But. Usually people feed the fish near temples and those, who do not believe in miracles say, that if they feed this fish somewhere else on the river then it would gather there. But on the other hand the river itself is also called holy, holy the fish has the right to be holy too, isn’t it.

There is really a lot of fish, and they are jumping out of water to get some bread from the tourists. Usually tourists are given bread from the locals who work in the river markets. There are special baskets are are sent from the marteks to the boats so every tourist can enjoy feeding catfish.

As I have checked on internet eating catfish is normal is Thailand and you can find fried catfish in the restaurants. And I think those catfish in the holy river are pretty lucky to be protected by the locals. You can not catch or eat this fish though it is just jumping in to your hands to get the bread first. Like birds and other animals, very amazing!

How to see the catfish? If you do not want to take a tour and want to get to the river yourself you have to go to Chlongs, the region that is called also the venice of Bangkok. Chlongs has canals for moving by boats as well as Venice in Italy. Locals live in residential area on the west side of the river. About houses in the river and river market I will tell you more in my next article about Thailand. When visiting Bangkok it is a must to have a tour by those beautiful huge canoe boats.

Hotels in Thailand don’t really have star system, like hotels of Turkey, for example. That is why to choose a hotel by yourself can be difficult. I am looking for cheap hotels of 3 stars or so ( on some travel agency site i mean, not direct booking ) and see that price per person is about 100 dollars! This is not cheap at all even for Turkey, and what about Thailand, where everything is so cheap? The thing is that those 3 star hotels are really luxury. Of course, nobody insist on looking for a hotel with a travel agency. I can book directly, but how can I find a nice and at the same time affordable hotel then? There are a lot of hotels in Thailand. I have tried to find a hotel without star system on sawadee website, which offers pretty cheap hotel deals and started from the cheapest ones. Do you think I managed to find any? There are hotels for 10 dollars even, but what does it change? Pictures on sawadee and hotels websites are very beautiful, and it is natural cause they are trying to sell rooms. But when you read hotel reviews and look at the pictures of the hotels that were taken by tourists you understand that it is impossible to stay there.

Well, as a result, I understood, that though everybody is awating cheapness in Thailand, it is impossible, if you are looking for comfort and clean, new rooms close to the beach. Good hotel prices start from 50 dollars per person per night and higher, and they are not luxury at all. If you want a  luxury hotel with spa, the price in high season will be 100 dollars and higher. Of cause you can come in low season, but who wants rain during his vacation? Me not…

Prices for car rentals, bike rentals and petrol are so low, that everybody understands that it maybe much cheaper to hire a car and drive all over the Thailand on it, than take a taxi. Really, if you trust yourself, you can hire a car but I do NOT advice you doing that and here are the reasons:

Thailand roads. In general Thailand roads are good enough for driving all types of cars. Though I noticed that car rental offices offer good choice of offroad cars ( guess why ) , smaller roads are not good at all. Especially at night it is very dangerous to drive in Thailand. Deeper to the nature you go by car, worse the roads are.

Thailand people. Thailand people have some special kind of car and bike driving. They even seem to have different road rules. Even if you drive well, it will not protect you from some Thai man, hurring somewhere.

Thailand car insurance. Unfortunately, when a foreigner in Thailand have an accident, in most cases , he is said that it is his fault and nobody other’s. Be ready for that. Be ready that you will have to pay a lot of money even if it is not your fault at all. What can you do? Check car hire insurance policies very carefully. Use only trusted big car hire companies that follow the policies, you must be sure that policy will cover all the expenses and you will go home on time and with your money still on your credit card.

Thailand bikes. Though bike accidents are often met all over the world, Thailand has much more than others. If you are a biker, it is ok for you to hire a bike in Thailand, but, if you drove a bike only 2 times in your life ( for example, once on your 18th , and once on your holiday in Turkey ) then forget about hiring a bike. It maybe too dangerous for you.

Travel insurance. After all this if you still want to rent a car or a bike in Thailand, buy a good travel insurance for you and your family. Health insurance in this case maybe even more important than car hire insurance because it is the question of you and your family members lives. Do not forget about some good Thailand map, with detailed roads and islands included. Try not to drive at night and do not drive at high speed.

Islands have tropical forests to walk in, and some of them are big and some are really small as compare to the others. Rock formations and caves are breathtaking and attract views by their unusual shapes and sizes. If you can for snorkeling and just swimming in perfectly clean water, take a boat and choose an island to be hidden from other people’s eyes and enjoy your holiday in Thailand!

Famous emerald seawater lake in situated in the middle of Mae Ko Island. Water there is always calm thanks to the limestone cliffs that protect it from winds. To get out to the sea you can by an underground tunnel. And if you climb upper ( it may take more than 40 minutes though) you can see the view of the whole Angthong National Marine Park.

How to get to the Angthong Mational Marine Park? Tourists are usually taken there by boats, and as it takes time to get there usually some meal is offered on it’s way to the islands. Speedboats arive faster, so if you are interested in boat hire, it is ideal for you. You will get to the islands faster and will have more time to spend snorkeling and enjoying the nature of this National Park. You can hire a boat on Koh Samui island from one of tour operators. If you want to spend night in the National Park, bungalows and tents for camping are available for rent in the park. One more national park of Thailand: Similan National Park.

Similan National Park has both the thinnest sand and huge rocks that stand in the sea and form unusual mounts and troughs for diving. Park has an area about 130 sq. km and 9 islands that are situated in the Andaman sea. When looking for a tour to Mu Ko Similan, be aware that it’s name may change to Ko Similan, Ko Kao or even Nine Islands. All of them are names of Mu Ko Similan. Islands are visited by tourists mainly for diving. Underwater life of Mu Ko Similan is very beautiful and attracts tourists by it’s colourful fish and corals. Water is so clean ( that clean water lack beaches of Pattaya, for example, so maybe if you are looking to swimming more that for fun, may be it is better to visit Similan islands that North part of thailand )! Similan National Park is famous for beautiful birds, so bird watching also attrack tourists from all over the world.

Main island – Koh Similan has shallow water, coral reefs and fish to enjoy snorkeling. Hiking is also popular there.

Second biggest island of the archipelago is Miang island. This island is also ideal for snorkeling. It has guesthouses, so you can stay on this island if you are lookig for accomodation close to the national park.

Hu Yong island is famous for turtles that come to the beach from the sea from November to February.

Visiting Similan islands is better in winter, exactly from December to may. These months have perfect weather and the calmest sea for snorkeling and diving in Thailand. Other islands are also famous for beautiful underwater life, and some of them are perfect for scuba diving. You can visit them all and choose the best one for your other vacations.

Pattaya is famous for it’s wonderful beaches, sun, sea and fun, but as compare to other entertainment resorts, Pattaya welcomes people of every age.  If you are looking for fun, ,it is better for you to stay closer to the center, and if you are looking for a calm holiday or you come with your family you can stay a bit far from the center, or even on Koh Chang island, so you will have opportunity to relax in your holiday and to visit the city anytime you get bored.

Pattaya is situated on the eastern coast of the Thailand Gulf and has some popular beaches for swimming, sunbathing and water sports. Hotels on the beaches have affordable prices all year round, though in high season ( December and January ) prices are usually higher, especially if you book your holidays on the New Year days.

Though Pattaya beaches are not so attractive, as, for example, beaches of Phuket, you can find some very clean places for swimming. For example, Naklua beach is unpolluted and not overcrowded. I can say the same about Jomtien beach. So do not believe those, who say that water in Pattaya is dirty, sure it is not adviced to book hotels in the city center if you are looking for clean water and calm holiday. One more great opportunity to find beautiful beaches is to go to Koh Chang island. About travel sights of this island I will tell you more in my next article.