Koh Tao - Dive Central, Gulf of Thailand

Want to learn how to snorkel or dive at one of the easiest dive spots and clearest waters around?  Then head for Koh Tao, the little island in the Gulf of Thailand with over 30 dive operators, 20 dive spots and visibility of up to 40 meters on a good day.  Koh Tao is one of the cheapest places to get dive certified.  If you are lucky, besides the reef sharks, turtles and stingrays, you may bump into the whale sharks that occasionally drop by.

There are several wrecks to sniff around, among them the USS Lagarto and the spooky Tottori Maru from the Second World War and the Seacrest Drill Ship hammered down by Typhoon Gay in November 1989.  Be aware that storm season in the Gulf of Thailand is usually in the month of October thru November.

Not only is Koh Tao a little remote from its popular neighbour Koh Samui, its also much quieter, just nice to get away from it all to its secluded beaches, or go hiking, abseiling or biking. 

This short video by photographic75 shows off glimpses of Koh Tao.

And this video by MasterDiversKohTao may inspire some to go diving soon.

Hua Hin – Clear Waters and Strong WInds

Fancy something different in Thailand? Hua Hin is great for Kiteboarding and Windsurfing with winds up to 20 knots. The PKRA (Professional Kiteboard Riders Association) managed the Intercontinental Hua Hin Kiteboarding World Cup last year.  Great Sun, Sand and Wind!

Unusual for a Thai beach town, Hua Hin has a relatively tame nightlife.  This can be attributed to the fact that this town is where the royals come to unwind from city life.  South of Bangkok on the Malay Peninsula, Hua Hin by itself is on the tourist map for its 5 kilometer long and very wide and clean beach.

If you want to unwind with a little nightlife, Soi Bintabahn in Hua Hin is the place to go to.   For jungle adventures such as trekking, the nearby Sam Roi Yot Park has limestone mountains, caves, swamps, and beaches to go explore.  There are also the Namtok Pa Lau waterfalls to go splashing about and a little ways away, Dan Singkhon is the border town with Myanmar, where you can see or buy Myanmarese nature products.  After your stopover in Hua Hin, you can continue on to Koh Samui and the rest of the sun soaked country down south.

This video by asiatraveltips shows a teaser on the kitesurfing action at Hua Hin.

Nakorn Si Thammarat

Nakorn Si Thammarat (the capital city and province of the same name)  is situated north of Hat Yai, between the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui on the lush and evergreen Malay Peninsula within Thailand.  It’s another ancient city in Thailand, this time not linked to the Khmer but to the Srivijaya Empire of Sumatra and to the Chola Kingdoms of India.

An important temple that is one of the oldest continually occupied temples in Thailand, the Wat Phra Mahathat is around 1500 years old.  You may feel that this may be how Angkor Wat, and other temple ruins may have looked or felt  like in their heydays.  Wat Phra Mahathat of Nakorn Si Thammarat is believed to contain relics of the Buddha himself, with memorials in the town to the people who brought the relics.

There remains an old city wall from the 13^th century with tales waiting to be told.  Besides these places to go and see, there are a lot of fun things to do like kayaking, trekking and elephant rides and sunning on the beaches nearby.

This video by bestdestination gives a good overview of things to do in Nakorn Si Thammarat.

Boat Noodles

Thai Boat Noodles (Kway Tiao Rua) is a common dish that you’ll see everywhere in Thailand.  It’s available from the street vendors or off the boats at the floating markets in Thailand.

Boat noodles have a mix of spices and herbs in a soup that gives an awesome taste.  With your choice of meat and noodles with bean sprouts in the mix, you are in for a nice tasty meal. There are many good write ups on the recipe for Thai Boat Noodles and I’ve selected one for you to try out.

This video from randymagnus gives a very good picture of the preparation on a boat!

Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world and renowned in Asia and Europe.  It was founded in 1350 by King U Thong from Lopburi and named after the city of Ayodhya (the Indian city of King Rama of the Ramayana). Its glorious era ended when it was raided and razed by the Burmese in 1767.  Today, it is UNESCO world heritage site.

Ayutthaya, essentially an island, sits on a great plain at the confluence of three rivers, the Chao Phraya, the Pa Sak and the Lopburi rivers.  There are many pagodas and temples to go about and see.  The largest temple is the Wat Phra Si Sanphet. 

To discern just how beautiful this city must have been in its heydays, you must visit the Sanphet Prasat Palace which has been reconstructed from its ruins.  This palace was where the King of Siam received the Asian and European envoys to Siam and gave the world a glittering introduction to Siam.  The Dutch had built a trading post in 1608 and it was destroyed by the Burmese raid of 1767.  On this ruined site, the Baan Hollanda museum was established with an initial donation from Queen Beatrix.

And of course, you can get the usual great Thai food.  From Boat Noodles, the usual Thai dishes with rice to vegetarian food!

This video by MrKhobKhun shows Ayutthaya in its current splendour.

And this video on Baan Hollanda by HolidayTVThailand, gives you a good idea on the historical links and importance of Ayutthaya to Europeans, in this case the Dutch.

Lopburi

Lopburi is ancient and one of the oldest cities in Thailand.  It is north of Bangkok and Ayutthaya.  It is said to have been founded by the King of Taxila.  Today, Lopburi is famous for its monkeys and ancient Khmer/Angkor temple ruins such as the  Buddhist temples of Phra Prang Sam Yot and Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat and the Hindu temple of  Prang Khaek. Of notable interest is the remains of the palace of King Narai.

Besides walking about seeing these ancient monuments, you can have a chance to watch a traditional Thai dance and get up close and personal with the monkeys that run this town.

This video by nfsutton gives a good historical narrative of the monuments especially on the palace of King Narai.

And this slideshow by travelpod shows some of the pictures and activities of fellow travellers taken at Lopburi.

Slideshow of Lop Buri: TravelPod’s trip to Lop Buri, Thailand was created by TripAdvisor. See another Lop Buri slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.