Traffic and tranquillity, beaches and bargains, rural roads, ancient palaces and stunning temples: Thailand has much to offer anyone from the casual visitor in search of affordable luxury to the rugged backpacker hoping to get off the track. What brings visitors back time and again is the allure of the ephemeral: seemingly spontaneous festivals, chance meetings and whimsical moments in an unpredictable land of ancient culture and elusive wisdom. The kingdoms most notable sites are opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins, and peak roofed temples housing serene images of the Buddha, places where the past comes alive in architecture and artwork as well as beliefs and practices. In bustling Bangkok, you'll find simple canal and riverside communities, a sprawling Chinatown, an ultra-modern cityscape and giant outdoor markets that are a heady mix of sights, sounds, and smells. Beyond urban Thailand are flat plains carpeted with rice paddies and dotted with tiny villages, mountains of luxuriant teak forests where elephants once roamed wild, long stretches of white sand beach and acres of coconut palms and rubber plantations. Rural life is languid and hospitable and behind every warm Thai smile there is true kindness and a certain wisdom of the ancients.