Thailand Travel Tips and Customs

After living in Bangkok for over a year I have learned many things about the Thai People that I wanted to share with other foreigners living or vacationing here should know. The first thing you have to accept is that eastern culture is different. The people in the east are less emotional and more polite and while they know westerners are different, they often are uncomfortable when we stray from their norms. The things I found to be important are listed below in order of importance:

Be Polite - Thai people hold being polite above all else. Their very language has politeness built into it. If you follow what is considered "common courtesy" you will be fine.

Thai King - The Thai People Love their King, King Rama IX. Never show any type of disrespect to him or the Royal family. The Thai people have a deep traditional reverence for the Royal Family, and the visitor should also show respect for the King and the Queen, and the Royal Children. When attending a public events where a member of the Royal Family is present, the best guide on how to behave is to watch the crowd and do as it does.

Safety - Stealth crimes, such as pick pocketing, are the most common problem so it's worth keeping a close eye on your belongings at all times and being aware of the people around you. Unprovoked violence against tourists are very rare, but it pays to exercise common sense.

National Religion - Buddhism is Thailand's national Religion with nearly 95% of Thailand's population being Buddhist. All Buddha images are considered sacred and there are laws against removing these images for anything other that personal worship.

Buddhist Monks - Buddhist Monks are recognized quickly by their shaved heads, bear feet and bright orange robes. It is forbidden for women to touch Buddhist Monks, this includes a woman handing something to a Monk, The items should be first given to a man, who hands the item to the monk. Also, western men should never attempt to shake hands with a monk.

Buddhist Temple - Wearing shoes around a temple is acceptable but they should be removed when entering their church (the area where the Buddha image is kept).

Be Quiet - Loud people are considered impolite. Speak softly and do not laugh loudly. Of course there are the common places such as bars, celebrations and parks that being loud is appropriate and expected.

Greetings - Greetings in Thailand can be quite formal in appearance to the western eye. The basic gesture is to put hands together, fingers up, with a slight bow of the head. The words "saw dee (krup)" (or "kaw" for women) are spoken during fm bow. It is more complicated for Thai people, with three levels based on age and position but westerners attempting this greeting are not expected to understand. (levels: 1. Monk, thumbs touching forehead durin bow; 2. Same age or older, thumbs touching lips; and 3. Younger person, thumbs touching chin.)

Food - Food in Thailand is customarily HOT, spicy HOT. Most westerners can not handle the amount of chili spice that Thai people enjoy. For the westerner visiting foreigner, the best tip i can give them is how to ask to make the food less spicy. There are two phrases to be used based on you preference: 1) "mai ped" - not spicy and 2) "ped nit noi" - a little bit spicy. The food is awesome in Thailand and this tip should help you enjoy it even more. In the near future I will be publishing a description of my favorite foods. Stay tuned.

Street Food - There is an old Thai saying "a little bit of dirt makes the food a little bit more delicious (rough translation). For westerners, buying food on the street can impact your health with the possible contraction of various gastro digestive problems. While most street food vendors are clean, this only by local standards. I live by "rule of thumb" which has served well living in Bangkok. This rule is simple but you need to stick to it. It is "only eat from the street what is cooked in front of you". This ensures that the food is fully cooked one more time before you eat it. Unfortunately, this eliminates a lot of food served on the street but better safe than sorry for week.

Body Odor - Thai people almost never smell badly and they find it offensive if others do.

Crowds - if you go to areas in Thailand during Thai holidays and celebrations, be prepared to encounter many people. To Western experience the volume of these areas can be incredible. Be prepared to be pushed and shoved and be aware that they mean no harm. There sence of personal space is quite different than westerners.

Watch where you walk - The sidewalks in Bangkok are uneven and full of obstacles, pay attention. Oh, also, the streets have many stray dogs; the dogs are not aggressive but do leave landmines on the sidewalks.

Taxi Drivers - Most taxi drivers are fine. Generally, it is always better to use the metered taxis. Tuktuks are always more expensive and with Bangkok traffic you could be breathing in a lot of smog on the way. If you are going a significant distance negotiate... Also, the Taxis marked "We love farang, we speak English", well most of them do not. They do have a radio that has a person that knows a little English.

Movie Theater - After the advertising and right before the movie a tribute to the Thai King Comes on and everyone stands in respect.

Driving in Thailand - If you are a brave one and decide that you want drive yourself around Thailand, don't be too worried, it really isn't that bad. There are just several things to understand. Drivers use the left side instead of the right, like in the US, and the roads tend to be narrower than in the US. So driving next to a bus or a truck can be a little intimidating.

Toilets - Eastern toilets can be quite intimidating to the western traveler as well. Be aware that eastern toilets are little more than holes in the ground surrounded by ceramic and involve water, not paper, for cleaning. To be honest, I still have not gotten used this type of facility to its full extent. Also, there are often women in the men's room, stationed there for cleaning. It can be quite unnerving when you first experience this but they are not there for any more than cleaning.

Following these tips will allow you to have better understanding of the Thai people and more fun in your stay in Bangkok, allowing the locals to be more comfortable with you and give you a better understanding of how things function in Thailand.

Visit Northern Thailand/northern Thailand Travel Experiences 2

The only difference in service is that sheets will only be changed once or twice a week and the same goes for chambermaid cleaning of the room. A small sacrifice I would suggest.

South of Chiang Mai is Lamphun, home to the Northern Thailand Trading Estate which provides jobs in many Multi-National companies who's names would be instantly recognisable to most visitors. Lamphun, also has its own moat and several historic temples. Lamphun is the original capital city of the ancient Haripunchai kingdom.

Farther south along highway eleven lies Lampang, another town that attracts tourists to its important temples.

None more so than the temple at Kho Ka near Hang Chat. Its claim to fame is that it was the original home of the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha was purloined by the early monarchs and now resides in the Grand Palace in Krung Thep (Bangkok to you and I).

Marks from the weapons of the time can visibly be seen in the stonework surrounding the Chedi and great play is made of the battle that took place. The original wooden temple exists to this day and is visited with great reverence by the faithful.

Another city well deserving of a visit is Chiang Rai. You will need to drive north from Chiang Mai and you will eventually come across the distinguished peak of Chiang Dao - another sustantial peak possessing a fabulous complex of caves underneath it.

Further north, you can leave the main route and travel through mountain passes to Doi Angkhang - one of the last true wildernesses in Thailand before the hills of Myanmar stretch out before you.

Another popular choice is to continue on to Tha Ton, here you can board an overnight raft trip to the older Northern Thai city of Chiang Rai. Much quieter and older than Chiang Mai but, beautifully kept and presented.

By the Southern route you will leave Lampang heading for the hills towards another pretty city Phayao, via Ngao, which lies at the foot of the hills which need to be traversed. I can testify from personal experience that it is very exhilarating to travel this route by coach. The drivers seem not to accept that others may use the road. Certainly anyone else on the route stays well out of their way.

You will know when you are reaching Phayao by virtue of the huge expanse of water on your left. There is a temple nestled at the edge of the lake which must rate as one of the most peaceful places on this earth.

Past Phayao the main road swings North and eventually you enter Chiang Rai from the South. Further North some 30 kilometres lies Mae Sai whose claim to fame is to be the Northern most point in Thailand. The so called Freedom Bridge marks the border between Thailand and Myanmar.

I personally don't imagine the locals of Myanmar consider it as a freedom bridge since the Military Junta keeps them firmly in Myanmar.

To cross from NorthernThailand into Myanmar however, is certainly an experience not to be missed. Immiediately across the bridge is a market which is a hotbed of contraband or cheap goods of all hues.

Visit Northern Thailand/northern Thailand Travel Experiences 1

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and is considered the capital of Northern Thailand. Gilded Chedis and ornate temples abound.The ambience is very pleasing and the pace of life is slow, to say the least. This cannot be said of the markets however, the pace here is more frenetic.Northern Thailand Travel Experiences.

If, it is possible, for you take a local Northern Thai resident with you when shopping, you will get a much more satisfying price. There is without question a two tier price stucture one for the locals and one for the visitors.

All of the goods on display at the Night Bazaar will have been manufactured in the local villages around Chiang Mai. The handicraft villages such as BORSANG and BAAN TAWAI represent excellent value, on their own but, if time is a limiting factor then the Night Bazaar showcases all of the craft items available in the area.

Also to be found in the area of the Night Bazaar are an abundance of bars and restaurants where you may quench your thirst and rest your feet. All of them are reasonably priced and offer entertainment, making Chiang Mai one of Northern Thailands most appealing tourist destinations.

Some distance out of the city on the way to Doi Suthep you will find the Chiang Mai zoo. A popular day trip from Chiang Mai nestled among forest and spectacular waterfalls. Feeding the alligators is always a popular spectacle but, throughout the zoo you can see all sorts of species of mammals, reptiles and birds all in natural settings.

It is quite exhausting to walk around the zoo, if you want to see everything but, they do have mini buses that you can jump on to get from point to point at a small cost.

Chiang Mai offers many hotels, from budget through to the luxurious Sheraton Chiang Mai.

Something worth remembering is that the majority of hotels have a daily room rate and also a monthly rate. Should you be staying more than two weeks in the city it is definitely worth ascertaing the daily rate first. Having been offered the daily rate, enquire the monthly rate.

At a hotel with a daily rate of 650baht, this represents a monthly rate of 20,000baht. You will be pleasantly surprised to find that the monthly rate will be somewhere around 7-8000baht.

This results in a saving of 1000-2000baht against the daily rate. Any period longer than two weeks will mean that any extra days will in essence be free.

Thailand Travel 10 Tips

1. Koh Chang – Don’t stop at only Koh Chang because Koh Mak, Koh Kood and Islands surrounding Koh Chang also have more beautiful beaches and water.

2. Chiang Mai – Try to find hotels outside of the city such as on Hangdong – Samoeng and Samoeng – Sankamphaeng routes because there are better views and hotels along the mentioned route are less expensive than the hotel in the city with the same standard. The true nature of northern Thailand can also be experienced.

3. Phuket – Don’t pay too much attention to sea-view rooms because the limitation in space. The sea could not be seen directly from rooms in most hotels. The tourist should pay more attention to the standard of the hotel and the distance from the beach.

4. Koh Samui – If you have limited fund, the best way to travel to Koh Samui is by speed boat from Lomprayah Catamaran Company. Lomprayah offers less expensive service than taxi for hire and service provided by the hotel directly. Nevertheless, if you have no problem with fund, you should hire a taxi because this would create job for the locals.

5. Andaman Sea – Trang Sea is as beautiful and interesting as nearby provinces such as Krabi. The prominent tourist spots in Andaman Sea are Koh Libong, Koh Hai, etc.

6. Krabi – Although Railay beach in on the mainland, you still have to travel by boat from Ao Nang beach because it is surrounded by mountain and cannot get to by land transportation.

7. Pattaya – North Pattaya beach and Central Pattaya beach have many facilities but the true nature can be found at Koh Lan, which is 7.5 kilometer from Pattaya. You can get there in 45 minutes by regular boat and 15 minutes by speedboat.

8. Hua Hin – Hua Hin is a popular beach that is close to Bangkok but that does not mean that it is the most beautiful. Not far from Hua Hin, Pranburi beach is much quieter and more suitable for relaxation but the transportation may not be as convenience as at Hua Hin.

9. Koh Samet – You should contact travel agency or the hotel in order to find out which pier to get on the boat. Some hotels provide their own service. Don’t trust strangers because you might end up higher price.

10. Bangkok – Jatujak market has products from all over the country e.g. cloths, decoration, house hold items, souvenir, food, pet, etc.