Thailand is a country in South-East Asia with
coasts on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
It borders Myanmar (Burma) to the north-west,
Laos to the north-east, Cambodia to the south-east
and Malaysia to the south.
With great food, a tropical climate, fascinating
culture and, hey, great beaches, Thailand is a
magnet for travellers the world over.
Thailand is the most popular tourist destination
in South-East Asia, and for a reason. Exotic, yet
safe and largely hassle-free; cheap, yet equipped
with every modern amenity you need, there is something
for every interest and every price bracket, from
beach front backpacker bungalows to some of the
best luxury hotels in the world. And despite the
heavy flow of tourism, Thailand retains its quintessential
Thainess, with a culture and history all its own
and a carefree people famed for their smiles and
their fun-seeking sanuk lifestyle.
This is not to say that Thailand doesn't have
its downsides, including the considerable growing
pains of an economy where an agricultural laborer
is lucky to earn 40 baht per day while the nouveau
riche cruise past in their BMWs, and a highly
visible sex tourism industry. Bangkok, the capital,
is notorious for its traffic jams and rampant
development has wrecked much of once-beautiful
Pattaya and Phuket. In heavily touristed areas,
some lowlifes have made scamming tourists into
an art form.
Thailand's 76 provinces can be conveniently divided
into five geographic and cultural regions.
North - Chiang
Mai, hill tribes, and the Golden Triangle
Isaan - the great undeveloped
north-east - get off the beaten track and discover
backcountry Thailand and some magnificent Khmer
ruins
East - beaches and islands within
easy reach of Bangkok, and, oh yes,
Pattaya
South - hundreds of kilometers
of coastline and countless islands on both the
Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, plus Phuket,
Krabi,
Ko Samui, Ko
Tao and many more of Thailand's famous beach
spots
Cities
