Thailand – A land of beauty and adventure, on-arrival visa for Indians, a popular honeymoon destination and most-sought after destination for Bollywood movies.
Thailand is a gorgeous country located in the center of the Indochina peninsula and in the mainland of South East Asia. The country shares borders with Laos and Cambodia in the East, Myanmar in the North, the Andaman Sea in the west and with the Gulf of Thailand in the South. A mesmerizing destination, it covers an area of 513,120 sq km.
This beautiful country is a potpourri of multiple cultures. From ascetic lifestyles of the monks to the throbbing nightlife and rave parties on the beaches, Thailand boasts of a wide spectrum of things.
The tropical beaches of Thailand attract throngs of visitors every year. You can get a tan on one of its many beaches or enjoy the many water sports available for those looking for the ultimate adrenaline rush. Also known for its massages, it may be a good idea to get a relaxing back massage from one of the masseuses by the beach.
Ornate Buddha deities and their glittering Thai temples are a major attraction here and the Wat Phra Kaew is an absolute beauty! (P.S.don’t miss!). There are many royal palaces that one can visit in Thailand. Sprawling gardens and beautiful architecture greet you at the abode of the royalty. One can also check out the ancient ruins at places like Ayuthaya and pay a visit at the tiger temples in Thailand.
Apart from these, Thailand is also known for its street food. It offers an opportunity to bite into different kinds of delicacies on the streets. The fruit platters being sold at every nook and corner are a must have. Talking about transport, commutation is easy and cheaper on sky-train, connecting all the important places around the city.
- Day 1- Pattaya: Nong Nooch Village-Elephant show
- Day 2- Pattaya: Coral islands: snorkeling, sea diving, paragliding-Alcazar show.
- Day 3- Bangkok: Grand Palace-Wat Phra(Emerald Buddha)-Wat Pho(reclining Buddha)- Siam Niramit Show
- Day 4- Bangkok: wat Triamit(Golden Buddha)-China Market-Chao Phraya river cruise-Floating market- Wat Arun( Temple of Dawn)
- Day 5- Krabi: Koh Klang island
- Day 6- Phuket: Phi Phi Islands
Day 1:
http://www.nongnoochtropicalgarden.com/home/
In the year 2012, I happened to visit this great country. After getting out of the airport, we started off to Pattaya. We reached Pattaya after 2 hours of journey. Our first destination was Nong-Nooch village, a sprawling recreational park in the typical Thai setting. You will Enjoy an array of activities-explore the orchid and fern houses; the exquisite pottery & mackerels show and a wonderful evening with the fun elephant show where the elephants will impress you with their antics such as painting, dancing, riding a bike and playing football. You can also visit the butterfly garden right next to it. Later, we had a well-organized cultural show almost like the Siam Niramit show and called it a day. You can also walk around the streets enjoying the fresh fruits and vegetables sold. Seafood lovers will have a plenty to look forward to.
Day 2:
This day was reserved for our coral islands trip! Our tickets were pre-booked online. It was a full-day tour on a private speedboat to the Coral Island (Koh Larn) from Pattaya to Tien Beach (Hard Tien), one of the most beautiful beaches with turquoise seawater and white sandy beach. Packages with Snorkeling, Parasailing, Underwater-Sea-walk, Banana Boat ride and Jet Ski are available for your selection. The package comes about 1100 Baht. The day was quite adventurous and filled with an adrenaline rush, as we enjoyed the water sports with trained professional. We went back to Pattaya by night and dropped in for a massage on the way. I must tell you, massage is a boon here and you have a wide range of choices in there.
Day-3
Got up early for a continental breakfast and left to Bangkok. The day started with Wat Phra kaew inside the Royal Palace. One of the most significant features of Wat Phra Kaew is the Emerald Buddha, carved into a 66 cm tall block of Jade. Wat Phra Kaew is a superb temple to explore, especially the two km long gallery covered with incredibly detailed mural paintings depicting 178 scenes of the epic story of Ramayana. Around every corner, you’ll find tall chedis covered with glazed tiles or gold leaves, but the most photographed building is the massive golden chedi of Phra Sri Rattana, featured on the one baht coin. You will need about 2 hours to explore the palace grounds, the temple and also an adjoining Wat Mahatat– a temple for learners. Later, we moved to our next destination Wat Pho, named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived, is one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temples in Bangkok. Wat Pho is also known as ‘The Temple of the Reclining Buddha’, thanks to the 15 meters high and 43 meters long Buddha image it shelters, covered with gold leaf and baring four meter long feet encrusted with exquisite mother-of-pearl (or nacre) decorations. Located just next to the grand palace, Wat Pho also houses one thousand Buddha images and 91 chedis (stupas), including four very impressive chedis dedicated to the four Chakri kings. The entrance fee is 100 baht.
We then moved on to the much-awaited Guinness World Record Show-The Siam Niramit show.
Siam Niramit is a modern theater with 2,000 persons seating capacity. It is located on Tiam Ruam Mit Road close to Thailand Cultural Center. Siam Niramit Show is usually about culture and history of Thailand. It houses huge shows with more than 100 actors and 500 different costume changes, and the special effects are truly spectacular. These are one of Thailand’s must-see shows. It is a good idea to get-down early before the show so you have time to join in with the other activities here such as learning about Thai culture and history.
The show time is 8.00 pm but the place opens at 5.00 pm for the previously mentioned activities. There are also many fantastic local restaurants surrounding the theater for our dining pleasure.
P.S- Take a sky train to reach the place. As traffic gets more and more congested in the evening, It is very difficult to reach the place on time.
Day -4
The day started with the beautiful Wat Traimit – an elegant multilevel white and gold temple located at the very beginning of Yaowarat road, making it a perfect starting point for a Chinatown exploration. The main attraction on Wat Traimit is not only its beautiful architecture but the immense Buddha made of solid gold seated inside, the largest of its kind in the world. This five meters high, five-and-a-half ton statue, which was long-hidden under an unimpressive coating of stucco and plaster, is believed to have been built in the 13th-14th CY but the gold hidden underneath was only revealed by accident in 1955! A small entry fee is required to visit the museum located halfway up the steps but in-fact visiting the golden Buddha above is free. After visiting the temples, we explored the China market, which has literally everything one would ask for.
From here, we went to the starting point for our Chayo Praya River Cruise (about 1500 Baht) 4 hours journey on the sea-floating markets- Orchid garden- Wat Arun temple and back to the same point.
Floating markets are an added attraction and you will enjoy every bit, as you sail in the sea. Now, the sewage water from all the houses on the banks are making the water stink and is an eyesore. We stopped by at the Orchid Garden -a great collection of colorful orchids where one will get absorbed by the beauty of the flowers. Our last stop was Wat Arun, the most iconic temple of Bangkok is located on Thonburi side of Bangkok, almost opposite to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Built during seventeenth century on the bank of the Chao Phraya river, its full name ‘Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan’ is rather hard to remember so it is often called ‘Temple of Dawn. The distinctive shape of Wat Arun consists of a central ‘Prang’ (a Khmer style tower) surrounded by four smaller towers all encrusted with faience from plates and potteries. The stairs to reach a balcony on the main tower are quite steep, usually easier to climb up than to walk down, but the view from up there is really worth it. Despite its name, the Temple of Dawn looks amazing at sunset. We were right on time on the spot to enjoy the sunset from the viewpoint. We walked slowly with a heavy heart towards the boat to leave for the day.
That evening was a memorable one!
Day 5
http://packages.asiatravel.com/packagebooking/packages-list.aspx?pc=11&departcity=BKK&destcity=KBV
Day-6
http://www.gokohphiphi.com/bangkok.html
The UNESCO world heritage sites in Thailand are as follows:
- Historic City of Ayutthaya
- Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns
- Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries
- Ban Chiang Archaeological Site
- Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex
Thank you, Thailand for welcoming us with open arms, pristine beaches, unforgettable massages, fresh fruits and wonderful gems collection!
We will surely come again to savor and indulge in your beauty!
Trekking the World 