Sights and Activities
Below are the places we saw and activities completed while visiting the Thailand:
Bangkok
Wat Pho: the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, dating from the 16th century. It houses the country’s largest reclining Buddha measuring 46m long and 15m high.
National Museum: great museum to learn about Thai art and culture, and the ancient capitals of Ayuthaya and Sukhothai.
Wat Phra Kaew: known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, one of Thailand’s most famous Buddha images resides in this temple. Actually made of jasper, the Emerald Buddha was found hidden inside a layer of stucco.
Grand Palace: the former royal residence.
Be sure to read our article on the three Southern Thai Islands we visited:
Ko Muk
Farang Beach: on the other side of the island from where we were staying lays the island’s most famous beach
Hua Laem Prao Beach: this beach was close to our accommodation and was our favorite.
Emerald cave: great experience swimming in the dark for a few minutes in this cave and encounter an “internal” beach
Ko Kradan
Took a boat out to snorkel in the afternoon and we were not disappointed, beautiful fish and coral
Ko Tao
Tanote Beach: took a 5km walk in one direction to discover a nice cove beach with great rock formations
Sairee Beach: walked along the beach to view the sunset
Scuba diving: we were fortunate to take two dives: the first from Red Rock to Japanese Garden and the second in Twin Rocks
Kanchanaburi
Erawan National Park: hiked to all seven of the magnificent Erawan Falls. We swam in three of these multi-layered falls.
Sukhothai
Sukhothai Historical Park: biked in the central, west, and north regions seeing towering and amazing temple ruins. Some of our favorite temples were Wat Mahathat, Wat Si Chum, and Wat Saphan Hin.
Chiang Rai
Night Bazaar: the best night market we visited in Thailand. Full of locals, food, and even dancing!
Hilltribe Museum and Education Center: learned about the seven local hill tribes in the area
Wat Phra Kaew: this temple was where the infamous Emerald Buddha was discovered. In the mid-14th century, lightning struck open the stucco chedi here, revealing the Emerald Buddha within.
Chiang Khong
This city was our gateway into Laos. We walked around this sleepy, tiny city and along its neighboring river, Mekong River.
Nong Khai
Tala Tha Sadet Market: specializing in dried fruit, but had many more items such as clothing, art, and much more
Sala Kaew Ku – Sculpture Park: rode our rented bikes to this park to witness some large Buddha scultures
The Friendship Bridge: we passed through this bridge on our way back to Thailand and also rode our bikes to see it up close
