As we have seen, Thais are for the most part gregarious people who like to make good use of their free time. This gives them an opportunity to visit friends and relations and enjoy themselves in the company of others. They cannot understand a person who prefers his or her own company, whom they regard as a sad person.
A city like Bangkok is full of places in which to enjoy oneself, and in rural areas there is often more happening than meets the eye in the form of temple fairs and partying. Unlike the Chinese, however, who are often noisy and boisterous when having fun, the Thais tend to be much more restrained.
The Thais enjoy eating out, and everywhere you go in Thailand you will find excellent restaurants, more often than not run by Chinese. Although the rich may have dinner parties in their homes or gardens, it is more usual for a Thai to invite you to eat out in a restaurant.
Eating out in Thailand is a very informal activity, and Thai guests will be relieved if you take them out to a Thai or Chinese meal rather than a formal, four-course Western-style dinner. It is normal to have a variety of dishes spread out before you from which you pick and choose. There is no need to stand on ceremony, and when the food arrives everyone digs in. Fork and spoon are the usual eating implements, though chopsticks are often used for noodles. In Chinese restaurants there is usually a succession of courses, with the arrival of the soup signaling that the end of the meal is nigh.
The idea of “going Dutch” when paying the bill is completely alien to Thais. If you invite a group of Thais out to lunch or dinner, you will be expected to pay for everybody. (Kaw bin dûai ne kráb/ka means “May I have the bill?”) If a Thai invites you, he will foot the bill. One point of etiquette: if you wish to catch the attention of the waiter, beckon to him with your fingers pointed downward.
TIPPING
In Western-style hotels a service charge is normally added to the bill; in other places it is taken for granted that a tip is included in the price, but you may leave a small tip if you wish. The same applies to taxis.
There is a huge range of restaurants in Thailand, offering Western, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and other cuisines. A number offer entertainment as well as food. For men there is an unusual type of eating establishment, sometimes dubbed “human fork” restaurants, where hostesses feed and entertain their clients. These are popular with Thais, Chinese, and Japanese. Fast food restaurants and coffee shops are popular with younger Thais.
Thai cuisine has an excellent reputation beyond its borders, and many towns in Britain, Australia, and North America can boast at least one restaurant specializing in Thai food.
However, the Thai food you eat at home has often been modified to suit Western taste buds, and in Thailand itself you may find it far spicier than you ever imagined food could be.
Food in Thai is aharn, and a restaurant is referred to as rárn aharn (food shop). Although in the main centers you will find restaurants that are used to catering to foreigners, in smaller towns they are not. So the unsuspecting gourmet who chooses an interesting looking dish from the counter may find it alarmingly fiery. (Drink lots of water or cold tea, and eat boiled rice to alleviate the scorching sensation in your mouth.)
To avoid nasty surprises you may find these expressions useful. The word for “sir”/“madam” used by a man is kráb; used by a woman it is ka.
What is this?: née arai kráb/ka.
Is it spicy?: pèt mái, kráb/ka
No, it isn’t: mâi pèt kráb/ka
Yes, it is spicy: pèt, kráb/ka
It’s a little spicy: pèt nít nòi
It’s very spicy: pèt mârk
However, visitors to Thailand who insist on eating only Western food during their stay are missing out on some gourmet delights. Also, Thai dishes usually cost far less than Western-style meals. (For an explanation of the pronunciation markings see this page.)
Many Thais like to eat noodle soup or rice soup (kâo tom) for breakfast (aharn cháu), but in hotels and restaurants catering to tourists it is possible to get toast (kanom pang ping), jam, fruit juices, and even bacon and eggs.
Lunch (aharn klangwan) is usually eaten promptly at noon, or even before. It is often a fairly light meal of fried rice or noodles.
Dinner or supper (aharn jen) takes place from six o’clock onward. Generally speaking the Thais eat early in the evening, though special banquets may start later. Rice will be a prominent feature of the meal accompanied by a steamed dish, a fried dish, curry, soup, and salad—all taken together, not as separate courses.
These are the main meals of the day, but the Thais can be seen devouring snacks at all times, and everywhere you will find noodle sellers catering to their apparently insatiable hunger. One sometimes wonders how Thai women manage to keep their svelte figures when they spend so much of the day eating at noodle stalls!
In some traditional eating places, trays of dishes are laid out in the shop window or on the counter and you point to what you would like. Also, some hotels organize buffet meals. In other places you may be presented with a menu written entirely in Thai or in Thai English, which may not be readily comprehensible, although often highly amusing.
The most common words on the Thai menu include kài (egg), gài (chicken), moo (pork), núa (beef), and pèt (duck). Dried beef and pork have a particularly strong flavor.
Thailand is particularly renowned for its fish and seafood dishes, though if you are dining some distance from the sea, bear in mind that river fish might be fresher. Popular seafood includes gûng (prawn), pla (fish), plakapong (sea bass, a great favorite), plamík (squid), hoi (shellfish), hoi kreng (cockles), aharn taley (seafood), and boo (crab).
Among the vegetables you will find hôm (onion), hèt (mushroom), pakad hom (lettuce, which should be avoided unless you know it has been washed in clean water), makeyatêt, tomatoes, and prík (chili). If you want food that is not too highly spiced, say, “mâi sai prík”—“don’t add chili.”
Thai dishes use all the ingredients specified above, to which they add various flavors, notably garlic, coriander root, black pepper, lemon grass, ginger, and chili. Here are some of the most common dishes.
Geng pèd (curry), and geng pèd gài (chicken curry). You may need to differentiate between geng pèt kiau (green curry) and geng pèt deng (red curry). Geng mussaman will be a Malay-type curry common in the extreme south of Thailand.
Geng jèrt is soup. Again, you need to specify. Geng jèrt núa is beef soup. It is often served in metal vessels with charcoal underneath to keep the soup hot.
Tom yam is a hot, spicy soup. This is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand, especially tom yam gûng (spicy prawn soup).
Kâu pàt (fried rice) is a popular one-dish meal, and can be served with almost anything. Kâu pàt moo is pork-fried rice. Cucumber and spring onions usually accompany the dish.
Kwítiau (noodle soup) is of Chinese origin and found on many a noodle stall. It is sometimes eaten with chopsticks. Bami are noodles, and come in various shapes and sizes. Bami lad na gûng is prawn cooked with noodles, and is a meal in itself. Meekrob (crispy noodle) is also worth trying.
Tawt man pla or tawt man kûng (fish or prawn cakes) are interesting, chewy dishes.
Yam (salad) is much spicier than the Western type of salad, and should be sampled only by the more intrepid visitor.
Kâu suay (plain rice) is usually steamed, delightfully fluffy, and of high quality. This is the staple food of Thailand, and the Thais eat it with virtually every meal. Kâu niau (sticky rice) is a speciality of the northeast, where it is sometimes cooked in banana leaves. Potatoes (man farang) do not feature in Thai cooking, being rather expensive, though they are served with Western-style food. The following words are useful: nêrng (steamed), pao (grilled), tâwt (fried), príuwan (sweet and sour). When ordering, make sure you put the ingredient first and the manner of preparation second, so you get gûng tâwt (fried prawn), pla príuwan (sweet and sour fish).
To add flavor to your food, should it not be tasty enough, liquid condiments are placed on the table in small saucers. They include nám pla, a salty brown sauce made from fermented fish; nám pla sài prík, fish sauce with chopped red and green chilis; and nám prík Siracha, Siracha sauce, which looks like tomato ketchup, but is in fact a hot chili sauce, available in several strengths. It is named after a town just north of Pattaya beach resort and is now exported. Various other sauces will appear on the table to complement other foods.
Thailand has a wonderful variety of fruit (ponlamaí) including a number of exotic varieties that seldom appear in shops back home. The great luxury for Thais is durian, which is a large, spiky, pithy fruit that is foul smelling but treasured for its flavor. If you can’t stand the smell, settle for durian ice cream instead.
Many of the delicious fruits you come across on market stalls have been freshly picked. Do not be put off by oranges with green skins: that is their natural color when ripe. You will find bananas (glûai), mangos (mamùang), papayas (malagor), pineapples (saparót), pomelo (som o), rambutan (ngo), custard apple (noi na), jackfruit (kanun), and mangosteen (munkút). Strawberries, apples, and other temperate climate fruit are now being cultivated in the north of Thailand.
Coconut (máprao) can be bought fresh from food stands. The vendor will chop the top off and give you a straw so you can drink the juice. This is sometimes used in curry, particularly in the south, but desiccated coconut with water added is more usual in this dish.
Thai desserts (kanom) tend to be rather sweet, and often contain rice or coconut. Among the most common ones are kanom mapráo (coconut cake), glûai buat chee (banana in coconut cream), glûai tawt (banana fritters), kâu niau (sticky rice), and sankaya fak tong (pumpkin custard).
The Thais drink a lot of tea (námcha). This is usually jasmine tea and is drunk plain without milk and sugar, but you can also get tea with milk. There have been tea plantations in the north for decades. Námcha rón is hot tea. Iced tea (námcha yen) is often drunk in preference to water (nám plau).
Coffee is served black or with condensed milk added. Differentiate between kafe rón (hot coffee), ooliang (iced coffee), and kafe net (Nescafe). The last is usually more acceptable to Western taste buds. Traditional coffee is grown in the south and is usually mixed with chicory.
Bottled water (nám kùat) is available in many hotels, and internationally known soft drinks are ubiquitous. Fresh lime juice (nám manau) is refreshing, as is orange juice (nám sôm), though you may be fobbed off with the bottled variety.
Beer
Consumption of beer is growing in Thailand, but beer is heavily taxed and therefore quite expensive. Thai beer is a lager-type beer and fairly strong—normally in excess of 5 percent proof. The most widely available is Singha beer from Thailand’s oldest brewery, Boon Rawd. Other Thai beers are Bangkok Beer and Beer Chang (Elephant Beer). International lagers, such as Carlsberg and Heineken, are now being brewed in Thailand. Some bars sell draft beer (bia sòt) from the barrel.
Spirits
Thai men are partial to imported whiskey and brandy, which is widely available and expensive. The cheapest form of Thai spirit is Mekhong, named after the river, and there is another more highly regarded local whiskey known as Sangsom. Currently Black Cat, a Thai Scotch, is popular. In country areas homemade rice wine (kache) is popular, but beware, as it can be potent.
Wine
Grape wines tend to be very expensive in comparison with other drinks, even those made from Thai produce. Vineyards are a relatively new feature of the landscape of the north and northeast, with Chateau de Loei from the northern province of Loei one of the longest established. Maejo Red from the Agricultural University at Chiang Mai also has its admirers. Wines are also made from other fruit, such as mangosteen.
Cheers: chaiyo
Glass: gêo
Bottle: kùat
“One more bottle”: kaw ìk kùat nìng
Cup or dish: tuai
Plate: jarn
Milk: nom
“Without milk”: mâi sài nom
Sugar: námtan
Although Thais tend to believe (mistakenly) that Hong Kong and Singapore are the shopping meccas of southeast Asia, you can buy virtually anything in Bangkok, often at bargain-basement prices. Imports, notably foods, tend to be expensive, so if you must eat cornflakes, cheese, and pickles, expect to pay through the nose!
Thailand’s industrial base has expanded enormously in the past forty years, and the country now has a range of factories producing electrical goods, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and so on. If you want to go on a shopping spree you will find most of these local products reasonably priced and of good quality.
Some foreigners get annoyed because they feel they are being charged more at markets than a Thai would be, but vendors tend to price their goods according to a person’s ability to pay; they reason, correctly, that a foreign tourist is well-heeled compared with most of their Thai customers. If you feel you are getting a raw deal, be prepared to bargain; this is expected of you. If you can bargain in Thai, a vendor will be so surprised and delighted that he (or, more likely, she) will be more willing to give you a reduction.
Department stores, supermarkets, and hotel boutiques tend to have fixed prices, which are clearly marked. A number of foreign retailers have branches in Thailand, but generally speaking the smaller shops are much more fun. The Siam Square and Pratunam areas have a very wide range of shops, but you have good shopping facilities in most areas of Bangkok, including the major business area around Silom and Suriwong. There are several excellent markets, including the famous Floating Market, which is often the ultimate destination of city canal tours.
In the provinces you will also find a wide range of goods on sale, even in the smallest townships. Most of the large hotels and tourist centers have souvenir shops selling Thai handicrafts. Thai silk, bronzeware, lacquerware, Celadon pottery, and wood carvings are among the most attractive items.
Buyer beware! Every year thousands of visitors are conned into buying objets d’art they believe to be genuine, but which are not. At archaeological sites like Ayuthaya, for instance, people will approach you offering to sell you genuine antiques that turn out to have been made last week and skillfully aged. A genuine antique is likely to be expensive, and if you plan to take it out of the country, you may well need to procure an export license.
You need to exercise particular care when buying jewelry, especially when approached in the street. Reputable dealers do not solicit in this way, nor do they organize special promotions. All claims as to the value of the object need to be verified carefully, and if you have any doubts as to the reliability of a jewelry dealer you should check with the Tourist Assistance Center of the Tourist Authority of Thailand. The Tourist Authority Web site is www.tat.or.th.
The most enthusiastic tourists in Thailand are the Thais themselves. But while most foreign visitors head for the beaches, Thais often head in groups for the country or for interesting towns and temple complexes. Since there are many excellent guidebooks and tourism Web sites available this book will just highlight some of the more popular places
The oldest site is the Grand Palace complex, which includes the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Keo). This was begun in 1782 by King Rama I and continued by his successors.
The National Museum, which houses a fine collection of antiquities, offers a fascinating introduction to Thai history and art, as do Thailand’s other historical museums.
A boat trip on the Chao Phraya River is a must, enabling you to see Bangkok as it once was—a complex of floating houses and shops ranged along the river. You will also get spectacular views of Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) and the Grand Palace.
Nakorn Pathom and Kanchanaburi
These can both be managed on a long day trip. The first boasts the largest Buddhist chedi (shrine) in Thailand, while the second is famous for the “Death Railway,” built with forced labor during the Second World War by the Japanese, linking Thailand to Burma. There are war cemeteries to visit here, spectacular scenery, and a museum. You can get to both places by bus or train.
Both are on the Chao Phraya River. The first is the former capital of Siam. The latter has a royal palace built by Chulalongkorn and a number of other buildings in European, Chinese, and Thai styles. There are train and bus services, but the nicest idea is to take a river trip from Bangkok.
Hua Hin and Phetchaburi
Hua Hin is Thailand’s oldest seaside resort and, though extensively developed in recent years, is regarded as far more relaxing than the popular resort of Pattaya on the other side of the Gulf. On the way a visit to Phetchaburi is possible. This is a small provincial city with a number of attractive temples. Both can be reached by bus or train.
Chiang Mai
This is the capital of the north and famous for its craftsmanship—textiles, wood carvings, pottery, umbrellas, and so on. Among the sights worth seeing are the Doi Suthep temple and the Tribal Museum. This is a useful center for exploring other places in the north, such as Chiang Saen on the Mekhong River, Chiang Rai, and Lampang, famous for its Elephant Orchestra. You can travel to Chiang Mai by air, train, or bus.
Sukhothai
The earliest capital of Siam, close to the modern town, stretches over a wide area and has been designated the Ramkhamhaeng National Park, after the famous King of Sukhothai. Bus and train services operate to the city from Bangkok.
Nakorn Sri Thammarat
An important cultural center in the south of Thailand, once the capital of the Tambralinga kingdom. It boasts an excellent museum, the largest temple in the south, Wat Phra Mahathat, and Khao Luang National Park. There are air, train, and bus services to the city from Bangkok.
Thailand has a rich culture that goes back many centuries. It can trace its origins to India; the eminent French scholar Georges Coedès included Thailand among the Indianized states of southeast Asia. However, the cultural influences, although emanating from the Subcontinent, entered the country via Burma, the Khmer Empire, and the southern kingdom of Srivijaya.
The Thais are proud of their cultural achievements, and with reason. But to appreciate Thai culture properly some background knowledge is helpful. The bookshop at Silpakorn Fine Arts University has an excellent range of literature on this subject, and if you would like to engage a guide or go on a guided tour the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT)—www.tourismthailand.org.—can help. The following lines offer a brief introduction.
There are two important influences on Thai culture. One is Buddhism. The other is the Ramayana, the Hindu epic poem written in Sanskrit between 500 and 100 BCE by the sage Valmiki. The epic eventually spread to Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, and King Rama I wrote a version entitled the Ramakien. Themes from the epic are present in Thai murals and Thai classical dance.
Thai classical dance (lakhon) was originally performed only at the royal court, but it can now be seen in theaters (notably the National Theater) and is often performed at wedding parties and other celebrations as well as in tourist restaurants.
The whole of the Ramakien would take days to perform, and a performance normally consists of just one episode. A chorus and narrators recite the narrative with musical accompaniment. The dancers tell the story through the use of stylized gestures and postures, and their movements are very slow. They hold their bodies straight from the neck to the hips and move them up and down with knees bent stretching to the rhythm of the music. Their brocaded costumes resemble the dress worn by royalty and mythological figures in old mural paintings. Masks are worn where a character is a demon or monkey.
Thai classical music uses a tonal system different from Western music, but those who are acquainted with Indonesian gamelan music will find many similarities. Unlike Western music which has full tones and semitones in the octave, Thai music has an eight-note octave consisting of full tones.
Among the instruments used are:
The ranad, or Thai xylophone, is usually slightly curved and resembles a boat.
Drums (glong) come in a variety of shapes and sizes; the shallow drum is known as the ram mana.
The kawng is a gong; one common variation is the kawng wong yai, which is a series of gongs (kong) suspended on a circular frame.
The saw is a stringed instrument that is played with a bow. Its body is made from half a coconut shell.
The ching are cymbals.
The bamboo pipe (pee) is a type of oboe.
The orchestra that accompanies Thai classical dance performances—known as a pipat orchestra—usually includes a ranad, pee, ching, kawng wong yai, and a glong.
Just as Western art is categorized by various styles—such as Classical, Baroque, and Rococo—so is the art of Thailand. One can appreciate these styles by observing the various depictions of the Lord Buddha.
In the Dvaravati period (sixth to the twelfth centuries CE) the statues have a broad face and well-formed features. In the southern Srivijaya period (seventh to thirteenth centuries) the features are well proportioned and show more direct Indian influences. The Lopburi style is much more gentle and benign. Statues from the Sukothai period (thirteenth to fourteenth centuries) are notable for their graceful curves and oval faces. Art historians consider that this period represents Thai art at its most refined and spiritual. Buddha statues from the U Thong or Early Ayuthaya periods (fourteenth century) have squarish faces, thick lips, and smiling mouths. It is at this point that the Dvaravati, Khmer, and Sukhothai styles merge. During the Ayuthaya period (fifteenth to eighteenth centuries) there is a move away from the simplicity of the earlier styles and the figures become much more ornate. The Rattanakosin style (late eighteenth century onward) is the style associated with the Chakri dynasty.
Some people are puzzled by the appearance of Thai Buddha statues. They are based on the description of the Buddha as it appears in Pali texts, which now appears to be a mistranslation. Most statues, of whatever style, have the following characteristics: a protuberance on the top of the skull; spiral curls; distended earlobes; arms long enough to enable him to touch his knees without stooping; flat foot soles; and projecting heels.
Although the Buddha is normally represented in the sitting position, he is also depicted in standing, walking, and reclining postures; the latter shows the Buddha entering Nirvana. There are a number of different hand gestures which usually depict meditation, calling the earth to witness, teaching, and dispelling fear. In some cases the Buddha is seated on a lotus flower, in others on a naga serpent, a reminder of how the Hindu god of the underworld saved the Buddha from drowning as he was meditating.
Wat Benchamabopit in Bangkok, popularly known as the Marble Temple, has a cloister containing fifty-three bronze Buddha statues that display all periods of Buddhist art from Thailand and neighboring countries.
Much of the Thai architecture from the past is religious. Most temples have the steeply sloping roofs with green and saffron glazed tiles found in Khmer architecture, and have horn- or beak-shaped finials on the ridge ends. You often find statues of demons surrounding the temple, whose duty it is to guard against evil spirits—rather like the gargoyles on medieval churches in Europe.
Troupes of strolling players perform all over the country, often at temple fairs. The actors improvise the dialogue, lyrics, and plot of the play making great use of puns and topical allusions. Music is provided by a type of mouth organ (ken) consisting of fourteen pieces of cane or bamboo.
Puppets with movable arms, which originated in the south of Thailand, or larger immobile ones mounted on sticks are manipulated by puppeteers behind a backlit screen. These are known as nang talung and nang yai. A similar tradition exists in Indonesia.
Cinema going is popular in Thailand, which has a thriving film industry. Many films are produced for local consumption and are of the Bollywood variety, but standards have risen considerably, both technically and artistically, in recent decades and Thai films have won awards at international film festivals, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes. One of the most ambitious and successful productions of recent years was The Legend of Suriyothai, about a sixteenth-century warrior queen who died in battle against the Burmese invaders.
Thai popular music used to sound schmaltzy, but young urban Thais have a greater appetite now for pop and rock music based on Western models. Among the leading exponents are Bird Thongchai Macintyre, Seko Loso, Tata Young (female), and the boy band Bodyslam. In the provinces Thai country music (luk thung) is enjoying a resurgence.
Thai folk dances have catchy rhythms and at celebrations it is quite usual for people to take to the dance floor and sway to the beat of the music, gesturing gracefully with their hands. The most popular dance is the ramwong, which was introduced by Phibul Songkhram to counteract the influence of Western ballroom dancing. Thais are very pleased if foreign visitors join in, however rudimentary their dancing skills. Folk dances (rabam pun muang) are associated with rice-planting and harvesting festivals as well as religious celebrations.
This boxing looks a good deal more ferocious than the international variety, as the participants use their feet as well as their fists, although head butting is prohibited. It was once banned because of the damage boxers inflicted on each other, but regulations have since been introduced that govern the sport—the Thai equivalent to the Queensberry Rules. There are two major boxing stadiums in Bangkok—Lumpini and Rajdamnern. Boxing bouts also take place in the provinces.
The Thais do not fight only with their feet; they use swords, staffs, clubs, and halberds, and you can see demonstrations of these skills in the various theme parks and restaurants. In a boy–girl fight, it is usually the girl who wins.
The Thais breed fish for these contests, and a pedigree champion has been known to attack for six hours. The loser is the fish that gives up the fight first. Cockfights are also held.
This is a popular pastime in the extreme south of Thailand. But there are no matadors and no deaths—just two bulls pitted against one another.
This is a popular pastime in the hot season, as is kite fighting in which the male kite (chula) sets out to ensnare the female kite (pukpao).
This game involves keeping a woven rattan ball in the air without using one’s hands. A variation on this has rules similar to basketball.
Other more familiar sports are football (soccer), rugby football, horse racing, and golf. There are two racecourses in Bangkok—the Royal Turf Club and the Royal Bangkok Sports Club. There are excellent golf clubs available, which attract the better off Thais and many Japanese.
There are several festivals during the year, and foreigners are welcome to attend. Indeed, in the tourist resorts some festivals seem to be specially organized for the visitors. Unless otherwise stated, all of these are public holidays, when banks, offices, and the civil service are closed. Most have fixed dates, but the religious festivals follow the lunar calendar and differ from year to year. In addition to the national celebrations there are also plenty of local festivals.
January 1: New Year’s Day
This could be regarded as the Thai equivalent of Christmas, when Thais send each other cards and give presents.
Late January–mid-February: Chinese New Year
The date depends on the New Moon. Not a public holiday as such, but many Chinese businesses close for celebration.
February:* Makha Buja Day (See this page.)
April 6: Chakri Day
This honors the present royal dynasty. (See this page.)
April 13–15: Songkhran
The traditional start to the Thai year, when it is the custom to bless one’s elders by pouring lustral water over their heads. Over the years this tradition has morphed into a general free-for-all in the provinces and people regard it as great sport to throw buckets of water over one another.
April 14: Family Day
May 1: National Labor Day
May 5: Coronation (or Enthronement) Day
This commemorates the enthronement of King Bhumibol in 1950 and is usually marked by official celebrations.
May 6: Royal Plowing Ceremony Day (See this page.)
May:* Visakha Buja Day (See this page.)
July:* Asalha Buja Day (See this page.)
July:* Khao Pansa Day
The start of Buddhist Lent. In parts of the northeast Khao Pansa is celebrated with a Candle Festival.
August 12: H. M. The Queen’s Birthday
October:* Tod Kathin (See this page.)
October 23: Chulalongkorn Day
Celebrations take place in honor of King Rama V.
(See this page.)
November:* Loi Krathong
Not a public holiday as such, but one of Thailand’s nicest festivals (see this page). People float little rafts on the rivers and canals and sing in Thai the refrain: “Let us float our krathongs together; When we do it, it brings us joy.” In Chiang Mai this festival is called Yi Peng.
November:* The Annual Elephant Roundup
This takes place in Surin Province, in the east.
December 5: H. M. The King’s Birthday
December 10. Constitution Day
December 31: New Year’s Eve
* date varies according to the lunar calendar
Thai nightlife divides into the perfectly respectable and the men-only brands. Many of the hotels have nightclubs and bars that welcome both sexes and offer musical entertainment and sometimes cabaret with international stars. There are also plenty of excellent restaurants that serve Thai food and put on demonstrations of Thai dancing, music, and martial arts.
Bangkok has all the entertainment that you would expect to find in a cosmopolitan center, including classical and pop music concerts as well as plays performed by local and visiting groups. Seaside resorts have entertainment for foreign tourists ranging from cabaret to all-night disco parties on the beach. A glance at the Friday editions of the Bangkok English-language newspapers will give you some idea as to what is going on. Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, and Phuket have weekly English-language papers that give prominence to entertainment in the immediate vicinity.
Thailand has also gained a certain notoriety for sleazier types of after-hours entertainment, with its many massage parlors (ab ob nuat), bars, and “teahouses.” While not all of these offer sex as part of the package, a large number do; the so-called “short-time” hotels, which often have bedrooms bedecked with mirrors on the walls and ceiling, offer little else.
Visiting a massage parlor can be an intriguing experience. A bevy of young masseuses in white coats sit behind a one-way glass screen wearing numbered badges. You pick your number, and the masseuse will usher you into a cubicle where she will strip you of your clothes, bathe you, and massage you. It is customary to give the masseuse a tip if you are pleased with the service.
There are bars all round Bangkok catering to foreigners, some with hostesses, others without. Not all the girls in the bars are what they seem. Many bars have transvestites, or “ladyboys,” who are a part of the Bangkok scene. The biggest concentration of bars is in the area known as Patpong. Once a single short street (Soi Patpong), it is now a huge complex of bars offering entertainment to suit every taste, including go-go dancing, lap dancing, striptease, and plenty of noise. Bars in other parts of Bangkok, including Soi Cowboy (Cowboy Street!) off Sukhumwit Road, tend to be less raucous, more relaxing, and much cheaper.
In most of the bars there are hostesses who will help you to while the evening away with their limited English. Most are graceful and charming, but a minority seem to have learned their English and their manners out in the Wild West. Put it all down to foreign influence.
The girls earn their living by getting customers to buy them drinks, and every half hour (or more frequently) they will request another drink—politely, of course (Thais never hustle!). Some will offer further favors after hours. Should you want to take one of them out before the bar closes, you may have to pay the bar a fee to release them.
A number of the short-time hotels catering to after-hours activities have parking spaces directly under the bedrooms. You park your car and curtains are drawn to conceal the model and its license plate from prying eyes and protect its owner’s anonymity. Sex is tolerated in Thailand, provided it is discreet.
Moralists are sometimes shocked at the number of Thai girls working in massage parlors, bars, and similar institutions. A survey by Chulalongkorn University estimates that there are 200,000 commercial sex workers in Thailand. However, before one blames Western sex tourism solely, one should bear in mind that the majority of their clientele are Thais and local Chinese men.
The job holds many attractions for the girls: it pays better than most other jobs (and Thai women often have a pragmatic outlook); the working conditions are better (air-conditioning, the company of their workmates); and it is far more enjoyable (sanùk) than working in a factory or planting rice. Far from home, who is to know what they are up to?
A fair proportion are country girls who hope to make their fortune and return to their villages one day with money jingling in their purses. After a few years a large proportion return home, reintegrate into the life of their community, lead respectable lives, and possibly get married. Some may be the chief breadwinners for their families back home.
TWO WARNINGS
Prostitution
Thailand’s reputation for sex tourism has brought health and social problems. To combat AIDS and child prostitution the authorities have started to clamp down, and prostitution is, in fact, illegal. Those living on immoral earnings face heavy penalties. Visitors caught having sex with anyone under the age of eighteen could land in prison.
If you must have sex, for your own protection use a condom. The Thai word for this is meechai, named after the well-known figure Dr. Meechai Viravaidya, who instituted Thailand’s highly successful family-planning campaign.
Drugs
The Thai government is anxious to eliminate the drug culture that is now affecting some younger Thais, and they seem determined to succeed. The police have hunted down hundreds of drug dealers, killing many in the operation. Foreigners are not above the law, and in recent years many Europeans caught possessing or smuggling drugs have been prosecuted. Those who are convicted languish in Thai jails for lengthy periods.