[Matajic]

It was in the news today about the New 7 Wonders of the World. So, what about the Seven Wonders of Thailand? What would you nominate?

Use the following two categories when you nominate:

(1) 7 Man-made Wonders
(2) 7 Natural Wonders

This could be fun.......

Update: We now have a website for this at www.7ThaiWonders.com

[Matajic]

In my list of man made wonders I would nominate:

(1) The Temple of the Emerald Buddha
(2) Doi Suthep
(3) Either the Khmer temple at Phanom Rung or Phimai. I think the former.
(4) The ancient city of Ayutthaya
(5) Phuttha Monthon
(6) Phra Pratom Chedi
(7) Chatuchak Weekend Market

That will do for now. Need to think more.

[RicardoHun]

Good idea Richard
I would nominate Wat Phra Doi Suthep as every bit of building material had to be hauled up the mountain through the then dense jungle, also I would nominate the road built hundreds of years later from the bottom of the mountain to the Wat. This was built in a few weeks weeks in 1935 with nothing more than agricultural tools-and the unskilled and voluntary labour of thousands of people from all over Thailand.

[DexOnenlyCymn]

(2) I know 4 of the 7, but my wife made me quit associating with them when we got married,, she is a jealous and possessive woman..555

[evammaUselp]

What about the Thai-Burma railway.
I know not build for the same grand reasons as Doi Suthep, but the actual completion of it and the conditions suffered at the time it certainly is a remarkable acheivement. Not forgetting the hundreds of people that undoubtedly laid down thier lives under duress to build the Pyramids, the Colloseum, and the Great Wall etc. Not to be celebrated but definately remembered and remarked upon.

The sunken temple in Sam Roi Et, near Prachuap Khiri Khan?

The Krabi coastline down to Khao Sok?

Krung Thep?

[gennnniiikk]

I made up a list of six for each category, leaving room for important ones that I would surely forget. In no particular order...

Natural wonders:

• Chao Phraya River system
• Maekong River
• coral reefs
• Korat Plateau
• Kra Isthmus
• Dongrek mountain range

Man-made wonders:

• Ancient City in Samut Prakan
• Sirikit Dam, Uttaradit province, including reservoir and supporting dams
• Phanom Rung & Muang Tam, Buriram province
• Ban Chiang in Udon Thani province
• Wat Pra Kaew
• Ayuthaya

[Emunsesoxmete]

I'm not sure about the rest, but I'd definitely like to nominate the Similan Islands. (anybody else been there?)

[FloareTraurne]

(1) Ban Chiang (Udon Thani Province) - ancient civilisation was located here
(2) Mon architecture at the ancient temple of Wat Haripunchai, Lamphun, site of a Mon capital that pre-dates the early Tai states centred at Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai, Sukhothai and Phayao
(3) The Emerald Buddha - Bangkok
(4) Phu Phra Bat (Udon Thani Province)- marvellous cave paintings and rock formations
(5) Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) - Thonburi
(6) the ancient ruins at Sukhothai
(7) the pottery kilns at San Khamphaeng (Chiang Mai Province)

[jenilopaz]

I will only nominate the places that I have visited and remember. (several places I visited when I was too young to remember, I have never been to Ban Chiang and Panom Rung, but I would love to, hence, I left some space for them. )

Man-Made Wonders:

1) Sukhothai Historical Park (UNESCO's World Heritage)
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2) The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (I know every one already mentioned this, I actually want to focus especially on The Ramayana Murals - ¨ÔµÃ¡ÃÃÁ½Ò¼¹Ñ§ÇÑ´¾ÃÐá¡éÇ)

3) Anantasamakom Throne Hall
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(not just the outside, I love the place more when I saw inside, especially paintings on the dome ceiling.)

4) The Marble temple (Wat Benchamabophit)
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Natural Wonders:
1) Ang Thong Marine National Park
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2) Phukradung National Park
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3) Thi-Lo-Su Waterfall
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That's all I can decided for now, there are many more places I can think of but I can't decide whether they can be counted as one of seven-wonders or just a nice place to visit .

[tickerinet]

For man-made, I'll nominate Siam Paragon and the megabridge. Maybe as an engineering disaster Suvarnaphoom airport.

[Trissinas]

That's really tough to say, but:

Natural

1. Princess Cave Beach (Ao Phranang) - Krabi
2. Tilosoo Waterfall - Tak
3. The Emerald Cave - Trang
4. Phukradung - Lery
5. The Two Colour River (Mae Nam Song See) - Ubon Rathchathani
6. Koh Boda - Krabi
7. Doi Tung - Chiang Rai

Man-made

1. Temple of the Emerald Buddha - Bangkok
2. Phanom Rung - Buriram
3. Prasat Phimai - Nakhorn Ratchasima
4. Bang Pa-in Palace - Ayutthaya
5. Historical Ruins - Ayutthaya
6. Nakhorn Pathom Pagoda - Nakhorn Pathom
7 Suwannaphum Airport - Samut Prakan

Anyway, i kinda made that list up quite quick - i'll probably change my mind a bit later. All right for starters though!

[NutChusty]

Walking Street Pattaya

[Trissinas]

Geez, how could i forgot!

Quite obviously Thailand's greatest visual wonder, the one and only -

Thai Ladyboy

[PebydataFeents]

I would add Wat Prathat Lampang Luang to the list of Wats.

[Aswdwdfg]

I really like everyone's answers...especially the votes for Phanom Rung and Ban Chiang.

....I took the 7 wonders in a different direction.

1. Accidental Wonder of Thailand -- Wat Saket/PukaoTong
2. Visual Wonder of Thailand -- Chapel of Wat Rong Khun
3. Agricultural Wonder of Thailand -- the grain of rice, the rubber tree (in Trang there is a monument to the first ever rubber tree in Thailand...not sure if there is someplace claiming to be the first rice field??)
4. Unseen Wonder of Thailand -- Kreu-Se Mosque in Pattani
5. The 'Size Matters' Wonder of Thailand -- Wat Po
6. The Unusually Titled Wonder of Thailand -- Tiffany Show
7. The Reckless Wonder of Thailand -- The tuk tuk

[RicardoHun]

7 Wonders on your doorstep
By Roger Crutchley
oldcrutch@hotmail.com

It's not called Amazing Thailand for nothing. Here are Crutch's seven nominations for places, people and things that deserve acknowledgement when conversation turns to the real wonders of the world.

The announcement of the new Seven Wonders of the World earlier this week left me feeling somewhat culturally deprived, having only experienced one of the places listed - the Taj Mahal. It was a little disappointing that the Kingdom didn't feature on the list. After all, it's not called Amazing Thailand for nothing.

THE SAMLOR:
Truly the most remarkable vehicle in the world. This three-wheeled noise-maker (Samlorus clatterus) simply stuns anyone who comes into contact with it, including those unfortunate pedestrians it hits from time to time. Perhaps it's the way it cleverly stalls at intersections when the lights turn green. Or maybe it's all down to its uncanny ability to perform instant U-turns, sometimes with spectacular results not always appreciated by passengers. Admittedly, the samlor is not recommended as a form of transport for those of a nervous disposition. It is also no coincidence that those daft enough to board one are invariably seen travelling with their eyes tightly shut. Unfortunately this often includes the driver. Still, one never quite forgets the exhilarating feeling that washes over one at journey's end, as one considers that, having survived a tuk-tuk trip, one can surely survive anything.

THE BANGKOK HOLE:
Just about everyone who has visited our capital will have had first-hand experience of The Bangkok Hole (Craterus enormus) - and it is something one never forgets. In fact no visit to Bangkok is really complete without a plunge down one of these capacious fissures. The reason for the abundance of this feature in the urban landscape is that all government departments just love digging holes, whether it be for electricity or telephone lines, sewerage-system or highway improvement, water pipes or storm drains. What makes these excavations so ubiquitous is the unwritten rule that no two organisations can make use of the same hole at the same time. Instead, one department will cleverly wait until a depression has been filled in by another department and then commence the task of digging it up again. This procedure ensures that Bangkokians can avail of the treat all year round. In fact so impressive are some of these Bangkok Holes that people travel from distant parts of the world to visit them. They have proved particularly popular with tourists from Singapore where holes are banned. Special tours of inspection are arranged and an International Hole Convention is reportedly being planned.

THE THAI TAXI METER:
It is one of life's miracles that the Thai taxi meter is still in existence and, in most cases, still operating. The introduction of the working meter in 1992 should be regarded as one of the milestones in modern Thai history. No one ever expected it to last. You see, meters had been installed in cabs more than two decades earlier, but none of them worked. Their only use was as a place for taxi drivers to hang those silly hats they were supposed to wear in those days. The headgear was only donned while sitting at traffic lights for fear that some eagle-eyed cop would spot this outrageous breach of the law.

Most people thought the new meters would suffer the same fate as their predecessors and become hatstands, but amazingly this has not been the case. It felt very strange, back in 1992, being able to climb into a taxi without first having to bargain down the fare. It was almost too easy. Up to then getting a taxi had always been a hassle. So hats off to the taxi meter.

KING COBRA SWAMP:
With the possible exception of Shrek's original residence, never before in the history of mankind has a swamp attracted so much publicity. For more than three decades now Nong Ngu Hao (King Cobra Swamp) has hardly ever been out of the news, with never-ending nods from Cabinet, protests, probes, blueprints, feasibility studies, shady deals (plenty of them) and delays (plenty of those, too). Its transformation from a muddy morass to a Golden Land (Suvarnabhumi) has been a true saga (some might term it a soap opera). It'd be nice to be able to say that the epic story had a happy ending, but the jury's still out on that one. In fact some believe we'd all have been better off if it had been left as a smelly, snake-infested swamp.

SERGEANT NOP:
Arguably, the most accomplished undercover policeman of all time, Sgt "Serpico" Nop (Coppus extraordinus) is a living legend. He is perhaps best known as the Hero of the Great Allium Cepa Raid when he bravely led a swoop on the Hat Yai Express to impound a trainload of illegal onions. Sgt Nop's other notable achievement was in spearheading the hunt for the Phantom Panty Snatcher of Nonthaburi. The only blemish on his record was that time he was sent off for psychiatric treatment after arresting himself for "impersonating a police officer".

THE INACTIVE POST:
Possibly Thailand's most important contribution to the world. Hardly a day goes by without someone here being transferred to an inactive post ( Snorrus muchus), launching the individual on a demanding career which involves doing absolutely nothing all day. The Kingdom simply wouldn't survive without the inactive post, a job which demands great sacrifices from all those concerned, being, as they are, constantly up to their necks in inactivity. A perfect solution to the unemployment problem.

THE THAI SMILE:
This should really top any Wonders of the World list. Some say the famous yim Siam comes a tad too easily and may even be superficial or - heavens forbid! - insincere. But I'd rather a country where people smile too much than a place where they don't smile at all. There are at least 13 different variations, depending on the situation, and most of them are good news. But beware of the yim haeng. This apologetic "dry smile" is what you get when there's been a total screw-up - usually at your expense. And if a yim mee lay-sa nai is aimed in your direction it probably means you're about to be ripped off. But who cares? When you're feeling down a Thai smile is guaranteed to brighten up your day.

Bangkok Post

[Matajic]

I just want to bump this topic up to the top of the page. Next week we will be launching a new website based on this thread. Basically you will be able to vote on Wonders of Thailand. If you haven't nominated a place yet then can you please do so now.

There are three categories:

(1) Natural wonders - like waterfalls and islands
(2) Man-made wonders - like Temple of Emerald Buddha
(3) Symbols of Thailand - like tuk tuk, lady boy etc.

[adverwork]

It's been nominated several times but I would just like to add my vote for Phanom Rung (& Muang Tam), Buriram province.

I'd also like to nominate Cheechan Hill, south of Pattaya, surprised this landmark hasn't already been mentioned?

David

[Matajic]

Thanks, I have added that to the website. What we will be doing is that for the month of September we will be accepting nominations. Then starting 1st November, nominations will close and people will be allowed to vote for their seven Wonders of Thailand. Voting will be open for two months until the end of the year when the winners will be announced.

In a few days we will be giving you a sneak preview of the website so that you can see the nominations so far and also maybe add more of your own. You can also do a preliminary vote, though this will be reset on 1st November.

[Matajic]

What are your Symbols of Thailand? What makes you think of Thailand when you see them? It can be anything from the form of transport, the "tuk tuk", to the brave people of "Bangrajan" who fought bravely against the Burmese. What makes Thailand what it is today?

The following is a short list of ones I have gathered so far:

# Bangrajan
# Buddhist Monks
# Buffalo
# Elephant
# Floating Market
# Hilltribes
# Rice Fields
# Likay
# Siamese Twins
# Songkran Festival
# Thai Boxing
# Thai Food
# Thai Wai
# Tuk Tuk
# Wedding

Can you add to this list? Once all the nominations are in we will be doing a vote for the Top Seven Symbols of Thailand.