Tuttle Travel Pack Thailand

Explore the regal grandeur of Bangkok's Grand Palace, glide through the city's busy canals on a long-tail boat tour, and bask in the tropical splendor of Phuket's Mai Khao Bay. Visit a temple on holy Mt. Doi Suthep, then take an elephant ride at the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang. Tuttle Pocket Guide Thailandoffers you all these experiences and more. It features only the best sights and activities that Thailand has to offer, chosen for a wide range of budgets and interests by a longtime Thailand resident. Easy-to-use and easy-to-carry, it is packed with information, handy lists, maps, photographs, and suggestions for how to make the most of your stayso you can spend all your time enjoying your visit. Author Jim Algie lays out his top picks in three simple chapters: Thailand's Best Sightshighlights 21 must-see sights and must-have experiences, from the many faces and flavors of its modern metropolis to southern Thailand's fabled beaches and bays, and from World Heritage Sites like the ancient Siamese capital of Ayuthaya to places of natural wonder like Khao Yai Nature Park. Exploring Thailandoffers a wide variety of excursions in every part of the country, from Chiang Mai in the mountainous north to "Little Tuscany" in the country's center and the famous Chatuchak weekend market of Bangkok; and from kayaking through a marine park to a bicycle tour through Thailand's first kingdom. Author's Recommendationsmakes specific recommendations for: the hippest hotels and resorts; the coolest nightspots; the best spas; the best eco-trips, treks, and outdoor activities; the most kid-friendly places & things to do; the best food and eateries; the best shopping; the best museums and galleries; and much more.

Jim Algie has visited more than 50 provinces in Thailand in over nearly two decades of living there. In travel experiences he has run the gamut from scuba-diving and rock-climbing to kayaking off the coast of Krabi (and nearly drowning), learning how to hunt for red ant egg nests (a delicacy in the northeast), and trawling with Thai-Muslim fishermen down south. These experiences underlie many of the stories and guidebooks he has written, as well as his nonfiction collection of features about the country's stranger side, Bizarre Thailand: Tales of Crime, Sex and Black Magic. For the past decade he has been daylighting as the editor of some of the country's top travel magazines and working on a freelance basis with the Tourism Authority of Thailand.