Via Air

Koh Samui's little open airport has both domestic and international flights from Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. There are hourly flights from Bangkok's Suvunarbhumi International Airport between 6 am to 9 pm for Koh Samui everyday. There are hourly Bangkok Airways flights and Thai airways has 2-3 flights per day. These flights cost 2200 - 3500 baht for Bangkok Airways and can go up to 7400 baht for Thai Airways. The duration of the flight is about 1.15 hours.

Bangkok Airways also conducts daily flights to Koh Samui from Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya and twice a week flights between Krabi and Koh Samui. For economical flights, opt for Air Asia's flights from Bangkok, costing 600 - 900 baht. These flights take you to Surat Thani, from where you can take local shuttles or cabs to Donsak Pier or Samui Ferry Pier and then continue further to the island.

For international tourists, Bangkok Airways conducts direct flights from Hong Kong on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Berjaya Air has 2 flights per week on Thursday and Sunday from Kuala Lumpur.

Via Train and Ferry

You have to buy train & ferry tickets separately. So you have to take local transport from the train station to the dock, where you can buy ferry tickets. To prevent any delay, find out about ferry timings in advance. However avoid online booking of trains from Bangkok to Surat Thani by using your credit card to prevent addition of handling fees to the ticket costs. You may also have to face the risk of waiting for a boat to Koh Samui or being overcharged for local transport to the dock. So it advisable to buy a combined train/shuttle/ferry ticket from one of the numerous travel agencies in Bangkok. There are 2 trains departing from Bangkok's Hualamphong station everyday and arrive at Surat Thani in 8 hours. When you take a combined ticket, you are escorted and taken to the ferry, from where you can arrive at Koh Samui in 1.5 hours. The costs starts from just more than 1000 - 1700 baht, based on the type of train seat selected for the journey.

Via Bus (or coach) and Ferry

For cost conscious, bus and ferry trip is the best option. Air-conditioned overnight buses depart from Bangkok's southern bus station everyday. These buses leave at late afternoon and early evening. On reaching Surat Thani, buses are transported to Koh Samui. Bus fares start from 300 to 400 baht based on the class of service selected and travel time is about 14 hours. Ferry fares lie below 50 baht. Private companies operate coaches and pick up people from numerous spots in Bangkok. They usually let travelers buy a combined coach/ferry tickets from local travel agencies. This journey takes around 13 hours. The cost lies between 350 - 650 baht based on the type of the service. There are daily bus services from Hat Yai, Phuket and Krabi. However this trip is meant for the toughest travelers. Unscheduled local buses halt at any spot to pick up anybody looking to board the bus. The trip may take longer than the overnight buses and coaches

Via boat

Express catamaran service to Koh Samui departs from adjacent Koh Tao and mainland ports of Chumphon and Surat Thani. There are also usual ferry service and smaller boat services available. Long-tail boat service operates planned trips to and from Koh Phangan.

Via car or motorcycle

There is a ferry service departing every hour from 06:00 - 18:00 from both Donsak Pier and Samui Ferry Pier. The time taken is about 1.5 hours.

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It's an all night rave held on the darkest night of the year. Techno music, 500 baht admission includes one drink, decorated to be a very trippy scene.

Much smaller than the Full Moon Party over in Had Rin.

I was alone and quite a bit older than everyone so it wasn't the best party for me. But I would have had a great time with a group of friends.

Went at 1AM and was quite crowded. Left to go elsewhere at 2AM but went back at 5AM and there was plenty of people still there.

Well behaved crowd except for the guys urinating in the Gulf of Thailand.

It's pretty easy to get there if you're staying northwest by motobike but if staying in Had Rin better to take a songtaew as the roads are too hilly for a motobike at night if drinking.

Samui has 3 chief areas for restaurants and bars, and another 4 isolated places to check out. The first and most famous is Chaweng beach which has a wide array of restaurants to select from. They include French, Japanese, Italian and Royal Thai. They are located on the beach, below the stars, under a thatched roof or in cool comfort.

Located in the north, close to Big Buddha lies Bophut beach. It was once a fishing spot, but today is littered with an array of restaurants and is the gastronomic capital of Koh Samui. The silent and scenic setting makes this spot an excellent place for a romantic dinner. These restaurants are the restored wooden houses of the past and offer you French, Indian, Thai, Italian and seafood cuisines. They are very close to the sea.

Besides international cuisine, Big Buddha beach has various excellent Thai restaurants. Outstanding and creative pub food can be bought from snazzy cafés, littered throughout the area.

To the island's south, lies Lamai beach, the 2nd biggest beach. Eating here is more economical than Chaweng beach and has numerous small, family run Thai eating joints. You can also get an enchanting blend of restaurants from European to Asian fusion, thus satisfying everybody's tastes.

Maenam is one the island's most peaceful and scenic beaches. Here the restaurants fit everybody's pocket and serve cuisines from throughout the world. It is filled with street stalls where you can buy a part of Pad Thai and have it on the beach for a cheap yet unforgettable eating experience.

If you are daring and enjoy eating unfamiliar dishes, go to the south-east and west coasts. Here a large portion of island's fresh fish is caught, making it a seafood paradise. There are some small unnamed restaurants here that can provide you a tasty meal and a cordial Thai welcome

Koh Samui is a foodie's delight and you will remember all the food you had here.

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Koh Samui has many tourist attractions, so you won't be bored for ever. They include: Angthong National Marine Park, also called as the Golden Basin. Here you can participate in snorkeling. The Samui Aquarium is a famous undersea world. Another attraction, the Tiger Zoo Ko Samui is the home to Bengal tigers and leopards. Wat Khunaram Ko Samui is the renowned temple on the island. It is dedicated to former abbot of the temple, who was a meditation master. Devotees come here to offer homage to his mummy. One more important shrine in Ko Samui is the Laem Sor Pagoda Ko Samui. It has yellow tiles that give a golden hue to the temple. Koh Samui also has the Big Buddha. It has a 12 metre tall idol of the Buddha at the Wat Phra Yai.

Besides going sight seeing, you can also participate in the dancing held at the Full Moon Party. It is regarded as the trendiest and jazziest dance party ever held on the island.

You are welcome to publish the article along with the hyperlinked URL: Hotels Koh Samui

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Festivals play a vital role in Koh Samui. People commemorate nearly all the festivals with a great gusto. Some important festivals on this island include: Songkran, Chinese New Year and Loi Krathong. Songkran festival is Thai New Year that falls in April. Chinese New Year falls in February and Loi Krathong or Festival of Light is normally commemorated in November. In these festivals, processions, food fairs, temple celebrations and live performances are held. Tourism Authority in Nathon holds periodic cultural events on the island.

Koh Samui has temple fairs, held throughout the year. They move from village to village and have heavy local participation. The larger fairs have market stalls, live amusement, street food, thick crowds etc. They also show a Kung Fu movie and fortune tellers are the main center of attraction here.

The country bars in Koh Samui are the preferred venues. Many locals spend time chilling out here. Live music, local drinks, and food are the main attractions here. The locals are your best guide if you are looking for an ideal place to utmost enjoyment. The cowboy type logos are very popular in the prime ring road. Foreigners are warmly welcomed to take part in the revelries.

Buffalo fighting is one of the more famous sports on the island. The winning buffalo gets 7 million baths. The fighting season is fixed as per the olden rites and rituals. Stadium is situated at Ban Saket and Ban Makham, to the south. There is a vibrant atmosphere outside the ring.

Songkran festival is very famous here. It is held in April, at the termination of the Buddhist lunar cycle. It is celebrated in both conventional as well as contemporary way. Locals go to the temples in the morning and join others in partaking food and drink. Parties are held in the evening, throughout the island. Water plays a vital role in this festival and people throw water on each other. So if you dislike getting wet, don't visit Koh Samui during this period.

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A late-night swim ended in tragedy early Tuesday morning, when 22-year-old Netanya native Ariel Soriano was electrocuted in a pool on the Thai island of Ko Phangan. Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, director of the Chabad House in Bangkok, said that Chabad would oversee the preparation and transferring of Soriano's body to Israel.

Soriano, who was described by family friend Dan Dobri as a "lovely kid, really responsible and full of life," was halfway through a one-month vacation in Thailand after being released from the army a year ago.

Soriano and his friends had come back from a party at 4 a.m. to Friendly Bungalows, the resort on Ko Phangan's Sunset Beach where they were staying.

Although the pool was closed and there was a sign on the grounds warning against swimming at night, Soriano and his friends entered it anyway.

A cable connected to a pool-cleaning machine fell into the water, and though Soriano's friends were also swimming, he was the only one electrocuted.

"His friends were in the pool with him, but he was closest to the wire," said Dobri, who had spoken earlier with Soriano's friends. "So Ariel took the brunt of the shock. And it took them about a minute to get out of the pool, because they had to disconnect the electricity; it didn't turn off automatically, so they couldn't touch the side of the pool."

Soriano's friends had to run into town to find a doctor.

According to one doctor at a Ko Phangan hospital, some resorts have had private ambulances stationed at large parties in case of emergencies, but since Soriano was electrocuted so late at night, he went without medical treatment for more than half an hour.

"We close the pool at night, so there weren't people around," said Bendi, a worker at Friendly Bungalows.

Dr. Kitti Sak, a doctor at a nearby clinic, was eventually brought to Soriano, whose face had turned purple from a lack of oxygen.

"I determined that he was brain-dead at the pool, since he wasn't responding to light," Sak said.

Soriano was then transported on a stretcher in a tuk-tuk - a motorized cart - to Sak's clinic.

"We used adrenaline for about 40 minutes," Sak said. "But there was nothing we could do. We pronounced him dead at that point."

Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm, director of the Chabad House in Bangkok, said that a Chabad undertaker would oversee the preparation and transferring of Soriano's body to Israel.

Dobri said that the Foreign Ministry hoped to have Soriano's body back in Israel by Wednesday morning.

Soriano's friends, who had planned to stay in Thailand for two more weeks, were due to arrive in Israel on Tuesday morning.

Ko Phangan is a popular destination for Israelis vacationing after the army. The area is best known for its monthly Full Moon parties, when 10,000 to 20,000 backpackers converge on the beaches in Thailand's southern gulf.

http://www.chabad.in...cle_en&id=16856

www.bodywaxingsamui.com.

Nakhon Ratchasima is also known as Khorat, and you are likely to hear it referred to as Khorat much more often than you will hear Nakhon Ratchasima. Why is the city also called Khorat? It is a shortened version of the city’s ancient name, Angkor Raj.

Getting to Khorat is easy. The most common transportation is by bus. Buses run to Khorat from virtually anywhere in Thailand, quite often without the necessity of connecting to another bus. There are also railroad lines that feed into Khorat. From Bangkok the railroad trip is about 4 hours. If you have a car, Khorat is about 260 kilometers (160 miles) from Bangkok on Thailand’s Route 2. The road is in excellent condition.

Khorat has an airport, but passenger service was discontinued in 2006 due to financial losses. There was not enough passenger demand due to the fact of its close proximity to Bangkok. Reestablishment of air transportation is under discussion, but no changes are expected in the foreseeable future. The closest airport with passenger service is the Buriram.

Along with its ancient history, Khorat is rapidly modernizing. You’ll find state of the art hotels, shopping malls, and several excellent restaurants that feature both western and Thai foods. There are restaurants that feature everything from typical Thai cuisine to fine steaks, and even ostrich steaks.

There are plenty of hotels and resorts from which to choose, at all price ranges. You can find hotels at prices as low as 600 baht per night up to over 3000 baht per night at the more luxurious resorts.

Khorat celebrates several festivals and holidays throughout the year. Often, Khorat is a destination for farang who wish to avoid the chaos of Songkran, the annual water festival that occurs in major cities such as Bangkok, Chonburi, and Pattaya. Songkran in Khorat is much more subdued and traditional, but watch out! You’ll still be the recipient of plenty of water dousings during Songkran.

Another major festival is the annual Phimai boat races. That event takes place on the Moon River, at the city of Phimai, during the second weekend of November. If you are interested in going, make your hotel booking well in advance. This event is quite popular and the hotels are usually filled.

Some of the interesting sightseeing spots include:

• Wat Sala Loi – This is one of the most interesting wats in Thailand. It was built in shape of a Chinese junk.

• Khao Yai National Park – This was Thailand’s first national park. To this very day tourists are attracted by the fact that there are still as many as 200 wild elephants, monkeys, bears, deer, and even bat caves. There are also over 3000 species of plants. Good accommodations are available for approximately 1200 baht per night. Camping is also available. If you have your own camping supplies you can find camp sites for as little as 5 baht per night. General admission to the park is 200 baht for adults and 100 baht for children. This park does not charge extra farang prices.

• Phimai Historical Park – Ancient structure and archeological enthusiasts will love Phimai Historical Park. Much of it is actually older than Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Some of the finest ruins of ancient Khmer structures are there. Admission for farang is 100 baht per person.

• Dan Kwain – The province is famous for it’s hand crafted reddish, rough pottery. Dan Kwain is the center of it all, although you will readily find the pottery sold throughout the province, including Khorat. You will also find many small family-owned pottery shops, most of which still use the ancient techniques. The small shops quite often allow tourists to get their own hands dirty and “help” make some of the pottery.

• Sai Ngam – If you know what Banyan trees are, then you know that these are the world’s largest spreading trees. A single Banyan tree is capable of covering several acres. Some of the largest Banyan trees in the world are located at Sai Ngam. Sai Ngam is quite picturesque, located on the banks of the Moon River.

Of course there is much more to see and do in Khorat. An average stay of 3 to 4 days is suggested if you wish to see and do the major attractions.

cc ThailandVisa.com 2009

Surat Thani is accessible by air, bus, railroad, and by ferry boat from several of the islands. The main ferry boat sock is at Don Sak and the boats go to Ko Samui and Ko Phangan.

If you enjoy oysters, Surat Thani is famous for them. The finest quality oysters in all of Thailand come from Surat Thani and many restaurants feature them. A highly popular Thai fruit is the rambutan. This is a red, golf ball sized fruit surrounded by a husk loaded with soft spikes. The fruit inside is quite sweet and crunchy. The best rambutan varieties come from Surat Thani.

Surat Thani is also famous for an exotic food, salted duck eggs. The local ducks feed primarily on shellfish, which renders their yolks a red color. The eggs are salted in brine and cured by covering them with soil.

Accommodations come in all price ranges. You can find accommodations ranging from guesthouses to luxury resorts. Along with beautiful beaches you can also find boat rides to many nearby islands, all of which are with national park boundaries and many are pristine. Day trips and overnight trips are readily available. For those who enjoy fishing, fishing trips are also available. SCUBA diving and snorkeling is also readily available.

Many foreigners wishing to escape the chaos of the Songkran holidays in Pattaya and Bangkok visit Surat Thani during that time period. While you can still expect to be the target of water splashers, the holiday there is much more subdued and traditional.

Many beautiful waterfalls can be found in the area, along with some of the most important Buddhist temples in Thailand. Caves are also in abundance.

Some of the more popular places to visit include:

• The Rock Fish Museum – This museum was established in 1992 by an old fisherman whose work included lifelike sculptures of more than 1000 fish, all of which can be seen at the museum.

• Monkey schools – Monkeys are trained to harvest coconuts for coconut farmers. These ‘schools’ are usually open to the public and can be great fun to visit.

• Oyster farms – The finest quality oysters in Thailand come from Surat Thani and you can visit the oyster farms. Most of the oyster farms are located at the mouths of the Kradae and Than Thong canals.

• Khao Sok National Park – This park is a large moist evergreen forest park and attracts bird watchers from all over the world. A great many exotic bird species can be found here.

• Tang Nam – This is a twin gorge created by streams over the millennia. It is a spectacular sight and is also an important Buddhist locale.

• Khlong Phanom National Park – This park contains several caverns, with beautiful stalagmite and stalactite formations.

There are many more waterfalls, Buddhist temples, parks, etc. to visit.

You will not find much in the way of night life in Surat Thani and you also will not find much in the way of western food except at resorts that cater to foreigners. Even those do not feature very much western food. But if you are a seafood lover, then Surat Thani is a wonderful experience. Along with the famous oysters you can enjoy and abundance of fresh fish, crab, and other shellfish delights.

Surat Thani is a much more laid back province than other beach cities in Thailand. The number of days to plan depends on what you wish to do and whether you intend to make island or diving trips.

cc ThailandVisa.com 2009

Udon Thani was relative unknown to foreigners until the Vietnam war, at which time the USA set up a military base. That base has since been turned over to Thailand, which was part of the deal when the USA was granted permission to set up the base.

Udon Thani itself is better known as a gateway city rather than a major tourist destination. Many tourists pass through Udon Thani on their way to somewhere else, such as Laos and Nong Khai during the time of the Naga Fireballs.

The Naga Fireballs is a phenomenon that has to be seen to be believed. No one seems to know how this phenomenon occurs, but it is predictable. Along the banks of the Mekong River, when the moon rises, the phenomenon begins, with these fireballs rising out of the river. Sometimes there are only a few. Sometimes there are thousands. This year, 2009, the phenomenon is expected to occur the evening of Sunday, October 4. If you wish to experience the phenomenon you won’t be alone. As many as 500,000 spectators are expected. If you wish to go, if you don’t already have hotel reservations, try to make them immediately. Don’t be too surprised if you cannot find any vacancies. Reservations are usually made months in advance.

Getting to Udon Thani is easy. Udon Thani has a good passenger airport. There is also an abundance of bus services to Udon and is a 14 hour railroad train ride from Bangkok. Within Udon there is plenty of public transportation. There are motorcycle taxis, tuk-tuks, baht buses, and even bicycle rickshaws for short-distance rides. You can also rent bicycles and pedal around the city yourself.

There are many mid-range priced hotels in Udon Thani and surrounding areas.

In Udon Thani you will find an abundance of Korean barbeque restaurants. These are quite popular in Udon. If that is not to your taste, then along with all the Thai food, you can find the typical fast food restaurants in the shopping centers and a few western restaurants. The best western restaurants, along with some the best shopping, can be found in the Charoen Shopping Complex. There is also a good night bazaar near the railroad station. The shopping action at the night bazaar usually begins around 5:00pm and finishes up around 10:30pm.

The Charoen Shopping Complex also houses most of Udon Thani’s nighttime entertainment venues, with bars, karaokes, and English style pubs

Udon Thani is in the real Issan part of Issan. Wherever you go, you can count on seeing one thing. Rice farms. Everywhere you look you’ll see rice farms. This is the major industry in this area of Thailand and this is also the area at whioch most of Thailand’s famous sticky rice is grown.

Sightseeing in and around the Udon Thani area includes:

• Ban Chiang – This is widely considered to be the most important recent archeological discovery in nearly all of Southeast Asia. The discoveries, beginning in 1967, here date back to the Bronze Age and artifacts have been made here that date back as far as 4400 BC. This is one of the finest museums in Thailand and is considered a must when visiting Udon Thani.

• Udon Thani Museum – This museum houses collections dating back to the founding of Udon Thani and includes an abundance of historical information.

• Udon Sunshine Orchid Farm – This is one of Thailand’s finest collections of common and rare orchids. A stop here is a must if you are an orchid enthusiast and well worth a stop even if you are not. Some of the most beautiful flowers you will ever see can be found here.

• Phu Foi Lom – This is a major eco-tourism site, located in the Pa Phan Don-Pakho National Forest.

There are also several caves, waterfalls, rapids, and other historical sites to visit.

Local food products include the Chinese sausage called kun chiang, moo yong, which is a pork floss, moo yo, which is steamed pork, and moo naem, which is a sour pork product.

If you wish to enter Laos via the Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai, the visa-on-arrival fee for foreigners is US $35 and entitles you to 30 days in Laos You must have two passport photos available. Thais pay a different fee of their own. Air conditioned buses to Vientiane depart six times daily from Udon Thani. The fare is 80 baht one way.

cc ThailandVisa.com 2009

The city is becoming increasingly popular among gays. There are at least 3 gay bars now and a gay sauna called GL Sauna as well. Admission is 250 baht and includes a drink.

The gay bars are within easy walking distance of each other, the most popular being the G-Men bar.

Hat Yai was a small village until the coming of the railroad in 1922 and has slowly, but surely increased in size ever since. The population is now about 160,000. The official name of the city is Ma Hat Yai. Ma Hat is the Thai word for a fruit tree relative of the popular Jackfruit. Yai means large or big.

Getting to Hat Yai is no problem. There are buses, airline service, and obviously railroad service. Within Hat Yai there are plenty of mini buses, tuk-tuks, and motorcycle taxis.

Accommodations are relatively in expensive in Hat Yai as it is not a beach town or resort city. Food in Hat Yai is mostly Thai, but some of the shopping malls have restaurants that feature ‘farang food’ and there are a few ‘farang food’ restaurants. It is best to book a room via a travel agent. You will almost always get a better rate from a travel agent than booking directly through a hotel in Hat Yai.

Night life in Hat Yai includes a surprising number of bars for a small city, several of which include live music. A popular place to go is Oceana, and entertainment complex just outside of Hat Yai. There you will find a very nice open air restaurant and bar that covers two floors and is in a beautifully romantic landscaped setting, open until about 2:00am. There is a disco nearby and it seems to remain open until about 4:00am.

The Lee Garden Plaza features fast food restaurants including McDonald’s, KFC, and Sizzler. There is also a modern multiplex cinema at Lee Garden

There is not very much in the way of sightseeing in the Hat Yai vicinity, but the three most popular attractions are:

• Wat Hat Yai Nai – Features a 35 meter long reclining Buddha, the third largest in the world.

• Hat Yai Municipal Park – This park is quite popular among the Thais and includes an abundance of flowering plants and a very good aviary.

• Ton Nga Chang Waterfall – Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand. It is a 7-tiered waterfall, the most popular being the third level, known as the “Elephant Tusk” waterfall. Here the falls separate into two streams, resembling elephant tusks. You can easily hire transportation to and from the park for about 400 baht.

Many farang doing visa runs go to Hat Yai due to its close proximity to the Malaysian border. The run takes you to Dannok. From there you simply cross over the border on foot, take care of your visa renewal, and return, although there are plenty of motorcycle taxis to take you, if you wish, 20 baht each way. Mini vans are available to take you back to Hat Yai for about 60 baht, but they do not depart until they are full. The trip takes approximately 90 minutes.

cc ThailandVisa.com 2009

Getting to Chiang Rai is not difficult as it is serviced by a full featured airport, railroad station, bus station, and the roads leading to Chiang Rai are in good condition if you travel by car. Within Chiang Rai there are plenty of tuk-tuks and baht buses available.

Accommodations in Chiang Rai are available in all price ranges, giving you a choices ranging from small guesthouses to luxury resorts.

Dining in Chiang Rai can be a unique experience because northern Thai cuisine includes specialties uncommon in many other parts of Thailand. Much of the cuisine is influenced by Chinese cooking. The amount you spend to eat is entirely your own choice. Food is available from the smallest street vendors to expensive restaurants. One of the more popular eating spots is Chiang Rai’s Night Bazaar, at which you will find more than 50 food stalls. This is very popular with tourists because of the deliciousness of the foods, the atmosphere, the colorful people watching, and free entertainment including music, Thai dancing, etc. No trip to Chiang Rai is complete without visiting the Night Bazaar.

Another highly popular activity is shopping across the Burmese border. The small city of Mae Sai is the place to go. From there crossing over to the Burmese side is the major activity. Burma will issue you a ‘day pass’ for US $5 and there is no problem about reentering Thailand, but you do need to have your passport on your person. This is one of the few exceptions to the reentry permit requirement when leaving Thailand.

However there is really no particular reason to cross the border. Everything available on the Burmese side is also available at Mae Sai. Among the treasures to be found include jade and precious stones such as rubies and emeralds, all of which were mined in Burma, but no more expensive on the Thailand side than you would find on the Burmese side.

In the small town of Sop Ruak there is a popular Opium museum. Admission is 20 baht.

Chiang Rai is not noted for its night life. Most of the night life is centered around the Night Bazaar, but there are a few bars, mostly on the west side of the Night Bazaar.

The major tourist attractions in the Chiang Rai area include elephant trekking and visits to Hill Tribe villages. Other popular tourist attractions include:

• White Temple – also known as Wat Rong Khun. This is a unique structure, built in 1998. It features primarily pure white structures and glittering mirrored hallways. It also features unique paintings,.

• Hill Tribe Museum and Education Center – Designed to help promote a better understanding of the Hill Tribes, their customs, lifestyle, and culture. While you can easily find tours to the Hill Tribe villages in Chiang Rai, the museum also runs tours and is considered one of the best choices for visiting Hill Tribe villages.

• Oub Kham Museum – Contains a wealth of ancient objects used in royal courts of Thailand, Burma, China, Vietnam and Laos, some of which date back to over 1000 years. The museum is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Admission is 200 baht for adults, 100 baht for children.

• Huay Hin Fon Hot Springs – This is a popular, large, but shallow hot springs, highly popular from among the Thais. Vendors sell raw quail eggs and people cook the eggs in the hot springs. Be prepared, though, because there is a sulphur ‘rotten egg’ odor emanating from the springs.

Chiang Rai is a major tourist stop when visiting Thailand. 2 or 3 days is enough to be able to see and do the major tourist attractions.

cc ThailandVisa.com 2009