The Thai touch

Tripoto
17th Jun 2014
Photo of The Thai touch 1/9 by Deepika Gumaste
There's a place for every beach lover
Photo of The Thai touch 2/9 by Deepika Gumaste
The Alcazar show- You'll be surprised
Photo of The Thai touch 3/9 by Deepika Gumaste
Visit Buddha monasteries
Photo of The Thai touch 4/9 by Deepika Gumaste
Watch a dolphin playing
Photo of The Thai touch 5/9 by Deepika Gumaste
Take a Safari tour
Photo of The Thai touch 6/9 by Deepika Gumaste
The 'show' on the road- outside sex bars
Photo of The Thai touch 7/9 by Deepika Gumaste
Awaken the 'adventurer' within you
Photo of The Thai touch 8/9 by Deepika Gumaste
Go Para-sailing
Photo of The Thai touch 9/9 by Deepika Gumaste
Visit the pottery garden

Thailand- If you are just starting to travel all by your own, I bet Thailand is a good place to start. Forget about the current curfew and political unrest. It's just a phase. Otherwise, Thailand has all the perfect ingredients for travelers to cool off their steam and loosen up. Honestly, my first impressions of Thailand, made me look at the country as a part of India. Come on, where else can you find a cow on the road, heavy and jam-packed traffic and off course, scores of billboards and political signage (just as you get to see in India). Somehow, I couldn't stop drawing parallels between India and Thailand, well with the umpteen number of street food stalls, one can get to see, it is clear that Thai love eating! So, if you are a foodie, and non-vegetarian in particular- Thailand is your heaven!

For first timers- Bangkok and Pattaya are good places to begin with. Once you are done with these, I recommend exploring more secluded and pristine beaches of Phuket, Krabi,Chiang Mai. Since Buddhism is the main faith practiced in Thailand, you'll see a lot of Buddhist monasteries  and  temples dotting the landscape of the country. However, you'll be amazed at how religion and human pleasures go hand in hand in this island country. While you'll see a lot of monks reciting prayers and going about their chants, you'll also see a lot of women, men and transvestites walk the streets, half-dressed and sometimes naked as the evening hits the island. Perhaps, Thailand is the only country in Asia, where sex clubs, pubs and sex bars are a norm and completely legal. Off course, sex tourism is a big contributor to the country's GDP.

Must do things- Visit the pottery garden, go scuba-diving, para-sailing, watch the world famous Alcazar show, enjoy the Thai delicacies, sweat it out on the roads of Thailand, take a city walking tour in Bangkok, indulge in a Thai massage, feed a tiger at the Tiger Temple, sunbathe at the shores of some of the most amazing beaches of Asia.

Arrive at the Suvarnabhumi Airport from India. We had taken Thai Airways and the fare cost us approximately Rs. 23,000 from Mumbai to Bangkok. Oh, by the way, do spend some time looking at the construction of the airport. You'll find a lot of inspiration from the Indian mythology on the airport!
Photo of Suvarnabhumi Airport Bang Na-Trat Road Rachathewa Samut Prakan Thailand by Deepika Gumaste
Eat, sleep, drink and take a city tour of the Bangkok. Take a walk through pottery amazing pottery gardens.
Photo of Bangkok Thailand by Deepika Gumaste
Enjoy the night life of Pattaya. Get a culture shock visiting the sex clubs. For adrenalin junkies, there's more than enough. Spend a day at Coral Islands.
Photo of Pattaya Chon Buri Thailand by Deepika Gumaste
Welcome to the beach lover's paradise
Soak in the nuances of Thai culture at Chiang Mai. If possible, do light a lantern and send up in the air!
Photo of Chiang Mai Thailand by Deepika Gumaste
Back to India!