A number of my friends had visited Thailand in the recent past and had been really pleased with their trip; so a couple of year ago I finally decided to take a break from my hectic routine and work that was driving me crazy and go to visit the country that everyone had been talking about so much. The best thing about planning my trip to Thailand was that I did not have to go through any hassle of getting my visa stamped etc. – for American citizens; the entry to Thailand for a 30-day trip does not require any kind of visa. Therefore, what you have to do is, buy a ticket and you are good to go. I could not find a direct flight to Bangkok during my first visit (and I am not even sure if a direct flight from New York goes there). I had a connecting flight from Japan, which was delayed by a couple of hours but along with my wife, I had plenty of things to do at the airport, so we did not really considered it a drawback.
Upon reaching Bangkok on our first visit, we were received direct by the car of the hotel where we had our reservations. The drive to the hotel was twenty minutes long and during this short span of time, I had already realized that the country had a lot more to offer than what I had expected and it was at that moment that I decided that my travels to Thailand would be more than just one. In the past few years, I had made a number of visits to this beautiful country and yet I have not been able to absorb all the natural beauty and cultural diversity that it has to offer. In my travels to Thailand, I have so far been able to cover the beautiful temples in Bangkok and its surrounding areas, the Ko Chang Island, beaches at Phuket and Ranong, which lies at the edge of the country.
The capital city is a combination of modern architecture and dirty, messy, unplanned streets – there is a wide variety of people and cars on the roads – from the most lavish Audis and Mercedes to the carts being pulled manually through cycles. The people are generally friendly and even if they do not understand your language, they will still be willing to leave their work and help you out whatever way possible. Since tourism is the main form of income for the country, you will find hotels at every corner of the city. The people in Thailand are very fond of having spicy foods – so you will have to sharpen your taste buds to get used to the high level of spices in the local cuisines. However, along with this, you can find the most fresh and juicy fruits in this part of the world – not only is the taste of these fruits different; it is much more refreshing and natural as well.
The exotic beaches, friendly people and a mixture of cultural and heritage have always made my visits to Thailand memorable and worth all the traveling. If you want to get away from the fast, artificial life of New York, then Thailand is the place for you to be.