Top 10 Things to Do in Thailand

1. Grand Palace, Bangkok

Grand Palace, located in the center of Bangkok, is a symbol of Bangkok Dynasty. It is a typical traditional building combining the essence of Thai painting, carving, and decoration arts. Grand Palace is the best-preserved, the most splendid, the largest, and the most ethnic imperial palace in this country. It is now still used for coronation and imperial celebrations. There are 22 complexes, including 4 typical palaces: Boromphiman Hall, Amarin Winitchai Hall, Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, and Dusit Maha Prasad Hall from the east to the west, as well as the Wat Phra Kaew. One of the fun things to do here is that tourists can have the opportunity to take photos with royal guards dressed in white uniform.

2. Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

Wat Phra Kaew, located in the northeast of the Grand Palace, is one of the most sacred temples in Thailand. Stepping into the temple, statues wearing armors come into view, and these 6-meter (7-yard) high statues were built to protect the Buddha from demons. The statue of the emerald Buddha is made of a whole piece of jade and covered with glass. Buddhists believe that it can give them spiritual value, and help them live better in the next life.

3. Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a famous Buddhist summer resort. The location of this temple was chosen by a white elephant and it was built by the royal court. There is a legend: A Ceylon monk travelled to Thailand with several Buddhist Sariras. To avoid being robbed, he decided to put the sariras on an elephant and let the animal choose a place to enshrine the relics. The elephant wandered about and then stopped at the location of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, so the stupa was built there. There were 2 golden dragon statues guarding the temple at each side of the road.

There are 3 treasures inside the temple:

Sakyamuni Sariras
Crystal lotus, on the top of the stupa, with its body decorated with jewels donated by people from all walks of life
Sakyamuni statue in the main hall

4. Chiang Mai Old City

Chiang Mai Old City, built in 1296, is a square town with each side of the wall of 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) long. It is not only one of the important cultural relics, but also the most charming place in Chiang Mai. There are so many relics in this beautiful and tranquil city, and the majority of them are free for visiting. This place is full of vitality with various hotels, home stays, restaurants, and coffee shops. Besides, visitors can have a chance to stroll around bazaar on weekends to experience the real local life.

5. Phuket

Phuket, also called 'the Pearl of Andaman Sea', is the biggest island in Thailand and the most representative tourist resort in Southeast Asia. The west shore is connected to Andaman Sea, with many white and primitive beaches in their own charm. There are many beautiful scenic spots, such as Phi Phi Island - an unpolluted natural resort, and Similan Islands - the best place for diving. Besides, Racha Island, Patong Beach, and Karon Beach are also popular among tourists.

6. Pattaya

Pattaya, famous for its sunlight, beaches, and seafood, is honored as 'Oriental Hawaii'. It is 154 kilometers (96 miles) away from Bangkok to the southeast, with urban area of more than 20 sq km (8 sq mi). The scenery is striking and the climate is mild with the annual average temperature of 20C (68F). It is bright at night, with neon light shining in big stores, grand hotels, dance halls, and nightclubs. Small pubs are placed closely in both sides of streets, and popular music can be heard in almost every corner. Pattaya has been developed to be a sleepless town, as roads are crowded with people and vehicles all night long.

Pattaya Beach is 40 kilometers (25 miles) long. There you can not only enjoy the seascape, but also experience novel and thrilling water activities, such as skiing, surfing, and parachute sliding. In the south of the Pattaya Beach is the Koh Larn Island. Tourists can take a long-tail boat with transparent bottom to have a wonderful view of corals and tropical fishes under the boat. In addition, colorful fireworks will be lit in the early evening to decorate the sky of Pattaya.

7. Lady-boy Show

Lady-boy mainly refers to males having been taking female hormone since childhood, some of whom even take transsexual operation. The majority of lady-boys are beautiful, and the only difference from the female in appearance is that they have bigger hands and feet, but they can be recognized through their voice.

Phuket Simon Cabaret, Tiffany's Show in Pattaya, and Golden Dome Cabaret Show in Bangkok are worth enjoying.

8. Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

Chatuchak Weekend Market is the most famous weekend market in Bangkok. It is very big and about 200,000 tourists travel around there every day. Over 15,000 stalls are located there, so it is better to prepare a map before entering the market. Foreign visitors are mostly interested in the variety and sufficient supply of the goods. There are also all kinds of restaurants providing foods in different flavors and different prices. It is wise to leave for the market in the morning to avoid the hotness at noon. The market opens from Friday night to midnight on Sunday.

9. Jungle Flight

In Thailand, jungle flight first originated from Chiang Mai, and has prevailed over Phuket in recent years. It can be experienced in thick tropical forests and provides you a great chance to get closer to nature. The safety of jungle flight is well guaranteed, so it is not an extreme sport, but actually suitable for all groups of people, including the old and children.

10. Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution

Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institution is a massage parlor; workers there are all released female prisoners. It was founded by Lady Naowarat Thanasrisutharat to create employments for new-released female prisoners, and give them support to return to society. Actually, these massagist are trained for 180 hours during the sentence then be evaluated by local Bureau of Health, thus their skills are strengthened. What's more, it is cost-effective with THB 150 for one-hour foot massage and THB 180 for a full-body Thai massage. The massage parlor usually opens at 8:00, and closes at 16:30.