Attractions

Attractions

Koh Phi Phi

The Location For The Filming Of "The Beach"

Phi Phi Island was thrust into the limelight after the release of the 2000 film "The Beach", staring a young Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was based on a story of a group of travelers that settled down in their own tropical island paradise, hidden away from the rest of the world, in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Since the release of the film, tourists have been coming in droves from all around the globe, hoping to see the beach that appeared in the movie. These days Phi Phi is far from the secluded little hideaway that was depicted in the film, there are now dozens of luxury resorts, bars and restaurants and even a 7/11.

The amazing beaches and the laid back atmosphere is great for a short vacation

There are ferry services from the island of Phuket as well as the popular resort area of Krabi, bringing in hundreds of new visitors each day. People come to Phi Phi to enjoy some of the world's most pristine beaches that make for excellent swimming and snorkeling as well as scuba diving. There are several high profile dive sites located just off the coast, including the legendary King Cruiser Wreck, as well as Shark Point. Many foreign dive instructors have settled down on Phi Phi, working out of the many scuba shops that offer dive courses as well as day trips and recreational dives.

With so many young people visiting Phi Phi, the island has a vibrant nightlife scene with no shortage of places to party into the wee hours of the morning. One of the features that seems to be common in most bars on Phi Phi would be the "buckets". A mystery blend of hard alcohol, a few different mixers and a load of ice, all served in a bucket with a straw. It won't take too many buckets to cause one to lose control of basic motor skills, so it isn't advisable to over indulge in this beverage. The good news is that you won't have to worry about drinking and driving, the island doesn't have cars or roads or traffic lights, people get around on foot, or by long tail boat.

The main island of Phi Phi Don offers a variety of accommodation, from low budget guesthouses to luxury five star resorts. Phi Phi Don is where all the action is, with all of the bars and restaurants., hotels and guesthouses and entertainment venues. The legendary location of the beach that was made famous in the film is on Koh Phi Phi Leh, a nearby island without accommodation. Travelers that visit Phi Phi Leh and Maya Bay during the day, must make arrangements to take a long tail boat in the evening in order to return to their hotels on Koh Phi Phi Don.

If you are looking for a few days of fun in the sun in Southern Thailand, then Phi Phi Island might be just what you are looking for. The amazing beaches and the laid back atmosphere is great for a short vacation, however some might say that if you stay too long you could start to suffer from island fever. Most visitors will stay for only a few days, or perhaps a week at the most, before moving on to the next great destination that Thailand has to offer.

The Ancient Temples Of Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is Thailand's second largest city, and the former capital is well known for it's many historical Buddhist temples. Formerly known as "Lanna", meaning "the land of one million rice fields", this Northern Thai Kingdom reached it's peak in the 15th century. Travelers that visit Chiang Mai today can still see several of the temples that stood more than 600 years ago in the old city. The center of Chiang Mai, is restored to resemble it's original state, with a 3 KM long brick wall surrounding the old city, and a series of canals and bridges beyond the outer wall. In previous years these canals as well as the brick wall offered protection against invaders from Burma in the north.

One of the more significant temples is Wat Chedi Luang, located in the center of the old city of Chiang Mai on Phrapokklao Road. The main pagoda of Wat Chedi Luang was partially destroyed in the great earthquake of 1545, that lead to the demise of the Lanna Kingdom. During the height of the success of Lanna, the legendary Emerald Buddha was placed at the eastern niche of the temple, until 1551, a few years after the earthquake when Emerald Buddha was moved to Luang Prabang in Laos.

Tourists that make their way to the old city of Chiang Mai will find that most shops and travel agents will be able to provide them a map of the old city, that outlines a walking tour that highlights each and every temple located inside the city walls. It will take approximately half a day to complete the tour walking through the old city and viewing temples like Wat Phra Sing, Wat Chiang Mun, Wat Prasart, Wat Saen Fang and Wat Pan Tao.

Located at the peak of a mountain high above the city of Chiang Mai, Doi Suthep is by far most prestigious temple in Northern Thailand, and perhaps in the entire country. Known for the stunning panoramic view of the entire city from high above, Doi Suthep is said to be more than 700 years old, which actually makes it one of the more recently constructed temples from the Lanna period. The legend is that the site of the temple was determined by sending an elephant to roam in the hills, and when the enormous creature finally came to a stop at the peak, it trumpeted loudly to signal that it had decided on this particular spot. Doi Suthep is famous for it's large golden pagoda as well as the giant set of 309 stone steps at the entrance to the temple.

Similar to the temple at Doi Suthep, Wat Prathat Doi Saket is another well known temple in Chiang Mai. The temple at Doi Saket is located on a mountain outside the city, approximately a 30 minute drive from the center of Chiang Mai. The temple entrance at Doi Saket, similar to Doi Suthep,  has a steep set of stairs leading up to the temple. Another prominent feature is the giant golden sitting Buddha (Phra Buddha Pathimakorn), which is visible from the road that leads to the temple. One thing that sets this temple apart from all other Buddhist temples in Thailand, is the interior decorated with modern spiritual murals, painted by Khun Chaiwat Wannanon. It is rare to see modern paintings in ancient Buddhist temples, as most of the art is restored or done in the traditional style.

If you have an interest in Thai culture and history, then a tour of the ancient temples of Chiang Mai should be at the top of your list. Chiang Mai is nothing like the capital of Bangkok, and very different than the busy beach resort destinations in Southern Thailand. When you arrive in Chiang Mai you really feel as though your are seeing the real Thailand, less corrupted by tourism and modernization. Chiang Mai offers a unique atmosphere, and a pleasant change of pace from the bright lights of Bangkok and the hustle and bustle of the south.

The Vinpearl Amusement Park

Disneyland In Southeast Asia

If you live in Southeast Asia, and you would like to take the kids to Disneyland, you might have been thinking that would need to go all the way to Hong Kong. The Disneyland amusement park opened in Hong Kong back in 2005, and has hosted over 25 million visitors over the past 6 years. Residents and visitors of Southeast Asia might be interested to know that there is another more affordable option a little closer to home. It isn't quite Disneyland, however it might just be the next best thing, and your children are likely to have just as much fun.

a great place to enjoy a fun holiday with the family

The Vinpearl Amusement Park is located just off the coast of Nha Trang Beach in Southern Vietnam, on a small Island that is also home to the Vinpearl Resort. The only access to the amusement park is provided by the world's largest cable car over water that ferries passengers to and from the island to the mainland. The cost of a admission is roughly 16USD per person for the entire day, that includes the ride on the cable car that is over 60 meters above the bay at the highest point, as well as access to the water park, the aquarium, and all the rides. There are roller coasters, bumper cars and all the other traditional carnival attractions.

There water park is world class, with an artificial wave pool as well as several breathtaking water slides, many of which prove to be far too thrilling for the faint of heart. There is a canal that flows around the perimeter of the entire park, they call it the lazy river. When you grow tired of riding the water slides and playing in the wave pool, you might want to relax and ride down the lazy river on an air mattress.

There is also an aquarium with a variety of local marine life on display, such as giant Mekong catfish, seahorses, water snakes and sea turtles. The aquarium has a tunnel that offers visitors the chance to walk along the bottom of the main tank, providing a view of the ocean life above and on either side of the glass walls of the tunnel. This impressive display showcases many different creatures that most visitors likely have never seen, and probably didn't even know existed.

Overall the Vinpearl Amusement Park is a great place to enjoy a fun holiday with the family, and the low cost makes it a lot more affordable than a trip to Disneyland in Hong Kong. Getting to Nha Trang from Thailand is relatively easy, with plenty of flights on low budget airlines that have service between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, then a short domestic flight from there to Nha Trang. You will also have to keep in mind that most foreigners will require a visa prior to making a trip to Vietnam, however it is easy enough to make these arrangements online.