Thailand

Songkhla Province’s two main commercial centres, Hat Yai and Songkhla, are less affected by the political turmoil plaguing the cities further south, although some state travel advisories warn against travel here. You won't be tripping over foreign backpackers, but you'll see a fair number of tourists drawn to wandering through local markets, savouring Muslim-Thai fusion cuisine, relaxing on breezy beaches and tapping into Hat Yai's fun and eclectic urban vibe.

Long before flip-flops, glossy resorts and selfie sticks, Phuket was an island of rubber trees, tin mines and cash-hungry merchants. Luring entrepreneurs from the Arabian Peninsula, China, India and Portugal, Phuket Town (เมืองภูเก็ด) became a colorful blend of cultural influences.

Same same, but different. This Thailish T-shirt philosophy sums up Bangkok, a city where the familiar and the exotic collide like the flavors on a plate of pàt tai.

Nej de här vitmålade husen och kullerstensgatorna ligger inte alls i Grekland. Välkommen till Santorini Park – en nöjespark i den thailändska semesterorten Cha-Am.

Det kallas ibland för glamping – glamorös camping. Vildmarksliv fast med bekvämligheten att sova i en skön säng, slippa dela badrum med andra och i vissa fall få tillgång till en privat jacuzzi.

Tiny Ko Samet (เกาะเสม็ด) has been attracting backpackers making the relatively short hop from Bangkok for years, but these days you'll find just as many Thais and Chinese tour groups. The sandy shores, cosy coves and aquamarine waters attract ferry-loads of Bangkokians looking to party each weekend, while tour groups pack out the main beach and many resorts. Fire-juggling shows and beach barbecues are nightly events on the northern beaches, but the southern parts of the island are far more secluded and sedate.

A transit town funneling travelers to and from Ko Tao or southwards to Ranong or Phuket, Chumphon (ชุมพร) is where the south of Thailand starts proper; Muslim headscarves are a common sight here.

The baby of the Samui–Pha-Ngan–Tao trio, Ko Tao may still be the smallest in size but in many other ways it's all grown up. The island is consistently gaining in popularity and going more upscale, but for now this jungle-topped cutie has the busy vibe of Samui mixed with the laid-back nature of Pha-Ngan.

Mixen av folkslag och kulturer har laddat Phuket stad med en mångfald av smaker: klassisk thaimat med tom yum khung och mild gröncurry, kinesiska influenser med hokkiennudlar och murtabak och roti från Malaysia och Indien. Några av de mest spännande smakerna hittar du på gatan eller på små, lokala hak där du äter dig mätt och lycklig för några tior.

Once the heart of a large Muslim principality that included the neighboring provinces of Yala and Narathiwat, Pattani Province has never adjusted to Thai rule. Although today’s political situation has stunted the area’s development, Pattani Town has a 500-year history of trading with the world’s most notorious colonial powerhouses. The Portuguese colonizers established a trading post here in 1516, the Japanese passed through in 1605, the Dutch in 1609 and the British flexed their colonial force in 1612.