Thailand - Info & Facts

Suggested length of stay

For a good overview Thailand is best visited over a minimum of 12-16 days. This will allow time to take in the highlights of the capital city Bangkok, the temples and culture of the North and one of the magnificent beaches in the south. Tours can be extended to include the eastern region of Issarn, the hill tribes in the far north-west, the temple complexes on the central plains, one of the numerous national parks and the southern beaches and islands. Thailand is very easily combined with any other South East Asian country.

Bangkok 3 nights, Chiang Mai 3 or 4 nights, Golden Triangle 1 or 2 nights, Sukhothai 1 night, Khao Yai or Khao Sok National Park 2 nights, southern beaches ā€“ how long have you got!!!!

Modes of transport

Road
Road conditions in Thailand are very good in comparison with most of its neighbours. An extensive network of well maintained, paved roads means that most of the country is easily navigable by car. In remote areas, road surfaces may be more basic. When travelling to hill-tribe villages and national parks, you may encounter dirt tracks or jeep trails. Popular road circuits starting from Bangkok take you west to Kanchanaburi and Sangklaburi on the Burmese border, or north-east to the Khmer and Lao influenced region of Issarn. Road tours starting in Chiang Mai go as far as Mae Hong Son in the far northwest where excellent roads cut through spectacular mountain scenery. An overland road trip between Chiang Mai can take in some little visited areas of the country and two of the ancient capitals as well as interesting markets.

Air
there is a cheap and efficient internal air travel network with many new low cost carriers. Air travel is a good way to save on time if you are limited as even though the roads are relatively good flying will nearly always be the quickest and most direct option.

Rail
The rail network in Thailand is quite good. The main disadvantage is that it is very slow. Bangkok is the main hub with lines north to Chiang Mai, east to Issarn and south to Malaysia. Food and service on board is hit and miss but train travel is a good way to meet local people. Second class with reservation or higher would be the only thing Oasis would recommend. The luxurious Eastern and Oriental Express train travels between Bangkok and Singapore (and occasionally to Chiang Mai, Vientiane and Kanchanaburi).

Bicycle
Various cycling tours can be arranged anywhere the country. An established cycling area is the route west from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi to the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai. For more details please contact your specialist.

Boat
There are a few different options for boat travel in Thailand ranging from a two night journey along the ā€œRiver of Kingsā€ between Bangkok and the ancient capital of Ayuthaya on board one of the three beautifully restored Mekhala Rice Barges or join an exquisitely crafted oriental yacht, the Suwan Macha sailing the azure waters of Thailandā€™s western seaboard taking in the delights of Krabi, Phi Phi Islands and Phuket.

Geography

Thailand is located in the centre of South East Asia. The South China Sea is on the Eastern side, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean are to the Western side. Thailand shares borders with Burma to the West North-West, Laos to the North and East, Cambodia to the South-East and Malaysia to the South. The topography varies between four distinct regions, namely, North, North East, Central and South. Northern areas consist of forested mountains Doi Inthanon being the highest at 2,565 meters above sea level and fertile valleys. The North East is known as Issarn and is mostly a flat unfertile plateau but is home to a rich and interesting culture. Central Thailand is known as the rice bowl, through which four rivers join to create the Chaopraya River, which in turn flows into the gulf of Thailand passing through Bangkok along the way. The South of Thailand includes some of the most spectacular scenery ranging from verdant forested mountains to lush beautiful tropical islands and bays dotted with limestone karst outcrops which tower into the sky above clear blue seas.

Food

Rice is the principal staple food throughout country and although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai food is really better described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, North-eastern, Central and Southern. For example Southern curries tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while north-eastern dishes often include lime juice. Thai cuisine has been influenced by Chinese stir fry and Indian curries while maintaining a unique taste of its own. Like Vietnamese food, Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce.

A few tips when dining with Thais includeā€¦

Donā€™t wait for all of the food to come out before you eat it, Thai meals are leisurely affairs and the food just keeps on coming.

Don’t use your fork to put food in your mouth, use it to push your food onto your spoon.

Don’t order one dish that you intend to eat by yourself Thai meals are always shared.
Pay the bill if it comes to you; in Thai society the person who is perceived to be the richest pays. Nine times out of ten this will be you!

But by the same token don’t try to contribute if someone else is paying the bill, it takes away from their status and is considered a “loss of face”.

Don’t leave your chopsticks in the bowl, it symbolizes death and is very bad luck.

General Etiquette

The Thai are a proud nation with a long history and well-established, complex hierarchal structure of status. Starting with the Royal family and percolating down, everyone in Thailand knows and respects their place in society. Below are a few pointers that should be followed at all times.

Never joke about the monarchy. Thai people treat their monarchy with great reverence and the Royal family should never be insulted or criticised. The king is the most highly respected figure and to this day and lesse majeste laws are taken very seriously.

Buddhism is Thailand’s national religion and monks must always receive a high level of respect. Women should never touch a monk or his robe. When handing an object to a monk, a woman should use an intermediary or place the object in a position where it can be retrieved by the monk. On public transport a woman should never sit next to a monk.

Never raise your voice, contradict or criticise anybody in public. Thais, like Chinese people, have a refined sense of public image and it is easy to cause someone to “lose face.” Self control and patience will get you everywhere in Thailand!

Thai people regard the head as the most precious part of the body. Never touch a person (including children) on the head, or anywhere above the shoulders. In the same way, Thais regard the feet as the least sacred part of the body and it is considered offensive to point with the feet or even show the sole of the shoe or foot to another person. It is therefore necessary to take care when crossing your legs.

Thai people are conservative, so it is important to dress appropriately, especially when visiting temples. Everyone should ensure that legs and shoulders are covered when visiting temples.

Shoes are often removed when entering a private home or even some shops. Just look for shoes left outside doorways as a cue.

Going topless at the beach is frowned upon by all Thai people. Please do not do this even if you see other people topless at major tourist beach locations.

Thailand produces the most waste of all the South East Asian nations, no matter what the locals do please remember to dispose of any rubbish as responsibly as possible!

Again, all this said donā€™t worry too much about trying to remember everything; generally Thais are a fun loving, forgiving race and will not hold genuine errors in etiquette against you!!!

Drinking water

It is not advisable to drink tap water in Thailand. Bottled water is very cheap and widely available in all areas of the country. Thailand has a real problem with plastic waste; please dispose of used drinking water containers responsibly.

 

A brief history

Modern day Thailand has had a chequered history and its borders have changed many times over the past 700 years, but archaeological evidence dates original settlements back at least 5,000 years. Southern migration of Mons, Khmer and Tai from modern day China settled the country. By the height of the Khmer kingdom based in Angkor in the 11th century, Cambodia controlled much of what is now Thailand. However by the late 13th century, Angkor’s power was declining and several northern chieftains came together to form the first “Thai” kingdom of Sukhothai. Although the period is heavily romanticized by the Thais themselves as the ā€œGolden Ageā€, a visit to the ruins in the town of Sukhothai and nearby Si Satchanalai demonstrates that there was indeed a significant kingdom.

Sukhothai flourished and expanded for nearly 200 years, but power eventually shifted southward to Ayuthaya, which was founded in the mid fourteenth century. Under the 33 kings of Ayuthaya, Thai influence expanded until they held sway over the entire Malay peninsula and much of what is today Laos and Cambodia. During this time, the first formal contacts between Siam and Europe were established and around Ayuthaya today there are the remains of the Portuguese village as well as a Japanese area.

Late in the 18th century, the Burmese launched an attack on Siam and managed to take Ayuthaya, burning and sacking the entire town. The Thais regrouped under a general named Taksin, who managed to expel the Burmese and then established a new capitol in Thonburi, on the east bank of the Chaopraya River across from what is modern day Bangkok. The commander of the Thai army, a general Chakri, then went on to take command and had Taksin executed and went on to crown himself King Rama I, the first of the Chakri kings that still rule Thailand to this day. Rama I moved the capitol across the river to the more defensible village of Bangkok. His successors managed to maintain Thailand’s independence by dealing away the vassal states, Laos and Cambodia to the French and the Malay Peninsula to the British. In 1932 the absolute monarchy was replaced with a constitutional one during the reign of Rama VII and shortly after, in 1939 the countryā€™s name changed from Siam and modern day Thailand was born. Rama VIII was crowned King in 1945 but died of mysterious circumstances the next year, paving the way for his younger brother to ascend the throne.

Aged just 18, Rama IX was crowned in 1946 as King Bhumiphol Adulyadej and is still ruling to this day, in fact King Bhumiphol is the worldā€™s longest reigning, living monarch. During the first part of his reign, Thailand was largely controlled by the military until in 1973 massive demonstrations prompted King Bhumiphol to intervene and help the country transition to a full democracy. Since 1992 after a series of military coups and demonstrations had taken place, the country has had a series of stable democratic elections. The first complete, four-year, democratically elected term was completed by the Thai Rak Thai Party (Thai Love Thai) in 2004.

Under Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai Rak Thai was elected to an unprecedented second term in office after capturing another majority government in 2005. From December 2005 pressure came to bear against Thaksin and his government due to perceived corruption, electioneering and defection of leaders within the Thai Rak Thai party. In April 2006 Thaksin called a snap election but it was boycotted by opposition parties. In September 2006, just a month before the planned new election the Thai military staged another coup and suspended the constitution. Once the terms of the new military rulers were communicated the action was broadly supported by the Thai people. Fresh parliamentary elections are expected to be held in late 2007.

Visas

Australian tourists travelling to Thailand on an Australian passport may currently enter Thailand for up to 30 days without obtaining a visa in advance, a free visa is granted on arrival. This is referred to as a ā€œvisa exemptionā€. A visa is required for longer stays or for travellers intending to work in Thailand. Oasis accepts no responsibility regarding the issue of visas.

Money

Most major credit cards are widely accepted and banks and hotels will change travellerā€™s cheques. ATM machines are plentiful and generally accept most international major credit and debit cards (Cirrus & Maestro etc). The majority of large shops accept credits but some may add a charge on for this facility. Generally speaking money handling is as straight forward as in most western countries. The local currency is the Thai Baht and we suggest obtaining a number of smaller denominations when exchanging money as many small shops and local taxis will not have change for 1000 Baht bills.

Tipping is wide spread in Thailand. Many hotels and restaurants will automatically add a 10% service charge to you bill, if not 10% is an accepted norm. Bell boys should be tipped 20 ā€“ 30 Baht (depending on the amount of luggage). When travelling by metered taxi round the fare up to the nearest 10 Baht.

Inoculations & health precautions

Please consult with your doctor at least 6 week before travel to Thailand. Health care in Thailand is amongst the most advanced in Asia and in most cases the international hospitals in the major tourist areas are as good, if not better, than most you will find at home. Charges are usually settled in advance before any treatment, including for emergency care, so good medical insurance is essential. Any essential medicines should be taken with you as they may not be available locally.

Australian Embassy, Thailand

Australian Embassy, Bangkok
181 Soi ArunMcKinnon
Lumphini, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
Thailand

Telephone +66 2 344 6300

E-mail address; austembassy.bangkok@dfat.gov.au

Electricity

The electrical current for the whole of Thailand is 220 Volt AC, 50 cycles. Plugs have two prongs either flat or rounded. It is a good idea to use a power surge device if using a laptop computer. Adapters are available in Thailand however it may be best to bring one from home.

Getting there

Bangkok is well serviced with non-stop flights from Australia. Stopovers in most places including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong are all easily arranged.

Non-stop flight time Sydney ā€“ Bangkok approximately 9 hours.

Time difference GMT + 7.

smiling white male wearing a backpack

Ready to discuss your trip to Thailand?

Speak to one of our travel specialists and weā€™ll create your personalised itinerary just for you.

Start Planning