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With sixteen million foreigners flying into the country each year, Thailand is Asia’s primary travel destination and offers a host of places to visit. Yet despite this vast influx of visitors, Thailand’s cultural integrity remains largely undamaged – a country that adroitly avoided colonization has been able to absorb Western influences while maintaining its own rich heritage. Though the high-rises and neon lights occupy the foreground of the tourist picture, the typical Thai community is still the farming village, and you need not venture far to encounter a more traditional scene of fishing communities, rubber plantations and Buddhist temples. Around forty percent of Thais earn their living from the land, based around the staple rice, which forms the foundation of the country’s unique and famously sophisticated cuisine.
Thailand has been described as the ‘Country of a Thousand Smiles’; make sure you join them! It has fabulous beaches, great natural scenery, cuisine that has begun to conquer the world as well as rich history and culture. There are plenty of internal flights for those wishing to get to different parts of the Country quickly but if you have plenty of time then take it and enjoy the experience every day.
Thailand is relatively hot all year round, although officially it has three main seasons. In Summer (March – June), temperatures can soar above 40 degrees, particularly in the northeast and Bangkok. Thai New Year, or Songkran, falls in April, the hottest month. To relieve themselves from the heat, Thais throw water at each other during the three-day Songkran festival. The rainy season (July – October) brings lots of downpours and heavy rainfall, usually in the late afternoons or early mornings. Temperatures are moderately high, but it can feel very uncomfortable due to high humidity level. The most welcomed season is the cool season (November – February), which brings a relatively dry and pleasant climate. Temperatures rarely rise above 35 degrees during the day.
Thailand loves a festival, and it’s not surprising when you consider having fun and socialising is as central to Thai culture as eating spicy food. You’ll find festivals taking place all over Thailand, frequently held in temple grounds, and they are always a pleasant experience, but hardly worth flying half way around the world to see. Check your if you near or travel the time of any festival so that you can go and have some fun.
