Thailand is a fascinating, vibrant place filled with amazing sites and wondrous things. I so enjoyed my time there, and I was completely fascinated by the rich and sometimes complicated Thai culture. I thought I would pass on my learnings to anyone interested!
When in Thailand, don’t…
- Say ANYTHING against the royal family. It is ILLEGAL! And dangerous. Just don’t do it!
- Touch people’s heads. Heads are the most sacred part of the body, and it’s insulting to touch them. Especially important with regards to the heads of one’s elders.
- Show people the soles of your feet. The soles of your feet are the lowest part of your body, and to show them to someone is an insult. For visitors, this means never cross your legs, point at anything with your foot, touch anything with your feet, etc.
- Hug or kiss in public. This includes husbands/wives, friends of the opposite gender, friends of the opposite gender you haven’t seen in a long time, etc.
- Step on money. Marked with the face of the king, it’s extremely rude/culturally unacceptable/illegal to touch the image of the king with your feet. So if a bill falls and is making a run for it, grab it with a hand or let it go!
- Make a ‘come here’ motion with your hand upright. That’s the motion for summoning a prostitute. It will not get you a cab.
- Throw items from one person to another. It’s considered rude. And before you say ‘I never would!’, think about jackets, wallets, etc.
When in Thailand, do…
- Smile at people. Thailand is an incredibly friendly culture. Join in!
- Ask people three times if you want them to go out to coffee with you, if you want to help them, etc. Ask just once or twice and the answer will always be No!
- Approve of the royal family and speak honorably of them. Revered by all, the royal family is well know for their generous deeds and extremely popular in Thailand.
- Organize your money right-side up in your wallet. As all of the bills are marked with the face of the king, to put his image upside-down would be disrespectful.
- Respect all elders. Keeping your head down below theirs is a sign of respect. If grandma is sitting on the ground, so are you!
- Call a cab by motioning with a full ‘come here’ hand motion with your hand facing down. This will get you a cab. Also the best way to call children.
- Point with your entire hand. To point with just a finger is rude.
- Keep clean! Thai people love cleanliness, including multiple showers per day. Changing clothes throughout the day is also polite to cut down on the possibility of body oder.
Interesting Facts about Thailand
- Bangkok is actually named “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit” or Krung Thep for short. It is the longest location name (with spaces) in the world. Fortunately we can call it Bangkok.
- +90% of Thai people are Buddhist.
- Thailand was formerly known as Siam.
- ‘The King and I’ movie is banned from Thailand. The story is based on King Mongkut, but the movie has been banned on the basis that it is disrespectful to the King and monarchy.
- Thailand has a whopping 1,430 islands!
- Thai currency is called the Baht, with an exchange rate of ~32 Baht to 1 USD.
- Siamese cats and the term ‘Siamese twins’ originated in Thailand.
