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.
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| 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!
