Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 693

Introduction
With sixteen million foreigners flying into the country each year, Thailand is
Asia's primary holiday destination and a useful and popular first stop on any
overland journey through Southeast Asia. Despite the influx of tourist cash
and influence, Thailand's cultural integrity remains largely undamaged. Some
ninety percent of Thais practise Theravada Buddhism, and King Bhumibol is a
revered figure. The country is still mainly traditional and rural, and though
some cities boast modern high-rises and neon lights, tiered temple rooftops
and saffron-robed monks still predominate.

10

Most journeys start in Bangkok , which
can be an overwhelming introduction to
Southeast Asia, but there are traveller-
oriented guesthouses aplenty, as well as
heaps of spectacular temples to visit. A
popular side-trip is to Kanchanaburi ,
home of the infamous Bridge over the
River Kwai. After Bangkok, most travellers
head north, sometimes via the ancient
capitals of Ayutthaya and Sukhothai , to
the enjoyably laidback city of Chiang Mai ,
where they organize all manner of outdoor
activities. To the northwest of Chiang Mai,
the beautiful highlands around Mae Hong
Son and Pai are idyllic, while hailand's
northeast (Isaan), its least-visited region,
offers ancient Khmer ruins at Phimai and
Phanom Rung and is home to the
country's most accessible national park,
Khao Yai .

After trekking and temples in the
north, most visitors head for the beach .
hailand's eastern and southern coasts
are lined with gorgeous white-sand
shores, aquamarine seas and
kaleidoscopic reefs. he most popular
resorts for backpackers are the east-coast
islands of Ko Samet and Ko Chang , the
Gulf coast islands of Ko Samui, Ko Pha
Ngan and Ko Tao, and the Andaman
coast centres of Laem Phra Nang, Ko
Phi Phi, Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe; on this
coast, Ko Chang and Ko Phayam offer
quieter scenes.

CHRONOLOGY
c. Third or second century BC Buddhism is introduced
to the region by Indian missionaries.
c. Sixth century AD The Theravada Buddhist Dvaravati
civilization emerges in central Thailand.
Eighth century Peninsular Thailand comes under the
sway of the Srivijaya Empire, a Mahayana Buddhist state
centred on Sumatra.
Ninth century The Khmer Empire, based at Angkor, takes
control of much of Thailand. Their administrative centre is
at modern-day Lopburi.
1238 The Thais capture the Khmer outpost at Sukhothai.
1278-99 The reign of King Ramkhamhaeng. He seizes
control of the Chao Phraya Valley and develops Sukhothai
as the capital of the first major Thai kingdom. Following
his death the empire declines.
1351 King Ramathibodi founds the city of Ayutthaya
and adopts Angkor's elaborate court rituals. Ayutthaya
prospers and by 1540 it rules most of the area of modern-
day Thailand.
1568 The Burmese occupy for twenty years.
Seventeenth century Ayutthaya makes a spectacular
comeback, as its foreign trade booms, first with Portugal,
then Spain, England, France and Holland.

WHEN TO GO
The climate of most of Thailand is
governed by three seasons: rainy (roughly
June-Oct), caused by the southwest
monsoon; cool (Nov-Feb); and hot
(March-May). The cool season is the most
pleasant time to visit and the most
popular; during the hot season,
temperatures can rise to 40°C. The rainy
season hits the Andaman coast harder
than anywhere else in the country
- heavy rainfall often starts in May and
persists until November. The Gulf coast
gets much less rain from the southwest
monsoon, but is also hit by the northeast
monsoon, which brings rain between
October and December.