If you’re visiting Bangkok, Patpong is one of the places you must have seen. Patpong was founded late 1960s when a number of bars were opened to serve the US serviceman who were enjoying time off from the Vietnam battlefields, nowadays its one of the most exciting areas of Bangkok nightlife. Patpong is located on Silom Road or Suriwong Roadd BTS (Skytrain) Sala Daeng in Bangkok.
Pattaya (พัทยา) was a simple fishing village until it was discovered as a beach resort by Bangkok residents in the 1960s. Located just 1.5 hours outside Bangkok and with a city population of just over 100 thousand people it ranks as one the smallest tourist cities in Thailand. Nowadays, the city counts more than 5.4 million tourists per year.
Dubbed as hedonistic by some because of the island’s prurient associations, Phuket remains a dream vacation destination. Thailand’s largest island is about the same size of Singapore and has a reputation that bypasses its island status. It has been named Tha-Laang or Junk Ceylon in Western translations. Its present name comes from the Malay word “bukit” which means hill. In turns both cosmopolitan and exotic, Phuket is home to 315 thousand people, mostly of Chinese or Malay ancestry.
Phi Phi Island is also known as Ko Phi Phi Don, part of the Phi Phi Islands between Phuket and mainland Krabi in the south of Thailand. Phi Phi Don is the largest and only permanent populated island of the six Phi Phi Islands group. The island is truly a tropical getaway with white sandy beaches, palm trees and turquoise waters.The island is surrounded by the Andaman Sea. Another well know island is Ko Phi Phi Leh.
Hua Hin is a small beach resort which is located about 125 miles southwest of Bangkok. It is located on the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The city has a population of 60 thousand people and is home to the summer palace of the King of Thailand. Due to this fact there is high security with lots of cops. It is also a popular getaway for people from Bangkok.
A 700-year old city, Chiang Mai is the capital of Thailand’s Chiang Mai Province. Its name can also be written as Chiengmai. The largest city in Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai also offers the most cultural and historic importance. This does not mean, however, that Chiang Mai is restricted to past influences; the city has also become quite modern. This modernization is appropriate to the meaning of its name: new city. Chiang Mai is a new city for 700 years already though. According to the latest measurement, it is home to 148 thousand people.
Shopping in Thailand can easily turn into a addiction since it’s capital Bangkok is the shopping destination that passed by shopaholics paradise Hong Kong years ago. Ten’s of giant luxurious shopping along with 24 hours markets for bargaining turned Bangkok to be the leading shopping destination in South East Asia. Another upcoming shopping destination within Thailand is Chiang Mai which night market attracts thousands of tourists a day.
The Thai cuisine has among the largest variety of food in the world, as well its famous for being spicy. The key to secret lies within the mixture of spices as garlic, chili, lemon grass, basil, coconut milk and ginger. The believe that every Thai dish is spicy, is false. There’s a wide selection of choices such as sour, sweet, salty or bitter.
The people of Thailand celebrate life with the philosophy of ‘Sanuk’, which means ‘enjoying pleasure’. Celebrations are seldom ‘ceremonious’ and serious but always frivolous and colorful. Yearly celebrations, religious celebrations and celebrations within certain seasons are an essential part of the daily Thai culture. Thai people feast every month, as much as possible, according to a 13th century motto: ‘Who wants to be happy, should do it’.
