Tourist Do’s & Don’ts in Thailand
The Thais are charming, friendly people.
They genuinely like visitors and
appreciate others sharing their love of
Thailand and all things Thai. They are
tolerant and readily overlook the usual
tourist faux pas, but it is always nice
to be prepared to avoid even the most
minor offense. The following are
highlights on general Thai culture do’s
and don’ts.
Respecting Buddha
When visiting Thailand or a Buddhist
Temple (otherwise known as a “Wat”),
please treat all Buddha images with
great respect. If taking a souvenir
photo, you should never lean or climb on
a Buddha, nor should you point your feet
directly at one. This is considered very
rude and could be met with a verbal
warning in a more formal setting such as
the Buddhist Temple at The Royal Palace
in Bangkok. Also always remember to
remove your shoes before entering a
temple (it is not difficult to find a
place; there are usually piles of shoes
near the entrance or racks on which you
may place them nearby.)
Showing Affection
Try to restrain from showing overt
affection (i.e. fondling or more serious
kissing) for your partner in public.
This causes embarrassment. Times may be
changing, especially in Bangkok, but
it's best to err on the side of caution
and be considerate of your host culture.
Smiling
A smile in Thailand is used in many
situations: to be friendly, to show
amusement, to thank someone, to excuse
oneself, to show embarrassment, to
smooth over situations, to repair
breeches in etiquette, and to overcome
the language barrier.
You will find that smiling in these
situations goes a long way. So, if you
ever notice a Thai person smiling “at
you” remember they are not making fun.
They are trying to smile WITH you. If
you find yourself in this situation,
simply SMILE right back.
Showing Appreciation
There are many ways to say “thank you”
in Thailand. You can simply smile and
slightly bow your head, say Kob Khun Ka
(for women) and Kob Khun Krab (for men),
and of course, either can be accompanied
by the traditional Thai Wai.
Doing the Wai is easy. Just put your
palms together with your fingertips
pointing upward (like the western prayer
position) and raise your hands to your
face with fingertips just covering your
nose. You can use the wai to say thank
you, hello, and goodbye and generally
show respect. You will find the wai is
often met with a smile and a wai right
back.
Thais are always pleased when foreigners
or “farang” pay respect to their
culture. Incidentally, you may often
hear the word “farang” while visiting
Thailand. It is not an insult, just
simply a Thai word for anyone not Thai.
Attracting Attention
To attract the attention, it is
customary to use your hand to beckon
with your palm facing downwards. This
avoids pointing your finger at the body,
which is considered impolite. You should
also never clap or snap your fingers to
call a person’s attention.
Bargaining
It's fun to bargain for souvenirs and
goods with good humor, but remember to
respect vendors. Extreme underbidding is
seen as disrespectful. While bargaining
is always expected and welcome, be
reasonable when offering prices. A smile
always goes a long way and calculators
can help to bridge the language gap.
Entering a home
It is customary to remove your shoes
before entering a Thai home. It is
considered disrespectful to bring dirt
from the street into a clean home. There
are usually shoes lined up next to the
door or a rack on which you may place
them. Some offer slippers, but to most,
bare feet are welcome. If you are fresh
from the beach, you may ask for a hose
or water to clean before entering.
Touching
Never touch a Thai person’s head or
hair. If you should do so accidentally,
it's polite to apologize. The top of the
head, inhabited by the khwan (spirit
essence) is considered to be the most
important part of the body, and the feet
are the least important and dirtiest.
Therefore, keep your feet to yourself.
While visitors are invited to enter
homes barefoot, you should never rest
them on a table or step over anybody or
their food, nor should you ever point
your feet directly at anyone.
Interacting with Monks
Women should never touch a Buddhist Monk
or the robe he wears. If a woman needs
to hand something to a monk, they can
set it down for the monk to pick up or
give it to a man to hand over. If a
woman wants to give food to a monk (all
of their food is donated either at the
temple or on the street at meal times),
they can place it in their bowl or on a
piece a saffron cloth, which the monks
keep handy for this purpose.
Keeping your cool
An essential value in Thai culture is to
always remain calm and maintain a cool
heart, or jai yen. Displaying anger or
impatience entails a loss of face.
Remember, always relax and keep your
cool, and of course, a smile can work
wonders!
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