Thailand

Where else but Thailand can you cruise on a converted rice barge, roar upriver in a long-tail boat and take a white-knuckle ride on a bamboo raft, then stay in jungle tree houses, as guests in the homes of hilltribe villagers, or on rafthouses floating on a river? Equally memorable are the trails leading deep into the rainforest past cooling waterfalls, and the simple beauty of the translucent sea lapping onto endless white, soft sand.

A holiday in Thailand can combine the beauty of the Golden Triangle’s temples and remote hill tribes north of Chiang Mai, the beaches of Pattaya and more pristine Krabi, and the dynamic capital Bangkok with its futuristic high-rise buildings juxtaposed against the exquisite beauty of the gleaming Grand Palace. In every town and city, bargain-hunters thrive in the street markets crammed with all manner of goods, where good-natured bartering is the norm.

Early morning is when the saffron-robed monks leave the sanctuary of their wats to receive alms from the people, be it in a dusty village or on crowded city streets. Buddhism is a way of life here and with the reverence the people have for the monarchy, a dynasty that has maintained the independence of the country for centuries, the result for the Thais is a blend of tradition with contemporary living.