The land of smiles, Thailand is save, has interesting culture and is simply beautiful
Thailand the land of smiles is also one of my favorite travel destinations for several reasons. It is relatively safe, partly due to the main religion Buddhism, in which reincarnation plays an important role. The cultural side of Thailand is also very interesting. Buddhist temples can be found all over the country, one more impressive than the other. As a Western person you hardly ever see these kinds of buildings. Most temples are also accessible with often a separate space for tourists and people who want to pray. Buddhism also brings a certain atmosphere with it, one of the goals of Buddhism is not to create sadness, anger or fear and followers try to achieve this mainly by expecting nothing and this really in every area you can imagine. As a Western person you can hardly imagine thinking and living like this, but most Buddhists do not know any better than to live and think like this. Buddhist people take life as it comes and hardly ever worry about anything, and that creates a very pleasant atmosphere. The first time you get off the plane in Thailand, or better yet get out off the airport, you are overwhelmed by the heat, it is often around 38 degrees during the day and at night the mercury usually drops to around 25 degrees, so it is never really cold and often even bloody hot. Fortunately, you get used to it after a while, you rarely need a coat. Actually, it only gets a bit cooler in the northern part of Thailand, but even here it is rarely really cold. In the middle and south it is generally just tropically hot. Nature is overwhelmingly beautiful in large parts of the country, elephants live in the northern forests and the southern part is often breathtakingly beautiful. The Andaman Sea with its many beautiful islands is nothing else than paradise on earth, here you can also snorkel or dive very well and you see the most beautiful things underwater. Taking a boat trip to one of the many islands is also highly recommended. And also not entirely unimportant thing about Thailand is that it is relatively cheap for Western people, hotel stays are usually very affordable and food in restaurants is often downright cheap but of top quality. Thailand is also one of the few countries in the Far East that has never been colonized and has a very rich history that is very interesting, especially in the place Sukhothai is a huge old city full of old temples and Buddha statues where you can explore by bike or on foot, cars are not allowed here. But also in the gigantic city of Bangkok there is a lot to see and do, so I can recommend a bike ride through the city, a visit to the royal temples and a nice party or drink on the Khao San Road are all recommended but there is so much more to do and see in this city of millions. All in all, Thailand is also one of my favorite countries to go to, I have been there myself in 2015 and in 2019 for an adventurous trip of about three weeks each visit. And I know for sure that I will return there one or more times at least. I can really recommend this country to everyone who has never been to Thailand!
