Why are Thais such happy people? How are Russians treated in Thailand?

1. We went to watch TV. Do not wait.
Thais can be so captivated by what is happening on the screen that they forget about everything in the world. Moreover, they can show complete garbage. Don't be surprised if you stop getting a foot massage and freeze in horror for 5 minutes because on TV a swarm of killer puppet bees from an ancient American TV series is approaching a new victim.

And don’t be angry if you can’t find a waiter in a Thai cafe because the entire staff is watching the ending of the next episode of a drama series. However, no one will notice this except you - the rest of the visitors are also immersed in the screen. In general, Thai television deserves a separate post, there are so many strange oddities hidden in it...

2. The man eats, the woman pays
On the very first evening in Thailand, all the plates of food were brought to Serezha. Seryozha rubbed his hands like a child: “You see, you see how it should be!” I wasn’t offended, but when Seryozha asked for the bill, and the bill was brought to me, it was too much)) At first we thought it was just an accident, but this was repeated over and over again. This is not always the case, especially if the place is aimed at foreign tourists or they already know you there, but still quite often. We decided that, probably, in a Thai family the woman is in complete charge of finances. Then they asked their Thai friends - it was true.

3. Ode to clean clothes
Thais are very careful in their clothing. Wearing the same thing two days in a row is considered indecent. After the item has been worn for one day, it is immediately sent to the wash. In all my time in Thailand, I have never smelled an unpleasant odor from any Thai person. It would not hurt to adopt this glorious tradition in Russia. And some of our comrades still in the 21st century think that not washing T-shirts and pants for weeks is normal. Well, it’s true, one summer, even in St. Petersburg, I had to get off the minibus halfway, such smells were floating around the cabin.

4. No, not the sun!
Unlike foreigners, Thais avoid sun rays: putting on hats, hiding in the shadows, smearing sunscreens, wear closed clothes or simply don’t stand under open sun. And they generally don’t understand why foreigners love to sunbathe so much. When they see a farang walking around without a shirt, they say: “Crazy!” - crazy. In Thailand, white skin is considered very beautiful, and a cult of whitening it with special means is developed. And they will never understand why farangs “disfigure” their “wonderful” skin with tanning.

5. Long nail? This is the same...
Sometimes you can see Thai men are very long nail on thumb or little finger. I was at a loss for a long time as to what this could mean, until I simply asked. It is believed to bring good luck. Some even grow a nail on both the thumb and the little finger at once, just to be sure)) By the way, this also happens in Indonesia, and maybe throughout all of Southeast Asia.

6. The world's healthiest breakfast
Russian guidebooks vying with each other to admire the healthiness of Thai food. In many respects, of course, I agree with this. You won't get fat on sticky rice alone, no matter how hard you try. Yes, and the spicy will burn out all the living bacilli. But the Thais themselves don’t seem to worry too much about usefulness. In the morning, there is a steady queue of barbecue vendors. The picture of mom, dad and their 7-year-old schoolboy eating chicken or pork skewers for breakfast is quite familiar.

7. Optimism in Thai
Thais have been seen picnicking in hospitals many times. They will come to visit the patient, all bandaged and broken on the bed, they will cover the mat on the floor and let’s eat...)) In my opinion, this is very optimistic)) Don’t feed the Thais bread at all, let them have a picnic. As a rule, they gather big family from several generations and are ready to use any opportunity for this. Usually they go out into nature, but in Chiang Mai, where the situation with parks, embankments and beaches is very poor, the Thais do not lose heart. They’ll just lie down right at the entrance to their store or computer club, set up a Thai barbecue and have a picnic with all their might.

8. Decent girls don't smoke or drink
In Thailand you can change your gender - no one will judge you, going to prostitutes happens, but for decent girls to drink and smoke - no, no, shame... Therefore, here it is almost impossible to meet a girl who drinks or smokes in public. Just once we saw two students shyly hiding with bottles of beer on the beach behind big stones. Once, a friend of ours was riding a moped in a very Thai area in Phuket, asked for directions in one of the houses, and the owner invited him to drink beer with him on the veranda. The wife was also sitting at the table. A friend asked why she didn’t drink with them, so the husband and wife waved their hands: it is indecent for women in Thailand to smoke and drink. But all this does not apply to bar girls - few Thais consider them decent anyway, so they have their own rules.

9. Swimming with your clothes on
At first it was very uncomfortable to strip down to a swimsuit among Thais swimming in only their clothes - in the lake, in the sea, in thermal spring, in a waterfall. Then I got used to it. Moreover, they do not always have spare things with them. They can plop into the water wearing whatever they have, get out, wait until it drains a little and go on about their business.

10. There are no pensions in Thailand
It sounds quite strange to us, but it is true. The responsibility of supporting their elderly parents when they become unable to work falls entirely on the children's shoulders. I just wonder what single people without a family should do in old age...

11. As he was “Mister”, he remained “Mister”
You probably know that gender reassignment surgery is very common among men in Thailand. Such people are called katoi or ladyboys. They can be found so often in Everyday life- at the cash register at McDonald's, in a pharmacy, in a beauty salon, etc., which has not surprised anyone for a long time. Some of them can be immediately recognized as ladyboys by their voice, Adam’s apple, large palms, etc. But some of them are not much different from ordinary girls, especially to the inexperienced eye. But the fact is that they cannot change the gender in their passport. There they will always be listed as “Mr.” In this regard, I once read a note from a Thai hotel employee. When a guest brings a girl with him for the night, she is required to present documents at the reception and register. That is, the receptionist always knows who is in front of him - a man or a woman. He writes not without gloating over the farangs, since they often don’t even realize that they are spending the night not exactly with a girl)) There is only one way to officially change the gender on your documents. This right goes to the winner of the annual beauty contest among ladyboys, Miss Tiffany Universe.

Unusual beliefs, rituals and customs of Siam in our selection today. 25 facts about the traditions of Thailand that make this country unique.

1. The historical name of Bangkok consists of thirty-seven words and is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest name settlement in the world. Thais learn the full name of the capital of their state in school, but immediately after finishing school they conveniently forget it.

2 . It is almost impossible for a foreigner to learn Thai. At one time, in order to avoid colonization, the country's authorities carried out a language reform, making it as difficult as possible. Modern Thai is a coded language; if you don’t know the topic of the conversation, it’s almost impossible to understand its meaning. For example, the word “klay” means both “far” and “close”, the word “k’ap”, depending on the situation, “yes” or “no”. In this case, nouns, adjectives and verbs can appear in the same row of homonyms.

3. Residents of Thailand practice Southern Theravada Buddhism, albeit in a somewhat simplified version. The main commandments of the land of smiles are: “don’t envy”, “don’t judge”, “don’t be ashamed” and “don’t be greedy”.

4. Thais still believe in good and evil spirits; miniature houses for spirits can be found on any street in Bangkok, in the most remote village or on the beach. Every morning, food offerings are made to the spirits, in the evening the houses are cleaned out, and the food is mercilessly thrown into the trash. It is strictly forbidden to finish eating after spirits; local residents believe that the spirit could come for a meal in bad mood, which will inevitably affect the well-being of a person who decides to “finish the spirit.”

5. In addition to spirits, Thais also believe in angels; it is believed that an angel of a certain color protects one of the days of the week. Color palette the following: Monday is patronized by a yellow angel, Tuesday - green, Wednesday - blue, Thursday - pink, Friday - brown, Saturday - lilac, Sunday - red. Locals It is recommended to wear colored things in accordance with this schedule, then the angel will notice you in the crowd and send you good luck.

6. For the reason described above, on Monday the streets of Bangkok are flooded with people yellow t-shirts. Yellow and the yellow angel is especially revered here, as it is the color of the king.

7. Thais are very superstitious lucky number in Thailand - 9, unlucky, like everywhere else in the world, 13.

In the photo: Thailand, Monday, people on the streets in yellow T-shirts.

8. Thais believe that Buddha loved chicken eggs, and therefore 99 eggs are the best offering for Buddha. They are carried to the temple on the eve of an important business transaction or exam. By the way, if you can’t finish the offerings after the spirits, then you can finish the offerings after the Buddha. According to local beliefs, the Buddha is never in a bad mood, so some time after the Buddha is “fed,” the offering can be collected and eaten.

9. The white elephant is the symbol and sacred animal of Siam. After birth, the baby elephant becomes the property of the king. An animal cannot be forced to work, it cannot be shown to anyone, and maintaining an elephant, as hard as it may be to guess, costs the treasury a pretty penny. It’s not very clear what to do with them, so previous centuries the king preferred to re-gift elephants. It is because of this custom that the idiom “white elephant” arose, which means an expensive but useless gift.

10. Thailand is one of the few countries where the birth of a daughter is more celebrated than the birth of a son. Thai men are generally lazy, while girls are as hardworking as bees. Parents know that their daughters will never allow them to go hungry in their old age; unfortunately, the same cannot be said about their sons.

11. Upon marriage, the groom must pay the bride's parents a dowry. The amount is negotiated individually each time, but the most expensive in Siam are: beautiful girls who managed to get a good education, according to the logic of their parents, such girls have nothing to do with a poor husband.

12. Fat men have a funny name in Thailand "pumpy". Men's bellies are valued here more than abs, because the presence of an abdomen indicates office work and above-average income, which is why men with a belly in Thailand automatically fall into the category of eligible bachelors.

13. August is considered the most successful month for marriage. Sometimes, to save money, newlyweds celebrate their engagement and wedding on the same day.

14. Buddhist chants are an essential element of a traditional Thai wedding. It is customary to feed the monks during breaks between chants; it is believed that this improves the karma of the future family.

15. Thais do not like to cook at home and prefer to eat on the streets. By the way, the freshest food is sold on street stalls.

16. Polygamy is still common in Thai villages. Often, after a husband earns a dowry “to acquire” three wives, he stops working. Maintaining the home and children, as well as raising money, falls entirely on the shoulders of women.

17. If a wife (or wives) has caught her husband cheating, she will not stand on ceremony with him. IN worst case, wives can castrate their husbands using a simple kitchen knife, which is why male genital reconstruction surgeries are widespread in Thailand and are included in the list of standard operations.

18. The Thais believe that a spirit lives on the top of a person's head, so you should never hit a person on the head, otherwise you may kill the spirit.

20. Many Thai girls working in the sex industry are married with children. Husbands are certainly aware of what their spouse does for a living.

Sometimes it happens that a client becomes attached to his Thai girlfriend and decides to pull his beloved out of the “quagmire of vice.” He invites the girl to become his permanent girlfriend, after which an attraction called “Thai divorce” begins.

The girl introduces her client to her husband, whom she introduces as a brother, then the European buys the secret woman a house and a car (usually from friends and at exorbitant prices). Everything goes well until the European decides to visit his friends in his historical homeland. Returning to Thailand, he discovers that the house he bought has been sold, and his “faithful girlfriend,” along with his “brother” and money, has disappeared in an unknown direction. This is a very popular scenario, although, of course, there are happy exceptions.

21. As a rule, any Thai has two names: one is a long official name (it is written in documents), the second is a short home name - for friends and family.

22. Thais can change their names several times during their lives. From a bureaucratic point of view, this is a very simple procedure. As a rule, the name is changed if a person is dissatisfied with his life and wants to start all over again. clean slate. If life fails again, the procedure can be repeated. Also, recently it has become mandatory to indicate a person’s gender in Thai passports, due to the fact that local plastic surgeons have finally learned how to remove the Adam’s apple, and now it has become even more difficult to distinguish lady boys from women.

23. Thais love to give small children nicknames, but, unlike residents of other countries, Thai nicknames do not characterize a person’s personality, but rather play the role of shapeshifters, so, for example, a thin girl can be nicknamed fatty, and a dark girl can be called Snow White. This is done on purpose so that evil spirits cannot find an innocent soul and take possession of it.

24. Thais use the same principle to name caves, waterfalls and other natural objects. For example, the waterfall bearing the name Baiyok Bolshoi is only a few meters high, while the Baiyok Small waterfall, on the contrary, is distinguished by its impressive size.

25. The Thais call caves a tunnel between the world of the living and the world of spirits, so in almost every cave there is a statue of Buddha and incense smokes. Local residents quite clearly delimit the caves into places with evil spirits and kind people, visiting evil people is strongly discouraged.

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Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the website project. In past Chief Editor Internet project elle.ru and editor-in-chief of the website cosmo.ru. I talk about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels or a tourism office, but we do not know each other, you can contact me by email: [email protected]

After spending a little less than six months in Thailand, I tried to delve into and understand this world. All of the following are facts gleaned from open sources, from conversations with Thai acquaintances and my observations.
1. Sukhumvit Road is the longest street - about 300 km. Goes from Bangkok to the city of Trat.

2. The name Bangok is the longest name of a city in the world - Krun Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintarayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Nopparat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Avatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Vitsanukam Prasit - which means “city of angels, great city, the city is an eternal treasure, the impregnable city of God Indra, the majestic capital of the world endowed with nine precious stones, happy city, full of grand abundance Royal Palace resembling a divine abode where a reincarnated god reigns, a city donated by Indra and built by Vishnukarn.”

3. Thais are not such a friendly and smiling nation as is commonly believed; they have 13 types of smiles, half of which mean “fuck you.”

4. In the Thai alphabet there are 20 intonations of the letter A. A The alphabet is the second in the world in the number of letters (only Khmer has more letters).

5. Due to the peculiarities of the Thai language, Thais are very bad at foreign languages. They are practically unable to pronounce the combination of letters RS TS, and for example, they can pronounce the word “Swarm”, but the word “Paradise” is pronounced like “Barking”. If we add Asian laziness to everything else, then they don’t even want to learn languages. Therefore, be prepared that even in tourist places you will sometimes have to communicate using sign language.

6. There are no articles, particles, conjunctions, cases in the Thai language, plural, kind. This requires the exact order of words in a sentence, otherwise you may be misunderstood.

7. In Thailand there is practically no carbonated and mineral water; 90% of the water sold is purified tap water.

8. Thais don’t like to sunbathe, Thais don’t know how to swim, and if they swim in the sea, they only wear T-shirts and shorts (God forbid they get sunburned)

9. In Thailand, there is huge social support for the population, an interest-free loan for a car for 2 years, for a house for 10 years.

10. In Thailand, there is a list of 36 professions prohibited for foreigners, for example, cook, cashier, seamstress, guide, driver, all basic professions, done in order to protect its population.

11. Tourism brings Thailand only 2% of GDP. So when Russian tourists swear at Thais and yell that we feed the whole country, it becomes funny.

12. Thailand is not at all a country of prostitutes and transvestites; drive 100 kilometers away from Pattaya, Phuket and Bangkok and you are unlikely to encounter something like that.

13. In this country, you can easily have lunch at any street eatery on wheels (makashnitsa) without the risk of getting poisoned or upsetting your delicate stomach.

14. Thais are quite vindictive and vindictive people, they can be compared with the Caucasus. If a fight breaks out somewhere, it won’t be one on one; sometimes I’ve seen 10 people beat up one person, and without mercy.

15. In Thailand, the third gender is officially recognized. But even among transvestites, a line can be drawn: there are ladyboys - who make money mainly through prostitution, and there are cathois - converted according to their convictions. The latter can often be found at checkout counters in supermarkets or as waiters in restaurants.

16. Walking Street (or as we lovingly call it Volkov Street) in Pattaya is the most visited pedestrian street in the world!

17. You can easily lose your head for purchasing, using, and even more so for distributing drugs in this country.

18. The King of Thailand is the only monarch in the world who has double citizenship– Thai and American. He is also the richest monarch in the world. At one time, he personally helped many Thai provinces with the construction of schools and social facilities, for which the Thais are immensely grateful to him. By the way, desecration of the king's face will lead you to prison, even if you step on a baht bill with his portrait on it.

19. Thailand has never been anyone’s colony, unlike Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, which for a long time ruled by France.

20. In Thailand, about 20% of the population is ethnic Chinese. Majority big business Thailand belongs to them.

21. Thailand has high duties on imported cars. Therefore, the bulk of the cars that travel around the country are Toyota, Mazda, Isuzu, and Ford pickups assembled here. By the way, Thailand is the second country after the United States in producing and consuming pickup trucks.

22. More people die from coconuts falling on their heads than from snake or crocodiles bites.

23. During his life, a Thai can change his first and last name several times if he believes that he is having a streak of bad luck and in this way he can hide from evil spirits.

24. Thailand is the birthplace of Red Bull, here it is non-carbonated in small bottles. In 1982, the Dutch bought the right and recipe for making the drink.

25. Wednesday is an unlucky day for Thais. In general, people are quite superstitious, for example, if a gecko (small lizard) falls on you while leaving the house, then you should immediately quit everything, take time off from work and sit at home, because The omen is very bad and the day does not bode well.

26. Thais are also very gambling people, so all types of gambling establishments are prohibited in the country. And the Thais are forced to travel with their families on weekends to Cambodian border towns, which are simply teeming with casinos (60% of which are again owned by Thais).

27. During the day, Thais eat on average 6-7 times, filling a small portion that not every European is able to handle, but their metabolic characteristics allow them to remain slim.

28. Thailand is the world's largest supplier of rice, cane sugar and rubber.

29. In World War II, Thailand was on the side of Japan, providing labor and its territory for conducting operations and transporting weapons.

30. In Thailand there are more than 32,700 Buddhist temples with a population of approx. 370,000 monks and novices! This is more than in any country in the world.

31. During the 20th century, there were 18 coups d'etat in Thailand. And during this time there were only 2 monarchs.

32. Several years ago, on packs of cigarettes in Thailand, terrible photographs of the consequences of smoking (lung cancer, throat cancer, etc.) began to be depicted in large pictures, due to which cigarette consumption decreased by almost 30% (WHO statistics).

33. Here you will find 7-11 stores (Seven and Leven) at almost every step in any city in the country. A wonderful invention of the Chinese together with the Americans. Here you can have a snack, buy beer, alcohol, cosmetics and all sorts of small items. Due to such a prevalence of stores, you shouldn’t make dates or indicate 7-11 as a reference point)) you will still get confused.

34. Thailand has a very developed transport infrastructure. You can easily get to any point in the country by bus. Also at your disposal are air travel for the price of a bottle of whiskey, ferries, Railway, tuk tuk, motorcycle taxi.

35. Fun fact– every city in Thailand has its own type of tuk-tuk, no uniform standard, these can be motorized strollers and pickup trucks and even tuk tuk trucks.

36. The width of the steps in many places is not intended for feet larger than size 38 (i.e. only for Thai feet). In fact, me and my size 43 and my friend with a size 45 barely passed the elevated crosswalk, put their feet along the steps)) The same situation is with houses and public places.

37. Any tourist can obtain a Thai license to drive a car or motorcycle. Moreover, this can be done in 1 day. It will cost 655 rubles (200 certificate from the immigration service, 200 from the hospital, 100 copies and photographs and 155 fee for obtaining a license). A couple of simple tests, theory and practice. Most of the rules are borrowed from the USA, for example the question - who has no right to move on the road and the answer options: A. Tank, B: Racing car, B: Tractor, D: Car with broken taillights. I think the answer is obvious)) – G.

38. Traffic lights. There aren't many of them in Thailand. A special feature of the traffic light at an intersection is that the green light turns on alternately for each direction, i.e. there is no oncoming traffic at the intersection. Therefore, sometimes you can stand at a traffic light for several minutes.

39. Quality mobile communications and the Internet speed in Thailand leaves much to be desired, as does the inflated cost of these services.

40. In most cases, roads are simply ideal, this applies to both big cities and so do the provinces. Many were built by Americans, but now they are building using American technologies.

41. Thailand is an environmentalist’s nightmare. Thailand is the country of plastic bags. In the store, it’s not that they won’t charge you for the bag, but they will kindly pack everything, so sometimes you have to take a long time to get your purchases)) A bottle of water - a bag, please, a straw for the bottle is also in a bag. I bought yogurt, here’s a spoon, in a bag, of course)

42. Left for me mysterious phenomenon– anywhere in the country, it doesn’t matter, in a supermarket, a village store, at 7-11 – you can buy beer, water, energy drinks and all sorts of snacks at the same price!

43. In 90% of cases in the toilets (except for bus stops and very rural public ones) in Thailand you will find a bidet. At first it was strange to me, but after getting to know Thai cuisine better, I realized that how spicy it comes in is how spicy it comes out)). The flush handle on a toilet tank is almost always located on the side of the tank, and there are no buttons on top.

44. When renting something (a car, a bike, an apartment), it is customary to leave a deposit. But the Thais are sometimes in no hurry to return it.

Dmitry Kovalevsky specially for www.xo4usvalit.ru

Oddly enough, I find it difficult to answer this question, which I get asked quite often. Why is it difficult? - after all, it would seem that the Thais are very friendly and simple people... But they are completely different and their attitude... has completely different characteristics, if it can have any at all.

Thais are just different

They do everything in groups. They live in several families in one house, share rooms with several people, they group together for any reason. Their cult of food is not a cult of food at all - it is a desire to be in a group. They go outside in the morning to eat among others. I can't imagine a Thai having breakfast alone in his apartment in the morning.

We - farangs - are not part of their pack, so it is difficult for us to become a leader or comrade-in-arms in communicating with them - we are generally outside their society.

They are very good, very disciplined, restrained and patient, they are Buddhists and they calmly treat ants, dogs, cats, bad weather, Russians, foreigners... Because sabai-sabai is the main thing in life: calm and tranquility. Nothing should throw a person off balance.

Thais express their relationship with their interlocutor differently than we do. It is difficult for us to understand how they really treat us, even if we communicate with them every day. We will perceive their reactions in our own way and may not even understand their true motives and feelings at all.

In Thailand, it is not customary to say directly what you think about a person, and even more so to say that he is wrong about something - this is tantamount to an insult. I would even say that it is not customary here to treat the interlocutor in any way at all.

To understand the Thais as well as possible for you personally, I recommend reading several books, you can download them in my group about Thailand: https://vk.com/thailive

“These Amazing Thais” (Rainer Krak) - very detailed description Thai culture and psychology and very easy to read!
"Personal Dancer" (Leater Stephen) is a book that will help you understand the psychology of girls involved in prostitution.
Bangkok 8 (John Burdett) - book with interesting story and helps to understand some of the behavior of Thais.

They will smile at you for any reason and turn a blind eye to your antics for a long time, because you - with all your antics - are a temporary phenomenon that will soon end. A smile is just a mask behind which there can be any emotions.

Russians in Thailand are primarily tourists. Even if they live here for years, most often they remain “tourists”, live in tourist places, are dumb and don’t even know how to speak (Thai). In general, tourists come and go - why treat them in any way other than being polite and patient with them? Moreover, these tourists do not always behave ideally.

Loss of face, southern and northern Thais

Losing face - losing your temper, yelling at someone - this is not acceptable for Thais. But this CAN happen and under no circumstances should they be brought to this. Just the other day I read news that very well confirms this - one Thai shot at another because he did not want to give him extra chicken sauce in a cafe. Without causing others to lose face, you will be more whole and gain respect in the eyes of others.

In general, in critical situation It's better to just leave and forget. You won't get anything from them anyway. Getting something from a Thai is not realistic. They say that doing business with Thais is a lost cause. By the way, the Thais say the same thing about farangs).

Of course, Thais, like all people, are different. This also depends to some extent on where they live.

For example, Thais from the northern regions work in Pattaya (as well as many Burmese, Laotians, etc.). If you look more closely, they are very loyal to tourists. Because tourists in Pattaya are just darkness. I honestly don’t understand how they even tolerate us. And if sometimes someone can flare up in relation to tourists here, then this is a rather harmless outburst of emotions. In addition, it is not customary in Thailand to lose one’s temper seriously—a person who has lost his temper “loses face” and instantly loses respect and interest in the eyes of his interlocutor. The term “losing face” is very important in Thailand.

In the South of Thailand, everything is a little different than in the North and Central parts. Here tourism has become an important source of income only recently, and before that the southern Thais always supported themselves through natural resources. Now this has gotten worse, but they still have an inner sense of independence and pride. Southern Thais seem to me to be more vindictive. Their aggression is more noticeable.

For example, if you start speaking Thai in the northern regions or in Pattaya and Bangkok, the Thais will probably be happy about it. And if you speak somewhere in Phuket, you can feel or even hear discontent and anger and feel like a stranger to these people.

But in general, in all tourist places, it is unlikely that anyone will offend you, unless you “run into it” yourself. And of course, sometimes there are problems in the service sector - after all, a tourist is a source of income and you need to squeeze out of it maximum amount money. And this point is held in high esteem by the Thais.

But to the villages on the border with Malaysia there's a war going on and it’s better not to go there. Here is concentrated most of army of Thailand, a Muslim rebel group is based here and here you can simply be killed. And no one will know about it. All of Thailand except the southern border is good. Southern border - it’s better not to come here. It's really far from all the tourist spots. Since 2004, more than 5 thousand people have died in southern Thailand.

These are the provinces of Yala and Narathiwat (the southernmost provinces of Thailand, bordering the Malaysian state of Kelantan). If we go to Malaysia by land, then we go through Sadao, and these provinces remain to our right.

About Thai smiles

There are many different qualifications: some number 70 different types Thai smiles, some of them mean joy, some mean complete contempt, etc. This is what the farang culture means, which strives to hang its labels everywhere). People, until you don't really care - does a Thai think in this moment about you or about your crocodiles - you will not be able to communicate normally in this country.

Everything is very simple here.

You just walk down the street, meet the eyes of a Thai man and in a split second you can choose what to do next - you can look away, or you can smile at him - and then he will definitely smile at you too and then everything becomes unimportant! Whether it’s a mask or not, whether it’s a different culture or not, whether this person is thinking about you or not, it’s just a SMILE and it’s nice.

The same thing happens in an awkward situation. You may frown - as our culture and upbringing have taught us. Or you can do it in Thai - smile, laugh. And then the situation itself no longer seems so difficult and it is easier to find a way out of it and you do not put the person in an even more awkward position.

And in general, Bob Marley rules, nothing matters - sabai sabai and smiles all over the world! What difference does it make whether it is the 56th variety of Thai loss or the 13th. It could just be a Smile.

Related posts on my blog:

(c) Olga Salii. Copying material

What could be unusual in Thailand if it is traveled far and wide by tourists, bloggers and journalists? Anyone who has been interested in the country already knows that the country is ruled by a King, Thais love to smile, and even that the monarch of Thailand has American citizenship. But no! You don't know everything...

Never! Listen, never think of leaving the house without underwear in the Land of Smiles. Why? This is one of the taboos that exists in Thailand, and breaking it is punishable by law. If you didn’t intend to anyway, read our selection of facts about the Kingdom - and then you will avoid trouble or, at least, be known as an erudite. It's also useful!

No surnames

Before 1913, Thais only had names. And even now in school, court, and official presentations, surnames are not used. The name is preceded by the prefix Khun, no matter whether it is masculine or feminine.

King Almighty

He is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest-serving monarch. It is everywhere: on baht, on stamps, on posters, on houses... In Britain, Norway, Denmark there is also a monarchy, but in Thailand it is not symbolic and disrespectful attitude Bhumibol Adulyadej (for example, for an abusive post on Facebook) can be imprisoned. There was a case when a Thai almost went to jail for insulting the King’s dog.

Don't throw things

In Thailand, you are prohibited from throwing objects at a person, regardless of whether it is your friend, a passer-by, or someone else. Find the time and energy to pass a pen, sock or suitcase from hand to hand. Ask how Thais play volleyball and the bride throws a bouquet into the crowd? We don't know this. But we know for sure that such a gesture is understood as an insult.

So that your legs are gone

Putting your feet on a table, chair, or sitting cross-legged so that your feet are visible to your interlocutor is an extremely rude act in Thailand. Even while sitting on the ground, you should not show your dirty feet.

Fork spoon

Thais, like most peoples, eat with a spoon and fork. But they use these items in an unusual way. Holding the fork in the left and the spoon in the right, for example, put rice on the spoon with a fork and only then bring it to the mouth. Or another option - use a fork to direct food onto a spoon while still on the plate. The main thing is that both hands are busy.

Elephants instead of Santa

Animals with red caps and beards bring Christmas gifts to Thai children. New Year. We especially honor this holiday, and if in Russia in the evening they watch “Blue Light” or “The Irony of Fate”, and in the USA - “This wonderful life", then in Thailand there is an elephant show. Even everyone well-known tradition According to one version, the Thais spied on dousing with water from proboscideans.

Unlucky Wednesday

For a long time in Thailand, neither hairdressers, nor massage parlors, nor dentists were open on Wednesdays... This day was considered unlucky, especially for such important procedures. But everything changed when the Kingdom became a tourist mecca.

Finish your rice

Never leave rice on your plate, even if you can't see it. This is considered a terrible waste - as in Slavic cultures It is not customary to throw away bread. Moreover, the Thais take their tradition extremely seriously. If the last spoon does not fit into your throat, ask to wrap it with you or share it with a neighbor. Just explain why!

Thai keyboard

In the local keyboard, there are two Thai keys for every English key. Thailand's alphabet is the second largest in the world: it is second only to Khmer, and has 76 letters.

Ladyboys imported

Those who make the Land of Smiles famous are either visitors or people from remote provinces of Thailand.

City of Angels, but not Los Angeles

Bangkok has the longest name in the world. It reads in full like this: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintarayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Nopparat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Avatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Vitsanukam Prasit. The first two words - “Krung Thep” - mean “City of Angels”: on behalf of the village that was once here. Therefore, do not be surprised if they tell you that the City of Angels is not in America!

About the anthem

In 1939, the author of the work, Prime Minister Phibunsongram Luang Saranupraran, decreed that the anthem would be played daily at 8:00 and 18:00. In the same year, another law was introduced, according to which anyone who does not stand up during the execution national anthem, will violate the Constitution. Both decrees are still in force, but so far no one has been arrested for not standing up.

Each Thai - according to his personal spirit

All Thais have their own spirit, which is called Khuan. According to legend, he lives in the head. Therefore, under no circumstances should you touch this part of the body - the Thai will be offended for disrespecting his personal deity. Only a mother, a doctor or a monk can touch the head.

Thais, accustomed to tourists, will forgive you a lot. But still show some respect local traditions and be inspired by Thailand!