Bangkok - After travelling for years and visiting 53 countries, I finally got to explore the number one on my desire list: Thailand. Am I sorry I did not get there sooner! It is the place to have lots of fun, at prices not crippling to a South African pocket. The sweet, warm people, with their fascinating culture and the spectacular beauty from forests in the north to cliffs in the south, combine to make a rewarding vacation destination.
Here are nine fabulous things to do in Thailand:
Zip-lining in a rain forest
An exhilarating adventure – zip-lining over the towering trees of the Chiang Mai rain forest – shot my adrenaline levels to just where I like them. Starting with fairly easy, short, straight lines, then advancing to terrifyingly long and steep lines (the longest in South-East Asia) you will certainly develop your skills. If you are brave enough, you can even fly, with zip-line hooks on your back; I tried this, and found it sensational. Well-trained and knowledgeable guides teach you about the forest and its animals, like gibbons, which you may see if you are lucky.
www.flightofthegibbon.com
Try the street food
Everywhere you go in Thailand the food options are delicious, with each region boasting its own specialties. Street food is a way of life and you will see many local people buying their food from the scores of stores. Fruit – like mango, pineapple and green guava – is juiced for you, as you wait, providing the perfect drink on the sultry days, and a young coconut, with its top lopped off and a straw plunged into the fresh milk, is equally popular and delicious.
Try some of the exotic Asian fruit, like rambutan, dragon fruit or exquisitely tasty durian, which is banned in aeroplanes and hotels because of its notorious smell. Tom Yum Goong (a spicy soup) and Pad Thai (the signature Thai dish of rice noodles,) bear only a slight resemblance to the dishes we know; several chefs inform me that this is because only Thai people know how to combine the ingredients properly.
Places like Phuket, near the ocean, offer an abundance of seafood. You can even select your fresh lobster and they will braai it for you; a particular treat.
Scuba diving and snorkeling in Phi Phi National Marine Park
Beneath the Andaman Sea, alongside Koh Phi Phi and other Thai tropical islands, is a parallel world with a profusion of Hawksbill Turtle, Black Tipped Reef Shark, shoals of Fusilier, Moray eel and exquisite Nudibranch. Enormous Gorgonian Fans and brightly coloured soft corals make for stunning viewing. After a dive or snorkeling, it is bliss to have a gourmet lunch on an isolated beach with towering limestone cliffs. I dived with a reliable, trustworthy PADI operation, based in Zeavola Resort, and recommend them for a boutique diving and picnic experience. www.zeavola.com
Cruise down the Chao Praya River in Bangkok
Bangkok was one of the biggest surprises of my trip: I had not expected the vibrant, pulsating, organised and ultra-modern city, and the magnificent skyline that welcomed me. From the 25th floor of the Shangri-la Hotel I was mesmerised by the view of stunning architecture, bustling activity on the river and especially the lights at night, reflected in the water. Many of the important landmarks of Bangkok are sited along the Chao Praya, making a boat trip a delightful way to see the outside of the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Reclining Buddah) and Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). I took the comfortable Shangri-la Hotel Night Cruise, which includes a buffet of fine Thai cuisine.
www.shangri-la.com/bangkok
Shop at a market
Thailand has a culture of bargaining, so you can have some fun in the markets beating down the prices of the items you want. There are three categories of goods: originals, original copies – which are well made – or fakes! In Bangkok. Try Sampeng Market in China Town and Chatuchak Weekend Market, the biggest in South Asia, used by the locals and where you can buy anything from a pet to furniture, handicrafts and clothes. The Anusarn Night Bazaar in Chiang Mai has a hip and happening feel with food stalls, clothing and souvenirs interspersed with Thai massage parlours and restaurants.
Get a Thai tattoo
Tattoo shops abound, so choose carefully, but there are some fantastic Asian designs and highly skilled artists operating from more than a dozen shops in Patong Beach in Phuket alone. Try Siam Ink or Golden Needle, both with good reputations. Sak Yant tattoos – Buddhist religious symbols believed to have tremendous powers – were originally banned by the Thai government unless done by a Buddhist priest, but are now widely available.
Chat to a ladyboy or go to a Kathoey cabaret
A wide range of gender identities is accepted in Thailand, so you will see many ladyboys – or kathoeys – working as waiters and entertainers. Their use of make-up and feminine gestures, which might turn heads elsewhere, is not only tolerated but customary here.
In January, the term “third gender” was included in the Thai constitution to protect the rights of men and women who choose an alternative gender. Thai surgeons are renowned for their skills in transgender surgery, bringing in patients from all over the world to benefit from this expertise.
Have a Thai massage
Massage is so much part of life in Thailand that people learn the skills in their homes. To become a professional masseuse, they study further. Massage parlours are everywhere, with many simply on the pavements.
Visit a Buddhist temple or two
Throughout Thailand there are extraordinary temples, many lavishly decorated with gold leaf.
Thais believe life should be “sanuk” or fun. In this country that has never been colonised – leaving its unique traditions and culture unadulterated– with its diverse landscapes and variety of entertainment, there’s lots of fun.
Although public transport is easy in Thailand, it saves time and trouble to use the reputable Thompsons to maximise your time to survey Thailand from North to South. Experienced guides that speak good English transport you in air-conditioned vehicles in each place you visit. www.thompsons.co.za
Fly Singapore Airlines from OR Tambo
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