Thailand

Introduction

Thailand welcomes visitors with a wealth of attractions from heritage sites and colourful nightlife to perfect white sand beaches. It is a land suffused with Chinese and Indian influences, an unforgettable blend of tranquillity and teeming cities. Our specialist sales consultants would be delighted to tailor-make your luxury holiday to Thailand and can make recommendations for the ideal multi-centre itinerary.

In Bangkok itself, take time out to visit the Grand Palace and designer malls before venturing north to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai to experience elephant trekking through the surrounding forest. Of course, those pristine beaches constantly beckon – Koh Samui, Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi and Hua Hin are amongst the idyllic beach destinations offering relaxation and exhilarating watersports. We can suggest a dreamy honeymoon hideaway with a luxury spa for absolute pampering or child friendly beach resorts for those in search of a family holiday in Thailand

Regional Info

HIGHLIGHTS

• Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), Bangkok
• Grand Palace, Bangkok
• Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo), Bangkok
• Temple of the Dawn (Wat Arun), Bangkok
• Chatuchak Market, Bangkok
• Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai
• Phi Phi Islands (Koh Phi Phi), Phuket
• Kaohom Thai Culinary Cooking School, Chiang Mai
• Jim Thompson House, Bangkok
• Vimanmek Mansion, Bangkok
  

EVENTS

• New Years Eve (31 Dec) | Celebrations And Fireworks Display, The Central World Plaza
• Early Feb | Chiang Mai Flower Festival
• Late Feb Early March | Chinese New Year
  Featuring fireworks, Chinese Dragon and Lion Dancing
• March | Fashion Week, Bangkok
  Fashion From All Over The World
• 13 - 15 Apr | Songkran (Water Festival)
  Songkran is a festival celebrated using water, where a great deal of water is generously tossed about for fun.
• Mid May - Mid June | Rocket Festival, Northern Thailand
  Rockets fired into the sky by locals hoping to bring rain.
• Mid June | Hau Hin Jazz Festival , Hau Hin
  Jazz music from local and international artists.
• 12 Aug | Queens Birthday, Bangkok
  The Royal Palace to be covered in colored lights.
• November Full Moon | Loi Krathon, Bangkok And Chiang Mai
  In Bangkok, Small Lotus-Shaped Baskets Or Boats Made From Banana Leaves Containing Incense, Candles, Flowers And Coins Are Floated Down Thai Rivers.
  In Chiang Mai, The Launching Of Small Paper Hot Air Balloons Into The Night Sky.
  

LOCAL SPECIALITIES

• Tom Yam - the famous hot and sour soup which originates from the Central region.
• Yellow Curry - a traditional Southern dish made from fish, green squash, pineapple, green beans and green papaya.
• Som Tam - a delicacy in the North where green papaya is pounded in a mortar with lime juice, garlic , fish sauce and a number of other ingredients, served with shrimp, cherry tomato and roasted peanuts.
• Snacks - traditional favourites include stuffed dumpling, satay, crisp-fried noodles topped with sweet-and-spicy sauce, and spring rolls.
• Chilli Dips - served with vegetables, meat or fish and made with garlic, onion, shimp paste, sour tamarind
• Salads - Thai salads, called yam, are sour, sweet and salty and made with fiery little chillies and fresh herbs such as marsh mint, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and cilantro.
• Soups - usuually either hot and spicy or clear and bland. The soup is served not as a first course but together with the other dishes, and can be spooned onto the plate of rice the same as the other dishes.
• Desserts - sticky rice with ripe mango, banana or flour dumplings in sweetened coconut cream and seasonal fruits in sugar syrups with crushed ice are favourites. Fresh fruit is always on hand to end a Thai meal.
• Curries - the heart of all Thai curries is the curry paste, which is made from fresh herbs and spices. The paste is cooked in coconut cream before the meat or vegetables are added. Main ingredients in most curry pastes are chilli, garlic, shallot, galangal, coriander root and krachai, the latter a small indigenous root.
• Silk & Cotton - A variety of gorgeous silks and cottons originate in Thailand where cloth weaving is a traditional folk craft. Varieties include silks from Northern Thailand with complicated weaving patterns and multi-coloured combinations of threads; the traditional dark blue rustic, denim-like cotton favoured by Thai farmers; the silk of southern Thailand, produced by applying traditional weaving patterns to Japanese silk plus cotton batiks and patae skirts that glow with brilliant colours.
• Gems & Jewellery - Thailand is rich in precious stones, with a natural abundance of rubies, sapphires, zircon, onyx, jade and opal. The country also has a long tradition of fine jewellery cutting and making. Local cutting, design and manufacturing skills ensure a fine range of quality items with a wide choice of prices. Kanchanaburi and Chanthaburi are both well-known gemstones mining areas, while Bangkok is the major manufacturing centre, where experts converge to judge, grade, buy and sell.
• Pearls - Cultured pearl production mimics the natural process to produce pearls of guaranteed quality.
• Gold - Gold has been used primarily in temples and palaces, as golden Buddha images, jewellery, royal insignia and decorations. Buddha images are decorated with gold leaf and gold is used to enhance modern jewellery.
• Shadow Play Puppets - The hand-made nang talung shadow play in southern Thailand features distinctive puppets with moving parts, while the classic nang yai shadow play associated with the royal courts of Ayutthaya and Bangkok features larger pieces which have no moving either principal characters or scenes from the Thai version of the classic Ramayana.
• Leather Goods - A variety of leather goods are available in many beautiful designs with durable genuine leathers.
• Wickerwork - Rattan sedge, kok, bullrash or kra chud are also used to produce beautifully designed furniture, souvenirs, woven mats and the popular and delicate lipao vine ladies' handbags.
• Ceramics & Pottery - Thailand has a Chinese-influenced tradition of pottery making. Hand-painted decorative porcelain bowls, jars and spittoons are the most popular. Other styles include distinctive rust-red objects such as vases, flower pots and tiny ornamental accessories.
• Wood Crafts - Chiang Mai has been the commercial centre of wood crafting in northern Thailand for decades. Look out for wooden elephants and carvings featuring mythical angels, dancing figures and animals as well as the reproduction of ornamental fragments from old palaces and temples.
• Lacquerware - Hand-painted bamboo or wood objects with elaborate designs. Items include boxes, trays and dolls in gold and black, or yellow and green on a red-brown background.
• Silverware - Bowls, boxes, cigarette cases, vases are fashioned in a craft which has been practiced in southern Thailand for hundreds of years.
• Neilloware - objects decorated with delicately etched designs which are filled with a metal alloy to produce a smooth patterned surface in back and gold.
• Pewterware - Beakers, goblets, tankards and decorative figurines
  

TRAVEL TIPS

CLIMATE
Generally very hot and humid, the best time to visit Thailand is from November to April. The exception is Koh Samui, which is best visited from June to September.

HEALTH
Precautions must be taken to avoid the risk of contracting Typhoid, Cholera and Hepatitis A. There is also a risk of Malaria in certain regions.

TIME DIFERENCE
GMT +7 hours

CURRENCY
Thai Baht

VISA REQUIREMENTS
British passport holders do not
require a visa.

FLYING TIME
BANGKOK : 11 hours 30 mins

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