Central Thailand Travel Guide
Extending north and west from Bangkok, the Central Plains is an immensely fertile region characterized by a patchwork of rice paddies dotted with sizeable towns. It is bounded in the west by the saw-tooth Mountains which form the border with Myanmar, and in the east by the Khorat plateau. In the north, the town of Talc marks approximately the end of the plains and the beginning of the northern uplands. Flowing north-south through the entire area is the Chao Phraya river system, which accounts for the region's fertility.
The nation's agricultural heartland is also its historical heart. Naldion rathom, west of Bangkok, was a Mon power centre in ancient times, while beyond lies Kanchanahuri, site of the infamous World War II Bridge over the River Kwai, and Three Pagodas Pass, a former gateway for Burmese invaders.
North of Bangkok are the ruins of Ayutthaya, Thailand's capital for more than 400 years and once the most magnificent city in the Orient. Beyond lies the historic town of Lop Burl, a Khmer outpost before the rise of the Thais and later serving as Versailles to Ayutthaya's Paris. On the upper edge of the Central Plains is the 700- year-old site of Sukhothai, Thailand's first capital. Nearby are the ruins of the ancient satellite towns Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phd. To the west, a road crosses spectacular mountain scenery to reach Mae Sot on the Myanmar border.
For touring purposes, the Central Plains can be included on a road or rail route north to Chiang Mai, although Ayutthaya is also a popular day excursion from Bangkok. Kanchanaburi lies off the north-south axis and warrants a separate visit.
Northern Thailand is quite distinct from the Central Plains. Beyond Tak and Sukhothai the lowlands give way to a region of rolling hills and fertile valleys. Teak forests and work elephants are more characteristic than paddy fields and water buffalo. Fruit and vegetables more common to temperate climes are cultivated in addition to rice, while perhaps, hidden on mountain slopes, there are opium poppies. Art, architecture and handicrafts are also distinctive, with the unique styles of the North tinged with Burmese influences. The people, too, are different, proud of their separate heritage and distinguished especially by a greater adherence to traditional values and a natural exuberance, readily seen at festivals.
For the traveller the North's attractions are essentially twofold: upland scenery populated by hill tribes, ethnic minorities who more or less maintain traditional lifestyles, and cultural sights attesting to the rich heritage of the former Lanna kingdom.
Hub of the North is Chiang Mai, nearly 700km (440 miles) north of Bangkok. This was the ancient Lanna capital, founded in the 13th century, and is today a burgeoning regional centre offering excellent accommodation and other modern facilities amid the well preserved attractions of a historic town. In the far north is Chiang Rai, set amid rugged hill country, the famous Golden Triangle and the ancient settlement Chiang Saen on the banks of the Mekong River. To the west is Mae Hong Son, an enchanting Shangri-La, and to the east is Nan, of great interest though rarely visited.