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Bangkok is one of Asia's most
cosmopolitan cities. Created the Thai capital in 1782 by the first
monarch of the present Chakri dynasty, Bangkok is a national treasure
house and Thailand's spiritual, cultural, political, commercial,
educational and diplomatic centre.
Major tourism attractions include glittering Buddhist temples,
palaces, timeless 'Venice of the East' canal and river scenes,
classical dance extravaganzas, an almost legendary nightlife, and
numerous air-conditioned shopping centres selling Thai silks, cottons,
gemstones, bronze and pewter ware, and many, many more internationally
admired handicrafts.
Bangkok exceeds 1,500 square kilometres in area. Its population of
over 6 million means that approximately one in every ten Thais is a
Bangkokian.
Pattaya is 147 kilometres southeast of Bangkok, and faces the
Thai Gulf. Pattaya is Asia's premier beach resort, and caters with
equal appeal to families, couples and single visitors. Pattaya's
relaxing tropical ambience is synonymous with every ingredient for
memorable holidays.
Accommodation ranges from luxuriously appointed beachside hotels with
superb convention facilities to simple guesthouses. Sporting
opportunities abound both on land and water, and include some of the
finest golfing, game fishing and scuba-diving anywhere in Asia. Theme
and amusement parks, offbeat museums and lush botanical gardens offer
numerous forms of leisure activities and cultural entertainment for
all family members. And, after dark, Pattaya offers all the allure and
magic of a truly vibrant nightlife with a spectacular variety of
restaurants, nightclubs, bars, discotheques, cocktail lounges and
cabarets.
Ayutthaya, 76 kilometres north of Bangkok, was the Thai capital
from 1350 until 1767, when the city was virtually destroyed by Burmese
invaders.
Ruined palaces and temples attest to the riverine island city's former
grandeur. Indeed, during its zenith in the mid-1600s, Ayutthaya was a
truly cosmopolitan city, and the major power in Southeast Asia.
Ayutthaya province covers some 2,556 square kilometres, and contains
several attractions connected mainly with Thai royalty, past and
present.
Nakhon Ratchasima
Also known as Khorat, Nakhon Ratchasima is the gate-way to Thailand's
sprawling northeast plateau, known among Thais as I-San, which is
bordered largely by Laos and the Mekong River to the north and
northeast, and Cambodia to the south.
The provincial capital of Nakhon Ratchasima is some 255 kilometres
northeast of Bangkok. The province covers 20, 494 square kilometres of
high plateau and mountainous terrain. Nakhon Ratchasima is
particularly well known for Khao Yai National Park and several Khmer
sanctuaries, dating from the pre-1200s when the area formed part of
the Khmer empire centred in Angkor.
Kanchanaburi is Thailand's third largest
province. Kanchanaburi covers some 19,485 square (and oftentimes
mountainous) kilometres, and borders Myanmar (Burma) to the west of
Bangkok.
Kanchanaburi is the site of the world-famous Bridge Over The River
Kwai, immortalised in books and movies, and is noted for rugged
natural beauty where mountains and river valleys have inspired
development of hydro-electric power and where labyrinthine dam
reservoirs provide further scenic elements to the province's natural
beauty.
Beyond the compact provincial capital, some 130 kilometres, and a
comfortable two hour drive from Bangkok, where the Kwai Yai and Kwai
Noi rivers unite to form the Mae Klong River, Kanchanaburi unfolds in
progressively arresting scenic beauty in a landscape characterised by
several waterfalls, caves once inhabited by Neolithic man, national
parks and tranquil riverine and reservoir settings.
Sukhothai ('Dawn of Happiness') became the first truly
independent Thai kingdom in 1238. Historical artifacts have
demonstrated that Thai culture, most particularly the Thai alphabet
and Thai language, originated in Sukhothai.
Sukhothai province covers some 6,596 square kilometres. The provincial
capital is some 427 kilometres north of Bangkok. The province's major
attraction is the ancient city of Sukhothai, which largely forms the
Sukhothai Historical Park, which is a UNESCO designated World Heritage
Site. |
