This little corner of paradise is 25 km southeast of Don Sak .. where the car ferry departs for Ko Samui.
A series of beaches nestled among the limestone and shale mountains of Northern Nakorn Si Thammarat province offer the lover of quiet beauty a great destination.
And beaches are not Khanom’s sole attractions.
The primary attractions might be the area’s simplicity. No go-go bars, no discos. And no touts, hawkers or hookers. You can ride a bicycle around Khanom and the locals will smile and wave.
Bangkok Thailand is one of the youngest cities in Asia having only been established in 1767 after the Khmer ransacked the nation. The King established a headquarters on the banks of the river till the capital Bangkok was established in 1782. The city used to be a maze of canals with its residents living mainly on houses that floated on bamboo rafts. From there on and into the 1980’s when the country benefited from the rapid development of many Asian countries was only the time when Bangkok started to get paved roads and dry land for the construction of developments all over the city.
Today, the main city center has evolved as one of the fastest developing city’s in Asia that is currently moving outwards into the surrounding areas fro development. Amidst the many skyscrapers and modern buildings are the many temples and of course the Grand Palace which showcases the heritage and culture of the people of Thailand. Though still in contact with the rest of her neighbors, the country of Thailand has fared a bit better than Burma and Laos which have managed to remain in the control of her socialist roots that have prevented the influx of modern development and culture. Thailand is a place to go if you want to see the mix of religion and culture that is so close to each other one cannot escape the utter beauty of the land.
The Phi Phi Archipelago is a major beach destination in Thailand. It is known as among the most scenic cluster of islands in the Andaman Sea. The Phi Phi Islands are 48 km east of Phuket and 42 km south of Krabi. The archipelago has 6 islands. Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Le are the biggest. These superbly scenic islands springs out of the Andaman sea with huge, towering limestone cliffs bombarded with rich vegetation. And just under this calm sea lies awesome coral reefs visited constantly by schools… or universities of fish and other marine life. It is believed that its name was derived from the mangrove tree, Avicennia, which is pokok api api in Malay. In 1945, the islands were still uninhabitat. Sea gypsies frequently visited the place. tehy were in Malay ancestry. They were the ones who named most of the places in the archipelago.
Image source: www.rimba.um.edu.my
Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia and is located at the National Park of Malaysia. Standing 4101 metres above sea level, the mountain is in Sabah, the East Malaysian state on the isle of Borneo. It is located about 2-3 hours away from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s capital.
Top 3 Things about Mount Kinabalu:
1. Scenic Walk: Take in the fresh air as you walk up and notice your surroundings change from the large tropical trees to scrubs to rock. The whole mountain area is a national park – many floras not found at sea level are sighted here. The large venus fly-trap is one to look out for as you walk. You may catch the odd wildlife too.
2. Leisure Climb: At 4101metres, Mt Kinabalu is manageable for the average tourist – not climber or mountaineer – tourist – ladies climb too! There are steps cut all the way up to the top of the mountain, good water fountain supplies (water is probably your heaviest item) and rest houses. You must be accompanied by a guide when you climb, and these folks are willing to carry up to 10kg of your stuff all the way up the mountain for you for what it very little. There may not be many such mountain climbs with all these features available.
3. Sunrise: You have absolutely got to see the sunrise from up there. For many, it may be the highlight of the walk up! From Laban Rata where you stay overnight, there is a buzz as you hike up to get to the peak by sunrise. As you are walking up, the sun just breaks through the clouds, the air is cool and the scenery 360 degrees all round is just reward for 2 days’ climb.