Thailand Travel Guide

Thailand is one of those rare places that can turn the most unadventurous package tourist into a true traveller. The only Asian country never to have been colonised, Thailand has had the knack, of instead, colonising the hearts of all who visit. For travellers, this is perhaps the most welcoming place on Earth. Where else are strangers greeted with a solemn bow that acknowledges the divine within? Indeed, Thailand is the country that has taught the rest of Asia what it is to be the perfect host, without compromising the rhythms and traditions of its own unique culture.

With a population almost 95% Buddhist, Thailand is a land of coexistence. Daring architectural designs share the skylines with golden temple spires. Ancient craft traditions and the neon-cyber economy face the future shoulder to shoulder. Thai, a unique language in both sound and script, provides an exotic counterbalance to the widely spoken lingua franca of the modern world, English.

Rising and falling between Laos in the north and Malaysia in the south, and stretched across a vast fertile plain between Burma and Cambodia, Thailand is blessed with diverse vistas. Mountains swell from forgotten forests while limestone peaks leap from the azure blue of the Andaman Sea. Serpentine rivers as old as time carry songs of sorrow and hope, while tropical islands of absolute perfection provide the perfect hitching posts for backpackers' hammocks and luxury yachts.

You don't really enter Thailand, this is a destination that enters you – though all the senses. Spice and incense, blaring Thai pop and chiming temple bells, the cool caress of silk and the squeak of clean sand underfoot, it all vies for your attention. But once accustomed, you say ‘yes’ to it all! It's the land of coexistence – remember.

It's easy to spot travellers returning from Thailand. With golden tans and blissed-out smiles, they wheel home luggage crammed with exquisite crafts, designer bargains and perhaps a carved elephant or two. But it’s the memories that are the true souvenirs of Thailand; the wild tuk tuk rides across Bangkok, a rooster's wake up call in a hill-tribe village, the galaxy of flower and candle offerings floating downriver during the Loy Krathong festival. These are the souvenirs that are carried in heart, and heart returning from a visit to Thailand, will always be bigger than the one you left home with.