What is it about Thailand that I like? First of all, it seems that the country itself is catered towards both the tourists and expats. You can immediately sense this as soon as you arrive at their airport: Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Countless different types of people (French, British, Australians, Brazilians, Japanese, Chinese, Germans, etc) swarm and arrive in this airport everyday, so it is true what the article from Trip Advisors said about this country: its city, Bangkok, is the 15th top travel destination in the world right now ( https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Destinations-cTop-g1 ). In addition, now its second largest city, Chiang Mai is the world’s second best city according to Travel and Leisure magazine ( http://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/cities ). So it just makes sense that this is one of the best countries to visit.

In this country, everyone seems to know basic English. It is probably because they are used to a lot of foreigners coming to this country that they are now used to speaking the English language all the time. And I was told as more and more Chinese tourists are also visiting the country every year (4.5 million of Chinese citizen visited Thailand in 2015), they are also beginning to learn Chinese. I had a chance to talk to a Thai woman, and she told me that a few years ago, if a Thai person wanted to get a good job in this country, she needed to be able to speak English well, but now a Thai person can get even a better job if she speaks both English and Chinese well. Based on this talk with her, I assume that the country itself really wants to really do their best to make everyone welcome. I bet if it was not impossible, they probably would make themselves learn most languages just to make sure the the visitors from other countries feel at home in their country, but since they know both English and Chinese, they can pretty much talk to most people on the planet: Chinese with about 1 billion and 300 million people and about 328 million native speakers worldwide having English as their first language and about 600 million worldwide who speak English as their second or third language. This just shows how accommodating the Thais are with foreigners. You can also see this with their smile. They did not call this place “the land of smiles” for nothing.

Added to this, in addition to the famous Thai cuisine, all kinds of Western food are also served at a lot of places here. That is if you’re not the kind of person who “when in Rome, do what the Romans do,” but most foreigners love the Thai cuisine. Also the coffee, not the instant one but the pure brewed one, is everywhere and is not expensive in contrast with most Asian countries where real coffee is quite expensive. It seems that it is more a part of their existence since the beginning rather than just something that the Westerners just introduced into the country. That’s also one of the best things I love about this country. Cafes are everywhere. For a coffee lover like me, it is a paradise.

What also makes Thailand extra special is that the cost of everything is pretty cheap but not at the expense of them being low quality. Even with the Thai street food, you can tell that they use the best quality ingredients. And from the way it is prepared, they seem to be very healthy, especially with such dish as Papaya Salad. Just like the coffee, its beers and other alcoholic drinks are not too expensive compared to other Asian countries such as South Korea and even China. For sure, your money goes a long way. You will definitely have a great time for a lot less.

And if you are not just a tourist but an expat who wants to stay a lot longer in this country, you’re making a right choice since this country is one of the best countries to live in as an expat ( http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160426-bangkok-shouldnt-be-good-for-expats-but-it-is) . I met a lot of them during my extended stay here, and they seem to enjoy its lifestyle, quality of life, and low cost of living.

What can you ask for. It has everything you need: great nightlife, beaches, outdoor sports, diving, etc. So you’re not limited as to what you can do over here for a vacation. Also if you come here, I highly recommend for you to try to go around, to another city or town, even a smaller town. Every place has different things to offer. Though I have been there for a few times, I still feel that there are still more things I could do and more places I could visit over there. It is a country I would never get tired of visiting over and over again.