Sawa Dhikap - Amazing Thailand

Sawa ..Dhikap...I have been in Thailand late last year, and I also come over annually when time permit.I love the people, the culture and the food and now I'm beginning to see and understand a little more about this magnificent country.

Thailand is  stress free place, especially the countryside and the beautiful beaches.Even the capital is fun with its heat, exotic sights and sounds, and good-matured touts and street stalls.

The first experience is varied, but if tourist numbers are anything to go by then it will be Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket.Phuket lives up to its nickname - "Pearl of the Andaman."

Like a pearl it is highly polished, very expensive and has throngs of admirers bidding its value up. It also increases in price every year. Tsunami is long forgotten now.

There are some nice beaches, but if you want an over-developed island there are plenty of other options. Pattaya is a lot less expensive but no less developed. Sin city on the beach is a magnet for men seeking instant relationships, cheap beer and daily, if not hourly thrills. For me the visit here is not for that sincerely, the nature and the cool breeze from the Andaman Sea.

Great if you want to make love, not war but hardly an insight into Amazing Thailand. Bangkok I would not argue with.This mega-metropolis has wormed its way into my heart and remains my favorite capital.The sights, sounds, tastes and buzz make it an exciting and pulse-quickening place to visit, and the value is undeniable.

Rows of halal restaurant in Midst of Chiang Mai City

Galore of choice in Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.

Chiang Mai City Scape from my hotel room.

My most favorite place, I would suggest after heading to the capital for a week, to make your way North to the hills and cultural center of the country. Here you will really the essence of Thailand naturally. Chiang Mai is the main center of the North and is a little more laid back than the capital.Industries and crafts include silk, lacquer and hill tribe products as well as Kings Project items which are quite exceptional.Many years ago the hill-people grew opium, and Thailand's revered King took an interest in their welfare and became patron of a project to teach these subjects how to grow sustainable crops for the benefit of the community.

This took off and now Chiang Mai has a plethora of agricultural products that grace the world's finest menus.Because I am pretty much "Joe Street", I tend to focus on the immediate benefits to me. Coffee! and halal Tom Yam. You may go to the bazaar area in midst of Chiang Mai,there you will find Thai muslim food, even Pakistani or Arabian gourmet.

All over Thailand there are small street stands offering "Doi Chang" and "Doi tung" coffee which is an exceptional tasting bean made into a big cup of iced coffee for around 25 baht ($1)

Chiang Mai is the gateway to the North, and the people are gracefully Thai.Unlike Phuket, there is a distinct lack of Tuk Tuk mafias, jet-ski scams, irritating and persistent Nepali tailor touts and in-your-face sex shows.This city is your first major glimpse of real Thailand and is situated amongst rolling hills and majestic mountains.

Further North (actually VERY North at the top of the country) is Chiang Rai, a very Thai town situated in the Golden Triangle - a tri border city sitting on the junction of Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand.

Kok Krung Krap...that's Thailand.