đź“ŤChiang Mai, Thailand
Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai is the main northern city of Thailand. It is 700 km away from Bangkok. Located 300 meters above sea level, Chiang Mai is surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. Even today elephants work in the forest here. Beautiful waterfalls, caves, gorges, surrounded gardens as well as abundant plantations create a beautiful landscape in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai was the capital of Lan Na Thai with one million rice fields. It was the first independent state known as the Golden Triangle. It was a thriving religious, cultural and commercial center until 1556. Burma invaded here. In 1775, the Thais ousted the Burmese and made it an integral part of Thailand. Various festivals, 1300-century temples, beautiful scenery, delicious fruits like apples, peaches and strawberries, cool weather and beautiful romanticism make it a Shangri-La.
Traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai will always seem like a lonely stretch. If you came here before 1920, you had to come by river or elephant, which was somewhat of an issue. The people here have their own language, customs, handicrafts, traditions, dance and food habits. Those who visit Chiang Mai will never forget the pleasure of a visit here. It is a mixture of Mon, Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lan Na Thai architecture. One can see a lot of wood carvings on various objects like the intricate staircase here.
Tours in and around Chiang Mai
In the city you can explore its intricacies by taking a walking tour. If you don’t want to travel on foot, you can take a bus, minibus or tricycle. You can go on guided tours and they will act as your assistants. Any car can be hired on day or night basis. If you come to Bangkok, you will find a variety of vehicles to get you to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai and Bangkok are connected by rail, bus and air. It will only take you 55 minutes on a Thai Airways Boeing jet. If you want to go by bus go to Phahonyothin Road, they will reach you in 12 hours. If you want to go by train then it will take 14 hours.
Chiang Mai Festivals
Many annual festivals are held in Chiang Mai. There are three worth mentioning. The first is the full festival which is held on the first day of February. It is a festival of temperate and tropical flowers. Processions and parades are held during the festival. The second festival is Sankran. It was held on 13–15 April. This is the Thai New Year celebration. Jal Chhora Utsav takes place along with 3-day festivities, pilgrimages, beauty parades, dances and other festivities to celebrate the religious excellence.
The last festival is Loy Krathong. It is held in mid-November. It is held on the full moon day of the twelfth month of the lunar year. It is the most interesting festival as people float candles, incense, flowers and a coin on the banana trees on the full moon night to pay respect to the water god as well as to wash away the sins of the previous year.
If you happen to visit Chiang Mai during any of the above festivals, you can enjoy it at its best. People who have budget issues can stay in affordable guesthouses. If you intend to stay outside Chiang Mai, you can find bungalows and cabins to stay in the Ma Sa Valley. You can hire a tourist guide from the Chiang Mai branch of the Thai Tourism Authority.
Chiang Mai has restaurants serving Chinese cuisine as well as Italian, French, German and Muslim specialties. There are American style kebab houses, sandwich houses, fast food restaurants, pubs and vegetarian restaurants. You can get good tea or coffee in the tea and coffee house. If you want to enjoy a taste of the local cuisine, try the spicy nam sausage as well as the lightly cooked khao soy noodles. Many tourists come here to enjoy Khantak dinner and northern dance.
what will you see?
There are many major temples in the city. there one is called Wat Chiang Man and it is the oldest. The other is Wat Chedi Luang which was partially damaged in the 1545 earthquake. Wat Phra Singh houses an image of the Phra Singh Buddha. It was built in 1345. Wat Ku Tao is a beautiful ceramic pagoda.
Wat Suan Dok is a temple of Wat Umong. It was built in the 14th century as a pleasure garden for the Lan Na Thai king. The most spectacular and important temple is Wat Phra That Dai Sudip. It is a landmark from where the city can be seen, the city is 15 km away from here. The far temple has archaeological monuments that attract tourists and Buddhist pilgrims throughout the year. 12 km to reach here.
There are winding mountain roads. you need to must see Chiang Mai’s zoo with steep stairs to climb 100%. If you don’t want to climb the stairs then you can go by car to the temple from where you can enjoy the view.
Apart from visiting the temple, you can also go to the market or Big Bajao for shopping. You will find antiques, jewellery, pipes, embroideries, silks, cotton fabrics, baskets, celadon, silver ornaments, furniture, lacquerware, carvings and umbrellas here. Bo Sang village can be seen on the outskirts of the city. After your shopping, you can relax in the hot springs of San Campaneg which is 36 km from the city. Located far away, the amount of sulfur in the water of the spring is high, which is healthy.
how to go
Bangkok can be reached in under an hour by a Chiang Mai Thai Airways flight. Alternatively, you can go from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by bus or train.
đź“ŤPhuket, Thailand
About 860 km from Bangkok, Phuket is the country’s largest island on the southwestern tip of Thailand. Like Pattaya, Phuket is famous for its excellent beaches. Because, the world famous Kata Kamala Kite Beach etc. are in Phuket Island only. Kite Beach is the most populated. Hotels Restaurants Department Stores Travel Agents Offices Garments and Handicrafts Shops Massage Parlors etc. Busy Seaside Road all the time.
It is better to spend the first day in Phuket enjoying the beauty of the beach. Day 2 is a full day package tour by motorized long tail boat to Pha Nong Bay. This place is the sea in the Andaman Sea. Many limestone mountains rise from this. As diverse as the texture of those hills. One of the islands has been named James Bond Island because of the shooting of Hollywood movies. Island tour is also included in this package tour.
The cost of this one-day tour is about two thousand baht including lunch. On the third day we will visit Fifi Island with two islands namely Fifi Don and Fifi Le. In the Andaman Sea, with two islands, Fifi Don and Fifi Le, Fifi Island is a small secluded island with mountains and forests in the middle of a green sea. And the shining blue sky above the head mesmerizes the tourists. Fifi Don has hotels, resorts, markets, restaurants, people, all on Fifi Le, but it is uninhabited and a collection of steep hills.
Some small and big beautiful beaches, some hidden caves etc. are hidden around it. Although one-day package tours can be taken, you should spend at least a couple of nights in Fifi don’t want to understand the nature of Fifi Island, so you should talk to tour operators. The cost of a buffet lunch is approximately twenty two hundred baht. There are various budget hotels to stay in Fifi Don. A double bed with air conditioning at the budget hotel Fifi Casita costs around 1800 baht.
You can visit Khao Lak in Phuket once. The beaches here are wide, beautiful and equipped with green hills. Overall very pleasant atmosphere. Waterfalls are notable in rocky places, islands and forests. The world’s largest single flower Rafflesia can be found in Khao Sok National Park, a few kilometers from Khao Lak. In this national park, you can spend the night in one of the rain forest guesthouses for very little cost. The road from Khao Lak to Khao Sok is also very beautiful.
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