Joanna James
Thailand; a country rich with culture and history is regularly overrun by thousands of tourists. For those looking to escape the crowds, there are a few unknown destinations in the country.
Chiang Rai is the ideal place to start your exploration into the north of Thailand. A delightful little city, it has a much laid back atmosphere and even better food. Its location close to the Laos and Myanmar border enables easy access to remote areas such as the Golden Triangle. If you are on the adventurous side, you can opt for mountain trekking and a host of other exhilarating activities. The city also has ample museums, sights and religious places such as the Wat Rong Khun Temple that can keep you preoccupied for days. Accommodation is quite inexpensive in the city too.
A hippie island at heart, this island is well known for its large and exciting Full Moon Party. Once a week per month, up to thirty thousand people rush to the island to party. They depart the very next day leaving the beaches crowd free and empty. For those looking to get sun soaked in a pristine beach minus the crowds, there is no better island to be at. Accommodation is no issue and one can easily find a resort in Koh Phangan such as the Anantara Rasananda Koh Phangan Villas. The peace and tranquillity the island has in store also makes this an ideal location for a family.
When it comes to a beach filled vacation, most prefer Phuket, but few think of Krabi in the South of Thailand. With many beautiful sandy beaches adorning the shores, it even has its own airport that offers hassle free transport to Bangkok, which is just 80 minutes away (by air). Not just consisting of beaches, it has dense mangrove forests, plenty of mesmerizing temples and approximately 100 islands surrounding the mainland's one hundred and fifty kilometer coastline. A goldmine of natural beauty, Krabi's interior has everything from caves to limestone cliffs and a diverse variety of flora and fauna.
Quite difficult to comprehend, most visitors to the country completely skip the capital, opting to go straight to the coastline or to the towering mountains towards the north of the country. Little do they know that the capital city has a multitude of temples that are the embodiment of Thai architecture and is home to some of the best museums in Thailand. The upscale areas of the city can be compared to any major city in the world, but if you take the time to walk past them into the old neighbourhood, you can easily get a glimpse of the old Thailand with its ancient buildings.
This was the regional capital almost eight hundred years ago. Currently, the historic park is home to the ruins of the ancient city. A sleepy little town, you can just hire a bicycle to explore the ancient ruins and temples. There are daily flights to Bangkok and accommodation can be easily found in the area.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
