The Major Destinations are :
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CHIANG RAI |
|
LOEI |
|
NAKHON SI THAMMARAT |
CHIANG RAI
Chiangrai is getting popular with nature
lovers and more adventurous tourists, since there are still
little-explored parts to be found in its many mountains.
The hilltribes have abandoned opium in favor of cold-climate
fruit, vegetable and cut flowers, and little plantations
of these can be found in the most remote corners, since
they are now accessible by road. A trip to these littlle
planter communities offer a chance to explore both the agriculture
and the ethnic diversity that has always been a major part
of Chiangrai’s charm.
LOEI
Phurua District is the hub of cold-climate
horticulture in the Northeast. Its cool, dry climate is
ideal for growing exotic flowers such as African violet,
hydrangea, petunia, and phlox. Every year at the end of
December, tourists flock to the Flower Festival, which features
the best from Phurua’s commercial gardens and nurseries.
Phurua is also home to a Highland Agricultural Research
Station, which has been working with local farmers to promote
new cash crops such as macadamia, strawberry, passion fruit,
potted and table plants and cut flowers. The station itself
overlooks a wildlife sanctuary, and most of it is accessible
to tourists.
A must on every visitor’s itinerary
is a stop at Chateau de Loei, the first wine producer in
Thailand. Some years ago an entrepreneur, noting that the
climate here is similar to that of the South of France,
got the idea of a vineyard and winery. The vineyard now
produces two crops a year. Chateau de Loei’s red is
very popular with local wine buffs, and a bottle is hard
to find during holiday seasons. Its white wine, made from
Chenin Blanc, is also quite respectable. The wines are available
at the vineyard souvenir shop, along with table grapes from
its own orchards and famous local products such as passion
fruit juice and fresh vegetables.
Flower lovers should not miss a visit to Suan Namfone, Phurua’s
pioneer cold-climate flower nursery
NAKHON SI THAMMARAT
Experience Thai-Style Natural Healing
A massage to restore balance among the elements. A herbal
sauna to cleanse and rejuvenate the body. A herbal pack
to calm nerves and redirect the energy. All this may sound
very New Agey in the West, but it has been part of daily
life here for centuries.
Before the arrival of modern medicine, herbalists filled
the dual role of doctor-pharmacist. Originally, village
doctors were monks or former monks, since Buddhist temples
were the center of learning, not only of religion but of
more worldly matters like astrology and medicine as well.
Thai traditional medicine holds that the
body has four elements: wind, water, earth and fire, and
ill health results from an imbalance between them. To remedy
an ailment, the village “doctor” would make
a herbal pack for the patient to ingest, rub onto the skin,
or add to a steam compress. Another major component of traditional
medicine is energy. When the energy lines are blocked, the
individual will become ill, physically or emotionally. A
massage or sauna would be prescribed.
Experience Thai Massage
Traditional Thai massage is a proven physical therapy that
dates back to ancient India sometime before the lifetime
of Buddha. It has been practiced here for centuries, and
many swear by it as effective cure for common ailments such
as aches and pains, fevers and nervous strains.
Traditional massage reached the peak of
popularity in the early 18th century. King Rama III, great-grandfather
of the present monarch, had all available knowledge on the
subject gathered and inscribed on stone slabs. These now
stand on a corner of the Temple of the Reclining Buddha
(Wat Pho), along with stone figures of rishis demonstrating
various massage postures. You can try this ancient therapy
in its original form at the temple; masseuses trained at
Wat Pho massage school offer their service seven days a
week at very reasonable prices.
Thai-Style Herbal Therapies
Herbal sauna is no newcomer to Thailand. For many centuries
people with just about any kind of affliction would visit
a sauna, where herbal packs formulated just for the ailment
would be added to a water heater. The resulting steam would
be absorbed both through the nose and the skin. The heat
also sweated out toxins and cleansed the pores. As recently
as the beginning of this century, hundreds of these saunas
existed in Thailand, but with the arrival of modern medicine
most of these went out of business. But even today, home-made
herbal sauna—along with a diet regimen packed with
herbs is the post-natal therapy Thai women, especially those
living in the countryside still swear by. Herbs also dominated
Thai women’s beauty and skincare regimens. Sour tamarind
worked wonders as a body scrub, for example, while crushed
turmeric would be rubbed onto the skin to keep it soft and
smooth. With the recent revival in holistic therapies, indigenous
herbs are being discovered anew for their health and beauty
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