Thailand outside the tourist circuits

Anyone who goes to Thailand for the first time and wants to see the wonderful beaches of ancient Siam following the normal tourist routes of tour operators and travel agencies or being dazzled by the misleading photographs of brochures and various catalogs will surely end up Ko Phi Phi, Ko Samui, My Man or Phuket thus ending up seeing many beautiful beaches and seaside places completely similar to thousands of other places in the world, but without seeing the real Thailand.

This article is dedicated to those who go to Thailand for the first time or not, but who leave bringing with them the desire to immerse themselves in a distant country both in terms of distance and customs, with the eyes of a curious traveler open to knowledge. of new places, far from what is known, respecting and above all accepting everything different that he will encounter on his path.

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The real Thailand cannot be found in a 5-star resort, room with jacuzzi, staff who speak perfect English and international cuisine. Even less so by getting off a plane and being transported to an all-inclusive resort with luxurious air-conditioned cabins, without even being able to breathe in the smell which is sometimes not always pleasant to be honest but at least true.

To those who consider a towel spread out on the beach to be luxury, to those who consider a hammock on the terrace of a wooden bungalow a few meters from the shoreline to be ultra comfortable, to those who like to walk leisurely in a remote fishing village inhabited by smiling people wandering between stilts, fishing nets, half-destroyed boats chatting with the curious local people, those who like to stay still and observe life and the sleepy atmosphere that reigns in the remote Thai islands, those who consider it fun to spend the evenings lying on the sand with a beer in away from discos and noise, this article may be very interesting as well as useful.

Before talking about the islands, I would like to point out two excellent sites for immersing yourself in Thailand’s life style while remaining on the continent.

prachua khiri khana very sleepy Thai town on the western coast of the gulf, where there is an air of eternal Sunday, the sea here is not the best but being located halfway between Bangkok and Krabi (an ideal starting point for the most beautiful islands of the Andaman Sea) is well worth a one-night stop, just after the well-known and expensive Hua Hin, a holiday resort for wealthy Thais, Pranchua Khiri Khan immerses the visitor in local life, you will hardly find Western tourists, characterized by an endless seafront, ideal for a walk during the day and for browsing the market stalls in the evening, with the beautiful temple overlooking the city, where once you climb its 396 steps invaded by dozens of disturbing but completely harmless monkeys, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the coast listening only to the sound of the wind.

To reach Pranchua Khiri Khan da Bangkok the best way is to go to the southern bus terminal and take one of the buses that go south, the government buses are the cheapest and most comfortable, a ride to Pranchua Khiri Khan from Bangkok costs around 250 baht, the train is cheaper although it is more slow is a nice experience.

Nopparat beachnorth of the chaotic and horrible Ao Nang, is a wonderful and infinite beach where you can bask in the sun while reading a good book, on weekends the beach is filled, so to speak, with Thialanders looking for relaxation but during the week it feels like Robinson Crosuè, the stalls just inside the beach are excellent for a quick and cheap meal.

To get to Nopparat beach the ideal is to rent a scooter rather than get there by bus or sawngthaew, so you can enjoy the long beach more and stop wherever you want, if you leave from Krabi you have to follow road 4034 until you come across the signs for Nopparat Thara road on the left, from Ao Nang, instead of Nopparat Beach, is only a few kilometers to the north.