I saw a TV advert yesterday. It was for Thailand. I saw lots of beautiful pictures of temples, beaches, forests, happy children and fruit. The final line said ‘Amazing Thailand’. At the moment I’m practising my touch typing and also trying to improve my writing skills. I thought Thailand would make a good topic to write about.
Thailand is in South East Asia. It is the 51st largest country in the world and has a population of 64 million people. It is a democracy but also has a Royal Family. The present King, King Rama IX is the longest serving head of state in the world. I read on the internet that Thai people love their King and many of them wear yellow and pink shirts to show their support for the King. I think that perhaps Thai people love their king more than the British love their queen.
Thailand is a long country. It looks like a body with one leg. At the bottom of the body is the capital city called Bangkok. It also has a very long Thai name that means ‘City of Angels’. I want to go to Bangkok one day to see the big golden reclining Buddha and the Royal Palace.
In the north of Thailand there are many forests. In these forests are many small villages where ethnic communities live such as the Karen People. They believe that women with long necks are beautiful. Because of this belief they make girls wear lots of tight necklaces to stretch their necks. I’m not sure if this is a good custom as it might harm young girls, but, nevertheless, it is very interesting.
There are two coasts in Thailand. On the west side there is the Andaman Coast. This was hit very badly by a tsunami in 2004. Important resort areas such as Phuket and Khao Lak were devastated and many people lost their lives. I read that now many of the beach resorts have re-opened and life has returned to normal.
On the east side there is a huge gulf. It was called the Gulf of Siam, but now most people refer to it as the Gulf of Thailand. This is a little wrong since Cambodia, Vietnam and China also own islands in the gulf.
The main Thai islands in the Gulf of Thailand are Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. The word ‘Koh’ means ‘island’ in the Thai language. The biggest of the Thai islands in the Gulf of Thailand is Koh Samui. It is an island with many beautiful beaches such as Chaweng, Lamai and Bophut. It looks like great fun. People swim in the sea, go sailing, go diving and do other watersports such as kite boarding in Koh Samui. One day I want to try these sports.
Next to Koh Samui is Koh Phangan. This island has lots of nature and was a favourite place of King Rama V. He visited a waterfall at Than Sadet in Koh Phangan many times. He loved the place so much he visited over 10 times. He also released deers on the island.
Nowadays, Koh Phangan is famous not for its royal connections but for its parties. The biggest beach party in Thailand happens on Koh Phangan every month. It is called the Full Moon Party. I’ve seen YouTube clips of the Full Moon Party. I include one below. The face painting looks good fun but playing with fire looks a bit dangerous. If i went to the Full Moon Party I’d want to go with some responsible people, and i wouldn’t want to get lost.
I’m sure there are lots more interesting things to write about Thailand. It looks like an amazing country indeed!

