Thailand

Thailand is where most of the westerners travel in order to find cheap booze, beach and parties. It's a land of unparalleled natural beauty with paradise coast, crystal clear sea and amazing food.

However, Thailand was the first and only place in the world, I have visited that on the first day I wanted to leave. It's the country, I don't long to visit again, even though its beaches are perfect.

Why is that? Having had traveled beforehand to completely unknown destinations, I learned how exciting, honest and authentic they turned out to be: no plastic resorts, no scams, no con artists, no cheap stands with souvenirs made in China. The off the beaten path places were true and authentic, the local community was curious and friendly about the few tourists they received.

In Thailand, the story was completely different. On the first day, we were threatened and asked to "get the f**** out" of their country, the paradise beaches were overcrowded to the limits and polluted by the western fun seekers who urinated straight to the sea, many locals dealing with tourists were extremely rude and treated us as "walking money".

The authenticity was non existent - even the famous edible insects are false - the locals don't eat them - the stands with fried grasshoppers are only on the main touristic road in Bangkok and you even have to pay to... take a photo of the stand!

I'm sure Thailand used to be an amazing place to discover years ago - with rich culture, amazing architecture, monuments and unspoiled, paradise-like nature. Unfortunately, nowadays, it turned into a cheap destination and, the whole situation is also the fault of us - westerners - no wonder locals are biased against the cheap sex and fun looking drunks.

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Ayutthaya Temples, Thailand - One of the Best Places to See around Bangkok

Ayutthaya is probably the most popular (and impressive) historical site near Bangkok. After the first day in Thailand’s capital which turned out to be extremely dreadful and filled with bad luck (you can read about it in this post), we were happy enough to leave it behind and go exploring different places in Thailand - hoping they would turn out to be better. And fortunately, they surely did. Ayutthaya Historical Park is rich in ancient temples and Buddha statues (especially the famous one at Wat Mahathat temple which is surrounded and entangled with branches).

Ko Phi Phi Islands, Thailand - All The Pros And Cons Of This "Lost Paradise"

Ko Phi Phi Islands are the main landmark and the most popular tourist destination in Thailand. It's just a piece of heaven on Earth - it's exactly the way you can see it on the postcards or wallpapers featuring exotic beaches. And it really is that idyllic and full of colors - the water is perfectly turquoise and crystal clear, the sand is soft and immaculately white and the surrounding limestone cliffs create "the gate" to paradise. Nature is always flawlessly beautiful - but it couldn't be all so perfect, could it? There are, obviously, some faults in this must-see Thailand's attraction. And they are all caused by us - humans. Read on about my experience in Ko Phi Phi, find out how to avoid the scams and what's the best way to visit the islands.

One Day in Bangkok, Thailand - 7 Reasons Why It Is An Overrated Tourist Trap

I spent only one full day in Bangkok. I managed to see a lot, but to visit everything properly, at a slow pace, you'll definitely need more time. Although it was only one day, it was still very busy, hectic and stressful (not to say unpleasant). It turned out, that after having visited nearly 50 countries before arriving to Bangkok and comparing Bangkok with all those places - I came to the conclusion that indeed, it is totally overrated. To the point that I was happy to leave the next day which virtually never happens to me as I love to travel and explore. It still amazes me why crowds of Westerners fly to Bangkok, usually just because Thailand is "trendy" right now and never think of visiting such amazing and authentic cities as Tbilisi, Yerevan, Kathmandu or Mandalay.