Originaltext - Englisch - The Real Thailand

Twenty six provinces make up central and eastern Thailand, Bangkok being one of them.

Geographically Bangkok is Thailand’s heartland. Extending from Lop Buri to the North and covering the rice bowl of the Central Plains amidst the Chao Phraya River further south the area embraces the west and east coasts of the upper Gulf of Thailand. This being Thailand’s farming area, with a wide range of paddy fields, orchards, and plantations. Over 1,000 years ago Thai settlers moved from the north establishing communities in Central and East Coast Buri then at Sukhothai, before founding a kingdom that lasted 417 years with Ayutthaya as its capital. When the Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767, the capital returned back to Bangkok.

The Central region holds a dramatic history, and its heritage of ancient temples, ruins, battlefields and two capitals are a continuing fascination for visitors. The sea coast at the regions southernmost end also draws large amounts of visitors each year.

The North is the birthplace of the earliest civilization and has many archaeological and cultural sites. Northern people are famous for their hospitality and the area is also noted for its variety of cultural traditions. The North falls into two distinct areas, the plains of the lower north and the mountainous upper north leading to borders of Myanmar and Laos. The mountains along the borders are breathtaking with waterfalls and fast flowing rivers ideal for rafters. This is also home to many ethnic hill people. The region has three seasons, March to May is hot, June to November is wet and December to February is cool. However, high up in the mountains cool actually means extremely cold.

The South region extends along a narrow peninsula between the Andaman Sea it’s west side and the South China Sea on the east. It is a rich land in natural resources, with fertile soil and the diversity of its people and the commercial qualities. There are 14 provinces from Chumphon in the north down to the Malaysian border 1,200 kilometres from Bangkok. With a long coastline of sandy beaches and offshore islands, and an inland of mountains and forests things are more relaxed on the south side with the wide, long bays and calm beautiful seas, the Andaman Sea coast tends to be more rugged and exhilarating with its’ odd limestone rock formations and cliffs.