Traveling isn't just about seeing the sites its about viewing a culture.
Whenever people ask me about Thailand they always ask about the beaches. Thailand is a very popular tourist destination these days due to its tropical climate and availability to the ocean. However, there are many more things do other than going to the beach. Southern Thailand has waterfalls, mountains, trails, hidden villages, and temples all over the place. Every town, mountain, and valley you go through you will find most of these things.
Tourists often want to go to the well known places such as Bangkok, Changmai, Phuket, Pattaya, Krabi and the list goes on. Most of the time the most well known places are the best places to be cheated of your money. Although the prices may still seem cheap it is quite a bit of money. There are still some very beautiful places to see in these cities. In Bangkok, although bustling and growing one of the most beautiful places to see is the Royal Palace. Thousands of Thai citizens visit the temple yearly to show their devotion and pray. Another amazing thing to see is the holy tree near the YWCA. This is closer to when I was there was down town. I talked in an earlier article about the respect given to the spirits in trees. This tree is so large, old, and holy that it is often common to see silk dresses on its branches and around the tree. So holy and respected is this tree. In Krabi, there is Wat Tham Sua or the Tiger Cave Temple. There are so many more things in Thailand other than the typical beaches that I always seem to hear about.
Many tourists often like to see wild animals. There are many islands still inhabited by wild monkeys and large reptiles as well as other creatures. These islands and areas are sometimes shown to tourists. The easiest way to see the wildlife is to stay in a smaller town or village. I have had many encounters with wild animals. Some friendly and some not so friendly. In 2012 my parents and I returned to Thailand and we lived in a small village by the name of Ba Na Si Thong just outside of Hatyai the southern capitol by about 40 KM. We had a small working farm, that would eventually turn into a self sufficient rehab center, it was off the main road and we where surrounded by the forest. One morning I was going to take our motorbike to the market to buy some breakfast and as soon as I walked out the door I walked right back in and sat down. For curled up on the seat of our motor bike was a King Cobra. He stayed there nice and comfy for a few more hours before sneaking back into the forest from which he came. However, some encounters are unwanted it is sometimes good to have the experience.
There is really no way to experience a country in a short visit but staying in a five-star hotel and traveling where is most popular is certainly not showing you everything a country has to offer. Staying in hostels, eating in the markets, traveling in a common manner, and visiting the smaller cities you will see the way of the people. When traveling it’s not always essential to see al of the sites. I believe the best thing to see when traveling is the culture. The way people interact with each other and treat one another. The Thai people are very kind and are often just as intrigued by you as you are of them. They especially like to encounter those with very pale skin. They believe if you rub the white skin they will have good luck. There are some people who will come up to you and just touch your skin for a moment. Some tourists overreact and embarrass or anger the people and face the consequences of their actions. It may seem strange to some to just accept they actions of the Thai people but if you do they will show you more respect. They will also be happier to talk to you. Today this may be less common because in the larger cities the people have learned to adapt to other societies views.
Many people do not observe culture or learn about it before traveling. Culture is a crucial thing that no one should just dismiss. Even if you are traveling and going to be somewhere for a very short time it is still a good to learn about the culture.
~Fill your life with adventures, not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to show.
