With over six million foreigners flying into the country each year, Thailand has become Asia's primary holiday destination. The influx of tourists and their cash has played a significant part in the country's development, yet Thailand's cultural integrity remains largely undamaged except for the main resorts. In this country of fifty-three million people, over ninety percent are practising Theravada Buddhists, a unifying faith which colours all aspects of daily life - from the tiered temple rooftops that dominate every skyline, to the omnipresent saffron-robed monks and the packed calendar of festivals. Furthermore, though the high-rises and neon lights occupy the foreground of the tourist picture, the typical Thai community is the traditional farming village, and some ninety percent of Thais still earn their living from the land.

The clash of tradition and modernity is most intense in Bangkok, the first stop on almost any itinerary. Within the capital's historic core you'll find resplendent temples, canalside markets and the opulent indulgence of the eighteenth-century Grand Palace, while in downtown Bangkok lies the hub of the country's sex industry, the infamous strip known as Patpong. The political fault-lines of Thailand are inevitably most visible in Bangkok as well. Home of the revered King Bhumibol and the far less revered ministers who run this constitutional monarchy, it's the cockpit of the country's burgeoning environmental movement, whose campaigns on such inflammatory issues as the trade in endangered species and the construction of large-scale dams have regularly hit the international headlines.

After touchdown in Bangkok, much of the package-holiday traffic flows east to Pattaya, the country's first and most popular beach resort. Born as a rest-and-recreation base for the US military during the Vietnam War, it has grown into a concrete warren of hotels and strip joints that's just about the least authentic town in Thailand. For unpolluted beaches and clear seas, however, you have to venture just a little further afield, to the island of Ko Chang, with its superb sand and idyllic bamboo beach huts.

Even fewer tourists strike north from the east coast into Isaan, the poorest and in some ways the most traditionally Thai region. Here, a trip through the gently modulating landscapes of the Mekhong River valley, which defines Thailand's northern and eastern extremities, takes in archetypal agricultural villages and a fascinating array of religious sites, while the southern reaches of Isaan hold some of the country's best-kept secrets - the magnificent stone temple complexes of Phimai and Phanom Rung, both built by the Khmers of Cambodia almost ten centuries ago. Closer to the capital, in the southwestern corner of Isaan, Khao Yai National Park encapsulates the phenomenal diversity of Thailand's flora and fauna, which here range from wild orchids to strangling figs, elephants to hornbills, tigers to macaques.

Attractively sited at the heart of the northern uplands, Chiang Mai draws tourists in almost the same quantities as Pattaya, but it has preserved its looks with far greater care, and appeals to a different kind of visitor. It's the vibrant cultural centre of a region whose overriding enticement is the prospect of trekking through villages inhabited by a richly mixed population of tribal peoples. With Chiang Mai so firmly planted on the independent tourist trail, the ancient cities of the intervening central plains tend to get short shrift. Yet the elegant ruins of former capitals Ayutthaya and Sukhothai embody a glorious artistic heritage, displaying Thailand's distinctive ability to absorb influences from quite different cultures. Kanchanaburi, stunningly located on the River Kwai in the western reaches of the central plains, tells a much darker episode of Thailand's past, for it was along the course of this river that the Japanese army built the Thailand-Burma Railway during World War II, at the cost of thousands of POW lives.

Sand and sea are what most Thailand holidays are about, though, and the pick of the coasts are in southern Thailand, where the Samui archipelago off the Gulf coast is one of the highlights: its small resorts, desolate coves and immaculate sweeping beaches draw teenage ravers and solitude seekers in equal parts. Across on the other side of the peninsula, the Andaman coast boasts even more exhilarating scenery and the finest coral reefs in the country. The largest resort, Phuket, is packed with expensive high-rises and threatens to go the way of Pattaya, but on nearby Ko Phi Phi the coral-rich sea remains an untainted azure. Neither of these, however, can match the spectacular Ko Similan island chain, some six hours out to sea, which ranks as one of the world's top diving destinations. Further down the Thai peninsula, in the provinces of the deep south, the teeming marine life and unfrequented sands of Ko Tarutao National Marine Park are the immediate attractions, though the edgy relationship between Thai sovereignty and Malaysian Islam - the kind of cultural brew that has characterized Thailand throughout its history - makes this region a rewarding one for the more adventurous traveller to explore. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
The Rough Guide to Thailand is the most discerning and accessible handbook to this intriguing country. A 24-page full colour section introduces the country, its climate, regions and culture and full colour spreads highlight the best of the activities, events and sights. There is evocative coverage of all the sights in opinionat