As many people know, all countries of the world have their own rules of behavior and traditions. No matter how strange they may seem, any visitor must observe them. Somewhere this is being monitored more strictly, somewhere practically they do not pay attention. In Asian countries with an ancient culture, such foundations and traditions have been formed for centuries, so the approach to their respect and compliance is extremely strict. If something cannot be done to a foreigner, it means impossible and nothing else. Thailand is no exception in this regard. Ignorance of local traditions and general rules do not justify their violation. So, in this article we will analyze the question, what can not be done in Thailand, what is allowed.
So, what is forbidden to do in Thailand:
- It is forbidden to make disrespectful statements about Buddhism, the Buddha and in any other way to insult the religious views of local residents. Intending to visit any temple, need to take care about decent and non-inviting clothing covering your knees and shoulders. Most temples popular with tourists have a dress code and they will be given a special wrap, but it is better to choose clothes yourself.
- You can not export from Thailand any appearance and image of the Buddha.
- To desecrate places and objects revered by local residents.
- In Thailand, a person cannot enter a house or temple shod.
- Touching Buddhist monks to female persons. Ministers of Buddha need to show their respect, and in their presence it is forbidden to cross their legs.
- Allow disrespectful statements about the King of Thailand and members of his family, about all previous rulers. The punishment for such actions even provides for imprisonment.
- Do not point objects or people in Thailand with your finger or foot. While in the temple, watch for the toes of the feet - they should not be pointed at the Buddha statue, for example.
- It is forbidden to touch the locals by the head, because for them it is the most important and revered part of the body.
- It is not recommended to hug local residents, showing sympathy or expressing approval, the usual words of gratitude will be enough.
- You can not copy the gesture of local residents of Thailand called "wai" - a bow with folded hands in a certain way. This gesture has several options with its own meaning. A bow of thanks can be fulfilled, but not only the first, but in response to the “wai” from.
- It is forbidden to write the names of people on anything in red ink. This color is intended for the dead, but for a living person it can mean the wish of death.
- You can’t call a waiter in Thailand by raising your finger up - you need to raise your hand and squeeze it into a fist.
- Leave chopsticks after eating in a plate, which is a bad omen. Thais themselves do not often use chopsticks, then,?
- In Thailand you can’t refuse the treats - if you don’t want to eat, then just try, otherwise you will deeply resent.
- It is forbidden to order dishes individually for yourself in the company with Thais - in Thailand it is customary to share food for everyone.
- Couples in love cannot openly show their emotions and feelings in Thailand. This country adheres to strict rules in maintaining family values.
- Touching local women without their consent. Such an act may be considered an insult. You should be aware that only 1 percent of all taikas are associated with.
- You can not sunbathe on the beaches of Thailand completely naked or topless ().
- Raise your voice, openly express irritation or impatience in public places of the country.
- It is impossible without official permission, serious problems are possible.
Conclusion
As you can see, the rules of conduct in Thailand are quite simple and follow them is not difficult. People come to Thailand for rest and relaxation. Get them with a smile, enjoy the wonderful nature and decor, without forgetting about some “Not allowed”.
Appreciate and respect the customs and traditions of local residents, and they will pay you back with a warm welcome, friendly attitude, provide all the necessary assistance in the speedy adaptation in this amazing region, and create all conditions for an unforgettable vacation. By paying attention to the values \u200b\u200bof the people of Thailand, you will be able to feel their spiritual life and, perhaps, better understand this original country.
Yes, I understand that here we are all very experienced travelers, but I am not writing for you - but for people who travel the first or second time. In this relatively short text, I gathered advice on what absolutely can not be done in Pattays (and, by and large, these tips apply to all of Thailand). If you are an advanced guy, then look and consider how many points you already know, and what was the discovery for you) Unsubscribe about the results in the comments.
You can’t order anything in the numerous “tailoring suits”.
Yes, the whole Pattaya is just packed with Indians and Pakistanis who offer tailoring services in an atelier with big names like Versace or the Ultra Super Exclusive Taylor Suite. But there are a few observations.
The first one. If you look at what is displayed in the windows, it is always overt slag, sewn by armless baboons in the mating season. These are the best examples of bad taste, seasoned with vulgarity and diluted with models of uncle Liao thirty years ago. This is evident - the clothes simply scream with their appearance “I'm a piece of cheap shit!”.
On the other hand, I understand that not everyone has a trained look and experience with a personal tailor. Or maybe the Hindu really put something outstanding on the window, I do not exclude it. So, what will happen next: they will take measurements from you, take money, and will feed you breakfast until your departure. Then they promise to send the costume by mail and will not send it. And after a year, this shop will change its location and name, and everything will continue. And if you demand a refund, they will send you fucking, and the police will say that a piece of paper with a receipt is not a check and a document under Thai laws. You were given a piece of bullshit.
In general, the avaricious pays twice, sucker - always. I’ll add a cruel one: a custom-made suit is cheaper than a thousand dollars (and this is not a price in Russia) - this is not a custom-made suit. If you are very lucky, then the product will be customized for you according to the finished patterns,)
So everything is simple - they will offer to go to the studio, we twist our faces, say “I don’t wear shit” and move on.
You can’t go to “Russian” restaurants.
At this point I will start a little from afar. That's what we travel for? Or go for a drive on vacation? Relax, sleep off, try local or new cuisine, for new experiences ... Yes, exactly. And for me there has always been a great mystery - why in Thailand with manic frenzy to look for Russian cuisine? Is it not enough for you at home?
The peculiarity of the “Russian” restaurants in Tai is always the same - there is NOT Russian cuisine. There is a completely different meat, spices, some products are stupidly absent, and in general. And what happened - you are offered one dish at the price of lunch in a neighboring Thai institution.
I honestly tested for many trips to Tai. And here is what I can say - the worst cafes in my experience are Russian cafes. The only cafe where his wife was poisoned is "The White Sun of the Desert." The only place where yesterday’s barbecue was served in the microwave was served “Armenia”. You can continue for a long time, but in general - you see a cafe with a Russian sign and the phrase "Russian food" - run. And quickly and far.
Now let's think, what is there? I will answer - yes, anything! Pattaysk is a place where there is a cafe, it seems to me, of any kitchen in the world. There are amazing German, European, Indian, Arab, Italian restaurants - dozens! Hundreds!
If you don’t want the spicy - well, eat Viennese schnitzel. Or club sandwich. Or minestrone. I honestly do not understand how you can wish for Russian food in a place where you can go for a week to various cuisines of the world, and even without repetition.
Yes, there are only so many options for Asian cuisines - Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Chinese and northern Thailand and Laos for a snack.
Cheslovo, an average lunch in a Russian cafe - a thousand baht. In other places you can eat for five hundred and tastier. If you are interested - unsubscribe in the comments, I will make you a gastronomic trip for a week in Pattaya - you are awesome what you can try here,)
There are exceptions. I admit it. Friends Café at Koh Phangan is a great place. Will you be there - greetings to Anton from me.
You can’t buy drugs.
It is very simple - buying and carrying drugs in case of discovery threatens you with a large fine or imprisonment. There were cases when the issue was "resolved on the spot" for tens of thousands of dollars, there were cases when Russians received an advanced course in Thai language and culture at the expense of the hospitable kingdom of Thailand.
When you are offered to buy marivan on the street, the best thing you get is a package of chopped dill. The second option - a cop himself sells it to you undercover. Third - the dealer will hand you over to the cops who are next to him and get his half of the bribe.
I honestly do not understand why there is dope here. No drugs are needed in paradise. There is mango. And if you want a good parish - eat a lab night, the parish will be for all the money.
You can not insult and disrespect the king.
This is a very, very important point. The figure of the monarch in Thailand is extremely respected. His portraits are in every institution in the country, or even several. Respect for the monarch (no matter the current or the past) is probably the main part of the Siam culture.
If you do this, they will beat you for a start (and everyone around you), and then either imprisonment or a large fine - this one is lucky and how to agree.
So do not spit on the image of the king, do not tear, do not draw on it and do not trample on your feet. That is, walking barefoot for money - yes, this is just trampling underfoot. Thais are very confused about the cleanliness of their legs, in the sense that they consider their legs to be "unclean" parts of the body.
So, if you have a long, drunken conversation with a person who is tired of you, argue with him for five hundred baht that he will not be able to light a cigarette from a hundred bill. (the king is depicted on any bill).
You can not carry all your money and documents with you.
Once we met a young lady in great sadness. We talked, and it turned out that she had lost / her bag was stolen from her. This bag contained all the cash, a telephone, a foreign and Russian passport. We had only one question - why did she bring a domestic passport with her? The answer killed us - "not to lose."
So - in Thailand no one needs the originals of your documents. To rent a scooter, for example, you need a photocopy of your passport, or nothing at all. Here, they really only ask for a passport for domestic flights by plane and receiving money through Western Union. For a currency exchange, a driver’s license is enough, for everything else (though it doesn’t occur to anyone’s mind), the driver’s license is higher than the roof.
Judge for your cost of loss. If you have lost a driver, you will have to pay five hundred rubles upon arrival. And if you have lost your passport, you will have an incredibly interesting quest with trips to the Russian Embassy in Bangkok, receipt of documents for entry, and in particularly harsh options - the procedure for restoring citizenship. I once went through this, I do not advise you.
All you need to carry with you is five thousand baht (or another amount that is definitely enough for a day), a driver’s copy of your passport. That's it, I'm serious. Moreover, the last two points are optional.
Documents and cash reserves should be left in the hotel safe, and if there is no safe in the hotel, then these services are provided by bank branches in Thailand.
You can not go out in the sun without protective creams.
Once, on a rather cloudy day, we observe two compatriots on the beach. The dialogue was like this: “let's smear with a deuce, here the sun is weaker than here in Saratov in the summer”. They were spread and spent five hours in the open light. What happened next? The next three days they were bright pink and walked sideways. We call these “crabs”.
The most deceiving in Thailand is the sun. The sun is frying on all the money here, regardless of the presence or absence of clouds - they do not filter ultraviolet. The worst thing you can do is splash in the water without protective creams, in this case you get not only direct ultraviolet, but also a bonus reflected from the water. What do you get in the end? Moral suffering and space costs on bepanten. Sunstroke comes with the most stubborn bonus.
See - sunscreens are sold here in every pharmacy. Really in each. The most reasonable assortments are in Network Boots, they are located in shopping centers.
You need a cream or spray with SPF 50 for the first three days, then switch to SPF 30, in the second week you can smear SPF 15 and finally, to give yourself a golden crust - a four. For me, the best sports series of sprays that have protection against flushing with water and then - they last longer.
Yes, I’m completely serious - smear the neck, under the knees and soles of the feet above. I don’t even discuss the nose and ears. Headgear and quality glasses are required.
You can not plump in the open sun.
This item combines the other two from this article - about water and sunscreens. I often see guys who sit in the sun, take a bottle of cold chang and go into nirvana for several hours.
In fact, you get solar and thermal shock complex.
Look at experienced tourists - they drink beer, but after sunset.
You can’t go to the fish spa.
This infernal attraction always causes me a sarcastic grin from transitions to surprise. Now I’ll tell you - a fish spa, this is an aquarium where fish of the type eat excess skin from your legs, such as cleansing it.
I am sure that the sellers of this service will tell you a lot about its usefulness. They sell it, so it’s inhuman benefit. But I do not buy it, because it is armed with common sense and iron logic.
The main and only point is hygiene. Fish should not be potential carriers of skin diseases between people. For example, in nail salons, instruments are necessarily sterilized before each use. Pay attention to the processing of aquariums between visitors. It is absolutely none - there are no filtration and water purification systems, only oxygen is supplied for fish. Now guess how often the water in the aquarium is changed, and how many ingredients are in this soup.
Yes, you can observe the person in front of you. But who and in what condition was in the morning? Or a day ago? And we have a humid environment and a temperature of thirty degrees. Fucking a big Petri dish.
Thus, a fish spa in terms of utility is exactly the same as maggot in the wound eating dead tissue. You can do two in one courses. On the other hand, you get used to feeding fish yourself - also good. Sometimes you eat fish, sometimes fish eat you.
You can’t walk in swimsuits not on the beach.
There are a few subtle points. First, if you pay attention, Thais often bathe in T-shirts. Exposing a torso is considered indecent. The second - well, I don’t know about you, but watching cellulite hams is a bit unpleasant. The third is very simple. Coming out of the beach, pulling on shorts and putting on a T-shirt is the right word, this is not the launch of the shuttle. And, if it helps you, a fine is imposed for driving with a naked torso.
Water consumption cannot be ignored.
The climate in Thailand is slightly hot for the average Russian. This causes increased sweating, and, as a result, fluid flow. You need to drink about four liters of water per day, since the water here is cheap and is sold at every corner in chain stores.
The advice is personally from me: we buy a liter and a half of water in the store, put two isotonic powders there and calmly drink it every few minutes. This cocktail also compensates for the loss of salts. The issue price is thirty-four baht (water - 18, two isotonics - 14, seven each)
Ignoring water consumption leads to dehydration, and often to thermal shock. For example, in Phangan, after the Full Moon Party, there are regularly characters with droppers who go home. This very often happens if you dance until the morning, and then also go to the beach and go to bed under the warm sun for three hours. Now they are in a state of squeezed herring and consume uncharacteristic amounts of saline.
It seems that drinking a lot is unusual, but here is a diagram:
- Woke up - drank two glasses of water at once.
- A glass of water after breakfast.
- A liter of water slowly during lunch.
- Every ten minutes of walking in the sun or on the beach - three good, full-bodied sips.
- I came home after the promenade - a couple of glasses of cold water from the refrigerator with isotonic.
If you ride a scooter, in the morning prepare a couple of bottles of water with isotonic (I prefer liter bottles) and throw under the seat. Even if heated for a day, nothing terrible.
The local police is a separate training on the practice of humility. For example, once in Pattaya I was sent a fine for speeding, determining the speed by eye. Seriously - no gauges. If you drive a scooter, you will be cured more regularly than on the highway leading to the Crimea. Fortunately, a fine for driving without a license (or with our internal) is 400 baht. They also like to heal for riding without a helmet or without insurance (and almost all scooters - without insurance).
You can forget about the rights of a person and a lawyer - they can stop you and search you simply because you are not Thai. And even if there is a Zerglings attack on a helmetless scooter, a fine will be issued to you - simply because such a tradition. Arriving gets more attention and honor, as you know. By the way, if during a search you find out that it is illegal (drugs, pornography) - the Russian Embassy will not deal with you from the word “completely”.
And to make it clear - the resistance of the police is ten days of arrest. In a Thai prison. So we smile and wave.
The second point is about voice enhancement. In Thais, raising a voice amounts to an insult. This means that the officer lost his face. There are a lot of heaps of cultural jokes here, but raising a voice, and even less a mat is unacceptable. Everything is polite and calm. By the way, raising the voice is not recommended for Thais in general, and not just in uniform.
And yes, an important rule. If you see a hello kitty policeman with a pink bandage, you don’t need to laugh and take pictures over him, let alone point a finger. So the guilty police are punished, and they will fall on you or not - the question is twofold.
You can not start a fight with the locals.
The shortest item. Yes, Thais are small. But you never know how many run local. And we saw this - everyone who is nearby is running in. And the second - in the dispute of the farang (tourist) and the local, according to the police, the farang is always to blame.
In addition, I was always interested in - and on what point should I arrange scuffle and why? What did he say to you in Thai that it required immediate satisfaction?
You can not rent a scooter / motorcycle if you do not know how to ride.
Yes, I understand that driving a scooter is very simple. Yes, I know - it literally "sat down and went" - a simple thing, it gives a lot of pleasure and gives many degrees of freedom. Plus just a huge amount.
Moreover, for the development of this vehicle it really takes five to seven hours, of which one hour is the skills of starting and stopping, one hour is the basics of control, three hours of training turns, the rest is emergency braking.
All these trainings are needed in order to understand the limits of the capabilities of this technique, and keep as far from these limits on the road as possible. Very small statistics of accidents, if you keep a distance with a margin and drive at a speed of forty kilometers per hour.
And almost always the guarantee of an accident is a state of illusion of omnipotence, which comes the day on the fifth ride - like I can do anything, now let's burn!
Let me tell you from my own experience what happens when driving in Thailand.
- Once my motorcycle stalled during a ride on a hill of twenty degrees of commercials. And the rubber did not hold by itself and the bike began to slide down. Do you manage to keep the bike level and start it and start uphill?
- There was a case when behind a blind turn across the road there was a monitor lizard. Moreover, it was a very well-fed “speed bump” - to move without options, and if you run over he could be very offended, and this creature is carnivorous. Emergency braking. Managed.
- There was a case when a puddle appeared on the road around the turn, which completely closed the wheels. Can you drive without a water hammer and not stall?
- I will not write about sand and oil in the corners, this is the standard.
- About the behavior on the roads and left-hand traffic is unnecessary to add,)
Few people know how to choose a bike in normal technical condition, on fresh tires and with live brakes. I saw the rubber pulling away in a bend, and the bike cheerfully flew apart with plastic. And repairing a bike is charged at the box office at the prices that occurred to the owner today - and you can easily pay a thousand dollars for repairs.
Oh yes, and your travel insurance with a big guarantee doesn’t have to do motorsport, right?
What I’m leading to - a few lessons before you leave will save you a lot of health and money. I’m not joking about health - a slippery thing is simple, but a concussion and a fracture are already much more expensive.
A simple test to see if you can drive a scooter in Thailand. From two stages. First, can you drive ten blocks in your city without applying the brake at all? Second: take a scooter, and at a speed of sixty per hour, put it in a sharp turn. Inside the turn you have an emergency braking situation, you have twenty meters. Managed? Well done, in Thailand there is every chance to survive.
And the most important rule written in blood. Drive a scooter after drinking alcohol and drugs \u003d death. It may not be immediately and not on the first trip. But the bony one will definitely catch you.
An overview of what is prohibited in Thailand this year 2017.
This year, Thailand has entered into force several laws that directly relate to tourists.
Laws with serious monetary or prison liability, so you need to know them so as not to get into jail.
Along with the already existing prohibition law on electronic cigarettes:, from November 1, 2017, a new law on combating smokers comes into force:
1) No smoking on twenty beaches of Thailand
- Mae Pim: Rayong, East of Thailand
- Laem Sing: Chanthaburi, east of Thailand closer to Cambodia
- Bang Saen: Chonburi, North of Pattaya
- Cha-am: Phetchaburi, south of Bangkok, the shore of the Gulf of Thailand
- Khao Takiab: south of Hua Hin, the coast of the Gulf of Thailand
- Bo Phut: Koh Samui
- Haad Sai Ree: Koh Tao Island
- Patong: Phuket
- Pattaya: central Pattaya beach
- Jomthien: South Pattaya Beach
- Koh Khai Nok: an island in eastern Phuket
- Koh Khai Nai: an island in eastern Phuket
For violation of the smoking ban:
- a fine of 100 thousand baht or
- year of prison.
.
New information. December 2017
Now in Phuket only smoking places are available on Patong Beach.
And it is forbidden to smoke only in Patong.
What can I say.
Thais are piggybacking on the beaches, leaving bottles after their picnics; packing from grub from trays; bank gum, which wrap sauces in bags, ice cream wrappers, etc.
But if the police will screw someone for garbage, then naturally a tourist.
You understand - a Thai can always agree with a Thai.
Therefore, smoke on beaches that are not even listed - carefully.
And for gobies use for example the devices that issue on the beaches
2) In Thailand, the launch of drones is prohibited without its registration
Starting October 13, 2017, it is forbidden to launch drones in Thailand without registering them with the representative offices of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand, the Civil Aviation Administration or the police.
You cannot launch a drone within a radius of 19 km from Sanam Luang and not very interesting places of the Thai royal family in the province of Nontaburi.
.
Law violation:
- 5 years in prison or
- fine 100 thousand baht
The law was adopted on October 13, and after 90 days it will begin to be enforced.
That is, starting January 13, launch a drone without registration in Thailand must be very, very careful, since 5 years in a Thai prison is 5 years in a Thai prison.
How to register a drone.
While the farangs write that the registration is delayed for months and still need to insure the drone for 1 million baht.
You understand that when the law is passed, and the legalization of the drone in Thailand is not specified by the regulations or practice, there will be all kinds of abuses by the police.
Lovers to collect corals and shells
Two Russians arrested on the island of Phuket in Thailand on charges of violating local laws to protect marine resources.
The report on the detention of two Russians said that they collected corals on the shore of Karon Beach. In Thailand, this is a violation of environmental laws and such cases are pending.
One of the Russians thought of cleaning the coral with a liquid to clean the toilet. This was noticed by a local resident and reported to the police.
Any harm done to coral reefs in Thailand is subject to violation of local environmental laws.
For his non-compliance, a penalty of up to $ 3 thousand or a year in prison is punished.
Lovers to feed fish in the sea
Last year example (2017)
The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources of the Kingdom of Thailand on February 19, 2017 arrested a Russian woman Olga Smirnova for violating the rules of conduct in the conservation zone: a tourist fed fish on the island of Racha-Yai (an island south of Phuket) in a specially protected area.
On February 21, she was released on bail in the amount of 100 thousand baht (about $ 3 thousand), but Thailand left only March 9, 2017 after a court hearing during which she was fined. ”
Therefore, before you feed beautiful fish - find out if you are in a nature reserve, a national park.
According to Thai law, any interference in natural processes is prohibited in such areas. The maximum penalty for such an offense is a fine of three thousand dollars or a year in prison.
Enjoy your stay in Thailand!
5 /5 (58 )If you follow the standard rules of decency, respect the local population and their religion, you can be sure that no serious troubles will happen to you. Problems with the law can arise among smokers, or rather, those who are used to smoking, wherever he pleases. Recently, the Thai government launched a serious anti-tobacco campaign and one of the main emphasis is on high fines for smoking in the wrong places. For smoking on the streets and in other public places will have to pay a fine of two thousand rubles. Sometimes police officers can make claims for a cigarette butt that was thrown not under the urn, but under the feet. In parks and near temples it is better not to even get cigarettes.
You should not even think about drugs. Sometimes the local police take illegal actions and in some surprising way find drugs from tourists. From this moment on, the most interesting part begins, since according to Thai laws any actions with narcotic substances are punishable in the strictest manner, right up to the death penalty. If you have everything in order, then try to avoid excessive communication with Thai youth, especially trance, which often collaborate with the police and can throw drugs. As a result, the frightened tourist, who is several thousand kilometers from the house, is ready to shell out any money, if only he would be released, and he would not end up in a Thai prison, about which there are real legends.
In no case should you raise your hand against the locals, no matter how wrong they are. The fact is that local residents will never start a fight first and try to make amends for any conflict peacefully. But if you hit a Thais (and especially a woman), then you will not be able to avoid trouble. And it’s good if the police are the first to catch the time, and not the locals who will not stand on ceremony for a long time and most likely it will all end in a hospital ward.
Also, in order to avoid problems with the law, you need to know what items are prohibited from exporting from the country. Tourists, as a rule, do not bother much with this issue, and when they are told at the airport that this thing cannot be taken out of the country, they have a shock. For Thailand, elephants are sacred animals, and the sale of ivory is prohibited. But in fact, it will not be difficult to find such products, however, not a single seller will tell you that such a souvenir can be removed at the airport and, in addition to this, brought to justice.
If in memory of a visit to Thailand you decide to buy some souvenir depicting a Buddha, you should know that there are strict restrictions and far from all the products that depict this deity are allowed to be exported from the country. You can take out medallions with the image of the Buddha, as well as figurines with a height of not more than 30 centimeters. Higher figurines, as well as paintings with the Buddha, are even worth buying, as the customs will not let them through and will have to give them back.
The fact that drinking running water is dangerous for health, as well as the fact that the original documents and large amounts of money should be left in the safe, I think it is unnecessary to say.