Udon Thani has one foot on the highway and the other off the beaten track. The city boomed on the back of the Vietnam War, exploding into life as US air bases opened nearby. Today it’s become the region’s primary transport hub and commercial centre, and y
This varied province, famous across Thailand for its forest wats, pushes down into the tri-border region where Laos, Thailand and Cambodia come together. To bolster the region’s tourist profile TAT has labelled this the ‘Emerald Triangle’ in recognition o
Survive the usual knot of choked access roads and Ubon will reveal an altogether more attractive face. Racked up against Mae Nam Mun, Thailand’s second-longest waterway, the southern portions of the city have a pedestrian, sluggish character rarely found
In Trat Province, gem trading is a favoured method of putting rice on the table – unsurprisingly, tàlàat phloi (gem markets) abound. A by-product of this gem mining has been the destruction of vast tracts of land, as the topsoil is stripped away, leaving
For too many travellers, all they see of Trat is the shiny new bus station before they are shunted onto a sawngthaew to the Ko Chang ferry, or a minibus west to the Cambodian border at Hat Lek.
Trang has mellow islands that offer good-value accommodation and the chance to escape the peak-season crowds. You’re more likely to see tall rubber plantations here than rows of vendors selling the same T-shirts.
Trang Province has a string of delightful sandy beaches along the coast. The coast here gets some of Thailand’s biggest surf (probably the source of Trang’s original unshortened name, ‘City of Waves’), but it’s really only worth investigating in March or
Midway between Krabi and Hat Yai, bustling Trang is a cheerful and pleasant Thai town. We love the lolly-coloured Vespas and vintage túk-túk whizzing around the place.
Thailand’s western border town with Myanmar is named for three rather small pagodas (Chedi Sam Ong). But these forgettable landmarks are not the reason for a visit. Instead travellers come to peak into Myanmar without a full commitment. This is not an off
This little town wedged between shaggy karst mountains is an ideal spot to drop off the map for a spell. During the dry season, weekend Thai tourists pass through en route to nearby Kheuan Khao Laem (Khao Laem Dam; officially named Vachiralongkorn Dam), b