Province Party!!

Okay I'm leaving this picture extra big so you can see all of the beautiful 76 PROVINCES of Thailand!! Here, I will write a little blurb about each of the provinces I have visited. Hopefully, I'll be able to explain how diverse of a country Thailand is!!

I'm most certainly not an expert on any of these places, so I'll describe the things that I have done there!

OKAY HERE WE GO:

1. Suphanburi
Suphanburi holds a special place in my heart because it is the first province I have ever been to in Thailand, and where I lived during PST (pre-service training) for two months! A central province, Suphanburi is located just about two hours northwest of Bangkok. I lived with my INCREDIBLE host family in district (Amphoe) Don Chedi, about 40 minutes from the main city. Don Chedi is known for their large "Chedi" or monument, which is dedicated to the 16th century King Naresuan. My host family would take us there a lot to pray or make a wish. It is surrounded by a beautiful park, where my fellow volunteers and I would chill after a day of training. Don Chedi is filled with canals, rice farms, and banana trees. It is quiet, a lot quieter than Huaymongkol (where I live now).

If you're going sight seeing in Suphanburi, I personally recommend The Dragon Descendants Museum. It is BEAUTIFUL, and one of the first things I saw in Thailand. In the museum (which is literally a giant dragon) there are artifacts that represent Chinese culture. I never went inside, but I've heard great things!



Suphan is also convenient in its proximity to Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, and Ayyuthaya, all of which are big tourist destinations.

I go back to Suphan every now and then (it's six hours from where I live now, so not as frequently as I'd like) to visit my host family. They are truly the greatest human beings in existence.


Like I'm sorry but look at how perfect they are (Pii Ying to my right, Pii Ming sitting below me, and Mee Pa to the right of Ming).

2. Bangkok
Alright, let's get this one knocked out. If you know a thing or two about Thailand, you probably know about Bangkok. I'm not going to focus too long on it, since it gets most of the attention which I think is a SHAME compared to the other provinces here. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. The city of Bangkok is very similar to you typical American city, NYC, DC, any of the other C's. It has a skytrain, which is called the BTS and is super convenient if you don't have a car or moto. It has just about everything you'd find in an American city, shopping malls, restaurants, bars, etc. It does, however, have some incredible temples that for sure beat the M&M store. If you're going to see ONE temple in Bangkok (which why would you just see one come on grow up), go see Wat Arun. It is stunning, and unlike any other temple I have seen in Thailand (and I have seen a LOT). You can take a water taxi there and then hit Wat Pho on your way back, which I also recommend!

Me and my cousin Becca at Wat Arun.














I also love Chatuchak market, a HUGE market that sells everything from food to clothes to little knick knacks to take home! It gets packed though, which can be overwhelming.

For us PCV's, Bangkok serves as more of an escape. Sometimes, we miss cheeseburgers and tacos, and can grab those if we're in Bangkok. Of course, that's not to say I don't frequent my favorite little pad thai cart on Soi 16 when I'm there :)

This isn't to say Bangkok isn't wonderful, but we got a LOT more exploring of Thailand to do, so let's get to it...

3. Prachuap Khiri Khan
Okay. OKAY. I'm gonna give Prachuap it's own tab because THAT'S HOME, BABY! I could go on and on about it so I'll do that somewhere else. Totally biased. Love my home. Prachuap is the best. That's your takeaway.

4. Petchaburi 
Prachuap's next door neighbor!! It is a central province, and the first province on the "elephant trunk" of Thailand. I have been to Cha Am beach, which is pretty (but not as pretty as the beach here, no big deal). My Hua Hin host family (not the one pictured above, but they are just as lovely), also took me to Mrigadayavan Palace, which was the summer palace of King Rama VI. It was built in the 1920's and designed by an Italian Architect. It sits right on the beach and is stunning!


5. Nakhon Pathom 
Kru Oh went to university in Nakhon Pathom (Silpakorn University), so we took a road trip there to see the university! It was a total blast. This is another central province, just above Ratchaburi. Silpakorn University has a lot of beautiful buildings in traditional Thai Style alongside its academic buildings. It also has a lot, a LOT, A LOT, of monitor lizards. Like literally watch where you step. They're pretty harmless, just go about their business, almost like they're walking to class, too. But for someone who has never seen them up close you kind of sh*t your pants when one passes you on the sidewalk.


Silpakorn University, featuring one of its many students.

There's also the Wat Phra Pathom Chedi, which is this HUGE golden monument that sits in the center of the temple. really vast and really beautiful!


6. Prathum Thani
Another central province. Admittedly, I have only been to one place here, but I have been twice because it's so much fun. This place is Dreamworld, the Thai equivalent of Disney world. And it is RIDICULOUS!! The rides are a blast, there are 4D movies that spray bug spit on you, and a winter wonderland where you can go sledding! My kids LOVE it!! Obviously, there is a lot more to this wonderful province, I just have not explored very much of it.


7. Prachinburi
Also a province I know very little about. We went for TESS conference, where I spent the entirety of my three days there in the hotel (with bronchitis so not that much fun). I do not believe there is a lot of tourism there, as finding transportation to get there was rather difficult.

8. Chiang Mai 
Alright, as much as I love where I live, I could move to Chiang Mai in a heart beat and live my life out there. It. Is. STUNNING. I wish I lived closer and could visit more often! It is a province in the way north. So far I have only been twice. While there, I have been to the Kanta Elephant Sanctuary, a place where you can feed, bathe, and NOT RIDE elephants that have been rescued from entertainment venues. Elephants are slightly intimidating at first, simply because of their size, but they're stunning and gentle. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.

Again, if you go to Chiang Mai, or anywhere with elephants in Thailand, please please PLEASE don't support places that provide elephant rides. It is bad for the elephant's backs, and they are likely not being treated very well.

Kanta Elephant Sanctuary, check them out or leave a donation!! https://kantaelephantsanctuary.com/

Over New Years, I also went camping in Doi Mong Jong National Park, which is STUNNING. It is four hours from the main city, almost to Tak province, so a bit of a trip, but totally worth it. Once you arrive, you can rent tents and sleeping bags. Park logistics is run by the locals, who are from the Lahoo hill tribe. They were absolutely lovely to us, the woman who helped us with our sleeping bag rentals even invited us to her home for breakfast before our three hour hike up the mountain. Most certainly the hardest hike I have ever done, but the view at the top made it more than worth it. 100% recommend.

As far as the main city goes, I have described it as the "Asheville" of Thailand. SUPER laid back, a lot of great dives for drinks and live music, beautiful art, and cool weather! And not a bad spot to countdown to the New Year, either! Chiang Mai releases lanterns on New Year's Eve. I personally didn't but saw them in the sky and it was incredible!

9. Ayutthaya 
I loved Ayutthaya!! I went early on in my time here with my buds Caitlin and Nick with Caitlin's host family. Ayutthaya is another central province, and was the original capital of Thailand until 1767. The national park has tons of ruins that have been there since the 1300's.

We also went to the floating market, which just so you know charges extra if you're a foreigner (our attempts to convince them we were Thai greatly failed). It gets crowded, but is really fun! There was also an outdoor performance that's performed on the canal. The actors fight on the boats, it's wild! Highly recommend.

Me and buds at the market.

10. Kanchanaburi
I went to Kanchanaburi with my host family for a day and what a fun trip that was! This is a central province. We started at the Death Railway Bridge, which is the bridge over the River Kwai. It inspired the book The Bridge on the River Kwai, which admittedly I have never read. During World War II, who occupied but never colonised Thailand (fun fact Thailand has never been colonised wohoo!), had  prisoners of war (most of whome European, Australian, and American) erect a bridge between Thailand and Burma. Thousands of POW died while constructing this bridge. I ALSO just read that the river actually wasn't named "River Kwai" at all, but actually the Mae Klong River. It has since been renamed the Khwae Yai river as a compromise.

Quite a beautiful sight, but also important to remember the sacrifice behind it.
Source for this info: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/bridge-on-the-river-kwai-a-place-to-remember-thailands-past/

After that, we went to Erawan National Park, which is STUNNING. My host sisters and I climbed to level 7 of the level 7 waterfall, which was INTENSE, but amazing. At the top, we jumped in the water and had our toes nibbled on by fish. SUCH a fun day!