Page 6 - Experience Thailand and More

INTRODUCTION

Discovering Thai and Khmer Life at The Grassroots

Prior to Ayutthaya becoming the Thai capital in 1350, it was a Khmer
outpost for Angkor Wat. Over the next 400 years, while its influence
spread into Cambodia, fishing villages along the eastern coast
sprung up and quietly prospered as Southern Thais sailed north,
Vietnamese, Khmer and Cham trekked west and Chinese migrated
south, settling in what are now the provinces of Chanthaburi, Rayong
and Chonburi. After the Burmese who ransacked Ayutthaya were
defeated by King Taksin in 1768, in 1794, Siam also took possession
of Battambang and its surrounding towns which it dominated for
the next 100 plus years. Thus, the cultures of Thailand’s eastern
seaboard and northwest Cambodia are much intertwined while also
divergent.

Today, local towns and villages are working to preserve their
traditional ways of life, which has led to the rise of Community
Based Tourism, sustainable social, economic and environmental
development, to ensure the future well-being of these communities.

As you travel this route, you will have the opportunity to experience
Thai and Khmer life at their grassroots. You’ll be welcomed into
village homes, treated to local hospitality and served rare delicacies
as you enjoy a fusion of ancient and contemporary cultures.

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