SPORTING OPTIONS

The opportunities for sport and recreation in Thailand are as diverse as the land itself. Thais take their fun seriously and believe it would be a dull world if it were all work and no play. Accordingly you'll find plenty of sporting options, both as participant and spectator.

Watersports are perhaps Thailand's biggest attraction, with perfect conditions ensured by the combination of a tropical climate and some of the world's most stunning beaches and islands. At Pattaya, Phuket and other resort centres there are facilities for all sorts of activities to get you in, on, above and below the water, from windsurfing to parasailing, from water-skiing to deep sea fishing. The fastest growing watersport, however, is scuba diving and numerous spots around Thailand's extensive coastline afford ideal conditions with gin-clear water and an abundance of marine life. Yachting is also becoming increasingly attractive, and there are facilities for both dinghy sailing and the chartering of larger yachts for live-aboard cruises.

Not only does Thailand provide the ideal facilities for watersports, it also in many cases offers expert tuition. In a week's stay it is possible to learn how to windsurf, gain a scuba diving proficiency certificate or master the basics of how to handle a yacht.

On land, golf is undoubtedly the main sporting option, with Thailand today regarded as one of the world's top golfing destinations.
To the enthusiast, the game is pure pleasure wherever it is played. In Thailand it is sheer paradise.

Not only does the Kingdom boast some 200 golf courses, many of them of championship standard and designed by leading names in the game, it also promises exceptional facilities and services for players and their families.

Virtually all of the golf courses are stunningly landscaped with an abundance of colourful flowering shrubs and lush tropical greenery, while many also have exotic settings - imagine a hillside Buddhist temple overlooking the greens, or a sparkling turquoise sea glimpsed beyond the trees. Clubhouse facilities are again excellent, at their best as luxurious as a five-star hotel.

There is service, too. Drinks stands offer refreshment about every third hole, while caddies have a surprising knowledge of the game and can not only help to choose a club, but also proffer advice at a particularly tricky hole. All the visiting golfer need do is relax and enjoy the game that in Thailand is satisfyingly challenging and totally rewarding.

If the wish is simply for a little exercise, most leading hotels in Bangkok and the main travel destinations have tennis courts, fitness centres and, quite often, squash courts. At the other end of the activity scale, there are opportunities for extreme sports such as rock climbing or hang-gliding.

Nor is the sporting spectator neglected. Although soccer has become the most popular spectator sport for Thais, the most fascinating of the country's traditional sports, Muay Thai kick boxing, remains an exciting spectacle. Developed from an ancient style of martial art, Muay Thai differs from ordinary boxing in using the feet, knees and elbows as weapons in addition to gloved fists. At its best it is a fast and furious contest between two superbly fit athletes. Regular bouts are staged several nights a week at Bangkok's two boxing stadiums.

Also very Thai but far less violent is takraw, a game somewhat akin to volleyball in which a rattan ball is knocked around by using the feet, legs and head only. A recognized sport at national and regional meets, takraw is, however, most commonly seen being played by young workers during their lunch break on any open space.

Popular with young and old alike is kite-flying, in season from February to May, when pretty little paper creations fill Thai skies. But kite flying is also a sport, and organized contests, in which competing teams engage in a battle of the sexes, pitting huge chula “masculine” kites against smaller pakpao “female” kites, can be seen at Bangkok's Pramane Ground during the season.