Thailand Culture

Travelling to Narathiwat in year 2000 with my partner was one of our adventurous trip as backpackers from Kuala Lumpur heading North in Kelantan. Access from Malaysia is convenient via a ninety-minute bus trip and two immigration points where travelers can cross into Thailand and vice versa. With Amphoe Su-ngai Kolok serving as an economic and border tourism center, the province welcomes an increasing numbers of Malaysians and Singaporeans on short holidays or shopping sprees. Sungai Kolok has more than its fair share of hotels, many of them short-time joints catering mainly to Malaysian men who skip over the border or a bit of action in the town's many karaoke bars and coffee houses. The restaurant scene is also pretty basic (though tasty) with noodle shops, roti stalls and typical shopfronts the staple. If you're crossing the border here, coming from Malaysia, after clearing immigration either take a motorbike taxi or just follow the main road into town -- it's about a ten minute walk to the start of town and the train station. Sungai Kolok has suffered a series of bombings, arson attacks and killings as a result of the ongoing trouble in Thailand's far south and while none of these attacks have specifically targeted westerners, you should exercise care, particularly in the outlying districts. Expect to see a heightened military presence with humvees and soldiers fully kitted out both in town and in the surrounding area. Amidst the tight security all, that did not stop us from travelling to Narathiwat. Capital of the same-named province, Narathiwat sits on the bank of the Bang Nara River, south of Bangkok by road. A particularly friendly spot roughly 66 km from Sungai Kolok, Narathiwat has the rustic charm that has disappeared from so many of the other far southern Thai provincial capitals. Although the bulk of the town is now comprised of the typical concrete egg-carton style buildings, it still has a generous helping of old wooden buildings and a few sino-portuguese shopfronts by the riverfront. Most travellers treat Narathiwat as an overnight stop (if that) as many choose to head north to the larger centres such as Hat Yai, while others bypass it completely, in part no doubt due to the ongoing difficulties that blight this portion of Thailand. Narathiwat appears to be very popular with cyclists who use it as a breather before pushing on north or south. We took great opportunities to spend days at the beach and in the forests and take excursion trips to some of the magnificent temples! For those who choose to stay though, expect to be rewarded with some excellent southern Thai hospitality and enough Muslim eateries and curries to last a lifetime. Those who do choose to stay here often find themselves marking Narathiwat as a place to return to, well, which me my partner did! As far as security is concerned, the bulk of security incidents have taken place outside the provincial capital, mostly in rural districts that most travellers would be unlikely to find themselves. Nevertheless, care should be exercised and the early evening curfew instituted by some hotels, is best adhered to. Is it safe to travel to Narathiwat? Well, i shall leave it to you to decide. And oh, My honest opinion, Narathiwat is an amazing and unique area with a constant flow of culture and trade between Thais and Malaysians.

There are few cool things to do in Samut Prakarn. My historical trip to Samut Prakarn , Thailand was unforgettable. Bangkok is the nearest city to Samut Prakarn. Muang Boran or so called the ancient city has the world's largest outdoor museum. I paid like 300 Baht for the entrance fee. If you do not have time to travel around the different historical parks in Thailand to witness the splendors of its past, this is the place to go. The arts and culture of Thailand are being beautifully crafted and displayed on the land. This is an innovative park-cum-museum (Muang Boran in Thai) in which visitors can learn about Thai architecture and history. As you drive around, you will find famous buildings, monuments and temples representing all regions in Thailand . You need a private car to navigate around the 280-acre outdoor museum. Do set aside a whole day for this visit, as the attraction is located a little outside Bangkok , in Samut Prakan. A few kilometres from Muang Boran is the famous Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakarn. The croc farm was founded by Thailand's famous crocodile king this crocodile farm ranks as one of the world's largest housing a diverse range of more than 60,000 fresh and seawater crocodiles, including the largest ever held in captivity. Apart from the crocodile wrestling, putting heads in crocs mouths, shows that runs every hour, you can also watch trained elephants, gibbons, lions and snakes, amongst other animals. Absolutely amazing! I come from Sarawak ( Borneo ) believe me, our rivers are home to the notorious crocs too!

if ur looking for cheap shopping ..bangkok is the place..clothes, electronics, etc ..u name it and they got it all ..that too at a reasonable price..but hey quality mite differ..but u shure can get some great bargains..apart from shopping bangkok has got a nice cultural and historical side to it..so all those lookin for some of tht mite be interested ..another great feature of the city is its night life..tho a bit doggy..and 2 things which make bangkok kinda hard to travel in is its bad traffic and a peculiar kind of smell on the roads..

Mae Hong Song's is one of those places that is nothing special as a town, but the area around it is beautiful. It's easy to lose time here and if your into the gentler side of trekking its great. One of the biggest draws is 3 local Padaung villages/refugee camps (Giraffe woman long necks are derogatory terms, please). This is a weird situation, as they are refugees from Burma and there is clearly some exploitation being had here. But its not so black white. None of village entry fee goes to these tribes women or their families, but it does mostly go to Karen rebels fighting for freedom against the Burmese Junta. The rest to Thai middlemen as a tax or rent. The girls are not forced to put these rings on they choose to. Although they choose to because its the best chance of making money as their unable to leave the camp to find other work. The rings do not harm them and do not stretch their necks, It does deform them but in their culture it is seen as a sign of great beauty. As the rings are added over years, the collar bones sink down and give the illusion. There are several explanations as to why they started doing this, To protect their women from tiger attacks, to make them seem ugly to slave raiders, but my favourite is their legend that they originated from a dragon and hence the elongated neck is a homage to that. This very old custom was dying out of recent times until tourism entered the fray. Is this a case of tourism actually inadvertently reviving a minority culture's tradition heritage.....???? Thats up to you. But please go see them, they do want you to go. Be open minded and spend lots of money on their handicrafts, thats the only direct income they actually get and the only way you can be sure your money goes directly to them.

Ayuthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand and is at the intersection of three rivers. It is an amazing, wide spread area with numerous temples, courtyards, statues and buildings from about 700 years ago and most are still well kept. Some really nice ones are for example a buddha statue head, which is grown around by the roots of a tree. A MUST SEE, for a cultural trip or just a nice little getaway from the Bangkok buzz.