vientiane Laos.
