Visiting Thailand

[Davey]

I had my first visit to Thailand eariler this year during Songkran - It was fantastic. I visited a few places in the short time I was there: Bangkok, Kanchanaburi (river Kwai) Saraburi and Pattaya. Bangkok and Pattaya were great, especially for an 18 year old like me. Kanchanaburi and Saraburi were a lot more sedate, although for me equally as great, for different reasons obviously. On my return to Thailand I want to indulge in Thai culture and traditional Thai life... Is there places where this is possible? i.e. little, if any western influence? I'm sure there is but I'm just no too sure where. Any help would be welcome. The thought of some remote Isaan regions sound particularly appealing.

Davey

[chonabot]

Why not do a stint as a monk in a forest temple? Can't get more Traditional than that IMO.

[Totster]

Visit Pattaya.... that's an experience beyond the norm....

totster

[chownah]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'beyond the norm.' Thai culture in Thailand is not 'beyond the norm'....it is the norm.....unless by Thai culture you want to find a place where everyone dresses up like characters in a leeg khay performance....which is a total fantasy.....maybe what you invision is more of a fantasy and has little to do with real Thai culture? I'm not sure about this....I can see that its starting to sound like I'm flaming here a bit but that is not my intent. Perhaps you could state more clearly what it is you are looking for. If you want to see authentic Thai culture then you can just go to any village away from large cities and you will find it. Other than that I don't know what it is you are looking for.

[billyboy]

I had my first visit to Thailand eariler this year during Songkran - It was fantastic.  I visited a few places in the short time I was there: Bangkok, Kanchanaburi (river Kwai) Saraburi and Pattaya.  Bangkok and Pattaya were great, especially for an 18 year old like me.  Kanchanaburi and Saraburi were a lot more sedate, although for me equally as great, for different reasons obviously.  On my return to Thailand I want to indulge in Thai culture and traditional Thai life...  Is there places where this is possible? i.e. little, if any western influence?  I'm sure there is but I'm just no too sure where.  Any help would be welcome.  The thought of some remote Isaan regions sound particularly appealing.

Davey

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Try going up to Udon Thani,if you want to experience Thai culture more get the bus from Bangkok to Udon,I think last February it cost me 250 baht.

Udon Thani has a lot of traditional Thai culture but there is a village nearby called NONG SAENG.You will have to get a tuk tuk there about 400 bht.

Nong Saeng has the friendliest of people with wooden huts and a big temple.

Try going there even for just a day,i took my sleeping bag,but got offered a bed by a monk who said he used to work in Pattaya,i didnt take up his offer,but another you could do is hire a motorbike when in udon and drive a bit out the outback to the surrounding villages.I think Udon Thani is the best starting point .

I have been all around Thailand including the other side around Chiang Mai,around Mae hong Son,Pai but i still think the best Thailand in traditional sense is in the UDON area.Theres probaly a lot of villages who still dont see much farang,theres probaly villages around who havnt seen a farang?

I remember hitchhiking one night from Udon Thani to Nonng Saeng,and i got dropped off at the highway and that long road that goes towards nong saeng,not far from the airport.Theres a big white house with goldern arches in that road if anyone knows it.Anyway i had been walking for about 15 mins when nno ones stopping to pick me up when a ute stopped just up ahead of me.There were about 6 thai blokes in the back all with bottles of whisky,they sang out for me to hurrry as i ran up to the back of the ute,just as i got there they took off and stopped again,as the blokes in the back held up their whisky bottles and laughed and called me again as i ran towards the back of the ute,just as i got there as they all held out there hands it took off again.They all started laughing holding up their whisky bottles.finally they stopped and i jumped in and spent the night getting drunk with them.

Seroiusly though if you want to experience the real thailand,travel like a pauper,forget expensive hotels,get buses,hitchhike,eat in thai places,travel to outskirt villages,sleep in a sleeping bag.I always feel sorry for those tourists who go to thailand stay in expensive hotels,go out every morning on a tour group,back in the upmaket hotel at 5pm.

I remember a bloke at work once telling me he went to chiang mai for a week,on a tour package,stayed in a upmarket hotel,went on the day tours,went to the gym everyday in the hotel,used its spa and sauna,for me that would be booooring,i love to get out there,forget the rich fancy hotels,i want to get out there and rough it.

[Davey]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'beyond the norm.'  Thai culture in Thailand is not 'beyond the norm'....it is the norm.....unless by Thai culture you want to find a place where everyone dresses up like characters in a leeg khay performance....which is a total fantasy.....maybe what you invision is more of a fantasy and has little to  do with real Thai culture?  I'm not sure about this....I can see that its starting to sound like I'm flaming here a bit but that is not my intent.  Perhaps you could state more clearly what it is you are looking for.  If you want to see authentic Thai culture then you can just go to any village away from large cities and you will find it.  Other than that I don't know what it is you are looking for.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I agree, the clarity wasn't the greatest. - to clarify by saying beyond the norm, I meant - most people visit Thailand for the infamous nightlife and the luxury at their disposal (excuse the stereotype) but you know what I mean. What I meant by saying beyond the norm was basically what billyboy has posted, that is exactly what I am looking and probably a bit more. To find a village where there is minimal western influence, with a genuine sense of community and of course some unspoiled scenery.

Cheers for the replies. And billyboy, I wil certainly be visit that area in the near future, it sounds like paradise, cheers!

[lopburi3]

If you want to visit temples and culture shows then Chiang Mai is probably your best bet. But I echo chownah. What you see is what you get - this is all Thailand.

Your desire to visit the "true" Thailand with no western influence is very common but would not be reality. The Thai pick and choose but they do not live in a time warp. Western influence will be found everywhere and Udorn was a major airbase of US forces during Vietnam war and there are still a large number of foreigners resident in that area. But by all means do visit a village but remember that Bangkok is just as much a part of Thailand today as the village you may visit upcountry.

[Davey]

By the way, visiting these places - the Thai's wont have any objections with my presence and inquisitiveness?

Thanks for your respone Lopburi3... reading your reply made me think about the time I visited a village where my aunty (who is Thai) used to live, which was in Saraburi. My uncle had bought them some western essentials, kettle, microwave etc. When we visited earlier this year, they had them placed on shelves like ornaments haha!

The village where they live is a bit of an ideal I would be looking for, but I want to visit a completely alien place where I don't know any one.

Any way, thanks for the response

[RamdomChances]

I live in a small farming community, with no other falangs around. What is actually the real "Thailand" where I live is very "thai" but no more valid than BKK or Korat or even Pattaya. Even out in the sticks life varies tremendously from living in a provincial town than living out in the country.

I see you are from England its a bit like comparing the lifestyle of a London stockbroker with a country farmer or running a hotel in Blackpool or Torquy. They are all very different but equaly valid.

I recently whent on a trip up past Chaing Mai, to a place called Chiang Dow and did a bit of trecking, we booked a tour 2 night staying in hill tribe villages and some walking around ect. It was very good actually although if I did something like that again I would probably sort it all out myself. Mabye you should try looking for some sort of "homestay" to get what you are looking for.

[pnustedt]

I would suggest that you get on the train out of Don Muang and visit some of the towns in Isaan - e.g. Surin, Uthom Pom, Sisaket, Ubon. The hotels are very cheap and I'm sure you'll find places to visit which will stimulate your quest for Thai culture and traditional Thai life.

[Davey]

Yeah, thanks for the advice guys...

I will do some enquiring and researh on these places and hopefully I will be visiting soon... once again thanks for the advice