IF you are looking for a perfect, unforgettable and affordable vacation, you should definitely consider Thai-Land, the land of freedom. A perfect family trip to this country would include both the beautiful Thai islands and the capital Bangkok.

You would not believe how beautiful the Thai islands are — where the sea, sun and shiny sand meet. People thought that I had scanned a postcard when they saw a picture I had taken of Bamboo Island, a small island near Phuket in southern Thailand.

The moment before the plane reached the runway at Phuket International Airport in south Thailand, all you could see was a green land filled with different kinds of trees in the middle of a sea with waves in different shades of blue. You fix your eyes on what is outside the window and ask yourself, “Are we going to land in the sea or on a beach?”

Surfing takes you to a whole different world, experiencing the pleasure of moving from one island to another and trying the different beaches that range from stones to smooth white sand.

You could go on a sea voyage in a speedboat where they stop you in areas where you could do the sport they are known for which is canoeing around small mountain islands.

Riding in the canoe in the middle of the wide sea among mountains and caves is enjoyable and is a bit frightening if you are a first-timer. The moment you put your foot in the rubber canoe, you will feel off balance but if you sit and row on both sides, you will feel safer. One of the caves I entered in the canoe had a very low entrance and you have to lie down to keep your head from hitting the rocks.

Thai people love their country and they want to keep it as natural as possible. When I was on the beach of Bamboo Island, I found a shell under the shiny white sand. It looked like an oyster to me and I wanted to keep it as a souvenir to remember this wonderful place and hear the sound of the waves on the shore every time I wanted to remember the trip. One of the workers told me to drop it on the sand before I rode in the boat. At first I thought he was joking but it turned out that he was serious, saying “we should protect nature.” So I respected his request and left it though I didn’t really want to.

If you fell in love with the place where the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed, you will definitely want to visit Phi Phi Islands and Maya Bay. The islands are about 40 minutes from Phuket Island by speedboat.

As you arrive in Maya Bay, you will see a sign that tells you the movie was shot here in the year 2000. You walk in through the jungle and remember the scenes from the movie and hear the soundtrack. Though the island is not as big as it seems in the movie, it is rich with greenery. The Thai islands are known for being small. All you can see are the green trees, white shiny sands and the turquoise of the sea.

It is very relaxing to lie down on the beach and you could easily fall asleep especially if it was not sunny and you felt the warm breeze even in December.

In a city tour of Phuket, you learn how the rubber is made from the long thin rubber trees in the jungle. Locals have their simple ways of making rubber. They scratch the trunk of the tree and you can immediately see a white liquid that they collect in coconut shells and then they put in cold water until it is solid.

From the relaxing Phuket Island to the busy city of Bangkok; Thai people will always welcome you with a smile saying “Sawadee ka/krap” — a woman would say “Sawadeeka” a man would say “Sawadeekrap” which just means hello. They have a special bow depending on the age of the person they are greeting. If the person is young, they simply put their palms opposite to each other with a little bow. If the person is older, they put their palms facing each other with their thumbs touching the tip of the nose and make a little bow.

The city is active as you can see people in the streets cooking, selling coconut juice, and selling Thai souvenirs that are very cheap and affordable. You can buy a purse for 100 baht (around SR10).

Thai people love color. If you stand on a pedestrian bridge, you notice the variety of colors in their taxis and buses. They use bright colors, which are unusual for public transportation. Every taxi is a different color — fuchsia, purple, blue, green and of course orange and yellow.

You see and sense the colors of the city. As you enter the Thai Airways plane, you see a wide range of colors forming a rainbow with purple as their focal color. Seats, like the taxis, are of different colors.

As you move around the city, you will notice that a lot of people wear the same color on a specific day. If you ask someone, he or she will tell you that people of the Thai kingdom have seven colors to wear during the seven days of the week. From Monday to Sunday, they start the week with yellow, then pink, green, orange, blue, violet and finally red.

This tradition began in the Ayuthaya Period 1350 — 1767 A.D and people still follow it today.

If you are looking to buy traditional souvenirs reflecting Thai culture or even looking for ordinary things to buy at cheap prices, try Suam Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok. It is always possible to bargain with shopkeepers in traditional shops. You can go lower than 50 percent of the stated price and still be able to buy the item. I bought a statue that was said to cost 400 baht (around SR43) for 150 baht (around SR17).

Souvenirs will always include snowballs and figures of the Floating Market. In which to experience, you ride in a long boat that holds about eight people and move in a canal between two lines of an open market on both sides. If you are not willing to buy anything, and you are there just to enjoy the ride, be careful not to point that out to any of the sellers. The shopkeeper will immediately drag your boat to her shop with a long stick and work on convincing you to buy something. The market in addition has many small boats selling tropical fruits, vegetables and juice. As you finish the approximately 40-minute ride, you will find a picture of you on a ceramic plate signed by The Floating Market and sold to you for 150 baht. You will not recall anyone saying ‘smile’ or even the flash of a camera. But Thai people insist that you keep a good memory of your visit — or visits — to their country. You cannot help but buy something and say ‘capunka!’ (thank you in Thai).