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Top 10 Things to do in Thailand - based on my 2 years experience living in Thailand

Note: Bangkok is referred to by it's true name, "Krung Tep" explanation here.

1) WWOOF

Willing Workers On Organic Farms - this lets you see Thailand from the point of view of a Thai farmer. Vital to understanding and appreciating Thailand and it's people.

2) Visit some of Thailand's Ethnic minorities

Try to do this on your own if at all possible and not where any books tell you to go. I walked 2 days through thick jungle to visit a village of white karen who still live outside the cash economy. It was well worth it. If you use a guide, book the tour with the guide them self. Meeting the guide will tell you alot about the tour and you can get better answers to your questions. I haven't hear many positive stories about the elephant riding included with many tours.

Had a positive experience with a tour? please tell me and i'll add a recommendation.

3) Visit a National Park or two (or 10)

Thailand has one of the best National Parks systems in the world. There are over 70 National Parks in Thailand, with everything you can imagine, Waterfalls, Mountains, elephants, Tropical fish, Caves, all kinds of birds and much more. They are fun, cheap and you generally don't need any special gear to go most places.

4) Take part in a Thai Holiday

There are many to choose from, my favorite is

Loy Krathong (night of the full moon in November), Celebrated everywhere.

but Songkran,Thai new years, is also very fun (april 13-15th), Celebrated everywhere.

The other major holiday is the king's birthday (December 5th), Celebrated in Krung Tep.

but there are many local/Regional events too, such as...

The Rocket Festival (2nd week of May) Celebrated in the North-East.

The Vegetarian Festival (late September to early October) celebrated in Trang and Phuket.

You can see a different side of the Thai people and enjoy alot yourself too.

5) Find a quite beach...

...and marvel at the variety and interconnectedness of life on a coral reef. i really liked Ko Surin National Park. It is very beautiful and undeveloped, not even a single guest house! Bring your tent or rent one. The rangers cook 2 meals a day, bring lots of snacks. There is a small boat that goes to snorkling sites 2 times a day.

6) Spend a few days at a Monastery

In Thailand you will most likely visit "Wats" adnauisum. However it is a very different experience to stay at one overnight or for a few days. This can be done right in Krung tep or in a remote forest monastery. Thai Buddhism is very open to curious visitors. You can even become a monk for a while if you like, as short as a few days is perfectly acceptable. However i suggest staying at least a few days as a visitor before taking any vows. If you are seriously interested in studying Buddhism in Thailand please contact me and i will try to help you find a monastery.

7) Take a walk around a university or two

Thailand has many nice universities. One of the first things i do in any new city or country is go to a university. It's interesting, there are usually nice campuses with places to relax, many good cheap places to eat and you may even make some friends. In Thailand some nice universities to visit are...

Thammasart: (Krung Tep) is the most liberal (no uniforms, ect) and has the most active student population. It's name means to know about fairness. What it lacks in historic looking buildings, it makes up for with its lively intelligent students. In fact Thammasart was the fruit of one revolution and the epicenter for 2 more revolutions! It is very accessible, it has it's own stop on the river ferry.

Chiang Mai University: (Chiang Mai) is the best school in Thailand outside of Krung Tep. CMU is a very large and beautiful campus, a great place for a bike ride or a walk.

8) JJ Market

Shopping is inevitable so i'll recommend the most interesting and cultural place to do it, JJ. JJ is often called "the weekend market" by visitors to Thailand, but all residents simply call it "JJ", the abbreviation of the part of Krung Tep it is located in. To get to JJ take the sky train to its northern most stop. It's only open on weekends. Key words to remember "loat dai mai?" Literally "reduce can you?" It's fine to bargain for your goods, but remember to keep a smile ^_^ There are many hand made things for sale, i generally don't ask for a discount if im buying something directly from the person who made it, but that is just me. Use your intuition to guess who is a salesman and who is an artist or you can just ask.

9) Study Something...

Some popular things to study are; Thai cooking, Thai massage and Scuba Diving. Some other very worth while things to study are; Organic Farming, Adobe house building, Perma-culture, Thai Language, Buddhism, Meditation, Outdoor leadership, Photography, ect. It is usually much cheaper than learning these things in your home country and is a good way to get out of the rut that some travelers get stuck in, "another beach, another beer" If you need help finding a way to study something or want to suggest a school please contact me.

I Suggest the You Sabai Cooking School

And Pun Pun to learn about Adobe house building and Perma-culture

Or join me for an inexpensive photography workshop in Chiang Mai

10) Rent a Scooter and go to the countryside

Renting a scoter is only about 100B per day. You can even go tandem if you don't have many things. One good places to ride are NW of Chaing Mai. The most rural place in Thailand is the North-East, it's called "Issan". Issan is a good place to see, more or less, what Thailand was like 50 years ago. It's still mostly farmers and only 2% of tourist visit Issan. The average tourist to Thailand would be bored out of their mind in Issan, but i like it. Also 1 or 2 hours outside nearly all Thai cities is quite rural, except on major roads.

Donations will keep improving and expanding this guide

More Photos of Thailand

Best 4 days trips from Krung Tep coming soon...