Hidden places found in Thailand
Satun Was Once a Sea: Fossils, Caves, and Thailand’s Ancient Limestone Coast Most visitors arrive in Satun thinking about the sea. They come for Koh Lipe, the beaches of Tarutao, snorkelling trips, slow ferries, and the small ports that connect southern Thailand to its islands. Satun looks like a province defined by water: mangroves, fishing … Read more
China’s Lost Army: How Defeated Kuomintang Soldiers Became Thai Tea Farmers High in the mountains near Thailand’s northern border, there are villages that do not feel entirely Thai, Chinese, or Burmese. The houses have curved Chinese-style roofs, the shop signs use Chinese characters, the food is Yunnanese, and the hillsides are covered with tea bushes. … Read more
Prasat Sdok Kok Thom: The Forgotten Ancient Temple of Sa Kaeo Near Thailand’s eastern border, only about one kilometer from Cambodia, stands a quiet stone temple surrounded by fields and low vegetation. There are no enormous crowds, no grand avenue of souvenir shops, and none of the international fame associated with Angkor Wat. Yet Prasat … Read more
Trang: The Southern Port That Time Forgot (But Never Stopped Eating) Most people think of southern Thailand as beaches and islands. Trang is that, but it’s also a centuries-old port where Chinese merchants, Malay traders, and Thai communities mixed in ways you can still taste and see today. This is a place where breakfast … Read more
The Eye of Naga: Thailand’s Giant Serpent Rock That Went Viral Here’s something I sadly didn’t see in my travels around Thailand. Many years ago I visited a national park in what was then Nong Khai province, but unknowingly missed seeing something really unusual of major interest. There’s a rock in Thailand that looks like … Read more
The Mekong River: Where Myths, Monsters and Mystery Still Flow During my years of exploring this intriguing country, some of Thailand’s greatest mysteries have taken me to remote temples, forgotten villages and hidden mountain forests. But every traveller has one journey that remains unfinished. Mine leads back to the Mekong and what many consider its … Read more
Thailand’s Best Beaches Aren’t Where You Think They Are Millions of tourists flood to Phuket and the southern beaches every year, which is a pretty nice choice, but there is a whole coastline of unspoiled soft sand, beach forest parks, offshore islands, and tranquility, far away from the crowds and easily reached from Bangkok. The … Read more
Thailand’s Hidden Communist Museum: From Mountain Stronghold to National Park Background For many years, the Phu Hin Rong Kla area had been ideal for guerrilla warfare, as the Communist Party of Thailand fought against the Thai authorities in an effort to create a new order. The mountains sit high along the border of Phitsanulok, Loei, … Read more
Si Thep World Heritage Gem Back in September 2023 the Dvaravati era city of Si Thep officially became Thailand’s 7th historical spot on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Si Thep World Heritage Gem rubs shoulders with other UNESCO heavy hitters like Sukhothai’s historic towns, Ayutthaya’s ruins, the Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuaries, Ban Chiang’s ancient digs, … Read more
The Secret Japanese Garden This beautiful but at the same time strange garden is actually named the Shinto Peace Garden, located in Kanchanaburi city not far from one of the WW2 military cemeteries. Despite it’s location it gets few visitors, and considering it’s strong links to the horrors of the Death Railway, not many people … Read more