.
Q. Didn’t they just have a military coup in Thailand?
A. Yes recently there was a military coup, but it
had no effect on daily life whatsoever, do not think of it as a 1970’s Central
America type coup. This was a completely non violent event with not one shot
fired and there are no soldiers out on the streets and no change in law and
order. Thai life goes on as normal.
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Q. Is Thailand just a destination for sex
tourists?
A. Thailand has a well known sex tourist industry, but
Thailand has so much more to offer, sex tourism is a tiny part of Thai culture.
There are so many other things to do from Elephant trekking to diving, concerts,
sight seeing, golf, fine dining, markets and an endless list to long to go into
here .Basically the sex trade is available, but if you dont want to there is no
reason why you would need to go to the small area’s of the cities where these
services are grouped together.
Q. Where is the best place to visit in
Thailand?
A. There is no real answer to this question; it depends
very much on the type of holiday you are looking for. Examples Big city with
all atractions Bangkok, Smaller cities with most atractions Chiang Mai, Pattaya ,
Large Towns with some amenities Hua Hin , Chiang Rai. For beaches and islands
Phuket, Koh Samui and many more. For Jungles and Mountains the North of
Thailand. Its all available from totaly relaxed to non stop
atractions.
What’s the food like?
A If you are in a main
tourist area many U.S chains like McDonalds, KFC and so on can be found as can
many western restaurants, and every other eastern food such as Indian and
Chinese. Thai food is available everywhere and I am not
just stating the obvious , it is EVERYWHERE there seem to be more stalls , cafes
and restaurants than all other types of shops put together . Thai food is often
spicy but that is usually indicated in the dish description, very often food
will come without so\pice and the chilli's and so on will be in little jars on
the table for you to add as required a lot of Thai food is not spicy if you
don’t like your food hot you can still find lots of great tasting
dishes.
Q. Are items like babyfood and nappies/diapers
available
A . Yes just about any item you would have in the west is
readily available in Thailand 'tampax' type sanitary iems are not readily
available but the modern towl type items are sold everywhere, Durex brand
condoms from the UK are sold at very many outlets, many western pescription and
non persription drugs are to be found at much lower than western prices if you
need a very unusual drug best to bring plenty with you then you can check if
they or a version of them is available. Viagra is as easy to find as asprin and
is much cheaper than in the west
Q. Can I rent a car or
motorbike?
A. Yes with a licence, hotel name, passport and credit
card, credit card not required for motor bike, all the big chains operate in
Thailand as well as many local outfits. Motorbikes are not recommended for
foreigners as riding a bike in Thailand can be very dangerous especially for
those not used to Thai road conditions. With a car it is essential to have full
insurance as if you have an accident you will probably be held responsible no
matter the circumstances.
Q Is there
anything in the west that would be considered normal but is offensive to
Thai's?
A. Yes This
Q. Is it safe to ride a
motorbike
A. Total road deaths in
Q. What are the police like?
A . There are two types of
police the regular police and tourist police, you may have heard horror stories
about the police, but these are isolated incidents nearly always involving
drugs. We have always found the regular police to be courteous and helpful and
the tourist police extremely obliging. Thai society is very intolerant of
criminals that is why it is a safe country. You should never have a problem with
the police so long as you avoid fighting, drugs, and doing anything that would
be a crime in your own country
Raising the soles of your
feet is considered the height of bad manners
.
Q. What is the religion of Thailand, can I find a
Christian church?
A. The official religion is Buddhism, there are quite a
few Muslims especially in the far south, all religions are accepted and
respected, Christian churches or at services can be found in all tourist
area’s
Q What’s a “farang” or
“falang”
A. You, foreigners are usually referred to as farangs on
occasion it might be as an insult but generally it’s just a world they use to
describe non Thai’s particularly westerners’ .Its actually an abbreviated word
for Frenchman that has come mean all foreigners
Q. What are the different seasons
like?
A. It is hot or at least very warm all year round, in the
north it can be cool in the evening.
July to October
[Rainy Season] It rarely rains for more than an hour at a time. The
mornings are usually sunny; a thunderstorm can come towards the late afternoon.
This season usually ends in late October when the winds suddenly change to the
north. November to February [Dry, Cooler Season] Daytime High temperatures
are 30-35 C (85-95 F), humidity 50% - 60%. Every day is a sunny day.
March thru June [Hot Season]
. Temps
can rise to 40 C (105 F) on the hottest days, and at night humidity can rise.
Sometime between late June to late July, evening downpours start to come.
Q. What are Important phone numbers I
need?
A. The first number you need is the tourist police if
available in the area you are staying in, don’t wait until you need it, its to
late then put it in your phone now.
Bangkok
Tourist
police 1155
Regular
Police 191
Bangkok Tourist Service Center 1155
Medical Emergency 1554 Ambulance and Rescue 1669
Fire
199
Immigration
Office Soi Suanphlu,
Sathorn Tai Road, Bangkok 10120
Embassy’s in
Bangkok
Australia 0
2287 2680
Belgium 0
2236 0150
Canada 0
2636 0541
Denmark 0 2213 2021-5
Pattaya
Tourist
police 1155
Regular police 038 221
800-1
City Call center 1337 (all kinds of live help in
English and Thai)
Immigration Office 038 429 409
Ambulance
Pattaya International Hospital
428374-5
Pattaya Memorial Hospital 429422-4
Bangkok Pattaya
Hospital 259999.
France 0
2266 8250-4
Germany 0
2287 9000
Italy 0 2285 4090-3
Netherlands 0 2 309
5200
New Zealand 0 2254 2530
Norway 0 2261 0230-7
Russia 0
2268 1169
South Africa 0 2253 8473-6
Sweden 0
2254 4954-5
Switzerland 0
2253 0156-60
United
Kingdom (British Embassy)
1031
Wireless Rd BKK
Tel : 0
2253 0191-9
United States
of America
120-122 Witthayu Road, Bangkok
10330
Tel : 0 2205 4000
Q. Do I need to
get a tourist visa before I visit Thailand ?
The Thai
government allows citizens of 39 countries to stay in
Here is the list of countries that don’t
need a visa in advance.
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil,
Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam,
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Korea,
Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Peru,
Philippines, Portugal, Qatar,
Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden,
Switzerland,
Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA,
Vietnam.
Q. Is it safe to drink
the water?
A. No, there are exceptions but no, it is
reasonably safe to brush teeth, kids should use bottled water for
this, ice is generally very safe you will notice it is all the
same shape a short tube with hole through it be suspicious of any other shape.
Unopened bottled water is perfectly safe and available on every corner in many
sizes and very cheap
Q. Are there internet cafes and wireless
hotspots?
A. Internet cafes are everywhere even in very small towns
and usually cheap or mostly free, wireless hotspots are starting to appear in
shopping malls, hotels, bars and other locations.
Tel. +66 2 287 3101
