Thailand Activities and Top Things to do guide

Shopping

What to Buy
A wealth of shopping opportunities awaits the visitor, and bargains abound throughout our country in traditional handicrafts, textiles, gems, jewellery and antiques, as well as more contemporary items.
Gems : Bangkok is the coloured gemstone capital of the world. Rubies and sapphires are indigenous stones, but virtually all coloured gems, as well as diamonds, are available. Shoppers should exercise caution and buy from reputable dealers only.
Clothing : We're one of the world's leading manufacturers of ready-to-wear clothing. Fashion boutiques are found in every shopping mall, while cheaper clothing such as T-shirts and jeans are available at bargain prices from street vendors. Custom tailoring is also very affordable and tailors can produce or copy most styles in just a few days.
Cotton & Batik : Our Thai cottons have become increasingly popular and are a good deal. Particularly notable are the hilltribe cottons woven by the tribal people of the North, typically displaying bold designs and often lavish embroidery. Equally distinctive are original batiks crafted at several studios in Bangkok.
Hilltribe Crafts : The tribal groups who live in the hills of the north make a variety of beautifully embroidered textiles and silver jewellery. Chiang Mai is the centre for such goods.
Where to shop
In Bangkok : Shopping in Bangkok is not limited to one or two major streets, and there are many areas throughout the city affording ample choice and easy access. Here’s
just a selection of some of the places to go shopping!
Chatuchak Park Weekend Market :
A famous Bangkok landmark where you can buy just about everything from clothing to potted plants - a paradise for browsers and bargain- hunters alike.
Silom-Mahesak-New Road :
Many gems and jewellery stores are found here, also the River City Shopping Complex, known for its quality antique stores and regular auctions.
Silom-Surawong-Patpong :
The commercial heart of Bangkok. houses dozens of specialist shops, boutiques and shopping plaza representing all the major buys. Street stalls also abound, most notably Patpong’s famous night market.
Bang Lamphu :
Close to the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bang Lamphu has a lively market where clothing is a popular buy.
Beyond Bangkok :
The main city for shopping outside the capital is Chiang Mai, which ranks as one of the world's largest centres for handicrafts and cottage industries. The extensive range of local products includes cotton and silk, hilltribe clothing, Burmese tapestries, hand-painted umbrellas and lacquerware, and many such items can be found at its fascinating Night Bazaar. Pattaya also offers plentiful shopping for Thai goods while virtually all other cities and resorts provide ample opportunity for buying gifts and souvenirs, as well as local specialties.

Sports

Water Sports :
With three coastlines stretching for hundreds of kilometers, and some of the finest beaches to be found anywhere in Southeast Asia, Thailand has become a major travel destination for lovers of all kinds of water sports. A number of excellent resorts offer a full range of equipment at reasonable rates for anyone interested in exploring the pleasures of deep-sea fishing, windsurfing, water skiing, parasailing, scuba diving, or swimming in crystal clear waters.
One of the first and still one of the most popular water sport centers is Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand, just two hours drive from Bangkok. The main beach is located on a scenic bay, but facilities are available along the coast for several kilometers. There are also more than 30 picturesque offshore islands with a wealth of coral and many types of tropical fish.
The other major water sport center is the southern island of Phuket in the Andaman Sea. Here on the west coast there are more than 14 magnificent white sandy beaches, all with warm, clear waters, as well as a large number of nearby islands that boast diving conditions to rival the best in the world.
Diving :
Our long coastline offers some of the finest diving opportunities not only in Asia but anywhere in the world. Phuket and Pattaya are both major dive centres, and there are many training facilities with internationally qualified instructors.
The majority of diving destinations close to Phuket are located in nearby Phangnga , where hundreds of limestone islands rise up from the blue waters. Also popular are the largely uninhabited Similan Islands, recently listed among the world's ten most beautiful spots for underwater scenery and the spectacular Phi Phi Islands near Phuket.
On the other side of the peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand is the Ang Thong Islands National Marine Park, a group of more than 40 beautiful islands off the west of Surat Thani province and near Ko Samui. In Pattaya, scuba divers can organize daily trips from the resort to the offshore islands of Ko Lan, Ko Sak, and Ko Krok.
Fishing :
The variety of magnificent scenery, coupled with year round warm weather and an abundance of gamefish make fishing in Thailand's seas a popular water sport.
The Gulf of Thailand, in contrast to the Andaman Sea, is less saline, generally warmer and shallower. Sharks, eagle rays, and barracuda are just a few of the species to be seen here. During the cool season from November to January, sailfish can be spotted in Pattaya and the Bang Saray region, as well as in Chumphon and in the waters around Ko Samui.
In the Gulf itself, Pattaya and Bang Saray are the major centres for gamefishing, with plenty of charter boats available.
Among the best fishing areas in the Andaman Sea are Racha Yai Islands near Phuket and the Similan Islands, northwest of Phuket. Sailfish season runs from mid-May to November, while marlin and tuna bite during the months of late November to May. The main gamefishing centre is Chalong Beach, on the east coast of Phuket.
Canoeing :
Increasingly popular among ecological-minded travelers is the sport of sea canoeing, which offers adventure while also conserving the environment. Sea Canoe Thailand in Phuket and Sea Canoe Krabi both offer memorable trips in nearby bays, through spectacular scenery that includes huge caves only accessible by water.
Kayaking :
Specially constructed inflatable kayaks are now widely available in southern Thailand, especially in Phangnga Bay, where they are used in expeditions to discover the many extraordinary scenic features of the limestone islands and mountains that characterize this region. A number of tour companies offer a variety of expeditions, some of which last several days with overnight accommodation in tents on secluded beaches.
Golf :
We have over two hundred golf courses, many of them championship standard. So for golfers who not only appreciate a challenging course, but an exotically different one too, Thailand offers an unbelievable choice.
Some are just a short chip and putt from Bangkok, such as the Navathanee Golf Course, which was created for the 1975 World Cup and the Ekachai Golf Club, reckoned to be one of the country's most testing courses. Outside Bangkok, there are numerous courses offering high quality facilities, including The Rose Garden in Nakhon Pathom, the Siam Country Club in Pattaya, the Phuket Golf and Country Club on the lush island of Phuket, and the Royal Hua Hin Golf Course, probably the oldest in Thailand.
Mountain Biking :
The north of Thailand is most suitable for this activity because of its cooler temperatures, especially from November to February. A number of companies offer well organized biking tours, most include guides and, on certain tours, back-up vehicles carrying food and overnight equipment. Bikes are also widely available in major tourists destinations, where they can be rented at extremely reasonable rates on a daily basis.
Cliff Climbing :
The most popular area for climbing is the southern province of Phangnga, where towering limestone cliffs provide the perfect challenge.

Thailand hotel travel information and local guide

Go Explore

Welcome to Thailand's Great Outdoors
For the active traveller, Thailand presents endless opportunities for new and exciting adventure. Hiking, jungle treks, scuba diving, birdwatching, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, are just some of the ways to explore the country's immense natural and cultural wealth. On the map, Thailand has the shape of an axe with a long, narrow handle. From the topmost part to the butt end is a length of some 1,650 kilometres, roughly the distance between New York and Miami.
Thanks to its extraordinary length, the country has the most diverse climate in Southeast Asia. In the mountainous North, wintertime temperatures can drop below freezing point while in the Peninsula South it stays balmy all year round. Geographically Thailand is divided into four regions, and the landscape varies from one to the other. The Central Plains, which includes the national capital of Bangkok, is flat and fertile.

The North is marked by forested mountains while the high plateau of the Northeast is relatively dry. The Southern Peninsula, flanked by the Gulf of Thailand to the East and the Andaman Sea to the West, has beaches and wetlands either side of its lush central mountain range. The country has 2,700 kilometres of coastline, making it one of the top destinations for beach and sun lovers.
Thailand's location at the heart of Southeast Asia means the array of plant and wildlife it supports is very diverse. The mountains of the North form the southerly tip of the Himalayan range , making them a natural habitat for high-altitude species not seen in other parts of the country. The Southern Peninsula, on the other hand, is home to flora and fauna similar to those in Malaysia and Indonesia.
If a large part of the country's charm is the work of nature, the cultural diversity that exists here is responsible for the rest. Village life varies from one place to another, and the ethnic tribes and native people of each region have their own distinct traditions and ways of life. Trips to their homes will enable you to explore both the beautiful landscape and the people's amazing customs and lifestyles.
To do all and see all that the country has to offer, you will need months or even years, but if you are planning an adventure holiday, you will probably have to choose from the wide range of choice. For beach and sun: Pattaya and other beach resorts on the Eastern Seaboard; Phuket, Phangnga and Krabi in the South; and the islands in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman.

For diving and marine life: Islands in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea especially Koh Tao, Koh Pangan, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Similan.
For trekking, mountain hiking and hilltribe culture: The mountains of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and the forest land on the Western border with Myanmar, in Tak and Kanchanaburi.
For animal spotting and bird watching: Khao Yai to the North of Bangkok, Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai and other wildlife sanctuaries around the country.

Experience Thailand

Agrotourism

It is often said that nobody who’s willing to work will ever starve in Thailand. A 13th century king’s praise for his homeland, inscribed in stone and memorized by schoolchildren, proclaims that “there is rice in the fields, and fish in the waters.” Even in hard times like today, the country’s natural wealth continues to provide hopes and a livelihood for its sons and daughters.
Fruit and salt farming flourish in the provinces on both coasts of the Gulf of Thailand. The Eastern provinces receive the southwest monsoon that makes them greener and wetter than the rest of the country. They produce quality rambutan, mangosteen and some of the best durians for local and overseas markets. Provinces southwest of Bangkok are also fruit growers, though the list varies from one to the next, and cottage industries long ago sprung up to absorb oversupplies. A visit to these quaint little factories offers an opportunity to sample their products and take home some of the best.
Thailand’s agrotourism to a large extent shares a boundary with eco and cultural tourism, since farm life is inseparable from local culture and heritage. Agrotourism centers run by the Department of Agricultural Extension offer tours of local farms with nature exploration and home stay in the villages. Some agro destinations can be enjoyable stops on a long trip, offering sightseeing, education and shopping opportunities in one packages.
Buddhist Meditation
Any of us have at one time or another found the toll of living in the modern world hard to bear. Stress, depression and disillusionment are some of the diseases of modern times that leave us yearning for a solution, a cure, so to speak. More and more people are turning to meditation as they fail to find the answer through worldly paths. Meditation is found in some form or other in all major religious traditions. Even those who are not religious use it to focus the mind, to hone it, so that it works better. In Buddhism, meditation is the integral to the eight-fold path to enlightenment. One trains one’s mind so that it can see the four-point Supreme Truth that forms the core of Buddha’s teachings: suffering, what causes it, the end of suffering, and the path to that end. Even if you are not interested in Buddhism, meditation is a valuable training that can be applied to daily life, for it helps with concentration and when done correctly can lead to a state of peace and calmness that’s beyond worldly joys.
There are two main branches in Buddhist meditation: samatha (calmness, concentration) and vipassana (insight), which stresses mindfulness. This doesn’t mean that the two are entirely separate, since you cannot be mindful unless you have at least some level of concentration. The techniques of samatha meditation are many, some older than Buddhism, others developed after the time of the Buddha. Among the most commonly practiced here is anapanasati, or “mindfulness with breathing.” This technique was advocated by the Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku (1903-1993), founder of Suan Mokkh Forest Monastery in Surat Thani. Meditators at Suan Mokkh (Garden of Liberation), follow the 16 steps of anapanasati as laid down in Pali texts.
Thai Cooking
Thai cooking as now enjoyed all over the world is a blend of Asian and European influences adopted through centuries of trade and diplomatic exchanges. Thais have traditionally lived close to the land and the waters, and original Thai cooking reflected that. Main ingredients were rice, fish, vegetable and herbs. Very little meat was used, and traditionally beef or buffalo meat was eschewed since the animals were the mainstays of farm life.Thais grilled, baked and stewed their food, until the Chinese introduced the techniques of cooking with hot oil. European merchants, diplomats and missionaries also contributed a lot to the cuisine, starting right after their arrivals in the 16th Century. And we all have the Portuguese to thank for introducing chilies to Thai kitchens. Curries and spices, on the other hand, were brought here by the Indians. Over the years Thai cooks have added their own ingenuity, substituting hard-to-find ingredients with what’s available locally and adapting the recipes to suit Thai palates.
Muay Thai
The history of Muay Thai is interwoven with the history of the Thai people. A gentle, peace-loving people, for centuries Thais had to defend themselves and their land from aggressive powers. They developed a form of close, hand-to-hand combat best suited for the kind of rough-terrain battle they were fighting. Over time it became a rite of passage for Thai men to take up training in this martial art. King Naresuan the Great (1555-1605), one of the country’s most celebrated warrior-heroes, is believed to have been an excellent boxer himself, and it was he who made Muay Thai a required part of military training. Another milestone in the history of Muay Thai was the triumph of Nai Khanom Tom over 10 Burmese boxers in 1774. Taken captive after the Thai capital fell in 1767, Nai Khanom Tom was picked to fight before the Burmese king. After defeating ten of them in a row, he was freed and returned home a hero.

From: Yourrooms.com