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Dress codes Bangkok
17 Reviews In most Asian countries it's common to understand the remains of British influence, in the students' dress code. In Bangkok we saw a parade with students using traditional costumes and some...
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Religion & Beliefs Ko Samui
10 Reviews One of the things that I have never understood about travellers is their desire to break the rules, or guidelines of the local people. Out of respect to the people who look after this temple, and also...
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Correct behaviour Chiang Mai
21 Reviews To take off your shoes is extremely important when visiting temples. At the massage rooms, it was also necessary to do so. It was even requested at one of the restaurant I went to. So, it is helpful...
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Bullfighting Hat Yai
1 Review Apparantly Hat Yai is one of the main centre for Bullfighting in Thailand. Many local people seem to have no problem with a variety of 'sports' that enable humans to use dumb defenceless animals for...
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General Dos and Don'ts Bangkok
29 Reviews The must Do: -dress properly when visiting a temple -treat monks with the highest respect -try to learn a few Thai phrases -smile -enjoy DON'T EVER TRY TO: Don't show disrespect towards the...
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Language Ko Samui
3 Reviews As with any foreign country it is an advantage to learn some basic communication terms.In thai it is handy to know the following terms. Sa-wa-dee khap for males,Sa-wa-dee ka for females(hello or...
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Local people Chiang Mai
17 Reviews This flower market is located along the western bank of the Ping River, to the north of Nawarat Bridge. Here you can see stalls and shops selling the offering garlands that people take to temples plus...
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Religion Hat Yai
1 Review At various shops around the place you will see orange buckets loaded with food and toiletries. These are passed to monks as part of their daily 'alms-collecting'. Monks are supposed to have very few...
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The Wai - Traditional Thai Greeting Bangkok
17 Reviews Many people in the capital speak some English, sometimes too enthusiastically as they speak so fast. However you should try to learn the basic words, but no-one expects you to learn much more than...
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Song Kran Festival Chiang Mai
8 Reviews Songkran Day has been celebrated as New Year's Day in the Thai solar calendar since ancient times. The date coincides with the day the sun leaves Pisces and enters Aries, usually falling on April 13...
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Thai Language Bangkok
17 Reviews People who want to learn the Thai language should listen to some Thai music.Listening to Thai music is a good way to improve your listening skill as well as to learn new words . One band that is...
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Excursions Chiang Mai
7 Reviews Interested in different kinds of Fruits and Plants not found in your country? Then there is a good chance of seeing something entirely different in an Akha & Lisu village. I saw a Longan Fruit tree,...
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Feet (and Heads) Bangkok
16 Reviews In Buddhist culture, the feet are the lowest and most unclean part of the body, while the head is the highest part of the body. Touching someone on the head, or shaking your foot, or pointing with...
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Buddhism / Monks Bangkok
38 Reviews A few years ago, a Thai friend told me that it was forbidden and highly avoided that a female approach and give alms to monks. Females can do so via a male conduit. I am not sure if this is till...
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Beer drinking Bangkok
6 Reviews Singha beer is the leading beer product in Thailand and the Boon Rawd Brewery Co. Ltd. (located in Bangkok, Thailand) Brews this popular beer. Singha has for many years been Thailand’s most popular...
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People Bangkok
22 Reviews On the banks of the Chao Phraya river, you will see rickety old wooden houses on stilts and covered boats. The people that live here are called the boat people. They do not have much money but seem...
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Bargaining Bangkok
7 Reviews Bargaining is meant to be fun so the first rule is that you should never get angry or rude with merchants. Sometimes merchants will be rude to you in an effort to make farangs lose face but don't...
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Shoes - when to take them off Bangkok
11 Reviews Whenever you enter a religious building (Buddhist temple, Mosque, etc), you must first remove your shoes prior to entering. So, sandals with closed heals or other shoes easily removed and put on are a...
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Traditional Thai Dancing Bangkok
9 Reviews With all forms of dance drama in Thailand, music forms an important role which is greatly bound by tradition The performances you will see are mystical dances based on stories from classical Thai...
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Songkran Festival Bangkok
7 Reviews Songkran is the Thai New Year's festival. It is celebrated on the first after the first new moon of April. Everything shuts down for the Songkran festival and then a country wide water fight emerges....
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Shrines and Spirit Houses Bangkok
15 Reviews There are many Thais with Chinese ancestors ,so you will often see Chinese style shrines all over the country .On certain ocassions such as Chinese New Year you will see people paying respect to Gods...
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Respect for Royalty Bangkok
17 Reviews A person can notice coming to Bangkok that many people (men and women) are wearing light pink shirts. Dress shirts, polo shirts or tee shirts in light pink. Winston, my VT friend, explained how the...
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Money Bangkok
3 Reviews Paid 250Baht to get into the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo, upon entering the palace, looked up and was surprised to see a sign that says it's FREE for the Thais. Later, I found the same thing for...
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Statues Bangkok
9 Reviews Shiva's carriage was the bird of eagle. Shiva is the Hindo deity of Destroying, and Creating! That is why this deity is considered the supreme Hindu Deity, possibly the oldest one. That is to say the...
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Traditional Thai Massage Bangkok
2 Reviews Thai massage is believed to have been developed by Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha, physician to Buddha, more than 2,500 years ago in India. It made its way to Thailand, where the Ayurvedic techniques and...
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Thai's believe the head is sacred and the feet are base. Therefore you should avoid touching peoples heads and also avoid pointing with your feet.And, likewise, if a coin were to fall on the floor, you should never step on it; each coin has a picture of the King on one side and you would, in effect, be placing your feet on his image which would be very disrespectful.
Public displays of affection are frowned upon and nudity is a big no no.Shoes should be removed before entering temples and Thai households.In Buddist temples you should avoid showing your legs and arms. This can also be true of public places. Once I went to breakfast and the waiter refused to serve me because I was wearing a t.shirt.
The Emerald Buddah (official name of Phra Phuttha Maha Mani Ratana Patimakorn) was created in India in 43BC and remianed there for 300 years. The Emerald Buddah was then sent to Sri Lanka to save it from civil war. Next the Buddah was sent to Burma at the request of the Burmese King, King Anuruth. However the Buddah never made it to Burma and ended up in Cambodia. Capturing Angkor Wat, the Thai's took the Emerald Buddah to Ayutthaya. Next to Kamphaeng Phet, then Laos and then to Chiang Rai. That is the Emerald Buddah legend - some historians, however, believe it is of Lannathai origin... I like the legend!The Emerald Buddah can now be seen in Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok.
At most cultural performance, you will see different Thai traditional dancing including the Royal Court performance of Hindu epic of Ramayana, the graceful finger nail dance or the village drum and gong dance. What surprised me is that all the local Thai men and women can and love to dance. At Conventions, everyone seem to enjoy dancing in a circle with gracing swaying of arms and arching of fingers and palms and deft swaying of wrists.So ask the local Thai to show how it is done and joined in the fun and dance.
Easy to carry the 10,000 baht notes. 500 baht and 100 bahts are best for transactions.For tuk tuk, bus rides and taxis, you might want to have 20, 50 bahts as handy exchange.The King of Thailand is highly reverred by the Thais. As the currency has the image of the Thai King, do keep in mind respectfully. Exchange Rate:1 US$ = 37.5 Baht (dropped recently after military coup)1 Baht = 100 satangCoins 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 satang, 1, 2, 5, 10 baht Banknotes 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 baht
The Royal Family here are revered. Nothing is done or tolerated to discredit or show them any disrespect in any shape or form. This includes writing on bank notes which also have their portraits on them - its actually illegal and could cop you a fine.
NEVER touch the head of another person person in Thailand, it is considered very rude and offensive.By the same token, NEVER have any part of your feet pointing at another person when sitting, also considered very rude and offensive.
Visiting the well known Wat Phra That Lampang Luang we run into a local tradition. Thai were bringing bundles of sticks into the temple grounds making piles of it. We were very curious about the meaning of it, but we couldn’t find anybody who spoke English or was able to explain it to us.Thanks to VT-friend Patt from Thailand we found out more about this local custom, which is named: ‘Tan Lua Hing Prajao’. Prajao = Buddha and also Buddha image.It means a donation of firewood for Buddha. This activity takes place around January, when it is the middle of the lunar month of the 4th month of Lanna (we visited on January 28th of 2006). Locals always give firewood to be burned to make warmth for Buddha, because they believe that Buddha image is Buddha, who has the feeling of a human. So Buddha feels cold and hot as a human and the local people should give warmth during a cold season.For...
I think we have never seen so much activity on and along the roads as in Thailand. It doesn’t matter if you are walking in Bangkok or driving along a motorway in the northern part of the country, everywhere are booths and stalls. Of course there are a numerous number of markets in Bangkok, but also on ‘every corner’ and ‘between these corners’ street vendors are selling delicious and very cheap food. Or, as we did on several occasions, take a fresh squeezed glass of orange juice.Along the main roads we also saw very often booths, selling all kinds of fruit or gifts. To be honest never saw any customer. In the small villages we passed, there were always simmering or boiling pots and barbecues in front of houses. But we met the most remarkable street vendors in Khon Kaen, some were selling beds and other furniture along the road and on other places we saw people repairing clothes behind...
In country area, some villages is just far apart from central of the district where normally fresh market situated. This pick-up with various stuff, anything people want from fresh market, they can buy it also from this pick-up truck which I want to call mobile market (sorry I just don't know the proper word). Its very popular for remote villages, the villagers don't have to travel everyday to fresh market.
The Oriental, Bangkok Bangkok
25 Reviews and 922 Opinions its an experience one must have...stay there at any cost. its totally worth it in every way u can...
Mom Tri's Villa Royale Phuket Phuket
4 Reviews and 312 Opinions Ocean Wing Suites (Villa Terracotta) Mom Tri’s Villa Royale now have a beautiful new area which is...
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai
2 Reviews and 320 Opinions Everything you would expect from a Mandarin Oriental plus the really spectacular design. Two...
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Q: I am from Canada and going to Thailand, what kind of plug adapter do I need to charge my camera?
A: You will find all the information you need about voltages and plug adaptors (and photos of plug types) here: http://www.kropla.com/electric2.htm
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