Geography
Situated in Southeast Asia, Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist kingdom almost equidistant from India and China. Known by outsiders as Siam for centuries, Thailand (the land of smiles), has been something of a Southeast Asian migratory, cultural, and religious crossroads.Approximately the size of France, Thailand covers and area of 510,000 sq. km and has a population of 60 million growing at a rate of 1.5% each year. Thailand shares its border with Myanmar in the west and north, Laos in the northeast, Cambodia in the east and Malaysia in the south. Administratively, the country is divided into 7 regions: The North, Northeast, Central Plains, East, West, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Each of which has its own distinctive geographical character.The central region, encompassing the Bangkok metropolitan region and the central plains, is affectionately known as "Thailand's Rice Bowl". One of the world's most fertile rice and fruit growing areas, this is the economic and cultural heartland of the Thai nation.The mountainous north is Thailand's largest region. Here, elephants work the forest and winter temperatures are sufficiently cool to permit cultivation of temperate fruits such as strawberries and peaches.The second largest and poorest region is the sprawling northeast. Better known as "Isan" or the "Khorat Plateau", it is largely bordered by the Mekong River, where the world's oldest Bronze Age civilization flourished some 5,000 years ago.Just south of the northeast lies the eastern region. Sandwiched between the sea and the Damrek range, this is where pristine beaches support the growth of summer resorts such as Pattaya.Despite recent development efforts undertaken by the government in the west, its beautiful mountains, which rise up towards the Burmese border and its lush valleys remain relatively unspoiled. The towns here have a frontier atmosphere.Last but not least, the peninsular south. Here, arresting scenic beauty complements the economically vital activities of tin mining, rubber cultivation, and fishing.
Entertainment
Besides Siamese cats and a go-go bars, Thailand is also famous for its Muay Thai. This art of boxing, which is an on going self defense art form, was an element made compulsory for military training by King Naresuan, one of Thailand's greatest monarchs. These days it is a popular sport and is one of the few ways that a poor country boy can turn his rags into riches.
The fights are commonly fierce and furious though the best boxers display remarkable skills, as well as great fitness and a good contest is decided by application of technique rather than brute force.Often as entertaining as the action in the ring is, the reaction of the spectators who yell and shout encouragement to the boxers is greater as the excitement mounts.There are two boxing stadiums in Bangkok, Ratchadamnoen Stadium and Lumphini Stadium. Between them, they offer professional bouts virtually eve No other city in Asia rivals Bangkok for a thrilling nightlife. Evening entertainment is also both plentiful and inexpensive. Most famous are the neon-lit bar districts (Bangkok's Pat Pong - the Suranwongse Road and Silom Road area - is the obvious haven for those seeking a good time), which are both more fun and much safer than their counterparts in other cities around the world. In fact, a visit to Pat Pong has become just another stop on the tourist circuit with some local firms offering all-inclusive night tours to the area, which has massage parlors, go-go bars and erotic shows all thrown in. If it is action you are looking for, Bangkok and others like Pattaya abound with discos. Some are small and intimate while others enormous and crowded, but all spin the latest dance music using the most modern sound systems, laser lights, videos, and all other hi-tech equipment that makes today's disco less of a place and more of an experience.For either pre-evening aperitifs or late evening drinks, Bangkok boasts of many sophisticated bars and cocktail lounges, some of the best being located in the top hotels. Here, one can relax in pleasant surroundings and enjoy live musical entertainment by the best local and regional entertainers.There is much more to Bangkok by night than just the glitter of pubs and bars. Exceptionally more popular among tourists are the cultural shows staged by various Thai restaurants. This would be the perfect introduction to Thailand's highly-styled classical dance, accompanied by music played on traditional instruments. Dressed in gorgeous costumes, dancers perform the slow graceful movements that make up the intricate language of classical Thai dance drama. Visually stunning, these shows are a must If you are looking for something a little more highbrow, you will not be disappointed. Although Bangkok does not have regular offerings of plays, operas or concerts, performances are nonetheless frequently staged by both local and international artists. The Thailand Cultural Centre and Thailand's National Theatre are the main venues, though leading hotels quite often host visiting artists and smaller theater groups. Theatrical events in Bangkok include Thai dance and puppet performances, English and Thai language dramas, concerts by visiting international artists, musical performance and infrequently imported mimes and plays. Visitors are advised to consult the English language newspapers, particularly the weekly or daily calendar of events, to confirm the times and dates of current performances. In the north, the KAD Performing Arts Centre in Chiang Mai includes the lavishly equipped KAD Theatre with a seating capacity of 1,550 and the KAD Playhouse with a seating capacity of 500. The KAD Performing Arts Centre is geared towards staging imported full scale theatrical and musical productions from abroad, performed in the original language, and original Thai dramatic and musical productions.To most visitors, Thailand is best known for its ancient temples and beautiful scenery, but there are those who might want to balance their Thai experience with entertainment of a more novel, innovative kind. For those fun seekers, a growing number of world class theme parks offer all kinds of excitement for the whole family.Many of Thailand's larger and more sophisticated parks are within easy reach of Bangkok, while others are located in popular tourist spots like Pattaya and Chiang Mai. The bigger parks, like their counterparts in the West are entire cities by themselves, combining world class water parks, amusement parks, and cultural attractions on sprawling premises of several hundred thousand square meters.Magic land at Lat Phrao, just northeast of Bangkok's Central Plaza Hotel, is the capital's major amusement park. The complex offers a wide range of exciting rides and other amusements including haunted houses and side shows.Similar facilities are found in the eastern suburb of Minburi at the Siam Water Park. This water theme park features an artificial sea replete with authentic waves, waterfalls, water slides, whirlpools, and other numerous water related activities.The adjacent Safari World features a collection of African and Asian mammals, including lions, tigers, giraffes, zebras, and bears, who live in natural surroundings. The sprawling complex also contains Asia's largest aviary with over 4,000 birds.
The fights are commonly fierce and furious though the best boxers display remarkable skills, as well as great fitness and a good contest is decided by application of technique rather than brute force.Often as entertaining as the action in the ring is, the reaction of the spectators who yell and shout encouragement to the boxers is greater as the excitement mounts.There are two boxing stadiums in Bangkok, Ratchadamnoen Stadium and Lumphini Stadium. Between them, they offer professional bouts virtually eve No other city in Asia rivals Bangkok for a thrilling nightlife. Evening entertainment is also both plentiful and inexpensive. Most famous are the neon-lit bar districts (Bangkok's Pat Pong - the Suranwongse Road and Silom Road area - is the obvious haven for those seeking a good time), which are both more fun and much safer than their counterparts in other cities around the world. In fact, a visit to Pat Pong has become just another stop on the tourist circuit with some local firms offering all-inclusive night tours to the area, which has massage parlors, go-go bars and erotic shows all thrown in. If it is action you are looking for, Bangkok and others like Pattaya abound with discos. Some are small and intimate while others enormous and crowded, but all spin the latest dance music using the most modern sound systems, laser lights, videos, and all other hi-tech equipment that makes today's disco less of a place and more of an experience.For either pre-evening aperitifs or late evening drinks, Bangkok boasts of many sophisticated bars and cocktail lounges, some of the best being located in the top hotels. Here, one can relax in pleasant surroundings and enjoy live musical entertainment by the best local and regional entertainers.There is much more to Bangkok by night than just the glitter of pubs and bars. Exceptionally more popular among tourists are the cultural shows staged by various Thai restaurants. This would be the perfect introduction to Thailand's highly-styled classical dance, accompanied by music played on traditional instruments. Dressed in gorgeous costumes, dancers perform the slow graceful movements that make up the intricate language of classical Thai dance drama. Visually stunning, these shows are a must If you are looking for something a little more highbrow, you will not be disappointed. Although Bangkok does not have regular offerings of plays, operas or concerts, performances are nonetheless frequently staged by both local and international artists. The Thailand Cultural Centre and Thailand's National Theatre are the main venues, though leading hotels quite often host visiting artists and smaller theater groups. Theatrical events in Bangkok include Thai dance and puppet performances, English and Thai language dramas, concerts by visiting international artists, musical performance and infrequently imported mimes and plays. Visitors are advised to consult the English language newspapers, particularly the weekly or daily calendar of events, to confirm the times and dates of current performances. In the north, the KAD Performing Arts Centre in Chiang Mai includes the lavishly equipped KAD Theatre with a seating capacity of 1,550 and the KAD Playhouse with a seating capacity of 500. The KAD Performing Arts Centre is geared towards staging imported full scale theatrical and musical productions from abroad, performed in the original language, and original Thai dramatic and musical productions.To most visitors, Thailand is best known for its ancient temples and beautiful scenery, but there are those who might want to balance their Thai experience with entertainment of a more novel, innovative kind. For those fun seekers, a growing number of world class theme parks offer all kinds of excitement for the whole family.Many of Thailand's larger and more sophisticated parks are within easy reach of Bangkok, while others are located in popular tourist spots like Pattaya and Chiang Mai. The bigger parks, like their counterparts in the West are entire cities by themselves, combining world class water parks, amusement parks, and cultural attractions on sprawling premises of several hundred thousand square meters.Magic land at Lat Phrao, just northeast of Bangkok's Central Plaza Hotel, is the capital's major amusement park. The complex offers a wide range of exciting rides and other amusements including haunted houses and side shows.Similar facilities are found in the eastern suburb of Minburi at the Siam Water Park. This water theme park features an artificial sea replete with authentic waves, waterfalls, water slides, whirlpools, and other numerous water related activities.The adjacent Safari World features a collection of African and Asian mammals, including lions, tigers, giraffes, zebras, and bears, who live in natural surroundings. The sprawling complex also contains Asia's largest aviary with over 4,000 birds.
Food in Thailand
Thai cuisine is distinctive thanks to liberal use of spices subtly combined with herbs and market-fresh ingredients. Moreover, Thai cuisine also combines the best of Chinese and Indian culinary traditions while retaining its own special character.Chinese food in Thailand, which is normally quite bland, is second to none. Major European, Levantine, Asian, and Oriental cuisine are represented in gourmet restaurants. American and English breakfasts are served in most hotels whilst numerous ubiquitous coffee-shops specialize in European dishes. Western fast food chains, snack bars, and ice-cream parlors have gained increasing popularity with the Thais.
Much of what we now know as Thai cuisine evolved from the central region. Rice, fish, and vegetables, flavored with garlic, black pepper, and fish sauce, along with an abundance of fresh fruits, comprises the basic diet of Sukhothai. With the rise of Ayutthaya, other elements were added to the increasingly complex Thai blend. The fiery hot chili pepper, an essential ingredient now, was introduced at this time, along with the equally popular coriander, lime, and tomato. These may have been brought in from South America by the Portuguese, who opened relations with Ayutthaya in 1511 and also left a lasting imprint in the form of popular Thai sweets based on egg yolks and sugar. Other ingredients came from India, Japan, Persia, and most important of all, China, though in almost every case their contributions were subtly altered and transformed to suit the Thai taste. Unlike the north and northeast, where glutinous rice is popular, Central Thais like the fragrant plain variety. This is usually steamed but sometimes fried or boiled. In addition to freshwater fish, there is seafood from the nearby gulf, as well as a wide range of fresh vegetables and fruits such as the like of mangoes, durians, custard apples, and guavas. Sino-Thai food is popular in places like Bangkok, particularly in the form of numerous noodle dishes. The food of the north is as distinctive as its culture. Instead of the soft rice in the central region, a steamed glutinous variety is preferred. This is traditionally kneaded into small balls with the fingers and used to soak up more liquid dishes. Northern curries are generally milder than those of the central and northeastern Thailand. The influence of neighboring Myanmar is evident in such popular dishes as "Gaeng Han Lay", a pork curry that relies on ginger, tamarind, and turmeric for its flavor, and "Khao Soi", a curry broth with egg noodles and meat, topped with spring onions, pickled onions, and slices of lime. A favorite regional specialty is a spicy pork sausage called "Naem". Eaten in a variety of ways, this is probably the one delicacy northerners miss the most when they move to another part of the country. The traditional form of meal in the north, especially when guests are being entertained, is called a "khantoke" dinner - 'khan' (bowl) and 'toke' (a low round table). Diners sit on the floor around the table and help themselves to assorted dishes, which, besides glutinous rice, may include one or two local curries, a spicy minced meat dish, a salad, fried pork rind, and various sauces and condiments. Northeastern food reflects the influence of neighboring Laos in a number of dishes. As in Laos and the north, glutinous rice is the staple. It is eaten both as a base for other dishes and as a sweet when steamed in bamboo with coconut milk and black beans. Northeasterners like their food highly seasoned. Many connoisseurs of Thai cooking particularly esteem regional specialties like "Laab", "Som Tam" (green papaya salad), and "Gai Yang" (BBQ chicken).Meat is often scarce in villages. Freshwater fish and shrimp are therefore the principal source of protein, sometimes cooked with herbs and spices and sometimes fermented.Southern food is as distinctive as its scenery. Not surprisingly, the coconut, which grows widely throughout the region, plays a prominent role in many southern dishes for its milk tempers the heat of chili, its oil used for frying, and its grated meat serves as a condiment. Also only expected is the abundance of fresh seafood from the surrounding waters. Cashew nuts from local plantations are eaten as appetizers or stir-fried with chicken and dried chilies, while a pungent flat bean (Sataw) adds an exotic, somewhat bitter flavor much admired by southern diners. Regional fruits include finger-sized bananas, mangosteens, durian, and small sweet pineapples.
Much of what we now know as Thai cuisine evolved from the central region. Rice, fish, and vegetables, flavored with garlic, black pepper, and fish sauce, along with an abundance of fresh fruits, comprises the basic diet of Sukhothai. With the rise of Ayutthaya, other elements were added to the increasingly complex Thai blend. The fiery hot chili pepper, an essential ingredient now, was introduced at this time, along with the equally popular coriander, lime, and tomato. These may have been brought in from South America by the Portuguese, who opened relations with Ayutthaya in 1511 and also left a lasting imprint in the form of popular Thai sweets based on egg yolks and sugar. Other ingredients came from India, Japan, Persia, and most important of all, China, though in almost every case their contributions were subtly altered and transformed to suit the Thai taste. Unlike the north and northeast, where glutinous rice is popular, Central Thais like the fragrant plain variety. This is usually steamed but sometimes fried or boiled. In addition to freshwater fish, there is seafood from the nearby gulf, as well as a wide range of fresh vegetables and fruits such as the like of mangoes, durians, custard apples, and guavas. Sino-Thai food is popular in places like Bangkok, particularly in the form of numerous noodle dishes. The food of the north is as distinctive as its culture. Instead of the soft rice in the central region, a steamed glutinous variety is preferred. This is traditionally kneaded into small balls with the fingers and used to soak up more liquid dishes. Northern curries are generally milder than those of the central and northeastern Thailand. The influence of neighboring Myanmar is evident in such popular dishes as "Gaeng Han Lay", a pork curry that relies on ginger, tamarind, and turmeric for its flavor, and "Khao Soi", a curry broth with egg noodles and meat, topped with spring onions, pickled onions, and slices of lime. A favorite regional specialty is a spicy pork sausage called "Naem". Eaten in a variety of ways, this is probably the one delicacy northerners miss the most when they move to another part of the country. The traditional form of meal in the north, especially when guests are being entertained, is called a "khantoke" dinner - 'khan' (bowl) and 'toke' (a low round table). Diners sit on the floor around the table and help themselves to assorted dishes, which, besides glutinous rice, may include one or two local curries, a spicy minced meat dish, a salad, fried pork rind, and various sauces and condiments. Northeastern food reflects the influence of neighboring Laos in a number of dishes. As in Laos and the north, glutinous rice is the staple. It is eaten both as a base for other dishes and as a sweet when steamed in bamboo with coconut milk and black beans. Northeasterners like their food highly seasoned. Many connoisseurs of Thai cooking particularly esteem regional specialties like "Laab", "Som Tam" (green papaya salad), and "Gai Yang" (BBQ chicken).Meat is often scarce in villages. Freshwater fish and shrimp are therefore the principal source of protein, sometimes cooked with herbs and spices and sometimes fermented.Southern food is as distinctive as its scenery. Not surprisingly, the coconut, which grows widely throughout the region, plays a prominent role in many southern dishes for its milk tempers the heat of chili, its oil used for frying, and its grated meat serves as a condiment. Also only expected is the abundance of fresh seafood from the surrounding waters. Cashew nuts from local plantations are eaten as appetizers or stir-fried with chicken and dried chilies, while a pungent flat bean (Sataw) adds an exotic, somewhat bitter flavor much admired by southern diners. Regional fruits include finger-sized bananas, mangosteens, durian, and small sweet pineapples.
Restaurants & Foodshops
Food centers are usually found in large shopping malls and hotels and are unusual Thai ventures. Numerous restaurants offer every imaginable type of Asian cuisine and huge color pictures of dishes assist diners in their choices. Open-air garden restaurants and riverine restaurants are more peaceful and are favored in the evenings by most people from Bangkok. Menus are extensive, service prompt, and prices reasonable. Special dinners can be enjoyed on boats cruising the Chao Phraya River. This way, soft breezes, candlelight dining, and distant music create romantic atmospheres. Seafood restaurants are also popular. They offer a wide choice of fresh ingredients, charcoal grilled or broiled to individual requests. This is usually accompanied by a fine selection of local and imported wine. Some tourist oriented restaurants present selected Thai classical and folk dances while guests sit around low tables, often in traditional surroundings with teak paneling and precious porcelain. A combination of Thai cuisine, music, silk, orchids, and graceful dances create memorable evenings for the visitors.
Travel Tips;Tourist Information Services
Tourist information is available at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) head office in Bangkok, local offices in 22 major cities and at TAT information counters at other local airports. TAT provides maps, brochures and other information on tours, shopping, dining and accommodation. All TAT information centers operate seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tourist Police
The Thai Tourist Police was set up in 1982 to coordinate with TAT in providing safety for tourist. At present, some 500 tourist policemen are stationed in major tourist areas such as the Grand Palace, Pat Pong and Lumphini Park. In case of emergency, contact the Tourist Police Centre at Unicohouse Building, Soi Lang Suan, Phloen Chit Rd, Bangkok. Tel: 6521721-6.
Medical Services
All tourism destination and provincial capitals have hospitals and clinics staffed by well trained doctors and nurses. In case of emergencies, ambulances can be summoned from any private hospital.
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