World Country Guide

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Food & Drink
There are many Asian and European restaurants. Thai food is hot and spicy, but most tourist restaurants tone down the food for Western palates. Pri-kee-noo, a tiny red or green pepper, is one of the hot ingredients that might best be avoided. These are generally served on a side plate in a vinaigrette with the main course. Thai dishes include tom yam (a coconut-milk soup prepared with makroot leaves, ginger, lemon grass, prawns or chicken); gang pet (hot 'red' curry with coconut milk, herbs, garlic, chillies, shrimp paste, coriander and seasoning) served with rice; kaeng khiaw ('green' curry with baby aubergines, beef or chicken) served with rice and gai yang (barbecued chicken); and kao pat (fried rice with pieces of crab meat, chicken, pork, onion, egg and saffron) served with onions, cucumber, soy sauce and chillies. Desserts include salim (sweet noodles in coconut milk) and songkaya (pudding of coconut milk, eggs and sugar often served in a coconut shell). Well worth trying is sticky rice and mangoes (rice cooked in coconut milk served with slices of mango), a favourite breakfast dish in the mango harvest season (March to May). Other popular fruits are papaya, jackfruit, mangosteens, rambutans, pomelos (similar to grapefruits) and, above all, durians, which farangs (foreigners) either love or hate. Owing to the strong smell of durians, the majority of hotels do not allow them onto the premises.
Local whisky, either Mekhong or SamSong, is worth sampling. The local beer comes in varying strengths. Fruit juices and shakes are also worth trying. Coconut milk straight from the shell is available during the harvest season. Bars have counter or table service. There are no licensing laws.

Nightlife
Bangkok offers a wide range of entertainment venues, from nightclubs, pubs, bars, cinemas and restaurants (many of which are open air), to massage parlours, pool halls and cocktail lounges. Performances of traditional religious and court dances can be seen at the Thai Cultural Centre. Elsewhere on the mainland, nightlife takes the form of traditional dances. The islands are renowned for their nightlife, and attendance is almost exclusively foreigners. The full moon parties are notorious and continue well into the following morning.

Shopping
Good buys include Thai silks and cottons, batiks, silver, pottery with celadon green glaze, precious and semiprecious stones, dolls, masks, lacquerware, pewterware, bamboo artefacts and bronzeware. The weekend market at Chatuchuk Park in Bangkok is a regular cornucopia with items ranging from genuine antiques to fighting fish. Tailor-made clothes are also good value and can be made in a matter of days. Shopping hours: Mon-Sun 1000-2100; department stores 1000-2200.

Special Events
A remarkable number of festivities take place in Thailand throughout the year. For a full list of festivals and events contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand (see Contact Addresses section).
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Thailand in 2005:
Jan 13-24 Bangkok International Film Festival. Feb 4-6 Chiang Mai Flower Festival. Feb 9 Chinese New Year Celebrations. Mar 18-20 Pattaya Music Festival, Chonburi. Apr 6-13 Songkran Festival, nationwide. Apr 18-28 Toh Moh Goddess Shrine Festival, Narathiwat. May 13-15 Rocket Festival, nationwide. Jun-Jul tbc Samui Carnival, Samui Island. Jul 20-21 Buddhist Lent Candle Procession, Ubon Ratchatani. Oct 2-11 Phuket Ngan Kin Jeh (Vegetarian Festival). Sep King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, Hua Hin, Prachuab Khiri Khan. Oct 29-30 Mekong River Traditional Longtail Boat Race, Nakhon Phanom. Nov 11-15 Sukhothai Loi Krathong Festival, Sukhothai.

Social Conventions
Present-day Thai society is the result of centuries of cultural interchange, particularly with China and India, but more recently with the West. Western visitors will generally receive a handshake on meeting someone. A Thai will be greeted with the traditional closed hands and a slight bow of the head, the wai. Buddhist monks are always greeted in this way. The Thai Royal Family is regarded with an almost religious reverence. Visitors should respect this. It is very bad manners to make public displays of anger, as Thais regard such behaviour as boorish and a loss of 'face'. Public displays of affection between men and women are also frowned upon, and it is considered rude to touch anyone on the head or to point one's feet at someone. Shoes should be removed before entering someone's home or a temple. Informal dress is widely acceptable and men are seldom, if ever, expected to wear suits. A traditional Thai shirt is the most suitable attire for men at any official function. Beachwear should be confined to the beach and topless sunbathing is frowned upon. Smoking is widely acceptable. Tipping: Most hotels and restaurants will add 10 per cent service charge and 11 per cent government tax to the bill.