- Overview
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The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.
It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar. Its maritime boundaries include Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand to the southeast and Indonesia and India in the Andaman Sea to the southwest. The capital and largest city of Thailand is Bangkok. It is also the country's center of political, commercial, industrial and cultural activities.
Thailand is the world's 50th largest country in terms of total area (slightly smaller than Yemen and slightly larger than Spain), with a surface area of approximately 513,000 km2 (198,000 sq mi), and the 21st most-populous country, with approximately 64 million people. About 75% of the population is ethnically Thai, 14% is of Chinese origin, and 3% is ethnically Malay; the rest belong to minority groups including Mons, Khmers and various hill tribes. There are approximately 2.2 million legal and illegal migrants in Thailand. Thailand has also attracted a small number of expatriates from developed countries. The country's official language is Thai.
Thailand is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world. The national religion is Theravada Buddhism which is practiced by more than 94.7% of all Thais. Muslims make up 4.6% of the population and 0.7% belong to other religions. Culture and traditions in Thailand are significantly influenced by India, as are Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand
People of Thailand
- Culture
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Thais are master chatters and for a Westerner they have a shopping list of questions: where are you from, how old are you, are you married, do you have children? Occasionally they get more curious and want to know how much you weigh or how much money you make; these questions to a Thai are matters of public record and aren’t considered impolite. They also love to dole out compliments. Foreigners who can speak even the most basic Thai are lauded for being linguistic geniuses. And the most reluctant smile garners heaps of flattery about your ravishing looks. Why do some foreigners come to Thailand and never leave? Because Thais know how to make visitors feel like superstars.
The National Psyche
Thais are laid-back, good-natured people whose legendary hospitality has earned their country a permanent place on the global travel map. Paramount to the Thai philosophy of life is sànùk (fun) – each day is celebrated with food and conversation, foreign festivals are readily adopted as an excuse for a party and every task is measured on the sànùk meter.
The Thai-on-Thai culture is a lot more mysterious to unravel. Whole books are dedicated to the subject and expats spend hours in speculation. A few guiding principles are nâa (face) and elder-junior hierarchy. Like many Asian cultures, Thais believe strongly in the concept of ‘saving face’ – that is, avoiding confrontation and endeavouring not to embarrass themselves or other people. All relationships in Thai society are governed by connections between the elder and the junior, following simple lines of social rank defined by age, wealth, status and personal and political power. The elder of the table always picks up the tab. The junior in the workplace must do all the elder’s menial chores and is not encouraged to participate in meetings or decision-making. The Western mindset is so different in this regard that it becomes something of a handicap in Thai society.
Delving deeper into the serious side of Thailand, the culture’s fundamental building blocks are family and religion. Take all the pressures your parents put on you about a career, education, a future spouse and multiply that by 10 – now you are approaching the environment of your Thai peer. Young Thais from poor families are also expected to support the family financially. Many do so with side jobs; they sell sweets from their front porch, run small internet cafés or sell orange juice to tourists. For a culture that values having a good time, they work unimaginably long hours, usually wearing a beaming smile.
Religion and the monarchy, which is still regarded by many as divine, are the culture’s sacred cows. You can turn your nose up at fish sauce or dress like a retro-hippy, but don’t insult the king and always behave respectfully in the temples. One of Thailand’s leading intellectuals, Sulak Sivarak, was once arrested for describing the king as ‘the skipper’ – a passing reference to his fondness for sailing. Pictures of the king, including Thai currency and stamps, are treated with deference as well. < - Holidays
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1 Jan International New Year's Day 1 Feb Magha Bucha Day 6 Apr Chakri Day 13-15 Apr Songkran (Thai New Year) 28 Apr Visakha Bucha Day 1 May Labour Day 5 May Coronation Day 1 Jul Mid Year Bank Holiday 1 Jul Khao Phansa Day (Buddhist Lent) 12 Aug HM The Queen's Birthday 23 Oct Chulalongkorn Day 5 Dec National Day 10 Dec HM The King's Birthday 31 Dec New Year's Eve
- Festivals
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Many Thai festivals are linked to Buddhist rituals and follow the lunar calendar. Thus they fall on different dates each year, depending on the phases of the moon. Many provinces hold annual festivals or fairs to promote their specialities. A complete, up-to-date schedule of events around the country is available from TAT offices in each region or from the central Bangkok TAT office.
CHIANG MAI
Flower Festival The mother of Chiang Mai festivals, including parades, the Queen of the Flower Festival beauty contest and plenty of flower-draped floats. It’s held in the first week of February.
Songkran (Water Festival) Think you can handle a water pistol? Chiang Mai is the place to find out, as it is water-world here in mid-April.
Winter Fair Held from late December to early January, this is a big event in the Chiang Mai calendar, with all sorts of activities and interesting visitors from the hills.
UBON RATCHATHANI
Ubon’s Candle Festival, usually held in July, is a grand parade of gigantic, elaborately carved wax sculptures that are a celebration of Khao Phansa, a Buddhist holiday marking the start of the monks’ retreat during the wet season.
KHON KAEN
Khon Kaen’s biggest annual event is the silk and phùuk sìaw festival, which runs over a period of 12 days and nights from late November to early December. Centred on Ratchadanuson Park and the Provincial Hall, the festival celebrates the planting of the mulberry tree, which is an essential step in the production of silk. Also considered particularly important is phùuk sìaw (friend-bonding), a reference to the bai sii ceremony in which sacred threads are tied round one’s wrists to give spiritual protection; see boxed text, left . Music, folk dancing and food, and all things Isan, are major highlights.
BEACHES
Phuket’s most important festival is the Vegetarian Festival (www.phuketvegetarian.com), which is centred on five Chinese temples, including Jui Tui on Th Ranong in Phuket town, and Bang Niaw and Sui Boon Tong temples. The TAT office in Phuket prints a helpful schedule of events for the Vegetarian Festival each year. - Visa
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Citizens of 39 countries (including most European countries, Australia, New Zealand and the USA) can enter Thailand visa-free for 30 days at no charge. See the website of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.mfa .go.th) for the full story. For a longer stay, just leave and re-enter the country at any border point: upon re-entry you get another 30 days, thank you very much. You can also extend the 30-day visa for seven to 10 days at any Thai immigration office for 500B.
With advance planning, a 60-day tourist visa is available from Thai embassies or consulates worldwide (see p807 ). Application fees are usually US$30 and take up to a week. Contact the embassy for an application form and additional instructions.
The Non-Immigrant Visa is good for 90 days, must be applied for in your home country, costs US$60 and is not difficult to obtain if you are travelling for business, study, retirement or an extended family visit. For anyone planning on staying longer than three months, this is the one to go for.
If you overstay your visa, the usual penalty is a fine of 200B for each extra day, with a 20,000B limit; fines can be paid at any official exit point or in advance at the Bangkok Immigration Office (Map pp694-5 ; %0 2287 3101; Soi Suan Phlu, Th Sathon Tai; h9am-noon & 1-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat); go to the Investigation Unit on the 4th floor.
Cambodian and Lao visas are now available at most land-border crossings with Thailand and all international airports. For trips to Myanmar, short-visit visas are available for day crossings, but get a visa in advance if you are flying into Yangon. Most visitors to Malaysia do not require a visa.
- Customs
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Free import by each passenger holding a passport of his own, irrespective of age:
1. 200 cigarettes or 250 grammes of tobacco or equal weight of cigars;
2. 1 litre of alcoholic liquor;
3. One still camera with 5 rolls of film or one movie camera with 3 rolls of 8 or 16 mm. film.
Free import for non-residents:
- for holders of transit visas or who can obtain a visa on arrival: up to THB 10,000 per person or THB 20,000 per family.
- for holders of tourist visas: up to THB 20,000 per person or THB 40,000 per family.
Prohibited (without licence):
1. Firearms and ammunition incl. explosive articles and fireworks, drugs of narcotic nature, e.g. heroin.
2. Gold bullion. Moreover it must be declared on arrival and can, if no import licence is available, be left in Customs bond at the airport of entry to be retrieved on departure.
3. Meat from any country affected by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or mad cow and foot-and-mouth diseases. The measure covers meat from all European Union countries and any other infected country. Those carrying such diseased meat will be fined THB 40,000 and/or imprisoned for up to two years.
Ref:
http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/TH-Thailand-customs-currency-airport-tax-regulations-details.htm - Climate
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Weather Information for Bangkok
Month Mean Temperature oC Mean Total Rainfall (mm) Mean Number of Rain Days Daily
MinimumDaily
MaximumJan 21.0 32.0 9.0 1.0 Feb 23.3 32.7 30.0 2.0 Mar 24.9 33.7 29.0 2.0 Apr 26.1 34.9 65.0 4.0 May 25.6 34.0 220.0 13.0 Jun 25.4 33.1 149.0 12.0 Jul 25.0 32.7 155.0 13.0 Aug 24.9 32.5 197.0 15.0 Sep 24.6 32.3 344.0 18.0 Oct 24.3 32.0 242.0 14.0 Nov 23.1 31.6 48.0 5.0 Dec 20.8 31.3 10.0 1.0 Weather Information for Chiang Mai
Month Mean Temperature oC Mean Total Rainfall (mm) Mean Number of Rain Days Daily
MinimumDaily
MaximumJan 14.2 29.4 7.7 0.7 Feb 15.6 32.2 9.2 1.0 Mar 19.0 34.9 19.2 2.2 Apr 22.4 36.1 54.1 6.4 May 23.7 34.0 153.0 14.6 Jun 23.9 32.6 117.3 16.0 Jul 23.8 31.8 153.2 18.4 Aug 23.6 31.3 224.6 20.6 Sep 23.1 31.5 200.2 17.2 Oct 22.1 31.3 118.1 11.6 Nov 19.2 29.8 51.3 5.1 Dec 15.3 28.3 18.3 1.6 Ref: http://www.worldweather.org
Remark: Climatological information is based on monthly averages for the 30-year period 1961-1990. - Getting there & around
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AirBangkok acts as the air travel hub for Thailand and mainland Southeast Asia. For airlines with representation in Bangkok. For a list of mainly domestic airlines, see p686 . Most domestic flights currently use Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, 25km outside the city. The city’s new Suvarnabhumi International Airport, which opened in September 2006, now handles some domestic and all international flights. Find more information at www .suvarnabhumiairport.com.
Thailand Time
Bangkok Weather
Mostly Cloudy (86 oF • 30 oC)
