The Buddhist temples in Thailand are actually called “Wat,” which stems from a Hindu word for enclosure. They are like sacral fortifications with monks living and praying in them. Many of them can be visited when showing respect and covering shoulders and legs. Sometimes you even get to know some monks and can have a talk with them, they are friendly and actually have a good sense of humour.
Thailand, for sure, is the most accessible country to travel to in South East Asia. It is very safe, has a pretty good infrastructure with many low-cost airlines, and you can discover it on a budget quickly without sharing your bed with cockroaches. Also, it can be visited best during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere when there is generally a dry season in most of Thailand, and the conditions for traveling and enjoying the beaches are very favorable.
At the same time, Thailand is also a country with a long history and a lot of cultures, being an independent Buddhist kingdom that has never been colonized by the Europeans (sharing this honor with Japan, by the way, is not the only similarity between these countries). When obeying some strict rules like respecting the king, who can be seen everywhere in pictures, you can pretty much roam freely in Thailand, and the people are pretty open-minded. Being transgender, for example, is not a big issue over here; the sight of so-called ladyboys is pretty standard. Thais are very friendly to tourists, and of course, some will see an opportunity to sell you something, but you are not a walking dollar bill like in other parts of Asia and Africa. Unfortunately, the level of fluency in English is not very high among Thais, especially the older ones, but it changes, and some kind of communication is always within reach, maybe with a little bit of imagination or the help of Google translate.
When flying from Bangkok to Southern Thailand, you notice changes immediately after leaving the airplane. The Thai capital is not exactly known for cool temperatures, but you will soon learn the difference between hot and tropical hot. It is not the temperature but the high humidity that makes the most significant difference. Some of our electrical equipment could not cope with these conditions, and I got some water droplets in the back camera of my iPhone. Not because I went swimming with the device but solely because of the extreme humidity.
Also, tropical rain showers are awaiting you; these are different from European rain. Of course, it depends on the season; there are two: the rainy and dry seasons. Although coming into the dry season, it can occasionally rain as well. Mostly, it happens in the evening when the high humidity rises and discharges into the atmosphere, thus creating heavy (but relatively quick) rain showers and thunderstorms. Under these conditions, nature is very different than in tempered climate zones but more diverse than you would think. Of course, there is the jungle, exotic animals (picture 6), beautiful lagoons, and even pine trees. Of course, the endless blue sea dominates everything in Southern Thailand, and the coast is fascinating with rough rock formations and bizarre little islands (pictures 1, 2, 5, 7). Also, the tide is surprisingly strong, at some places uncovering the sea floor for many hours during the day (picture 3) and showcasing a rich biotope of many kinds of crabs and crustaceans.
Michael Hoffman Photography 