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It's customary here to put spicy chilis in most cooked foods. What if you don't like spicy food? If you say, "Not spicy," you get entangled in a cultural misunderstanding: When a Thai hears "not spicy", to them it means only one or two chilis. Even that may be too much for your taste. The solution is to request, "NO chilis". In the little picture for this tip, I have written Thai language for no chilis. You can click to enlarge, print it, and carry to show in restaurants in Thailand.
If you want to try saying it in Thai language, use this: "my-sy-prik".
However, you may still get an argument from the waitress. I've asked for "no chili" and was told, "But no put chili, cannot be delicious!"
And don't be surprised if the food you are served is still spicy "hot". Thai cooks really don't understand how to cook without chilis.
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I live in Bangkok. If you have questions about long-stay here, you are welcome to contact me. Your question could inspire a new tip. - Peter Leave a Comment
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Here are just a few, but the most important rules.
Do Smile:
Thailand is known as the land of smiles. Thais do not necessarily smile about something like we do in the west. They smile for a variety of other reasons too. To say hello or thank you, to make a request, to apologize, to smooth over bad feelings or to show embarrassment.
Do show respect for the king: Thai people show great respect for their king and they expect visitors to do so too. The national anthem is played twice a day (typically at 8am and 6 pm) and also before every film at the cinema. Everyone is expected to stand whilst it is playing. You should never insult or joke about the king or royal family.
Do show respect for their main religion, for the Buddha, and for monks. Shorts or tank tops should not be worn in a temple, and shoes should be removed before entering. It is considered very improper for women to touch a monk.
Do not touch anyone on the head. The head is considered to be very sacred.
Do not point your feet at anyone or anything. This is quite hard for a westerner to follow as, without realising it, we do in some circumstances seem to use our feet quite a lot e.g closing or opening doors. I never realised how much I use my feet until I was made very conscious of it in Thailand.
Do not step over anyone instead walk around them. Leave a Comment
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As you know that shopping in Thailand is great fun. Some people think that it's like games to make you feel proud when you get the cheapest price. O.K. you can have fun but please notice that price that you go to shop is not all the same. Notice!!! Tourist market like night market is more expensive price from local market. So, Thai people in local area don’t have any reason to charge you more than normal. Please bargain just a little bit like 5-20 Baht only.
Whatever, even though Thai loves to bargain but we accept all food that we buy. We don’t bargain food even though it’s expensive but we will pay without complain. Leave a Comment
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Thailand is quite conservative country. We're polite and don't kiss by lips in public. When you want to come and see Thai life and culture, please respect our country as don't do like we normally don't. There are still so many people do that which we don't mind though but just don't feel comfortable to see much because you're quite outstanding here as the visitor.
You may not know what people talk in Thai language when you both are kissing so sweet in a front of us. Leave a Comment
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DO- smile! Thailand is renowned as the land of smiles, and the locals are generally happy people, embrace this!
DON'T- get angry. Always take a deep breath and don't become confrontational. This just doesn't happen in Thailand, and many see it as a sign of weakness.
DO- sample the local cusine! If you don't try out the local Thai food then you really will be missing out. It is gorgeous, and CHEAP!
DON'T- drink tap water. The water system here is not great, and even the locals rarely indulge. With bottled water being so cheap, this shouldn't pose any problems.
DO- be confident. Do not allow yourself to be pressured in to doing something you don't want to. For example if a tuk tuk driver is hassling you for a lift you do not want, then don't go.
DON'T- be rude! Remember, however annoying it can become turning down taxi driver after taxi driver, they are only trying to earn a living. Just smile and say no thankyou, and they will appreciate this much more. Leave a Comment
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My experience with Bangkok only spans about 10 years.
But, I've seen a radical change in attitude, not so much by the Thais, but by the visitors.
People used to read guidebooks to reseach their destinations.
Reading about places still doesn't remove the "mystery".
All the books on Thailand addressed modesty, politeness, and demeanor.
There would be a laundry list of cultural considerations.
Then came the forums.
Everyone has become an expert and lends their "reality" to the topic.
Any mystery is lost.
Thai's are culturally sensitive? 'Don't make me laugh!'
Dress modestly? 'I see Thai girls dressed provocatively all the time!'
Don't argue or show hostility? 'Don't let the little bastards screw you!'
'All the cops are crooked!'
'Everyone's out to scam you!'
'The land of (phoney) smiles!'
'It's my vacation; I'll do want I want!'
I'm not trying to take a moral high ground.
Anyone can travel in any manner they choose.
But, how one presents himself might just make the difference, whether he is treated as a guest or a mark. Leave a Comment
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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.
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For the Buddhist, going to the temple is quite special thing for us to do. We believe that there’re many angels or good spirits protect the monastery. We will not do anything to find it as disrespect way to the place. Even though some area of the temple is nice and cool to lay down and take a nap but try not to do please because it doesn’t look nice for when a hundred of people come to pray and walk pass you. We feel like you’re relaxing on the beach…. Leave a Comment
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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.
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Bangkok is very different from more rural Thailand, but the culture is still basically the same. There are many things that are seen as not a big deal in the west that are extremely rude here. Here is a list of things to not do (in public) while in Bangkok, and the rest of Thailand for that matter:
1) Do not kiss in public
2) Do not scream in public
3) Do not appear nude in public, even on the beaches
4) Do not hit someone in public (common sense)
5) Do not appear dirty in public (common sense, Thai culture is very clean)
6) Do not disrespect holy sites
7) Do not show the bottom of your feet in public (do not point the bottom of your feet at anyone or anything holy) Leave a Comment
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