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DO ensure
you have adequate travel insurance and that it covers
both medical treatment and unexpected losses/expenses/theft.
DON'T carry anything
through customs for anyone else unless you know the
contents. Penalties for drug trafficking are severe.
DO follow common
sense health precautions and check with your local
doctor on current vaccination recommendations for
travelling within Thailand.
DO take care
of your valuables at all times and report any loss
immediately to the nearest tourist police office.
DON'T buy gemstones
or jewellery unless it is from a reputable dealer.
Many sophisticated scams have sprung up over recent
years. Whether the tout is dressed as a student, a
monk or a policeman, identity card and all deal only
with a registered gemstone dealer.
DO be careful
with your passport. Be on guard against pickpockets
or inadvertent loss.
DON'T overstay.
Fines are imposed for each day you stay in Thailand
beyond the date of the visa expiry, currently Baht
200 per day.
DO be careful
when driving in Thailand. Only use car hire companies
which offer full insurance coverage.
DO dress in a
manner fitting to local custom and sensibilities.
DO respect Thai
customs. While Thais are generally forgiving towards
visitors disrepect towards images of Buddha or the
Royal Family will not be tolerated.
Avoid Hassle!
Fred
writes: "The first time I came to Thailand, I
met an English guy on the plane, who was married to
a Thai and lived in Chiang Mai. He told me to come
with him, as there would be a lot of people in the
arrivals hall vying for my business. He first took
me to the cafe in the airport for coffee, while we
waited for the crowds to clear. While there, he went
to the shop and bought 20 Krong Tip (Thai cigarettes).
He then got out his English `Benson & Hedges`, emptied
all the Krong Tip into a bin and refilled the empty
packet with his Benson & Hedges. He told me that when
we went out that evening people would see that he
was smoking Krong Tip and assume that he was at the
end of his holiday and had little or no money. If
they see you with English cigarettes, people know
you have just arrived and have lots of money. That
evening he took me to Pat Pong for a drink or two.
Sure enough, the girls there left us alone and concentrated
on the `Farangs` with foreign cigarettes who had just
arrived..."
Don't do it!
Nick (Nick_hermann@hotmail.com)
writes: "I was invited for dinner in the North of
Thailand, by a bunch of road workers camping near
their construction site. They seemed to be VERY poor,
but when offered money when we were about to leave,
they freaked a little. So in the end we left 'em two
packs of American cigarettes, which they took gratefully.
So if you're invited and aren't allowed to pay, maybe
bring a gift or sth." That's good advice...
Josh sent us this:
"I'm not sure if there is a fixed etiquette about
this but it's my custom to do this. " This so perfect
I can't even begin to explain. Non-thais often want
situations to be static. In thailand it is better
to go with the flow. A related subject: If you need
a polite way to say "no thank you" for any invitation
to food or drink, by far the best reply in such circumstances
is, "Thank you very much but I have eaten already"
- if that does not work the first time say it again
a few times. Just be nice about it and smile. If you
haven't just eaten, don't think this is dishonest,
but rather think of it as a Thai idiom."
Perfect...
Wise words
"Don`t go to Go-go bars. Most
of these women are not there by their own choice.."
"Although
it seemed to me a perfectly natural thing to do, if
you are invited to have a meal with a group of Thais,
my advice is DON'T offer to pay your share! I went
out with some Thai guys and it was clear they were
pretty insulted when I said I would go Dutch (which
strangely enough is apparently called 'an American
share' in Thailand). I am not 100% clear just what
upset them so much, but some people tell me the oldest
person at the table is supposed to pay. Is this right?"
Mike Smith, Aberdeen, Scotland
Your
comments:
The usual rule in Thailand is that the person who
does the inviting gets to pay the whole bill, unless
it is agreed from the beginning that you will share
the cost. Thais do have a habit of assuming westerners
have money to burn and many will assume that the rich
foreigner will be happy to pay. It's all a bit of
a game - when they invite you, just say thanks, but
I can't afford it. If they say, no problem, we'll
pay, then go. Don't invite anyone for a drink or food
unless you know you can afford it!
Richard, Bangkok, Thailand richardw@thaicom.net
"The experience you had was the exact opposite
of the one I had. I was invited out for a meal by
some Thai guys and when then bill came there was a
lull in conversation and heads nodding my way! I was
left with a bill I didn't have money for and I had
to pay by credit. And it cost an arm and a leg! It
pissed me right off to tell you the truth."
Gary Baker, Cheshire, United Kingdom.
Anyone got the facts behind this? Just what is
the truth about table etiquette in this situation?
Let us know! Click to reply...
We received this reply from Disainam in Germany:
"It's a question, about you and your contacts.
If you are the eldest, or the one with a higher social
standing, they expect, that you pay the bill (if it
wasn't just a simple farang rip off game). If you
are in a group of Thais who think that they are on
a higher social position, they would pay. If you reject
this, you say, I don't want to have you in command,
I'll go Dutch (I pay my half, I don't accept that
you are on a higher position). On the other hand,
if you let them pay, they expect, that you also play
your part in the 'phi nong' game."
Thanks for that, but what exactly is the 'phi
nong' game?
We received this reply from 'DB' in Cyberspace:
"The replies here have been wide of the mark.
The custom is that the one who does the inviting foots
the bill. For one to invite a guest and then allow
him to even get a sniff of the tab is bad form --
this sounds more like a scam or deliberate insult
than anything else."
Why you serious too much?
We received this reply from Su in Bangkok:
Well, I think it depends on what kind of people you
met. I mean normally, we will treat the foreigners
as our guests. So we will pay for them or if it's
too expensive, we will have American Share. I'm not
sure if there is a fixed etiquette about this but
it's my custom to do this.
George
writes: "Weeeeell, speaking to a couple of Thai's
on the subject of "who pays?" It comes down to this....you
invite, you pay! If you want to have an "american
share" then sort it out before you enter the restaurant
so as to minimise loss of face all around! But! Please
understand, you are there to entertain, so do your
bit! Help 'em laugh."
Mark
writes: "What is 'Phi Nong'? -- as I've learned
it, Phi (abbreviated as P' when written) means something
along the lines of the Western "big brother"; someone
who will take care of and guide a younger person,
or Nong (N')... but I've come to think that it also
has roots in the family structure, also, truly meaning
"older" and "younger" in matters of siblings. I mentor
a few in Thailand in English and am sometimes addressed
in emails as "P'Mark" As to Who Pays, it's been a
mixed bag for me. Yes, I agree that the basic culture
is that Falangs have more money so can better afford
to pick up a tab, but anyone with eyes can see that
the Thai are a hospitable and gracious people, sometimes
to a fault. I have (on a couple of unavoidable occasions)had
Thai friends insist on paying for expenses that I
know cost several week's salary for them, and have
then had to find a way to get it BACK to them after
the fact without them "losing face." I'm not saying
let yourself get walked on, but I'd suggest considering
who you're dealing with at the time and be more than
fair... God knows the Thai usually are."
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