Thailand
is situated in the heart of the Southeast Asian mainland, covering
an area of 13,115 sq. mi (513,119 sq. km.) equivalent to the
size of France, or slightly smaller than Texas. and extending
about 1,620 km from north to the south and 775 km from east
to west. Thailand borders the Lao People's Democratic Republic
and the Union of Myanmar to the North, the Kingdom of Cambodia
and the Gulf of Thailand to the East, the Union of Myanmar and
the Indian Ocean to the West, and Malaysia to the south.
Thailand's national flag, ceremoniously raised each morning in every
town and village, is composed
of five horizontal bands of red, white, and blue. The Capital City
is Bangkok, or "Krungthep" in Thai.
North :
Chiangmai
South :
Songkla
Central :
Ayutthaya and Chonburi
North East:
Nakhon Ratchasima and Khon Kaen
Thailand is a warm and rather humid tropical country with monsoonal
climate. Temperatures are highest in March and April with an average
temperature of 28 to 38 degrees celsius and humidity averaging between
83% to 73%.
Dry :
March to May,
Rainy :
June to October,
Cool :
November to February.
The population in Thailand is approximately 70 million, of which around
10 million live in the capital city, Bangkok.
The
Thai 'WAI' is a characteristic Thai way of greeting and is
one of the most, if not the most, beautiful ways of contact ever devised
between humans to promote understanding and peaceful coexistence.
Done well and gracefully, even for the thousandth time by the same
person to another person, the one being 'waied to' cannot help but
feel a certain warmness.
Anyone who has been 'wai-ed' to must have felt this sentiment as well.
The "wai" is used for several reasons, the most popular
being to express a hearty 'welcome' or 'hello'. When it is intended
as this form of greeting, the greeter almost always smiles and says
'sawatee' while lowering the head slightly.
Do use the wai correctly. One normally does not need to wai a waiter,
vendor, or other person who wais you when accepting payment. Anyone
who is paying for any service is the "boss" and bosses don't
wai first. We recommend you just give them a smile. Nevertheless,
when in doubt, "wai-ing" someone else will never cause you
harm.
HEAD
Don't touch anyone's head for any reason! The head is the most important
part of the body. It should never be touched. Please apologize to
the person if you accidentally touch their head (for example while
holding on to the bus hand straps or poles).
HANDS
Don't point with the forefinger at anyone. The hand has two categories:
the right being more acceptable and polite when giving or receiving
things and putting things into the mouth. The left hand is generally
regarded as less significant.
FEET
Do keep both feet on the ground when sitting. The feet are the lowest
section of the anatomy, and considered to be the 'dirtiest' protrusions.
They are used for walking and never for pointing or moving objects.
Don't place your feet, with or without shoes on, so that they inadvertently
point towards a person, or religious image or a picture of the Royal
Family.
Thais dress decently and in clean clothes even at home. If you appear
unkempt, looking homeless travelers and worse still, are smelly, do
not be surprised if a Thai shies away from you or refuses to greet
you with the over publicized Thai smile.
Let's try the following words. We hope they will make
your life easier here in Thailand!
ENGLISH
THAI
Good morning, Good evening,
Good afternoon, Good night,
Hello, good-bye
Sawatdee
Hello (male speaker)
Sawatdee khrap*
Hello (female speaker)
Sawatdee kha*
Thank you
Kop khun
Yes
Chai
No
Mai chai
Mr./Miss/Mrs.
Khun
How are you?
Sabai dee reu
Fine thanks
Sabai dee
Never mind
Mai pen rai
Stop
Yute
How much does this cost?
nee tao-rai
Sorry/excuse me
Khohtode
I can't speak Thai
Phoot thai mai dai
I don't understand
Mai kao chai
Do you understand?
Kao chai mai
Where is the rest room?
Hong nam yoo tee nai
I am going to...
Phom (m.) / dichan (f.) cha pai...
No, I won't go
Phom (m.) / dichan (f.) mai pai...
Turn to the right
liao khwa
Turn to the left
liao sai
Drive straight on
Khap trong-pai
What is this?
Nee arai
Very expensive
Paeng maag
Any discount?
lot rakha dai mai
The bill please
Gep taang / check bin
please speak slowly
Prot phut cha-cha
Very good
Dee mak
Not good
Mai dee
good-bye
la gon
See you again
laew phob gan mai
Good luck
Kor hai chok dee
*Add the polite particles khrap/kha
(male/female speaker respectively) to the end of every sentence (see sawatdee
khrap/kha)
To avoid being overcharged on taxi fares, always insist
on the driver switching on the meter! Easy access to both Bangkok
and the countryside.
BUS
no. 515 :
Victory Monument (BTS)
no. 125 :
Saam-Sean Train Station
no. 124 :
Central Pinklao|Pata Departmentstore|Sanam luang
no. 84 :
Phetkasem Road
no. 547 :
Silom Road (BTS) | lumphini Park | Siam Square
Bus fair:
8 BAHT for regular bus (red bus)
10 BAHT for regular bus (blue bus)
13-23 BAHT for air-conditioned bus
Note:
METERED TAXIs: even though you may see different colored metered taxi
in Bangkok and the surburbs, they are all the same. It is easy to
call a taxi during the day by waving to them on the side curb. However,
if you need to get a taxi at night, to be safe, you may call 1681
or 0-2880-0880 to reserve one at your choice of pick up time. In that
case, you will be charged 10-20 BAHT extra.
In the case of going to the airport, any metered taxi can bring you
to the airport with the regular charge appearing on the meter. However
to get to town from either Donmoung Domestic Airport or Suwannabhumi
International Airport, there will be 50BAHT extra charge for the metered
taxi. The airport limousine service has its own more expensive rates.
Moreover, if you have any communication problem only hail the metered
taxis with the "English language" sticker on the side.
The traffic in Thailand runs forward on the left, so please be extra
careful when driving, especially if you are coming from a country
where the traffic runs on the right.
To drive in Thailand you must have a Thailand driver's license. Only
Thai and International driving licenses are recognized. In order to
obtain a Thai driving license you are required to pass a written and
driving test. If you already have a license from your home country,
you can apply for a license and be exempt from taking the written
and driving test as long as your license is still valid.