Soft Adventure - Walking through history
One
of the best ways to appreciate the grandeur and significance of
Thailand's history is to absorb the atmosphere of the ruins and
monuments of past Thai civilisations.
Golfing in Thailand
Nature study
Adventure with the Army
Star-gazing
Walking
through history

|
Central
Plains:
|

Visitors can stroll into a thousand years of history at the historical
parks of Sukhothai, Lop Buri, Si Satchanalai and Ayutthaya.
Out of the historical
parks, Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon
Pathom is an aweinspiring sight: The tallest Buddhist monument
in the world, and also where Buddhism was first taught in this Buddhist
country.
|
The
north:
|
One
can enjoy the culture just by walking down the street of Chiang
Mai. Here at Wat Pa Pao in Chang Phuak (White Elephant) District,
for example, are gorgeous examples of Burmese and Shan temple architecture.
A short walk southeast of the old town are the weather-worn earthen
ramparts erected by Chao Kavila, the warrior who in 1776 drove the
Burmese out and restored the city to its former glory. Westward
is Doi Suthep, a mountain named after the hermit whose modest cave
is just above Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
There are many temples in Chiang
Mai, Chaing Rai, Lamphun,
Lampang, Mae
Hong Son and Nan where
visitors can enjoy the learn about the northern history and architecture.
|
The
northeast :
|
History-lovers
may prefer to wander among the ruins of the mighty Khmer empire
of the 11th - 12th centuries. The best known is Prasat Hin Phimai,
just outside Nakhon
Ratchasima, the largest sandstone sanctuary in Thailand of classic
Khmer design.
The most spectacular monument is Prasat Phanom Rung in Buri
Ram, a towering structure seated on top of an extinct volcano,
which took over 17 years to restore. Southern Isan is dotted with
Khmer shrines in various states of repair.
|
the
south :
|
A
must-visit is Phra Borom That Chaiya in which authentic Srivijaya
architecture is preserved in perfect condition, or Wat Phra Kaeo
and Wat Hua Wiang, also in Surat
Thani Province. Srivijaya was a group of small communities scattered
along the Malay Peninsula from Sumatra in Malaysia to the southern
part of Thailand from the 7th to the 13th century. These communities
shared common cultural ground in terms of Buddhism, trading, governance,
and architecture. Some archaeologists believe that a nerve centre
of Srivijaya could be Chaiya in Surat Thani Province, since a number
of Srivijaya artifacts and architecture have been unearthed there.
|