FAQ'S

Like so many non western counties people have a set opinion about life in a 'third world' or 'under developed' country and very often these opinions could not be further from the truth and are often the result of a view that is 30 years out of date or based on couple of sensational news headlines. Thailand is in many ways a very modern and exiting country but it still manages to hold on to many traditions and old values, this makes for an interesting mix of old and new that often confuses foreigner's. Below are some questions and answers some of which may surprise you.

Q. Didn’t they just have a military coup in Thailand?
A. Yes recently there was a military coup, but it had no effect on daily life whatsoever, do not think of it as a 1970’s Central America type coup. This was a completely non violent event with not one shot fired and there are no soldiers out on the streets and no change in law and order. Thai life goes on as normal.

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Q. Is Thailand just a destination for sex tourists?
A. Thailand has a well known sex tourist industry, but Thailand has so much more to offer, sex tourism is a tiny part of Thai culture. There are so many other things to do from Elephant trekking to diving, concerts, sight seeing, golf, fine dining, markets and an endless list to long to go into here .Basically the sex trade is available, but if you dont want to there is no reason why you would need to go to the small area’s of the cities where these services are grouped together.

Q. Where is the best place to live in Thailand?
A. There is no real answer to this question; it depends very much on the type of lifestyle you are looking for. Examples Big city with all amenities Bangkok, Smaller cities with most amenities Chiang Mai, Pattaya , Large Towns with some amenities Hua Hin , Chiang Rai, Beaches Phuket, Koh Samui, Krabi and many more. If you want to live a simple quiet life any rural area .You would need to travel and take a look to find an area that suits your needs relaxed to non stop atractions.

Q. What’s the food like?
A If you are in a main tourist area many U.S chains like McDonalds, KFC and so on can be found as can many western restaurants, and every other eastern food such as Indian and Chinese. Thai food is available everywhere and I am not just stating the obvious , it is EVERYWHERE there seem to be more stalls , cafes and restaurants than all other types of shops put together . Thai food is often spicy but that is usually indicated in the dish description, very often food will come without so\pice and the chilli's and so on will be in little jars on the table for you to add as required a lot of Thai food is not spicy if you don’t like your food hot you can still find lots of great tasting dishes.

Q. Are items like babyfood and nappies/diapers available
A . Yes just about any item you would have in the west is readily available in Thailand 'tampax' type sanitary items are not readily available but the modern towl type items are sold everywhere, Durex brand condoms from the UK are sold at very many outlets, many western pescription and non persription drugs are to be found at much lower than western prices if you need a very unusual drug best to bring plenty with you then you can check if they or a version of them is available. Viagra is as easy to find as asprin and is much cheaper than in the west

Q. Can I rent a car or motorbike?
A. Yes with a licence, hotel name, passport and credit card, credit card not required for motor bike, all the big chains operate in Thailand as well as many local outfits. Motorbikes are not recommended for foreigners as riding a bike in Thailand can be very dangerous especially for those not used to Thai road conditions. With a car it is essential to have full insurance as if you have an accident you will probably be held responsible no matter the circumstances.

Q Is there anything in the west that would be considered normal but is offensive to Thai's?
A. Yes This

Q. Is it safe to ride a motorbike
A. Total road deaths in Thailand in 2005 were near 20,000 and approximately 50% involved motorcycles an astronomical figure by western standards. The UK has the same population but only 20 deaths on bikes in 2003.

Military Coup Thai Stlye

Q. What are the police like?
A . There are two types of police the regular police and tourist police, you may have heard horror stories about the police, but these are isolated incidents nearly always involving drugs. We have always found the regular police to be courteous and helpful and the tourist police extremely obliging. Thai society is very intolerant of criminals that is why it is a safe country. You should never have a problem with the police so long as you avoid fighting, drugs, and doing anything that would be a crime in your own country

Raising the soles of your feet is considered the height of bad manners

Q. What is the religion of Thailand, can I find a Christian church?
A. The official religion is Buddhism, there are quite a few Muslims especially in the far south, all religions are accepted and respected, Christian churches or at services can be found in all tourist area’s

Q What’s a “farang” or “falang”
A. You, foreigners are usually referred to as farangs on occasion it might be as an insult but generally it’s just a world they use to describe non Thai’s particularly westerners’ .Its actually an abbreviated word for Frenchman that has come mean all foreigners

Q. What are the different seasons like?
A. It is hot or at least very warm all year round, in the north it can be cool in the evening.
July to October [Rainy Season] It rarely rains for more than an hour at a time. The mornings are usually sunny; a thunderstorm can come towards the late afternoon. This season usually ends in late October when the winds suddenly change to the north. November to February [Dry, Cooler Season] Daytime High temperatures are 30-35 C (85-95 F), humidity 50% - 60%. Every day is a sunny day. March thru June [Hot Season] . Temps can rise to 40 C (105 F) on the hottest days, and at night humidity can rise. Sometime between late June to late July, evening downpours start to come.

Q. What are Important phone numbers I need?
A. The first number you need is the tourist police if available in the area you are staying in, don’t wait until you need it, its to late then put it in your phone now.
Bangkok
Tourist police 1155
Regular Police 191
Bangkok Tourist Service Center 1155
Medical Emergency 1554 Ambulance and Rescue 1669
Fire 199
Immigration Office Soi Suanphlu, Sathorn Tai Road, Bangkok 10120

Embassy’s in Bangkok
Australia 0 2287 2680
Belgium 0 2236 0150
Canada 0 2636 0541
Denmark 0 2213 2021-5

Pattaya
Tourist police 1155
Regular police 038 221 800-1
City Call center 1337 (all kinds of live help in English and Thai)
Immigration Office 038 429 409
Ambulance
Pattaya International Hospital 428374-5
Pattaya Memorial Hospital 429422-4
Bangkok Pattaya Hospital 259999.

France 0 2266 8250-4
Germany 0 2287 9000
Italy 0 2285 4090-3
Netherlands 0 2 309 5200
New Zealand 0 2254 2530
Norway 0 2261 0230-7
Russia 0 2268 1169
South Africa 0 2253 8473-6
Sweden 0 2254 4954-5
Switzerland 0 2253 0156-60
United Kingdom (British Embassy)
1031 Wireless Rd BKK
Tel : 0 2253 0191-9
United States of America
120-122 Witthayu Road, Bangkok 10330
Tel : 0 2205 4000

Q. Do I need to get a tourist visa before I visit Thailand ?
The Thai government allows citizens of 39 countries to stay in Thailand for tourism purpose for up to 30 days without an applying in advance for an entry visa. If you want to stay for more than 30 days you can get a short extension at an immigration office, the length of which is at their discretion, usually 7 days, each of the 2 permitted 30 day extensions must be applied for at international boarders. You will need to show your flight or travel tickets with a departure date within the max total 90 days to get extensions.
Here is the list of countries that don’t need a visa in advance.
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam,
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar,
Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam.

Q. Is it safe to drink the water?
A. No, there are exceptions but no, it is reasonably safe to brush teeth, kids should use bottled water for this, ice is generally very safe you will notice it is all the same shape a short tube with hole through it be suspicious of any other shape. Unopened bottled water is perfectly safe and available on every corner in many sizes and very cheap

Q. I heard that only Thai's can by property, or it has to be in a Thai name.
A.Yes foreigners (farangs) can buy a condo / apartment with basically no restrictions and the same security under law as a Thai national . See our property page

Q. Is Thailand “gay friendly”
A. Simple answer.. Yes, very.

Q. Can I buy a car or motorbike?
A. Yes with a retirement visa, you just need to go to the imirgration and prove your address and id they give you a slip of paper for you to give to the people you are buying the car/ bike from.

Q. Are there internet cafes and wireless hotspots?
A. Internet cafes are everywhere even in very small towns and usually cheap, wireless hotspots are starting to appear in shopping malls, hotels, bars and other locations.

Tel. +66 2 287 3101