You know that place you dream about when you’re sitting at your desk, wondering how to respond to an asinine email?
Yeah, that place really exists.
It’s Thailand.
This mystical land of lush vegetation, soaring limestone karsts, crystal clear waves and sugar sand beaches is truly the place of daydreams. In fact, after stepping foot in this country you will have no choice but to separate your life into two starkly contrasting categories…
#1: Being in Thailand.
…and…
#2: Being somewhere that’s not Thailand (while wishing you were in Thailand).
I mean, seriously, is this place real?
Bordered by Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos in the north, Thailand’s southern peninsula extends through the warm waters of Southeast Asia, separating the Gulf of Thailand from the Andaman Sea.
Its turquoise waters are home to some of the world’s most colourful corral reefs, underwater caverns and beautiful species of fish, making Thailand a great destination for SCUBA diving and snorkelling.
On land, the exotic beauty just continues to multiply, manifesting itself in the form of elephants, gibbons, the occasional tiger, and monitor lizards (two-meter-long dragons that we learned would walk down onto the beach without a care for our presence).
Just off the coast (and easily reachable by long tail boat) are hundreds of small islands, their craggy coastlines rising skyward from the water.
As we discovered, many of these islands had other hidden treasures—like seaside caves, untouched beaches, and mangrove forests crawling with mudskippers (fish-thingies… with two legs… that breath air… Google that shit).
Then there are the temples. And oh there are temples! There are over 40,000: vast and varied—big and small, black and white, ruined and new, mostly Buddhist. But if you want to see a few that will take your breath away, here are some we recommend:
- The White Temple, Chiang Rai (this may be the wildest, modern artistic endeavour we’ve ever seen)
- Wat Arun, Bangkok (so many tiles, oh so many porcelain tiles)
- The Black House, Chiang Mai (very dark, super surreal, a little creepy, but not at all sinister)
- Wat Pho, Bangkok (home of the 46-meter-long reclining Buddha)
- The Silver Temple, Chiang Mai (masterfully gilded, inside and out)
- Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok (Thailand’s most sacred temple—home of the Emerald Buddha)
- Wat Phra That Dog Suthep, Chiang Mai (stunning, and sitting at the top of a 300-step staircase, guarded by gilded dragons)
And after sunning yourself on the islands of paradise, trekking the jungle paths, diving the caves, strolling the temples, snorkelling the reefs, and washing the elephants… be sure to take a few days to get down and dirty on the streets of Bangkok.
Underground talisman vendors, floating vegetable markets, the red-light district, endless street food… anything you could want. And a lot of what you really don’t want.
It’s all in Thailand.