Visiting Thailand

"From the very beginning I was charmed by Bangkok and I propose to be aggressively syrupy about it in the most buckeye travelogue manner. I liked its polite, gentle, handsome people, its temples, flowers and canals, the relaxed and peaceful rhythm of life there... Its character is complex and inconsistent; it seems to combine the Hannibal, Missouri, of Mark Twain's boyhood with Beverly Hills, the Low Countries and Chinatown... The effect is indescribably pleasing; your eye constantly discovers new vistas, isolated little communities around every corner tempting you to explore them."

— S.J. Perelman, Westward Ha! (1948)

A group of Thai-style buildings, here adapted for use in a popular health spa on the Gulf of Thailand.

One of the joys of a visit to Thailand lies in discovering some of the assorted aspects that give the kingdom its particular style, making it different from any other travel destination. These may cover a wide range-for instance, a temple building that expresses exuberant joy as well as pious devotion, the sight of an elephant strolling along a jungle trail, a Thai meal in which each distinctive flavor comes as a revelation, perhaps only a shy smile glimpsed on the veranda of a traditional house.

Somerset Maugham, on a visit in 1923, was at first depressed by the outward aspect of Bangkok, which seemed to him composed of "dust and heat and noise and whiteness and more dust" Then he came across the city's numerous Buddhist temples and found enchantment: "They are unlike anything in the world, so that you are taken aback, and you cannot fit them into the scheme of the things you know. It makes you laugh with delight to think that anything so fantastic could exist on this somber earth."

The temples are still there, sparkling like gigantic, bejewelled wedding cakes in the sunlight across an expanse of emerald-green rice fields, hushed oases of quiet in the middle of noisy cities. So are their domestic equivalents, plain wooden structures with few decorations yet with an elegant steepness of roof, a hint of fantasy in the curving ornaments at the tip of bargeboards that makes them distinctive. Thai houses can now be found outside rural settings, where for centuries they have served the practical needs of farmers; more affluent city people have come to see them as a reaffirmation of national identity and luxury resorts are using them imaginatively in exotic locations.

The drawing room of the Jim Thompson house, the most famous of all the Thai-style homes adapted to modern living.

"Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we like first and best to eat," a Thai writer has observed. As this suggests, eating ranks high on the Thai scale of pleasures, and whether simple or grand, a meal can provide extensive insight into the kingdom's character. Rice forms the centerpiece-fragrant and loose-grained in most parts of the country, glutinous in the north and northeast-and the other dishes are placed around it, to be eaten in whatever order the diner prefers and seasoned to individual taste with such condiments as fish sauce and chilli peppers. Usually there will be a soup of some kind, a curry, a steamed or fried dish, a salad, and one or more basic sauces; dessert may consist of a selection of the country's celebrated fruits-mango, durian, rambutan, mangosteen, to mention only a few-or one of several traditional sweets.

Houses in the traditional central style, less ornate than the kingdom's Buddhist temples but with a special elegance all their own.

A decorative piece of northern woodcarving has been used as the headboard for a bed in this traditional Thai interior

Thai style at its most refined; old manuscript cabinets, tables, and silk cushions in the lofty teak living room of an old house.

A dining area at one of the villas of the Amanpuri, a Phuket resort that uses traditional style in innovative ways; the triangular cushions are covered with Thai cotton.

Thai food comes in more varieties than an outsider might suspect from experiences in London and Los Angeles. Each region has its own specialties, from the spicy yams or salads of the northeast, to the Muslim-style curries of the far south, from the noodle-based street food of Bangkok to Burmese-inspired dishes of the north. Travelling around the country becomes a journey of culinary revelation, as constantly surprising as the ever-changing scenery.

Other discoveries, too, are unique to Thailand. In the hot season, for instance, after a steamy tour of the splendid Grand Palace, a visitor may find himself enthralled by a different sort of diversion in the large oval field known as Sanam Luang, just outside the palace walls. The blue sky is likely to be filled with kites, not just familiar, diamond-shaped ones but also enormous star-shaped creations measuring several meters across.

This is Thai kite fighting, actually an aerial battle of the sexes, in which dainty little "female" kites defend their territory against predatory raids by huge "males? each of which requires a team of up to 20 strong men to maneuver. As in life, the darting females prove an elusive prey and as often as not manage to bring their opponents crashing to the earth, cheered by spectators enjoying the match from the comfort of reclining chairs.

A selection of Thai condiments.

A set of silver utensils used for betel nut.

A banana-leaf container for Thai sweets.

A Thai meal, presented in classic style.

Traditional buildings are often used today for entertaining, providing a distinctive background in both homes and restaurants.

Thai-style boxing is just as distinctive. Known abroad as "kick boxing," it is probably the kingdom's favorite traditional sport and has been since the Ayutthaya period. Bouts are accompanied by a three-piece orchestra, which sits to one side of the ring and keeps pace with the action, stimulating both fighters and spectators. Any part of the body except the head can be used as an offensive weapon, and any part, including the head, is a fair target. The foot is the most effective of all, usually swung in a wide arc at lightning speed, and the whole performance has a balletic grace that belies its deadly purpose.

Or perhaps the visitor will prefer something that is pure grace, without the violence, like takraw, a sport that involves keeping a hollow rattan ball aloft as long as possible by players who can use their feet, knees, elbows and head, but not their hands. Groups of young men set up a casual game of takraw almost anywhere during a break from work or school, and there are professional teams who perform truly dazzling stunts in the course of a match.

Discovery of Thailand's special appeal may come on a pristine beach that fulfills a host of escapist dreams, on a visit to one of the exotic hill tribes of the far north, over a memorable meal, even on a mundane street in Bangkok that seems to offer nothing and then suddenly reveals an unexpected wonder. Sooner or later, though, it comes to almost every visitor, and lingers in the memory forever after.

The reception pavilion at the Amanpuri in Phuket; many resorts have discovered the Powerful appeal of classic Thai architecture.

Along both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, countless beautiful beaches offer year-round serenity.

The swimming pool at the Chiva Som, a spa on the Gulf of Thailand at Hua Hin, where Thai-style buildings are used for modern health treatments.

An offshore island in the Andaman Sea, surrounded by white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters ideal for swimming and diving.

A beach on Koh Phi Phi in the far south, one of the more recent islands to have been "discovered" by foreign travellers.