3 cities that you should visit in Thailand

Three cities in Thailand, three different travel experiences. From Bangkok, to Chiang Mai and Phuket, find out what each region has to offer and the activities to definitely check out when traveling.

Bangkok

Being one of Southeast Asia’s most popular destinations, and well-known for its beautiful people, Thailand’s culturally giving and kind nature is probably why people love visiting and even making this land their new home. For city-lovers, Bangkok is a must-hit destination. Bangkok lives up to its name as the capital of Thailand. Skyscrapers, public transit, cars exhaust fuming its way down the streets; this is a city that thrives as the heart of Thailand. The diversity of people extrapolates the assorted culture. With Bangkok’s efficient MRT and BTS system, you can explore the whole city.

Terminal 21 is an astonishing and worldly designed shopping center made for all consumers. With each floor serving different regions of the world, one can be shopping for handbags in Paris and then go to the Caribbean for some beachwear in a matter of steps. Not only is this the place to go to for your new wardrobe, but it’s a place to satisfy your cravings for any food. Diverse selection of Thai food and well-known international franchises awaits your growling stomach in their amazing food court.

Alternatively, Chatuchak Weekend Market is a place to spend less of your money. This outdoor marketplace has vendors lining the street selling items from T-shirts to keychains. Souvenir and gift shopping is highly recommended to be done here if you stay for the weekend and remember to keeping small change. This place is overflowing with people, both locals and tourists and is a great place to put your bargaining skills to the test.

Khao San Road is the place to be if you’re a backpacker and fancy some night time fun with snack and booze. Live music ring from bars and pubs aligning with street vendors and people offering some happy times, but also pay attention to your belongings in the crowd. I’d recommend trying crunchy snacks such as fried scorpion or other delectable fried insects. The limbs are probably the best part though, so stay away from the gut. There is an amazing lady that can whip up an instantaneous crepe, her quick toss of the batter and slicing bananas was one of the best performances I watched.

Even with Thailand’s impressive transportation services, your bodies might ache after heavy exploration. The Wat Pho Temple is the original Thai medical and massage school and has trained the best practitioners of massage you can find. Go ahead and indulge yourself. Remember to pay some respects to the Reclining Buddha as well, undoubtedly the largest and most relaxed statue I have ever prayed and bowed to.

A strong influence of Buddhism evidently exists in Thai culture. Wat Pho is just one of many temples that exist. Lay people revere monks and put their palms together and bow their heads when in sight of a monk (known as “wai”). Monks follow the principles of something known as “dhutanga,” a set of 13 ascetic practices.

Chiang Mai

Now we leave the city life to venture into a natural reservation where you can actually see clear skies. Chiang Mai is for nature-lovers and those who prefer the calm and slow lifestyle. Here are a few wild attractions that really lets you connect to nature:

Chiang Mai Night Safari is not your typical zoo with observation of caged wildlife. It occurs well after sundown. Exotic animals such as white porcupines and raccoons are like pets you can have sit on your lap. An open bus tour takes you around the whole park to have a close encounter with the animals. For an even closer encounter, lure them in with food. The giraffes will crane those long necks down to you to yank those treats from your hand and the baby hogs will chase after the tour bus squealing for more treats. You can pet and embrace the animals, so long as they let you. It’s as if you are an attraction in the park yourself.

A place where you probably wouldn’t want to be an attraction though, is the Tiger Kingdom. Here we make our way straight to the wild beast of the jungle. As fierce as they are known to be, the tigers spend about an average 16 hours of sleep per day in order to save their energy for hunting. More like beauty rest because they are breathtakingly gorgeous.

Tigers are pretty cool, but if you want something even more thrilling and unbelievable, you have to see real elephants in Thailand. Elephants are everywhere—tops, pants, bags, coin purses, key chains, on the streets carrying a family, or in an open and free area of land. Elephants are the symbol of Thailand. I visited an elephant sanctuary and this is probably the highlight of my trip. We got to spend the day with elephants, unbound by bars or fences, and learn about the rescue efforts in order to help these majestic creatures escape the awful life of serving humans as entertainment for a money-making franchise. Spend time feeding and interacting with them, and even bathing with them in their muddy bath water. My heart was stolen by their unknowingly amazing spirits and beauty. I highly suggest and recommend travellers spending time with some of Thailand’s grand and magnificent elephants in a more supportive way.

Phuket

Phuket is the island for the beach bums and party people, well-known for its high life, party scenes, and relaxation and here are a few places to have some fun:

Take a stroll around Patong Beach and be enlightened by the tranquil of the ocean and the serenity of the lifestyle. Walk some more until the sun sets and find yourself on Bangla Road. The calm level of ambiance from the beach shifts to the flash of neon lights and banging music from clubs and people bombarding you with activities. This stretch of road is where night-clubbers come alive and booze is the staple drink. Take a seat in any bar and, male or female, you will be amazed at the talented pole dancer’s moves. Phuket night-life is vibrant, and this is one of the hippest place to catch all the action.

Ko Phi Phi Island is a beach paradise in Phuket, an alternative destination for those who prefer nature. The water is a brilliant clear color, filled with colorful fish, sea plants and starfishes laying in the ocean sand. From snorkelling to jet skiing or banana boating, a variety of aquatic adventure awaits. For a more relaxed time, simply sunbathing on the white sandy shore of the beach is enough to enjoy how luxurious it is. This is the ideal vacation destination, filled with a happy and surreal energy of paradise.

See more: The great destinations in Northern Thailand

Source: Internet

Explore South Korea's largest tea plantation

Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful sites in South Korea, Daehan Dawon in Boseong, Jeollanam Province is an oasis of verdancy and tranquility. Blanketed in soft, rolling hills of beautifully landscaped tea hedges, the farm functions as one of the biggest producers of the country’s green-tea products, and is perhaps the area’s most popular tourist attraction.

A brief history

Daehan Dawon, the largest and oldest tea garden in the southern county of Boseong, dates back to 1937, when the first green tea trees were planted by Japanese colonialists. The area’s rich soil, humidity and day-to-night temperature differences made it a perfect location for tea cultivation.

In 1945, with Japan’s defeat in World War II, the country’s Japanese overlords returned to their native land, and Boseong’s single tea plantation was all but deserted. In the mid 1950s however, Jang Young-seob, a Korean entrepreneur, purchased the land, reestablishing it as a functioning tea plantation. Soon enough, more plantations were instituted nearby, extending as far as the coast. Boseong’s tea industry quickly began to flourish, and today, the town accounts for some 40% of Korea’s green tea production.

Going green

Presently, the tea fields boast approximately 5.8 million plants which are harvested to make yubi-cha—often considered to be Korea’s best variety, thanks to its superb taste and aroma. The seemingly endless rows of tea hedges trace a number of walking paths that are punctuated by groves of cedar, bamboo, maple or cypress trees.

The cedar path—perhaps the most notable attraction of the site, second only to the tea plants themselves —commences at the ticketing office by the plantation’s entrance, and features trees that soar more than 30m (98 ft.) above the fields. The journey continues to the rest area, where visitors can opt to climb up the stairway to get to the central observatory, which overlooks the plantation’s majestic green tea landscapes. Or, they can follow the cedar path toward the field observatory or the sea observatory, both of which offer views of the extensive plantation, its thick forests and the sea in the distance.

Eats, treats and a whole lot of fun

Of course, no visit to Daehan Dawon would be complete without sampling some of the region’s unique green-tea cuisine. At the plantations’ Dawon Lounge, visitors can try ice cream, milkshakes or lattes, all of which incorporate tea produced on the farm. The second floor of the lounge houses the Green Tea restaurant, where visitors can order green tea jajangmyeon, cold green tea noodles and green tea bibimbap.

Adjacent to the Daehan Dawon is the Tea Museum of Korea. Here, visitors can learn more about the life cycle of the tea leaf, its harvesting and drinking culture. In addition, the museum offers a number of programs such as tea-making and tea ceremony workshops that provide a unique, hands-on experience. Furthermore, visitors can get an up-close look at tea plants from Korea, China, Japan and India at the museum’s arboretum.

Daehan Dawon is most spectacular during May, when it is at its greenest. This is also the time when the Boseong Green Tea Festival is held. During the event, festival-goers can participate in tea-picking and tea-making demonstrations, along with other cultural activities.

Read more: Discover coastal cities in South Korea

Getting there

Situated a bit off the beaten track, Daehan Dawon is most accessible by private car, but it can also be reached by bus. From Seoul Express Bus Terminal, take an intercity bus directly to Boseong, or to Gwangju. From Gwangju’s U-Square Bus Terminal, take an intercity bus to Boseong. From Boseong Bus Terminal, either hail a cab or take the hourly Boseong-Gunhak bus to Daehan Dawon.

775, Nokcha-ro, Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea

Source The Culture Trip

The reasons why you should visit Shenzhen, China

The city of Shenzhen is one of the world’s true megacities. Bridging the gap between mainland China and Hong Kong, it is hard to believe that just 40 years ago it was a rural farming community, made up of villages clustered on the banks of China’s Pearl River.

With its range of museums, burgeoning art district, and an impressive, diverse population of innovators and entrepreneurs, the city has a lot to show off. Here are the reasons why travelers should pay this Chinese city a visit.

It is one of the world’s leading design cities

Shenzhen became a UNESCO City of Design in 2008 and has been making its mark as one of China’s most innovative cities ever since.

Stroll the streets and you will find architecture that looks like it is from the future, as well as a number of world-class galleries, from an outpost of London’s V&A Museum to Shenzhen’s own Art and Design Gallery, the first gallery dedicated solely to design in China. Every April, the city also hosts a Design Week at the OCT-LOFT, a 37-acre creative culture park made up of leafy lanes and open squares with exhibition spaces, large-scale installations and alfresco coffee shops.

Inspiring ‘maker’ culture

Building on its former reputation as ‘the world’s workshop,’ Shenzhen has become a leading light in the modern ‘maker’ movement. Its residents have accrued considerable manufacturing and electronics know-how, ingraining a DIY mindset that has been driving progress and drawing attention worldwide.

It is a haven for book-lovers

Shenzhen's techy, but it is also a place for bibliophiles. In the heart of Futian District sits Shenzhen Book City, the largest book mall in China.

Here, you will find bookstores that never close alongside 24-hour ‘book bars’ where you can grab a drink and a book all night long. The city is also home to nearly 200 libraries, the pinnacle of which is the six-storey Shenzhen Library that can seat a whopping 2,500 people.

Easy to get to other places

Shenzhen is part of a cluster of cities across the Pearl River Delta. Travelers visiting this exciting city can also squeeze in trips to Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou, which are only a stone’s throw away, as well as other cities in Guangdong and beyond. An inexpensive, seven-hour bus journey can take you north, to experience the ethereal karst peaks of Yangshuo.

Shenzhen's rugged coastline and surprise beaches

Shenzhen is blessed with a rugged coastline and 23 beaches. Dameisha, the closest beach to the city (and consequently the busiest) is lined with coconut and palm trees, with hazy blue-mountains as a backdrop and views of Hong Kong across the ocean in the distance.

For a beach a little more off the beaten track, make the trek out to Xichong Beach. In autumn and winter, it is especially good for surfing.  Xichong is part of the protected Dapeng National Park, and rising up in the north is Qiniang, the second highest peak in the city. There is also a 10km hiking trail running along the coast.

Great for spas

This city of excitement and ambition can leave newcomers and visitors a tad frazzled. Luckily, inexpensive day spas have sprung up across the city. With a reputation for quality pampering treatments, Hongkongers often pop over for a massage. A spa visit in Shenzhen will leave you feeling reinvigorated and ready to take on your next adventure in bustling South China.

Read more: Visit attractions in Shenzhen, China

Source Internet