Thailand Travel Guide - Activities in Thailand

Dinning

You've come to the source of one of the world's most popular cuisines. This is where you can experience the delicious taste of Thai cuisines and learn the art of Thai cooking.

You'll learn how to combine the many natural flavors that emphasize fresh and healthy ingredients. Ideally, a Thai meal offers a combination of tastes: sweet, salty, and sour, with hot and bitter often as minor flavors. Sometimes several of these are presented in a single dish, subtly blended, while in others one flavor predominates. Most often, in addition to the obligatory bowl of rice, there will be a soup of some kind, a curry, a teamed dish, something fried, and several basic sauces which can be used to adjust the flavor to suit individual taste.

Sweets for a formal meal may also consist of several dishes: fresh fruit of some kind, as well as, one or more of the traditional confections made of egg yolk, sugar and coconut cream i.e. Pad Thai (Stir-Fried Thai Noodles), Tom Yam Kung (Hot-and-Sour Shrimp Soup)

Shopping

Thailand is also a shopper's paradise. The warm climate makes it wise for the avid shopper to visit the country with almost empty bags and a pocketful of money. Here your entire wardrobe can be replaced for considerably less than you'd pay in most western countries and still leave room for gifts for friends and family on your return. Custom tailoring is also inexpensive.

Shopping venues vary greatly from huge malls in Bangkok as well as the capitol's massive weekend market to small boutiques and charming open-air local markets in every town. The variety of goods is extensive as well; from clothing to antique woodcarvings, gold to handmade paper, cameras to coloured sand; the list is seemingly endless. No matter what your budget, you'll be able to buy some worthwhile memorabilia of your trip to this fascinating country. More Details

Thai Boxing or Muay Thai

Thai Boxing or Muay Thai is Thailand's national sport and becoming increasingly popular among foreigners who visit Thailand to study this martial art. Tourist destinations provide Muay Thai shows, while real fights can be seen mainly in Bangkok and Phuket (these are also the most popular places to study the art).

Despite being a lethal form of self-defence, professional matches involve extensive ceremony as a prelude to the fight. Contestants pay homage to their teachers, to the tune of Thai musical instruments. Except for the head, all parts of the body are offensive weapons. The most effective weapons are the knees and the feet. Knock out is the common fate of the loser in Thai boxing, normally resulting from well-aimed kicks on the head.

Scuba Diving

There are two dive seasons, namely October to April in the Andaman Sea and May to September in the Gulf of Thailand, making Thailand an all year dive location. The Andaman Sea locations are Lanta, Similan, Racha, Phi Phi, Lanta, Tarutao Islands as well as Phuket. In the Gulf of Thailand, the most popular dive spots are the coast of Chumpon province such as Tao and Nangyuan Islands, Samui and Phangan Islands and in the eastern region, Pattaya and the islands of Larn, Samed and Chang. Moving inland you can try your hand at fishing, white water rafting, floating downstream on a raft hotel or taking a cruise on the Mekong River and visiting Thailand and Laos. More Details