The sophisticated side of Thailand

By admin

Like any self-respecting '90s teen, I devoured Alex Garner's The Beach about life off the grid on a Thai island, and later drooled over Leo DiCaprio in the film of the same name.

All this travel-hungry 19-year-old wanted then was to experience the mystery of undiscovered Thailand. Off the beaten track. Disconnected from the world. In her month-long summer holiday from university.

So I joined the many tens of thousands of like-minded teenagers having exactly the same thoughts, stuffed some swimmers and a Lonely Planet guide in a backpack, grabbed a mate and jumped a plane to Thailand.

Just like everyone else, we took a tuk-tuk to the Khao San Rd. We braided our hair. We wore fishermans' pants. We bought Red Bull t-shirts. We ate Pad Thai. We slept on cockroach-infested mattresses on the floor.

We drank Sam Song Sets – Thai whiskey served in a bucket of ice with a coke and the local Red Bull, which was so potent you aren't allowed to export it. We stayed up all night for a full moon party on the beach. We tried fried ants and grasshoppers – I even had a bite of a battered scorpion.

Ahhh, what a difference 15 years makes.

When I visited Thailand this time, as a 34-year-old, my experience was somewhat altered.

Our group was met at the airport and transferred to a five-star hotel in the city.

Shown to our 19th floor rooms at The Sukosol Bangkok (not a cockroach in sight, instead a bowl of exotic lychees and some chilled bottled water), we showered (in hot water!) and then met downstairs for cocktails at its newly refurbished Sapphire Bar.

Sipping my drink as I sank into the cushions, letting the familiar woozy jetlag feeling wash over me, I pondered what my 19-year-old self would have made of all this finery.

Would she think I was a sell-out? Who cared. I was more likely to meet Leo DiCaprio in this bar than on the Khao San Rd, anyway.

When we travelled north to Chang Mai in the late `90s, we had opted for the cheapest form of transportation – an overnight bus (which would also save us the cost of a night of accommodation).

It was adequately clean, but the trip was terrifying. It was made all the worse by the bus driver's first stop being at a bottle shop to pick up a slab of beer. For himself.

As he chugged away on his Chang beer, my friend and I struggled to relax, watching the bus veer between lanes and lurch over to the other side of the road.

On this trip, we were transported north in our deluxe, air-conditioned super coach, with massaging chairs, gold-tasselled curtains and – most comfortingly of all – seat belts.

Once upon a time, we would hike halfway around every city we visited, trying to find signposts we could understand or locals who spoke enough English to understand us in the hope of stumbling upon sites of interest.

This time, our guides picked us up from our hotel, drove us to sites such as the ruins of Phi Mai (Thailand's spectacular answer to Cambodia's Siem Reap), the silk weaving village of Paktongchai, the ceramics village of Dan Kwian.

Instead of debating the merits of incomprehensible menus, before deciding on a place that had picture menus with translations in five languages, we were taken to beautiful local eateries and had local delicacies such as the special roasted duck in Korat, the flower water Lad Mayom, the grilled fish near Lamtakong Dam. We drank cocktails at a bar on the 55th floor, overlooking Bangkok – not a bucket in sight.

We were taken to local markets with far fewer touristy souvenir options and little-to-no English speakers, but real prices, real finds and a real Thai experience – and no hassling hawkers.

Instead of sleeping on mattresses or hammocks at best, and sarongs on a bamboo floor at worst (which I'm sure my 34-year-old body would not have appreciated as much), we stayed in beautiful hotels with luxurious linens and all the finest creature comforts.

I know what you're thinking. Sell out. My inner 19-year-old is screaming it, too.

But even if it is cheating a little bit, isn't it better to see the best bits of Thailand, to be taken there by Thais who know what they're doing and don't scream tourist (even if you do)? Sure, I had more creature comforts and fresh sheets and air-conditioning than I did 15 years ago.

But I think I also experienced more of real Thai life, Thai cooking and Thai people than when I travelled the well-beaten path to The Beach, all those years ago.

(777) IF YOU GO: GETTING THERE: Bangkok is a non-stop nine to nine and a half hour flight from the eastern states, and about seven hours from Perth. Many airlines fly to Suvarnabhumi airport, including Qantas, Emirates, British Airways and the Thai national carrier, Thai Airways.

STAYING THERE: Rooms at the refurbished Sukosol Bangkok start at 6690 baht ($A225) a night. For more, visit the sukosol.com.

GETTING AROUND: For travel guidance, transfers and tips for getting around the country, talk to Absolutely Fantastic Holidays, absolutelyfantasticholidays.com.

*Writer was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

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