Thailand Travel Guide : Food, hotel, Cost, Weather & geography, History, language, culture, things to see and do and how to reach

You can find about travel advice such as public places & services, best restaurants, activities, sightseen and other key facts of the Thailand .

Thailand and officially as the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia. It is located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning 513,120 square kilometres (198,120 sq mi), with a population of over 66 million people. Thailand is bordered to the north by Myanmar and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and the southern extremity of Myanmar. It also shares maritime borders with Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast, and Indonesia and India on the Andaman Sea to the southwest. Bangkok is the nation's capital and largest city. Nominally, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy; however, in recent history, its government has experienced multiple coups and periods of military dictatorships.

Tai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 11th century; the oldest known mention of their presence in the region by the exonym Siamese dates to the 12th century. Various Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon kingdoms, Khmer Empire and Malay states ruled the region, competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang, Sukhothai, Lan Na and Ayutthaya, which rivalled each other. Documented European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya, which became a regional power by the end of the 15th century. Ayutthaya reached its peak during cosmopolitan Narai's reign, gradually declining thereafter until being ultimately destroyed in the 1767 Burmese–Siamese War. Taksin quickly reunified the fragmented territory and established the short-lived Thonburi Kingdom. He was succeeded in 1782 by Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the first monarch of the current Chakri dynasty.

Throughout the era of Western imperialism in Asia, Siam remained the only nation in the region to avoid being colonized by foreign powers, although it was often forced to cede both territory and trade concessions in unequal treaties. The Siamese system of government was centralized and transformed into a modern unitary absolute monarchy in the reign of Chulalongkorn. In World War I, Siam sided with the allies, a political decision to amend the unequal treaties. Following a bloodless revolution in 1932, it became a constitutional monarchy and changed its official name to Thailand, which was a satellite of Japan in World War II. In the late 1950s, a military coup under Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat revived the monarchy's historically influential role in politics. Thailand became a major ally of the United States, and played an anti-communist role in the region as a member of the failed SEATO, but since 1975, had sought to improve relations with Communist China and Thailand's neighbors. Apart from a brief period of parliamentary democracy in the mid-1970s, Thailand has periodically alternated between democracy and military rule. Since the 2000s, it has been caught in a series of bitter political conflict between supporters and opponents of Thaksin Shinawatra, which culminated in two coups, most recently in 2014 and the establishment of its current and 20th constitution and faces the ongoing pro-democracry protests.

Thailand is a middle power in global affairs, and a founding member of ASEAN; ranking high in the Human Development Index. It has the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia, and the 20th-largest in the world by PPP. Thailand is classified as a newly industrialized economy; manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are leading sectors of the economy.

Foods in Thailand :
(1) Chicken Satay : 

A classic and downright delicious Thai appetiser, served with a chunky peanut sauce. This delicious delight is sure to be loved by kids and adults alike. If you happen to be a chicken lover, then this is sure going to be paradise for you.

(2) Tom Yam Soup with Mushrooms : 

Tom Yum or Tom Yam is a spicy Thai soup. It is a type of clear hot and sour soup. This vegetarian version is made with mushrooms and Thai spices. You can savour it in winter months. Pair it with roasted bread and you're done for the day.

(3)  Pad Thai : 

Pad Thai is a fried noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand. Flat noodles beautifully entangled with tofu, eggs, beansprouts and sauces.

(4) Thai Green Chicken Curry :

Chicken cooked in coconut milk with onions, lime leaves, basil leaves and an aromatic Thai green curry paste. If you have a thing for coconut, then this Thai green curry is sure to tantalise your taste buds. 

(5) Som Tam (Papaya Salad) : 

Som Tam is a green papaya salad that combines all four tastes - sour, chilli, sweet and salty. This salad is not only pleasing to the eyes, but to the palate as well. 

Weather & geography in  Thailand   :

Most of Thailand has a "tropical wet and dry or savanna climate" type (Köppen's Tropical savanna climate). The majority of the south as well as the eastern tip of the east have a tropical monsoon climate. Parts of the south also have a tropical rainforest climate. Thailand has three seasons.Thailand is in the middle of mainland Southeast Asia. It has a total size of 513,120 km2 (198,120 sq mi) which is the 50th largest in the world. The land border is 4,863 km (3,022 mi) long with Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. The nation's axial position influenced many aspects of Thailand's society and culture. It controls the only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore. It has an exclusive economic zone of 299,397 km2 .A fertile floodplain and tropical monsoon climate, ideally suited to wet-rice (tham na) cultivation, attracted settlers to this central area in preference to the marginal uplands and the highlands of the northern region or the Khorat Plateau to the northeast.By the 11th century AD, a number of loosely connected rice-growing and trading states flourished in the upper Chao Phraya Valley. They broke free from domination of the Khmer Empire, but from the middle of the 14th century gradually came under the control of the Ayutthaya Kingdom at the southern extremity of the floodplain.Successive capitals, built at various points along the river, became centers of great Thai kingdoms based on rice cultivation and foreign commerce. Unlike the neighboring Khmer and Burmese, the Thai continued to look outward across the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea toward foreign ports of trade.When European colonisation of Southeast Asia brought a new phase in Southeast Asian commerce in the late-1800s, Thailand (known then as Siam) was able to maintain its independence as a buffer zone between British-controlled Burma to the west and French-dominated Indochina to the east, but losing over 50% of its territory in the process. Most of the areas lost contained a non-Thai population (Khmer, Lao or Shan). The Thai-speaking heartland remains intact.

Per day Cost in Thailand :

You should plan to spend around ฿3,241 ($100) per day on your vacation in Thailand, which is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors. Past travelers have spent, on average, ฿481 ($15) on meals for one day and ฿384 ($12) on local transportation.

History of Thailand :

The country's designation as Siam by Westerners likely came from the Portuguese. Portuguese chronicles noted that the Borommatrailokkanat, king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, sent an expedition to the Malacca Sultanate at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula in 1455. Following their conquest of Malacca in 1511, the Portuguese sent a diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya. A century later, on 15 August 1612, The Globe, an East India Company merchantman bearing a letter from King James I, arrived in "the Road of Syam". "By the end of the 19th century, Siam had become so enshrined in geographical nomenclature that it was believed that by this name and no other would it continue to be known and styled."

Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon, the Khmer Empire and Malay states of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra ruled the region. The Thai established their states: Ngoenyang, the Sukhothai Kingdom, the Kingdom of Chiang Mai, Lan Na, and the Ayutthaya Kingdom. These states fought each other and were under constant threat from the Khmers, Burma and Vietnam. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, only Thailand survived European colonial threat in Southeast Asia due to centralising reforms enacted by King Chulalongkorn and because the French and the British decided it would be a neutral territory to avoid conflicts between their colonies. After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand endured sixty years of almost permanent military rule before the establishment of a democratically elected government.

Language in Thailand :
Thai language, also called Siamese, the standard spoken and literary language of Thailand, belonging to the Tai language family of Southeast Asia.

Culture of  Thailand :

The culture of Thailand has evolved greatly over time, from its relative isolation during the Sukhothai era, to its more contemporary Ayutthaya era, which absorbed influences from all over Asia. Limited Indian, Chinese, Burmese, Khmer and other Southeast Asian influences are still evident in traditional Thai culture. Buddhism, Animism and Westernization also play a significant role in shaping the modern culture.Thai national culture is identified differently throughout regions in Thailand where it also integrated different regional cultures such as the Lanna, Isan, including Chinese origin, Portuguese origin , Persian origin, and in the reign of King Chulalongkorn in the late 19th century, the European trend of nationalism began to insert greater influence into Thai culture. However, the promotion of civic culture reached its peak after the Siamese revolution of 1932 where a series of authoritarian regimes began to insert greater control over people's culture and lifestyles, especially under the regime of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram.Present day Thailand has a culture that is a combination of various local rituals from different parts of the country, along with Buddhist values and oriental trends like in many parts of Asia. The monarchy and royal institutions of Chakri dynasty remain highly revered according to original Siamese culture, whereas societal values in Thailand tend to be more collectivist and religiously secular than in other Southeast Asian cultures which have undergone influences from western colonization.

Place to visit in Thailand :
(1) Bangkok

(2) Chiang Mai

(3) Ayutthaya

(4) Koh Samui

(5) Krabi

(6) Kanchanaburi

(7) Sukhothai

(8) Chiang Rai

(9) Kao Sam Roi Yot National Park

(10) Kao Sam Roi Yot National Park

Hotel in Thailand :
(1) The Quarter Ladprao by UHG

(2) The Quarter Phromphong By UHG

(3) The Quarter Hualamphong By UHG

(4) Evergreen Place Siam by UHG

(5) The Quarter Silom by UHG

How to reach in Thailand :
The main international airports in Thailand are in Bangkok and Phuket. These are well-connected to all the countries. All the airlines that travel to Asia fly to Thailand. So there is no dearth of flight options. Other international airports are located in Krabi, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. These are connected via flights from the South-east Asian countries. The major national carrier in Thailand is Thai Airways, followed by Bangkok Airways.

Travel Guide for Thailand : Food, hotel, Cost, Weather & geography, History, language, culture, things to see and do and how to reach. – Published by The Beyond News (Travelling).