Thailand - Land of smiles

This goes five years back when my family decided to plan a trip to Thailand , formerly known as Siam. One of the main reasons we chose Thailand was that my relatives live there and that was a huge advantage for us since all of us were vegetarians back then, although Thailand changed that for me.

One can easily find flights to Bangkok from Delhi under 12k. After a four hour flight , I reached the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok.

Ancient City : “If man has no knowledge of the past, he is nothing but a vessel without a rudder on the high seas”, claims the Ancient City’s sage-like founder, Lek ViriyaphantLek Viriyaphant .The city mimics the monuments of Thailand preserving its singular heritage, its wonderful art, customs and culture for future generations.The 116 monuments are in their proper geographic position, and include palaces, bell towers, temples, halls, floating markets and Buddha statues. There is a general fee of entering the ancient city for foreigners but we escaped that since my relatives live there and are very well versed in the native language.

Rayong : It is a small city about 2.5 hours away from Bangkok with beautiful roads along the way and huge fruit markets selling some of the fruits that i had never tasted before – Rambutan , Durian and Monkoot. From Rayong we took a speed boat to the Koh Samet island which was a rather bumpy ride.Beaches, beaches and more beaches; that’s what Samet is famous for. After a heavy lunch and a tiring day we took a ferry ride back to Rayong.

Safari World : The only place in Thailand where i found more Indians than Thais. I guess this is the place no travel organizer leaves for Indians and yes the place serves Indian food separately (probably the reason as to why so many Indians could be seen here). Safari world is one of the biggest zoo and leisure park with a great variety of entertainment shows like the Dolphins performing , seals dancing and monkey boxing. One can also take a safari ride to the sanctuary where more of the wild animals could be seen.

Pattaya : Pattaya has one of the most famous beach in all of Thailand with an amazing night life – massage parlours , open bars and clubs . One can barely see people or shops open till mid noon here. Jomtien beach , Chinese Temple and the Coral Islands are some of the main attractions in and around Pattaya.

Koh Lan (Coral Islands) : We took a ferry ride to Koh Lan from Pattaya which takes about 45 minutes . The ride is heavenly as you can see dolphins on the way and Coral reefs if you look closely. This island is also famous for deep sea diving , i wish i could have done that at that time but my parents did not let me. (I will one day !) . We stayed there for the whole day taking bike rides to separate beaches and finally a ferry back to pattaya.

Grand palace : If there is one must-see sight that no visit to Bangkok would be complete without, it’s the dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace.For 150 years it served as the home of the Thai King and the Royal court and continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture

Ocean World : Located two floors beneath the Paragon shopping mall , It is an aquatic wonderland the size of three Olympic swimming pools full of interesting animals from the ocean. There is a tunnel shaped glass that you walk in surrounded by aquatic life and their information from around the world.

Wat Phra Dhammakaya : It is a Buddhist temple that emphasizes personal transformation, expressed through its slogan “World Peace through Inner Peace”. People in huge amounts come here to meditate especially samatha meditation. The place was very less crowded the day we visited so we had a really nice view of the temple and the huge fields around it.

Khao Yai National Park : Khao yai is a beautiful 3 hour drive from bangkok and the third largest national park of Thailand. The national park is home to around 300 resident and migratory birds and has one of Thailand’s largest populations of hornbills.One can drive their own vehicle throughout the park and visit the temples , camping sites and waterfalls which are a please to the eye. We were camping at a spot in the park and it started to rain so we had to rush back.

And then our 20 day long trip ended which seemed a bit short and a completely exquisite experience. I would personally urge all of you to visit the country at least once or maybe more if you can and look for yourself why it is known as the land of smiles !