Early Bangkok residents lived life by the banks of the Chao Phraya River or close to it as Chao Phrya literally means ‘Great King.’ Today, many foreigners opt to stay in apartments and hotels along the river, because of its calming force and interesting views. Touring the waterways will give you a glimpse of the city’s glorious past, especially if you take a peak at the Royal Barge Museum – where you can imagine how wonderful a royal entourage of more than 70 barges down the river would look like.

While Bangkok may be fast-flying towards technological development, the genuine charm of the waterways seem to provide an unruffled source of temperance. Perhaps the nature of the river is best reflected by the famous Thai smile and hospitable disposition.

Many boat services along the Chao Phrya connect various ports in Bangkok with northern provinces as well. River cruises are ample, with some of the best offering sumptuous lunches – look out for some of the more traditional barges such as those operated by the Peninsula and Shangri-La. Canal tours are also widely available around the busy pier of Ta Chang.

Once you’re in a long-tail boat (kind of like a Thai style racing boat for passengers that is popular for touring) or a classic, gracefully moving barge, you will witness magnificent temples and other historic buildings of interest. You will see the Royal Thai Navy Dockyard, the Thai Maritime Navigation Company, the Old Customs House, Wat Prayunrawong temple, Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), the Grand Palace, Wat Rakhang Kositaram, and the Royal Boat House.

If you have got more time, a visit to the river island of Koh Kret is also a good choice. A shuttle boat leaves Wat Sanam Nua temple, which is a brisk walk from the Pak Kret Pier and runs from 6 am to 9 pm. Basically, within the island, a community of traditional potters lives and peddle their wares for over a century. Descendants of Mon ancestry, their forefathers who arrived in Bangkok from Burma. Spending their lives perfecting the art of terracotta ceramics, tourists are very welcome to purchase their products.

However, try to stay off the river during the evening rush hour as the waterways remain a popular method of travel for much of the city’s population, a clever way to avoid the infamous Bangkok traffic.

Its enticing mixture of destinations and islands has appealed to myriad of visitors. Some of the main cities high lightened in Thailand maps are

• Bangkok- the capital and primate city of Thailand is also known as Thai. It is a metropolitan city and one of the fantastic places to visit in whole of the Southeast Asian region. Some of its sights are finest in Asia and it offers amazing nightlife with live music, bars and discos. In other words, it is also known as the city of Angels.

• Chiang Mai- It is northern capital of Thailand, which is favorite among tourists. Surrounded by mountainous terrain, it offers plenty of sight seeing activities. The city is famous for hill trekking excursion, northern culture and handicrafts. Its huge night bazaar is one of the best value places in Thailand to shop for its handicrafts and clothing.

• Nakhon Ratchasima- it is the third largest city of Thailand. Some of the main attractions in this place are Khmer ruins in addition of forests, waterfalls, hills and wildlife. Here one can easily come across variety of top notch quality handicrafts and silk weave products.

Bangkok is one of the most frequently visited places. However, if you are planning to visit Bangkok, the city of lights and the city of culture and tradition, you must make a list of the places that you plan to visit.

If you want to have a taste of the history of Thailand, then Grand Palace is one of the places that is worth a visit. It was the former residence of a royal family and consists several temples, houses, and government offices of the olden days.

Another interesting place to visit is the Erawan shrine. This was built during the year 1950 in the honor of Brahma and his elephant, Erawan. Various traditional dances are also held in the open air.

To feel the hustle-bustle of the shopping outlets, Thewet market is the perfect place to go. It is colorful and bustling with life and series of products like pottery, plants, flowers, and Thai cuisines.

To uplift your spiritual mood, you can visit the famous temples in Bangkok, Sri Mahamariamman Temple and Wat Pho. The former features intricate and delicate carvings and sculpting of Hindu deities on the walls while the latter is a 200 year old temple. Wat Pho is noted for the majestic gold plated reclining Buddha, which is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. It is also adorned with mother of pearl inlaid feet, which is three meters long.

Thailand\’s geographical region is divided into four parts:

The mountains and forests are in the north. You can find fascinating handicrafts and multicolored orchids.

The central part where you will find paddy field, farms and all kinds of fruits.

The northeast plateau is famous for its rich archaeological and anthropological heritage.

You will find tropical islands in the southern peninsula. The people on this place are involved in fishing, rubber cultivation and tin mining.

The people of Thailand are very friendly and hospitable. This place is rich in monumental heritage and famous for its beaches. Thailand is an ideal holiday destination for all, from those who are looking for a romantic holiday, to shoppers to the food lovers as you get to taste varieties of sea food, down in the street to the most expensive restaurants. It offers something to every traveler.

Many travelers also come here for adventurous holiday. As this place offer all kinds of sport for all ages like scuba diving, snorkeling, wind-surfing and water-skiing. After all these activities you can simply relax by lounging on the beautiful beach sipping your favorite drink with a good company.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. Bankok means \”city of angels\”, it is a small Thailand in itself. It is the centre of commercial, industrial and cultural activities. If you are looking for peace and simplicity you can visit the Buddhist temples and the amazing part is it stands by side by side with nightclubs and café. You can see monks walking in their red robes all over the place and one can only wonder how they can attain such peacefulness in this rush and hectic world.

Another main attraction in Thailand is Phuket known for its exotic island. The nightlife there is lively with its multicuisine restaurants and bars always filled with tourists. But of course if are looking for a quite meal you can do that by going to the right place.

Chiang Mai is another place which is a combination of modern city life and the old village charm. There are elaborate temples and cultural relics some of which are very old close to 700 years. On the top of the mountain is Doi Suthep monastery which overlooks the fertile valley embracing Chiang Mai.The local night bazaar is the favorite shopping place for tourists where you can get hand made local stuff, tribal wears and also latest modern junks for a good bargain.

You will have no problem communicating as most of the hotels, restaurants and tourist places speak English and other European languages. There are various modes of transportation. You can either hire a taxi to go around the city, or take the city bus .There is also something called Tuk-Tuk, a three wheeler. You would definitely enjoy the open air ride on this three wheeler and for longer destinations there are trains always running to all the places.

Thailand is blessed with three seasons – summers from February to May, Rainy season from June to October with plenty of sunshine and the cold season from November to January. A lot of people go for holidays in Thailand during December and January as it is the perfect season to relax and party. Thailand becomes a mini world as people from all over the world come here for holidays during this season.

Surely now you know what your next holiday destination is – God\’s very own creation Thailand! Let\’s come with Azure Travel providing package tours in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, hotels reservation, vacation throughout Thailand and South East Asia. Azure Travel, based in Bangkok tour operators and travel agent, is entering the hospitality business with valuable experience. This enables it to provide the best services for clients. The staff has many years of experience behind them.

You can sign up for one of the popular package tours or work with Azure Travel to design a tour to your own specifications. Either way, Azure Travel guarantees your satisfied vacation.

Once you are in Thailand, all you need to do is relax and enjoy your holidays with the exotic Thai cuisine, the breathtaking natural beauty and the magnificently architectured temples.

Phuket, Thailand Sand between your toes, stunning tropical sunsets, cold drink in your hand and warm blue inviting seas – this is picture perfect Phuket. This island is known for its silky soft beaches, superb oriental hospitality and great value accommodation. You can go diving in the Andaman Sea, golfing at championship courses or indulge in exciting eco-adventures in the tropical forest of Phuket. Take an exhilarating speedboat trip to surrounding islands or a serene cruise around mystical Phang Nga Bay, or simply enjoy Phuket’s vibrant nightlife in Patong Beach.

Known as the Pearl of the Andaman, Phuket is a large island in the Indian Ocean. The surrounding waters contain much varied marine life and the town is known for its quaint Sino-Portuguese architecture. It is a very attractive island for sightseeing with lovely seashores and forested hillsides.

Property prices soared, many locals sold up to national and international hotels and many of the most beautiful beaches are now host to scores of them, along with restaurants, bars, travel agents, massage parlors and the usual other suspects.

For the budget traveler, the days of grass huts on the beach are largely gone and simple seafood feasts have been replaced by KFC, Starbucks and Pizza Hut. Phuket is an expensive place, with lodging, eating and transport all far costlier than elsewhere in Thailand. You can minimize this by eating on the street and drinking less (or diligently chasing happy hours) but if you really want to spend some time here, you’ll need to adjust your budget. Dishes of pad thai for 100B are not unusual here.

And you can’t avoid the disgraceful public transport here, where the spineless authorities refuse to crackdown on the tuk tuk mafia, meaning public buses only run between Phuket town and the beaches, but not between beaches. This makes interbeach travel very expensive and a good reason to hire a motorbike or car. Its worth spending a night in historical Phuket town and then heading to one of the low-key beaches where budget spots can still be found. Once you’re in the water, who really cares whether they’re paying 500B or 50,000B for their bed? Phuket was hit by the Boxing Day Tsunami, with Kamala, Patong, Bang Tao and Naiyang the worst hit. Reconstruction in most areas is progressing rapidly.