Ahhhh Thailand. There are so many things to occupy your spare time in Thailand that I could talk about them forever, but here’s a shortlist of my top ten things to do in Thailand!
Cookery Course:
Barefoot in the kitchen? Totally fine in Thailand…
If you love Thai food and your ideal day consists of cooking and eating then a course is a must! There’s the added bonus of a day pretending to be Gordon Ramsay by berating fellow chefs and posing for Hell’s Kitchen-esque photos. I did my course at the Blue Lagoon Cooking School on the island of Koh Chang and had the pleasure of being taught to cook curries, pad thai, mango and sticky rice and as well as few requests. The course lasted all day and left us with full bellies, new culinary skills and a recipe book.
Elephant trekking:
You can’t go to Thailand and not ride an elephant, that’d just be silly. Chiang Mai is one of the best places to do it and you can combine it with a trip visiting hill tribes and other mysteries hidden in the mountains.
Visit a market:
Visitng markets in Southeast Asia is a favourite past time of mine. You’re never far away from a market in Thailand, full of food and crazy trinkets. Do yourself a favour and learn some numbers in Thai, you’ll get much better deals if you haggle in the lingo!
Visit an ancient temple:
Thailand is full of spectacular temples that date back thousands of years. Ayutthaya and Sukothai are noted for their temples so pay them a visit and get all Tomb Raider.
Full Moon Party:
Some people go to Thailand for one thing and one thing only: to rave on the beaches of Ko Phangan during the monthly full moon. And who can blame them? Chaos comes in the shape of a bucket full of rum and Red Bull. There’s absolute carnage in the form of glo-paint, ridiculous costumes and fire slides. It’ll either be an unforgettable night or one you can’t even remember, depending on how many buckets you down. Don’t even think about making plans for the next day unless it involves bed or the beach.
Night out in Bangkok:
Once you tire of sights, sounds, malls and madness of Bangkok, retire to your hotel and recoup for some midnight mayhem. Do yourself a favour and try and stay clear of Khao San Road, get stuck in to the shady backstreets where I guarantee you’ll have a much better night discovering bizarre bars and crazy characters. Drink with the locals rather than the tourists. If super clubs are more your thing, then grab a taxi to Route 66, one of the biggest, most banging clubs I’ve ever seen that caters to every music taste.
See the Golden Palace:
If you see one landmark in Bangkok, make it the Golden Palace. It’s pretty spectacular and on a sunny day, all the gold can make your retinas feel like they’re burning but it’s a must see sight in the capital.
Eat dinner at the Londoner / Buffalo Bills:
If you’re an expat and like me, really crave a decent roast dinner once in a while, then a visit to the Londoner in Bangkok and Buffalo Bills in the coastal town of Hua Hin is a must. Their roast dinners were better than any I’ve had in England (apart from my parents’ of course) and really cure the homesickness/dodgy tummy/hangover.
Find a secret beach in Krabi:
Don’t make the mistake I initially made and stay in Krabi town. There’s not much to see and the smaller coastal towns of the province hide some spectacular beaches. I’m talking about the kind of stuff you see in the brochures. Armed with some vague instructions, my friends and I rode a moped to a secluded spot, scrambled through some jungle, ascended a cliff and discovered one of the most perfect beaches I’ve ever seen in my life. Although small, there wasn’t a soul in sight apart from a few crabs. The sea was dotted with spectacular lime stone casks and it was a true ‘travelling moment’.
If you like monkeys, go to Lop Buri:
I did the Thailand Internship with i-to-i and lived in Lop Buri, a few hours north of Bangkok. Lop Buri is famous for its ancient temple that houses a vast army of mischievous monkeys. It even featured in the second series of Karl Pilkington’s ‘Idiot Abroad’ as the round-headed buffoon is a fan of the hairy buggers. So if you want monkeys all up in your business and stealing your sunglasses, it’s definitely worth a visit!
Holly Graham took part in the May 2011 Thailand Internship and has many a hilarious story from Thailand and more on her own personal blog definitely recommend checking it out! You can also read her first guest post on the TEFL Blog…worth a click to read her responses to our random questions 
Hi Holly
Question : How did u cope with no photocopier, cardboard, textas, books and other resources like paper etc ?
Did u have a choice where you taught ? What age were your students ? What did your daily / weekly timetable look like ?
Cheers, Smythy