General Dos and Don'ts, Bangkok

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:

1. 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.
2. Thai King - The Thai People Love their King, King Rama IX.  Never show any type of disrespect to him.
3. 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.
4. Be Quiet - Loud people are considered impolite. Speak softly and do not laugh loudly. Of course there are the common places such as bars that being loud is appropriate.
5. Body Odor - Thai people almost never smell badly and they find it offensive if others do.
6. Crowds - if you go to areas in Thailand during Thai holiday's 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. Thai people
7. Watch where you walk - The side walks 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.
8. Taxi drivers (enough said) - 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.
9. Movie Theater - After the advertizing and right before the movie a tribute to the Thai King Comes on and everyone stands in respect.
10. 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.

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.

This will probably shock many--and even upset some. (Note: I am a RN that specializes in Occupational, Environmental and Public Health)

It is illegal to feed an elephant in the city. The fine in Bangkok is severe, 10,000Baht!. If you wish to take a chance, as enforcement will likely be lax, please read the following:

This does not relate to elephants outside the city (at least not to the same degree).

There is a very sad reason for this. Mahouts have a terrible time making a living, so many turn to the cities where tourists will pay for a piece of fruit to feed the elephant.

The elephant's snout, indeed, it's entire enormous respiratory system is a perfect breeding ground for TB (tuberculosis). About 14,000 Thais die of TB in year and TB is an ongoing problem (worldwide! not just in Thailand) and the Thai government works hard to contain it spending enormous amounts of Baht on prevention and treatment.

A mahout working an elephant in the city is extremely likely to become infected with TB via the elephant becoming infected. Many city elephants and their mahouts will test positive for TB. TB is very transmittable.

So imagine a child, handing a piece of fruit to an elephant. The damp snout touches the child's hand---the child eats something, the outcome is that the child (or adult) will become infected.

TB is curable, though there are strains which require extreme expense and extreme duration of treatment (~1 year). TB is not to be taken likely.

If you or your child must feed a city elephant (and risk a fine), at least bring some alcohol based (do not use non-alcohol based) antiseptic lotion and use it after feeding the elephant. TB bacilli are easily killed with alcohol. Wash hands with soap and water at the first opportunity.

The mahout's plight is real, it will give you good karma to make a donation, and let the mahout feed the elephant. They are very expensive to feed and keep.

If the elephant (or the mahout) is coughing -- double trouble, keep at least 6' away. There is an elephant hospital north of Chiang mai, if you wish to help "the elephants" look them up and send them a donation. Perhaps another here could add as a comment beneficial elephant groups that help the elephants and their mahouts.

Note: There is an epidemic currently in America (and I imagine elsewhere in the world) with circus elephants. In America many circus elephants have died from TB. So, please do not take this as a slur to Thailand. The problem is more acute in Thailand because circus elephant handlers do not need others to feed their elephants to survive.

At zoos and elephant camps, ask if the elephants are tested for TB--if they look at you strangely, it is likely that they are not caring for the elephants properly. (Or it may be that you don't speak thai.) (Note: as a nurse I am tested for TB annually, and so should the elephants and mahouts)

Just a couple of quick ones. Never touch a Thai on the top of their head - it is a huge insult. Also, even though the Royal Family in Thailand is almost invisible (unlike Britain) the Thais revere the King and Queen. NEVER deface anything with their image - do not even step on a coin. Seriously, it could put you in jail or fined. The Thais are the nicest people in the world, this is just one little thing that really bothers them.

. A fork and spoon are the usual eating utensils. However, noodles are often eaten with chopsticks.
. The spoon is held in the right hand and the fork in the left. The fork is used to guide food on to the spoon. Sticky rice, a northern Thai delicacy, is often eaten with the fingers of the right hand.
. Most meals are served as buffets or with serving platters in the centre of the table family- style.
. You may begin eating as soon as you are served.
. Leave a little food on your plate after you have eaten to show that you are full. Finishing everything indicates that you are still hungry.
. Never leave rice on your plate as it is considered wasteful. The words for food and rice are the same. Rice has an almost mystical significance in addition to its humdrum 'daily bread' function.
. Never take the last bite from the serving bowl.
. Wait to be asked before taking a second helping.
. Do not lick your fingers.

If you are invited to a Thai's house:
. Arrive close to the appointed time, although being a few minutes late will not cause offence.
. Check to see if the host is wearing shoes. If not, remove yours before entering the house.
. Ask another guest to confirm the dress code.
. Step over the threshold rather than on it. This is an old custom that may be dying out with younger Thais, but erring on the side of conservatism is always a good idea

The wai (as mentioned in my other local custom tips) is the traditional form of greeting, given by the person of lower status to the person of higher status.
. Thais generally use first rather than surnames, with the honorific title Khun before the name. Khun is an all- purpose form of address that is appropriate for both men and women
. In general, wait for your host and hostess to introduce you to the other guests. This allows everyone to understand your status relative to their own, and thus know who performs the wai and how low the head should be bowed

Thai and Western ideas about what constitutes acceptable physical contact in public are fundamentally different!

While people of the same sex can often be seen holding hands on the street, you will rarely see a man and a woman being so shameless as to do so. In stark contrast to the image some tourists have of Thailand as a kind of sexual theme-park, probably the majority of Thais have ideals of modesty and appropriate behaviour between the sexes that most Westerners would regard as nineteenth-century. On the negative side this can extend to a certain level of hypocrisy and an insidious sexism.

While attitudes are changing among the urban young, public displays of physical affection such as hugging and kissing are still generally regarded as coarse and distasteful. On the beach you will notice that most Thais prefer to wear brightly-coloured pyjama-style clothing rather than revealing swimsuits.

Thais have a more starkly contrasting idea of what is appropriate or not appropriate in certain contexts than the average Westerner and can behave very differently - to Western eyes, inconsistently - in different situations. You would be wrong to assume, for example, that what happens in the enclosed fantasy bubble of a girl- or boy-bar in any way represents some underlying ideal of sexual freedom.

With their cultural preference for avoiding confrontation, most Thais choose to turn a blind eye to what goes on in the sex-industry that mushroomed in their country in the wake of the Vietnam War. Few take any pride whatsoever in the fact that so many of their fellow countrymen and women are still forced through extreme poverty to make their living in this way.

Among other actions that might seem harmless to you, passing things in front of people (instead of behind) or stepping over a sitting or lying person’s legs (even in crowded places) are considered very offensive. If you have to pass between two people, you should lower your head slightly as a mark of basic politeness.