Southern Thailand adventures abound- more posts coming soon!

The tranquil aquamarine waters off of Koh Lipe are a great place for snorkeling!

August has been very busy, with Tiger and Bird focusing on extensive trips around a recently reopened Southern Thailand (Thailand has done a fantastic job containing the spread of the coronavirus. As of the time we began our trip, more than seventy days had passed with no domestic cases). A peninsula here, an island or two there- we plan to spend many days exploring areas that are usually crowded with tourists. These are strange months of a strange year since international visitors are still mostly barred and domestic visitors are far fewer in number.

Exploring the sleepy town of Kanchanaburi and crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai

[Top]   [Giant Raintree]   [Wat Tham Suea]   [JEATH War Museum]   [Bridge over the River Kwai]

Passenger train crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai

Kanchanaburi is the shared name for both a province and the largest town in that province. Kanchanaburi town is situated around 150km northwest of Bangkok, which typically translates to a leisurely three hour drive along local roads. Along this drive, the province first appears to be largely flat with some low-lying hills before giving way to large mountains and thick jungle in the north and west. But don’t let this description fool you! Kanchanaburi’s climate is still very much the tropics, with beautiful Instagram posts often belying the intense heat and humidity in the summer months, which often exceed levels found in Bangkok.

Kanchanaburi tourism highlights include the Bridge over the River Kwai, part of the WWII-era Burmese railroad that was made famous by the movie of the same name, and Erawan National Park, which is home to the otherworldly seven-tiered Erawan Falls– a series of waterfalls that convey cold, mineral-infused mountain waters through cloudy jungle pools down into the Khwai Yai river far below. There is no need to fear crocodiles around the falls- there has never been one sighted in the area; but, well, the jungle is still home to snakes, water monitors, and other creatures. But we diverge! Let's get back on topic.

Tiger and Bird love Kanchanaburi and have experienced a bit of a renaissance this past year in terms of visiting this area. Our most recent itinerary included stopping by a giant raintree, taking a small tram up the steep hill to Wat Tham Suea, visiting the incredibly detailed WWII exhibit at JEATH War Museum, and finally crossing the still-active Bridge over the River Kwai. This photojourney details our trip!

Road Trip to the Ancient City of Sukhothai

UNESCO World Heritage Historic Park in Sukhothai, Thailand

Sukhothai is a town located about 440km (270mi) north of Bangkok in central Thailand and is home to a UNESCO World Heritage historic park that contains the partially-rebuilt remnants of the former Thai capital of Sukhothai. Established around 1238, Sukhothai - which roughly means "dawn of happiness" when translated from Sanskrit - served as the capital of the Thai Empire for approximately 200 years; a time that is often considered Thailand's golden era. The Kingdom of Sukhothai helped establish many aspects of Thai culture, including the creation of the Thai alphabet, the establishment of Theravada Buddhism as the national religion, and the introduction of ceramics production to Thailand. King Ramkhamhaeng, referred to as the Founding Father of Thailand, is personally considered responsible for many of the developments during that time. Beautifully preserved, the remnants of this old walled city is housed within the historic park.

Access from Bangkok: Sukhothai Airport, Car, Bus, Train (bus transfer at Phitsanulok)
Distance: 430km (270mi), about a 5hr 30min drive

The remoteness of Sukhothai makes access more difficult than popular Ayutthaya (another former capital located an hour's drive outside Bangkok), but local and international tourists can still be found exploring the town. Sukhothai Airport provides a convenient, if not quite as affordable, option, although bus travel and car rental options for the six-hour drive are also available. The city has many local hotels, with some very nice boutique options and others with more plain fare. This means that costs are very low, but as always this can come at the expense of quality. Tiger and Bird typically have no opinion on the matter, but for what it's worth, we had an excellent experience staying at the beautiful "Sukhothai Heritage Resort", which is located adjacent to the airport.

Wild Elephants in Khao Yai National Park

When people mention Thailand, what often comes to mind will be Pad Thai or Som Tum, possibly the red light districts of Bangkok, the beach town of Pattaya, or one of the many islands - replete with white sand beaches and turquoise water - under a splendid sun with cloudless skies. Yes, in Thailand you can have ALL of that and so much more. But what about wildlife? Mountains? Yes, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are idyllic locales for these trips - and especially good destinations to see and experience the otherworldy skylanterns launched during the New Year celebrations - but these provinces are a plane-flight (or overnight bus trip) away from Bangkok. Another good alternative is located within several hours driving distance to the northeast of the city in the Nakhon Ratchasima Province: Khao Yai National Park and the mountainous surrounding region.

Night lazily settles over the Lam Takhong Reservoir in the Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand

One weekend a short while ago, some friends and I were talking about a trip out of the concrete jungle of Bangkok. It's a great city - vibrant, bustling, full of fun; but the constant action and motion seems to drain the life out of a person after some time. The usual ideas of "let's go to one of the islands and just hang out on the beach!" naturally came up, but since we were short on time, we decided it would be fun to check out something different, something new- yet within driving distance of Bangkok. Finally, we settled on a short trip up to Khao Yai National Park, located just several hours drive to the northeast of the capitol. In the region are some mountains (including the highest point in central Thailand) and the national park complete with waterfalls and wildlife, and many reservoirs. The next day we set out and the trip ended up being fantastic!