Thailand Guide
Introduction to Thailand
With twelve million foreigners flying into the country each year, Thailand has become Asia's primary holiday destination. Yet despite this vast influx of tourists and their cash, Thailand's cultural integrity remains largely undamaged – a country that adroitly avoided colonization has been able to absorb Western influences without wholly succumbing to them. Though the high-rises and neon lights occupy the foreground of the tourist picture, the typical Thai community is still the traditional farming village. Almost fifty percent of Thais earn their living from the land, based around the staple, rice, which forms the foundation of the country's unique and famously sophisticated cuisine.
Most journeys start in Bangkok, with its resplendent temples, canalside markets and achingly hip bars and clubs. A popular side-trip is to Kanchanaburi, home of the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai, after which most visitors head north, sometimes via the elegant ancient capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai, to the enjoyably laid-back city of Chiang Mai and nearby hilltribe villages. To the northwest, the beautiful highlands around Mae Hong Sonand Pai are idyllic, while Thailand's northeast, its least visited region, offers ancient Khmer ruins at Phimai and Phanom Rung and is home to the country's most accessible national park, Khao Yai.
After trekking and temples in the north, most tourists are drawn to the beach. Thailand's eastern and southern coasts are lined with gorgeous white-sand shores, aquamarine seas and world-class reefs. The most popular are the east-coast islands of Ko Samet and Ko Chang, the Gulf coast beaches of Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao, and the Andaman coast idylls around Phuket, Krabi town, Railay, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, Ko Tarutao and Ko Lipe.