Thailand is with no doubt one of the most beautiful and interesting countries I have ever been to. This country has has so many amazing things to offer. Read the description of our journey from north ot south of Thailand.

Thailand is with no doubt one of the most beautiful and interesting countries I have ever been to. This country has has so many amazing things to offer.

To the traveler the north of Thailand is well known for the handicrafts. Many of us know the Thai silk, gold and jewellery. The south is better known for the wide beaches with white sand, the huge markets and not to forget the traditional Thai massage.

We - Janine and me - have split the trip to Thailand into three parts. In total we have had about five weeks time to spend.

The first part was primarly just to recover from work and to get used to the high temperature and humidity. We spent some time in Phuket where we enjoyed the sea side at Ao Karon and the different local dishes very much. It is definitely worth to rent a motorbike to avoid the sites of mass tourism, because they usually do not provide a nice picture. Ao Pathong has a big night market and beautiful promenade - but it is in my oppinion the worst spot on the island where you seem to get everything for money, which really should not be explioted.

A much nicer island is Ko Phi Phi. It's a three hours boat trip to get to the island. The entire island has no motorised traffic. The only motors you hear are the taxi boats that can be hired to get to another place on the island. Rating: Excellent to recover.

For the second part we took a domestic flight to Chiang Mai where the tuc tuc drivers took us to almost every factory in the town to show us the handicrafts - it's really impressive. For accomodation I really can recommend the Top North Guesthouse with some cheap but clean rooms and a small swimming pool. The best food was definitely served at the Whole Earth Restaurant at a very nice ambiance.

From Chiang Mai we rented a car to head down to Lampang where we got an excellent massage at the Herbal Medicine Center. They treated us with hands and feet as much as they could. It sometimes really hurt, but after it we really felt great. Give it a try, if you get there somewhen!

After that we went further down through the industrial city Nakhon Sawan to Sukothai where we visited some of the very large old ruined temples. Further down after Ayuttaya and Bangkok we returned the car in Pattaya, where we did not stay very long. There were simply too many people who did not take care of the Thai culture. It is definitely a must see, but beeing part of it should again be avoided.

The third part after the very interesting but exhausting trip we spent the last week on Kho Samet. This is a beautiful small island near by Rayong that still has its ancient charme. This might be because not yet all infrastructure is established to attract the mass tourism. You'll find there mostly Thai tourists and a few backpackers from Europe.

Finally we ended the trip by doing some shopping in Bangkok. As of now I have been 13 times to Thailand - and it surely has not been the last time. The more I know about the country, the more I like it.