There
is
more
visible
historical
evidence
of
past
eras
in
Thailand
than
in
any
other
South-East
Asian
country,
so
if
you're
interested
in
ruins,
temples
and
deserted
cities,
this
is
the
place
to
go.
For
pure
holiday-making
magic,
Thailand's
islands
and
beaches
are
working
definitions
of
heaven
(once
you
get
out
of
the
shadows
of
the
evil
multinational
hotels).
And
as
for
urban
delights,
the
huge
metropolis
of
Bangkok,
although
it
can
alarm
with
its
chaos
and
its
scale,
tends
to
so
charm
visitors
with
its
energy
and
cultural
treasures
that
the
steamy
soupy
diesel
mixture
that
passes
for
air
in
this
city
is
more
than
forgiven.
Thailand
is an
easy
country
to travel
in,
with
efficient
transport,
cheap
accommodation
and
a delicious
national
cuisine.
The
Thais
are
renowned
for
their
friendliness
and
hospitality
to strangers.
Although
they're
often
depicted
as fun-loving,
happy-go-lucky
folk
(which
they
often
are),
they
are
also
very
strong-minded
and
have
struggled
for
centuries
to preserve
their
spirit
of independence.
When
to Go
The
best
overall
time
for
visiting
most
of
Thailand
vis
a
vis
climate
is
between
November
and
February
-
during
these
months
it
rains
least
and
is
not
too
hot.
The
south
is
best
visited
when
the
rest
of
Thailand
is
miserably
hot
(March
to
May),
and
the
north
is
best
from
mid-November
to
early
December
or
when
it
starts
warming
up
again
in
February.If
you're
spending
time
in
Bangkok,
be
prepared
to
roast
in
April
and
do
some
wading
in
October
-
probably
the
worst
two
months,
weather-wise,
in
the
capital.
The
peak
tourist
months
are
December
and
August,
and
the
least
crowded
months
are
May,
June
and
September.
Environment
Thailand
shares
borders
with
Malaysia,
Myanmar
(Burma),
Laos
and
Cambodia.
The
country's
east
coast
borders
the
Gulf
of Thailand
and
the
west
coast
abuts
the
Andaman
Sea.
The
country
is divided
into
four
main
zones:
the
fertile,
central
plains
of the
Chao
Phraya
River;
the
poorer
region
of the
300m
(985ft)
high
northeast
plateau;
the
fertile
valley
and
mountains
of Northern
Thailand;
and
the
rainforested
southern
peninsula.
The
highest
peak
is the
2596m
(8512ft)
Doi
Inthanon
in Chiang
Mai
province.
One-fifth
of Thailand
is covered
by monsoon
forest
or rainforest,
and
the
country
has
an incredible
array
of fruit
trees,
bamboo
and
tropical
hardwoods.
There
are
80 national
parks
and
32 wildlife
sanctuaries,
covering
13 per
cent
of the
country.
They
contain
more
than
850
resident
and
migratory
species
of birds
and
dwindling
numbers
of tigers,
leopards,
elephants
and
Asiatic
black
bears.
Unfortunately,
attempts
to stop
the
logging
of rainforests
and
illegal
trafficking
in endangered
species
are
fighting
an uphill
battle
against
corruption,
officials
only
too
happy
to make
a buck
on the
side,
and
tourists
packing
an exotica
or two
down
their
dacks
as they
walk
through
customs.
The
tiger,
for
instance,
is one
of the
most
endangered
of Thailand's
mammals
but
the
market
for
tiger
organs,
particularly
in China,
is so
lucrative
that
poaching
is still
a viable
career
option.
Overdevelopment
on Ko
Phi
Phi
is starving
the
coral
reefs
of sunlight
and
smothering
the
surface
in pollutants:
the
destruction
of the
reef
is a
micro-example
of the
problems
occuring
on a
national
scale,
with
the
finger
being
pointed
in the
direction
of tourism.
In May
1999,
protestors
packed
the
beach
where
the
filming
of 'The
Beach'
was
taking
place:
environmentalists
were
concerned
that
filming
would
destroy
the
delicate
eco-balance
of the
beach.
Ironically,
the
film
was
about
the
destruction
of native
cultures
and
environments
by hordes
of dropped-out,
alternative
life-seeking
backpackers
(curiously,
the
filmmakers
were
silent
on the
issue
of hordes
of filmmakers
destroying
delicate
eco-balances).
One
of the
main
culprits
according
to the
Alex
Garland,
author
of the
best
selling
novel,
is Lonely
Planet.
Thailand's
climate
is ruled
by monsoons
that
produce
three
seaons
in northern,
northeastern
and
central
Thailand
and
two
in southern
Thailand.
Generally
the
'dry
and
wet
monsoon
climate'
arrives
sometime
between
May
and
July
and
lasts
into
November.
It is
followed
by a
dry
season
from
November
to May
in which
temperatures
are
relatively
lower
until
February
and
then
begin
to soar
from
March
to May.
