People: On the whole, I've always found the Thai people to be friendly, tolerant, modest and good humoured.  On the downside, most of them seem to be Manchester United supporters. There are many cliches about Thailand, but its nickname as the Land of Smiles is not all tourist industry hype.  Complete strangers on buses will smile at you just for something to do.  School kids on their way home will shout "hello - what is your name?".  And people relaxing in a bar after work will offer you a sip of their drink, and ask you if you know David Beckham.  At first, all this unexpected friendliness can be a little unnerving.  If you're used to western city life, you'll probably suspect that they're after your money, but in fact most of the time, they aren't.  They just like smiling.  It's infectious too, and you'll soon be grinning along with everyone else.  Language: Thailand was never colonised by European powers, and the Thais are quietly proud of their history of independence.  The British, French, Dutch and Portuguese carved up the rest of the region, but Thailand retained its independence.  The language is Thai, and the script is an incomprehensible series of squiggles.  However, basic English is taught in schools, and in most of the tourist areas, you will find people with enough English to cover the bare essentials.  Most German, Dutch and French tourists find themselves having to cope with communication in English, so English speakers already have a head start.  Dual Thai/English language menus and road signs are common in most towns and cities, but there's no universally agreed method of transliteration, so don't worry if the word on the signpost isn't exactly the same as it says in the guide book.  It might say Chana Road in your Lonely Planet, and Jana Road when you actually arrive, but it's the same place.  Although you can get by with just English, it's much more fun to learn a little Thai.  And here's a great little website where you can hear some common words and phrases with their meanings.

The King: All over Thailand there is widespread affection and respect for King Bhumibol (pronounced more like "poom - ee - pon"), who celebrated his 75th birthday in December 2002, and who has been on the throne since the 1940's.  He's been a force for stability over a period of considerable internal and external political upheaval in the region.  He's regarded as an  educated, thoughtful and compassionate man. You won't win any friends by being disrespectful about him or his family, and you could even end up being arrested.  (It is illegal to criticize the monarchy!)  You will see photos of the King, his family, and their predecessors, all over Thailand - in bars & restaurants, people's homes, in taxis, and in the little 3-wheeled death traps called tuk-tuks.  On some special Royal and religious holidays, the bars stop selling alcohol.  But don't panic, you can still buy beer and whisky in regular shops, and the occasional obliging bar-owner may serve you special "tea" in a tea-pot and tea-cup.

King Bhumibol

Religion: Most Thais are Theravada Buddhists, and unlike Christians, Jews, Muslims and assorted others, they don't believe in an omnipotent super-being, and prefer to avoid going to war with people who do.  You should be respectful towards images and statues of the Buddha, and around monks and Buddhist temples.  If you set off to see a temple wearing only flip-flops and a thong, you shouldn't be surprised if someone is offended enough to refuse you entry.  You wouldn't expect to get away with that in St Paul's Cathedral, so don't expect to in Thailand.  Generally, you can avoid causing any offence by covering your shoulders and knees and everything in between.  The only real exceptions are in the more spectacular Bangkok temples, where the style-police can be very much more fussy.  On one occasion, I made a special effort with a long sleeved shirt and Chinos, and was refused admission because guy didn't like my sandals.  The best thing to do in these circumstances is to smile, and nod, and go and find a shady place to sink a few beers instead.   That's not bad advice in a number of situations. Geography: In Thailand, there's a wide variation in landscape types, from the forested and mountainous parts in the north, across the dry and dusty north-eastern plateau, over flat green rice paddy fields in the central area, to tropical rainforests and palm-fringed beaches in the south. It's hot everywhere most of the time, but around November and December things can cool down at night in the north and north-east.  Elsewhere, you'll be trying to stay cool, not warm.

Food: When it comes to reasons why you should try a holiday in Thailand, the people, weather, and spectacular scenery are only rivalled by the fabulous food, which is cheap, spicy, and available everywhere.  One of the guide books says that it often seems as if half the population is permanently engaged in feeding the other half.  If you like clean, spicy, fresh flavours, you're going to love the Thai food in Thailand.  It's based around rice, noodles, vegetables, and seafood, all spiced up with chillis, garlic, lemon grass, coriander, and fish sauce. Prices: Thailand is a cheap place for westerners to enjoy a holiday, once you've got there.  Transport, accommodation, food and clothing are all available for a fraction of the costs found in Europe, and there are great bargains to be struck in the local and tourist markets all around the country.  Women Travellers: The Rough Guide says that most western women travellers find harassment in Thailand to be less of a problem than back home.  Outside the main tourist spots, Thai people will be more interested in you because you're a foreigner than because you're a woman.  If you're travelling alone, they'll be much more concerned about your welfare than be interested in you as an object of sexual aggression. I have several women friends who have visited the region on their own or with a girlfriend, and none of them have reported any serious harassment.  But I get a lot of enquiries from women about travelling in the region, so I've summarised what the guidebooks say on the Things to avoid page. People with Disabilities: On the whole, Thailand makes few provisions for disabled people, and people with restricted mobility will have problems negotiating ordinary streets and road crossings because of uneven pavement levels and a lack of ramps and dropped kerbs.  Ordinary buses and trains have high, narrow steps up, and many toilet facilities outside the tourist areas are pretty rudimentary by western standards.  Unfortunately, it seems that the only way around this general lack of accessibility is to pay more.  You may therefore have to visit as part of an organised tour, or pick the better western airlines and stay in the more upmarket hotels, who are beginning to cater for people with disabilities. Odds and ends: Thai time is 7 hours ahead of GMT, which means that when it's time for a mid-morning coffee in the UK, it's time to grab a cold beer and watch the sun go down in Thailand.  Electricity is supplied at 220v AC, and most British electrical appliances seem to work fine once you've found a plug adaptor.  The lights sometimes go out during tropical downpours.  There are two English language newspapers available in Thailand - the Bangkok Post and the Nation.  But just about all the television is in Thai unless you're in a posh hotel.  The Thais are very keen on national holidays, and the calendar is packed with excuses for having a party.  The phone and mail systems are usually fine, and there are international phone booths located near to most post offices.  In most places - especially places popular with tourists - it's easy to get connected to the internet in internet cafes.  You pay about 20B an hour.  Banks are open from 8.30am to 3.30pm on Mondays to Fridays, but currency exchange booths are open much longer and at weekends in the main tourist areas, and there are cash machines (ATM's) in all towns of any size.  The Thai Buddhist calendar is a possible source of confusion for westerners, because the Thais are 543 years ahead of us.  When we were all celebrating the start of the year 2000, the Thais were entering the year 2,543 BE (Buddhist Era).  And I was born in 2,505!  Guide Books: There are lots of decent travel books about the region, including Lonely Planet and Moon Travel, but the Rough Guide is my personal favourite.    Feedback about this site: If you enjoyed this site and want to say so, or if you want to share your experiences about Thailand with other visitors, please feel free to sign my guestbook.  If you don't want to sign it, you can just view it here.   If you want to e-mail me privately, you can do so at benbaaa@gmail.com.