[StitlyDute]

Of course it's all real, as in existing in reality. But I think 'real' is just being used to describe something representative of Thai culture, Thai history and Thai people? Obviously that includes cities and villages, but it's those rather than things just created for the purpose of tourism - tacky overpriced markets etc...

but even so, whilst the tourist stuff may not all be 'real' in the sense I've mentioned, it's all a part of modern Thailand - the traffic, overpriced night bazaars and the four billion prostitutes - and I think there's something everyone can enjoy. As TomboR said, some people like quiet, some people like busy cities. You can't say that just because you're sitting in a house that cost $700 to build in the middle of nowhere you're in a Thailand that's any more real than sitting in a 3 million baht apartment in down town Bangkok