Travel Thailand

Travel Thailand - This is Thailand

 Travel Thailand - The Ayutthaya kings adopted Khmer cultural influences from the very beginning. No longer the paternal and accessible rulers that the kings of Sukhothai had been, Ayutthaya's sovereigns were absolute monarchs whose position was enhanced by trappings of royalty reflective of a Khmer devaraja (god-king). Brahmins officiated side by side with Buddhist monks at state ceremonies - a legacy which remains in modern Bangkok.

The 16th century was marked by the first arrival of Europeans and by continual conflict with the Burmese. In 1569, Ayutthaya fell to Burmese forces that thoroughly sacked and plundered the city, and forcibly removed much of Ayutthaya's population to Burma. The Siamese kingdom, however, was reconsolidated by King Naresuan the Great. Under this great king, Ayutthaya prospered and became the thriving metropolis as described by 17th Century European visitors.

Europeans were primarily attracted to Siam as a door to the China trade. Ayutthaya and her ports became entrepots for goods travelling between Europe, India and the East Indies, and China and Japan. The height of European presence in Ayutthaya, especially the French, was undoubtedly during the reign of King Narai, who ruled 1656 to 1688. It was through the presence of these Europeans during King Narai's reign that gave the West most of its early knowledge of Siam. Some Western visitors compared Ayutthaya to Venice and called it "the most beautiful city in the East."

In 1767, a Burmese invasion succeeded in capturing Ayutthaya. In their hurry to withdraw from the conquered capital, the Burmese killed, looted and set fire to the whole city, thereby expunging four centuries of Thai civilisation. But despite their overwhelming victory, the Burmese didn't retain control of Siam for long. A young general named Phya Taksin gathered a small band of followers, broke through the Burmese encirclement and escaped to Chantaburi. Seven months after the fall of Ayutthaya, he and his forces sailed back to the capital and expelled the Burmese occupation garrison.

Pattaya at the PresentPattaya currently integrates the delights of a 1st class beach resort, city-like dining, shopping and night entertainmentfacilities with more than 300 assorted hotels, thousands of shops, restaurants and bars. In addition, there are anarray of sports and recreational activities including beaches, golf courses, tennis courts, go-kart, gyms for workingout, weight lifting and Thai-boxing gear.

Pattaya offers a broad range of things to do. During the day, one may enjoyriding elephants or driving humble automatic mini-bikes, monstrous motorcycles, or even monster multicoloredconvertible Jeeps. Others go for shooting firearms, scuba diving and surfing, deep-sea fishing, speed boats,scooters, water-skiing parasailing, or aerial sports such as gliding ultra-lights and flying motor-propelled gliders.On the other hand, at night, there are restaurants, bars, theaters, cabaret shows, night clubs, bowling halls, billiard& snooker clubs, discos, sauna & massage parlors, not to cite its absolutely incredible shopping which is availablenon-stop both day-and-night.

For centuries, Pattaya was a small fishing village almost cut off from the outside world. But a big change occurred on 29 April 1961 when the first group of about 100 American servicemen who would join the Vietnam War arrived in Pattaya for relaxation. Soon, sleepy Pattaya became Thailand's premier and most successful beach resort, which annually attracts hundreds of thousands of pleasure-seeking visitors. A full range of accommodations from super deluxe hotels to bungalows and mini-pocket guesthouses replaced fishermens huts along the beach. Fishing vessels were adapted to become tourist boats and swimmers and sunbathers from various parts of the world frequented the quiet powdery golden beaches. Places of nighttime entertainment have also sprung up and are popular among international tourists.

For centuries, Pattaya was a small fishing village almost cut off from the outside world. But a big change occurred on 29 April 1961 when the first group of about 100 American servicemen who would join the Vietnam War arrived in Pattaya for relaxation. Soon, sleepy Pattaya became Thailand's premier and most successful beach resort, which annually attracts hundreds of thousands of pleasure-seeking visitors. A full range of accommodations from super deluxe hotels to bungalows and mini-pocket guesthouses replaced fishermens huts along the beach. Fishing vessels were adapted to become tourist boats and swimmers and sunbathers from various parts of the world frequented the quiet powdery golden beaches. Places of nighttime entertainment have also sprung up and are popular among international tourists.

In 1954 Mr.Pisit and Mrs. Nongnooch Tansacha bought 1500 rais (approximately 600 acres) of rolling hills and valleys at kilometer marker 163 on Sukhumvit road in Chonburi province. The newly purchased land was anticipated to become a fruit plantation filled with mangoes, oranges, coconuts as well as many other local fruits. But as fate may have it, Mrs. Nongnooch during her trip abroad, was inspired by the beauty of the world-renowned gardens and decided to turn the fruit orchard into a tropical garden of ornamental flowers and plants. At first meant for botanical conservation, the garden was later turned into a tourist attraction fully equipped with Thai style houses, cottages, villas, seminar halls, banquet halls, swimming pool, restaurants as well as other facilities constructed for tourist's convenience.

Pattaya is nestled along a picturesque bay on the East Coast of the Gulf of Thailand, roughly 170 kilometers southeastof Bangkok. From a fishing village in the 1960's, Pattaya has emerged as the favorite Southeast Asian vacation center.A fascinating escape where tourists, holiday makers and vacationers from around the world unfold an incomparablearray of possibilities to unwind during an exotic holiday beach vacation. Unlike other beach resorts, where naturalsurroundings are used as magnets to attract tourists, Pattaya makes an all-out attempt to provide the best ofeverything.Here, everything means everything a tourist can imagine while on holiday: recreation, entertainment,sportssightseeing and fun. To put it simply, Pattaya is a paradise for everyone, as it has a variety of attractions suitable forall types of visitors. This is the place where you can fill your day, from dusk to dawn, with endless activities, or youmay choose to do nothing at all and relax.