About Thailand

One should not be offended if one becomes directly asked about his age. Thais ask this to find out how much respect they must show. If you will be charged as “phi” before your name, it represents a major step. “Phi” means the older person, as a Thai counting like a family member or very close family.

During “small talk” you should avoid flighty topics such as art and music, unless you know the other person has a knowledge in these areas. A Thai will “lose face” if he exposes a gap in his knowledge, and to lose face, they do not like it.

Topics that should not be mentioned in negative terms is politics and especially the royal family. It enjoys enormous respect among all sections of the Thai population. It is very important to understand that there is no room for comments and jokes and “smart” remarks about the royal family! It is simply not respected!

Thais have lots of humor, but it does not apply when it comes to the beloved royal family!

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand. The city has 8 million registered residents in the metropolitan area, but it is estimated, however, that today there are living up to 12 million people. (3,600 inhabitants per Km2)

Bangkok is slightly away from Gulf of Siam, and through the city flows Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River), associated with channels. It is a major transport route. On the west side of the river, almost all traffic is along the canals. The eastern side is the most wealthy. However, this is changing as there are more and more “high end” homes on the western side of the Chao Phraya River.

Bangkok oozes of metropolitan area, the city is big and dirty and at
the same time clean and neat – it is what is part of the charm! You do not get bored in Bangkok, which is always full of life.

The city has many tourist attractions such as the floating markets, temples, large international shopping centers, various cultural shows in the evening and large selection of varied markets, etc.

Thailand has a tropical climate that makes you enjoying the warmth in a very pleasant way. It blows frequently a pleasant cool breeze, so “we from the North” find the climate optimal.

The temperature and precipitation changes during the year, also in relation to where in Thailand you are staying. Actually you have three seasons in Central and Northern Thailand. This is because of the two monsoon periods, the southwest monsoon in mid June to September and the northeast monsoon from November to mid-March. When we from the north goes into “hibernation” and begin to yearn for sun and summer, the weather in Thailand, is at the most optimal. In the period from November to March, the temperature in the areas where Oriental Invest is active, is around 30 degrees and the humidity almost like a Danish summer at its best.

The area of least precipitation is Rayong province which is located in the center of Thailand. Hua Hin area are close behind, while much precipitation falls on Ko Samui and Phuket also in the “cold months” in Europe. So one must choose his destination in Thailand with care.

Roughly speaking, the average temperature in Thailand is around 29 degrees, and bathing water temperature is between 24 to 32 degrees year round.

Summer:
March – May 25-34C

Rainy season:
June – October 24-32C

Cold season:
November – February 21-32C

In Thailand you are always welcome. You will meet the smiling and helpful people with a sincere and honest kindness, and genuine and heartfelt emotion. Here people take care of each other, take care of the elderly and love all children. To interact and laugh with each other and have a genuine joy of life.

A Thai very rarely gets upset. They look at live very lightly and does not create problems that are not there. However, there may easily arise “problems” if you ask a Thai of an honest opinion! It’s not like in Denmark. In Thailand they say what the other party wants to hear and neglect very often his personal opinion.

The population consists of 75% Thais, 14% Chinese and 11% other Approximately 98% of the population are Buddhists. Many consider Buddhism more as a philosophy than an actual religion.

Life expectancy for women is about 74 years and for men approximately 70. The primary language is Thai, and the secondary is English

A handshake is polite when you meet a man for the first time. When you meet a woman for the first time, it is recommended that you only have to smile. For safety’s sake, you can let the woman take the initiative to hand pressure. If you do not get automatically a smile, one can use the below described greeting – and so should the smile be guaranteed.

For hello and goodbye, you can use the traditional Thai greeting. This is accomplished by pressing your hands together like a prayer, while keeping the arms and elbows close to body, then bend your head so that it touches the fingertips and says “sawatdi”. This greeting with hands in front of the chest signals status in society! Are you lucky enough to meet His Royal Highness, the hands should be pressed together in front of your face. If you meet, on the other hand, a person who has the same status as yourself, it is enough to squeeze your hands together in front of the chest.

If you greet a monk, do not touch him – a verbal greeting is enough. Respect towards monks is important. Women should never touch a monk or hand him something directly. But there’s nothing bewitched of trying to get in touch or talk to a monk – they are always very friendly.

A smile or a nod is an adequate greeting to people you meet daily. However, it is clear that society in Thailand are also moving toward a form of “globalization”. Are you a regular part of a local Thai community, it is considered quite natural if you greet people with “Sabai dee mai” (how are you?). So now you almost always answer “Sabai dee krap / ka” (I am fine).

Verbal greetings like “good morning” or “hello, how are you” is redundant and is not used in most cases in Thailand. But a smile always works, and if you can you speak a little Thai, it brings out a big smile, but also verbally greet the people you meet. Most Thais are happy to have “Farang’s” (Westerners) in their circle of friends.

The food in Thailand is very varied with rice dishes from mild to very spicy dishes. Meat, chicken, and sea delights gives you the Thai food in a huge variety and forms. A really good restaurant can offer up to 280 different main courses. Many restaurants and “fast food” kitchens offer western food to please the tourists – but do not cheat yourself of the culinary experiences you will find in Thailand.

There will be understandably drunk a lot of fluid in Thailand. A half liter of water or soft drinks can be purchased for approximately THB 6,00. The price for beer and wine is however slightly more expensive.

You must not miss the traditional Thai massage. It costs approx. DKK 30.00 for a full hour massage, and in addition to the experience is simultaneously healthy for body and soul.

All Thai children are entitled to 12 years of schooling, of which 9 are mandatory. Yet there seems a degree of illiteracy (7% – 13%), because some families can not afford the mandatory school uniforms, school bus and servicing equipment – with the result that they can not get their children to school. Moreover, there are still places, especially in northeastern Thailand, where parents choose to take their children out of school to participate in the work of agriculture and other.

There are many excellent international schools in Thailand and which are taught by the English school system.

Everywhere in the major cities in Thailand, there are, within a short distance, large shopping centers. Many of these centers also has European goods on the shelves. Moreover, there are plenty of 7-eleven stores throughout Thailand. These 7-eleven stores to compare with Netto in Denmark.

In Thailand there are many kinds of sports as we know from Europe. The most popular sport is Thai boxing, which can be experienced in many markets and sports arenas.