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THAILAND – INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTRY

THAILAND – INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTRY

The Kingdom of Thailand is a country with an area of 514 000 square kilometers, formerly known as Siam, is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been conquered by Europeans. It has 65 million inhabitants, of whom the vast majority are followers of Theravada Buddhism, but neighboring southern provinces of Malaysia are dominated by Muslims.

Natives of Thailand lived in these lands two thousand years before Christ, producing the first agricultural culture in the region. The language is Thai, a different alphabet from Latin, is the official language of Thailand.

In the north of the kingdom, which in the Golden Triangle Thailand meets with Burma and Laos, are green jungle covered mountains sloping toward the plain of the Chao Phraya River, known as the Chao Phraya River, which simply means “river”, in which lies the mouth of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. In the north east stretches the still mysterious Isaan inhabited by people with a slightly different culture. South of the country is a significant part of the Malay Peninsula, on both sides of which are scattered picturesque islands.

Thailand is known worldwide for its beautiful beaches, which is surrounded by dozens of islands in the Andaman Sea paradise, with it’s jewel – the island of Ko Phuket, and the Gulf of Thailand, where the famous Koh Samui is located.

The inhabitants of Thailand are very polite and cheerful, known for their smiles, which they bestow even on strangers in the street. This habit stems from a desire to perform in relation to another human being nice gestures that cost nothing, and that can alleviate difficult situations. Through smiles Thai people express not only the joy and admiration, but also indecision, suppression of anger, sadness and embarrassment, comfort and apology. With more than ten kinds of smiles with corresponding names according to their functions.

A serene approach to life is also often used to say bpen mai rai – “nothing happened”, pronounced, of course, with a smile. Thailand is also known for it’s very old massage techniques, with which the masters of this art can heal. Thai people attach great importance to religion, so prized meditation practice is helping to restore peace of mind and meditating brings spiritual merit. Every man should temporarily assume the monk’s saffron robe and stay in the monastery.

Thai people believe that funds obtained in this way by a man also impart merits that stream down on his family, providing it’s members (especially his mother) reincarnation to a better life. At dawn the monks set off on the streets of towns and villages to collect from the residents offerings in the form of food, which is their only meal. Monks can not touch the money, and means of transport, they have separate places, women are not allowed to stay in their vicinity.

The traditional form of greeting gesture is called a wai, consisting of folded hands and a delicate bow, accompanied by the word sawatdi. This gesture shows respect and makes a person younger, with a lower position or a guest, and the person welcomed with this gesture should respond in the same way. Do not shake the hand, nor touch the head, because Thai people believe that it houses the soul.

The subjects of the kingdom of Thailand love to celebrate, and their festivals are very colorful. One of the most important is a celebration of Songkran, Thai New Year, falling on April 13. In Thailand the years are counted from the death of the Buddha, to commemorate his passing into Nirvana and therefore the date in the local calendar of Buddhist-shifted by 543 years forward to the Gregorian calendar – 2008 is 2551.

Songkran is a Festival for the casting huge amounts of water on people. This custom comes from the tradition of expressing respect by gently sprinkling water on the hands or head, but since April is the hottest month it is transformed into a fun generating relief on a hot day.

The second most important festival is an extremely romantic celebration of Loy Gratong probably having roots in the Hindu festival of candles – Diwali. Loy Gratong takes place in the November on a full moon night, when Thai people go on the water canals and rivers baskets decorated with flowers, candles and incense. Illuminating the night with candle-lit baskets carrying millions of wishes down the river, giving the night a magical atmosphere.

An ancient tradition recommends that every time you build a building you also build a small temple house for ghosts, what’s to keep them from addressing the troubles of home? Many buildings in Thailand are facing such houses, and one of the most interesting is a chapel in downtown Bangkok at the Grand Hyatt Erawan.

Thai people have for their rulers great respect, and to insult the royal family is very severely punished. It is worth remembering that on the banknotes and coins is a portrait of The King, so avoid defiling them. It is also associated with the belief that pointing low is associated with unclean parts of the body and even pointing in this direction is perceived as very offensive.

A similar principle applies to newspapers. If the newspaper will be the image of the monarch, do not use it for packing or otherwise infringing this image. Also the praising of the ruler of the kingdom anthem should be respected, stopping when (daily at 8.00 and 18.00) resounds, starting and ending of the day. Respect for the king is also visible on his birthday, which is Father’s Day, when the Thai garment is dominated by the color yellow – a symbol of Monday, the day of royal birth.

Be very careful when traveling to Thailand luggage not contain drugs because the penalties for possession are very strict: life imprisonment or the death penalty.

The vast majority of Thai dishes are accompanied by fragrant jasmine rice served in a separate bowl each, while other dishes are served in a common dish. Thai cuisine, considered one of the best in the world, can be extremely spicy, though the taste of spices that are used are soothed by coconut milk.

Thai cuisine does not only impress with aromas of lemongrass, fresh herbs and unusual taste, but also with small works of art, because Thai people attach great importance to the attractive appearance of their dishes. They decorate them with fancifully sliced ​​vegetables and fruit. Unique to Thailand is the wide variety of food from many regional varieties us prik – pasta with minced chili, shrimp, garlic and other ingredients.

One of the most popular delicacies are: pad thai – fry noodles with eggs, fish sauce and chicken or shrimp, and a very spicy shrimp soup tom yam gung. Contrary to popular belief chopsticks are used in Thailand only to eat pasta, and most of the dishes are eaten with a spoon and fork.

Climate

In the tropical climate of Thailand quite high humidity and high temperature is maintained throughout the year. In the mountainous regions of northern and central parts there is a clear division into three seasons, in the south there are only two. North and center from November to February are under the influence of the northeast monsoon bringing pleasant, cooler air with very little rainfall.

In December, however, in the higher parts of the mountains in the north temperature may be closer to 5 C. Since March starts the dry season, during which, it will end with the first torrential rains in July, in April may occur up to 40-degree heat. In the rainy season the south-west monsoon brings very heavy rains.

At first, it is interspersed with times of good weather, but later may cause short-term flooding. In the south, the rainy season is a little different on both sides of the Malay Peninsula. On the western side the rain lasts from April to October, while on the eastern most are listed between September and December. The temperature in the southern part of the country remains at the same high level throughout the year.

The best time to visit the Kingdom of Thailand, are pleasant months, the cold, but it also feels comfortable on the southern islands of the Gulf of Thailand which provides good weather in the summer months – from July to late September, while the islands of the Andaman Sea are best from November to April.

Main Attractions

Bangkok

The full name of the City of Angels is troublesome to pronounce even by it’s inhabitants, as it is the longest town name in the world. A gigantic metropolis canal network and a long ribbon of the River of Kings – the Chao Phraya River. XXI century oriental charm pervades here with the glittering gold of ancient temples that foster in saffron robes statues of Buddha. The most important monument of the city is undoubtedly the Grand Palace opaque sacred image of the Buddha in the Kingdom of Thailand – which possesses a separate temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Chiang Mai

It is known as the Rose of the North Northern capital of the kingdom, immersed in the green rice terraces and jungle-clad hills. Nearby Chiang Mai, there are numerous villages inhabited by colorful tribes, and the most important temple town is dominated by the North, Phratat Wat Doi Suthep. Chiang Mai area is also home to many elephants which are still popular as a means of transport. Their importance is indicated by the presence of an elephant in the coat of arms of the city.

Islands

Thailand’s territorial waters have a lot of beautiful islands, surrounded by unspoiled beaches, crystal clear water flushed by a deep turquoise color and covered with lush greenery, often piling on the amazing rock formations rising straight out of the water. For the many smaller and less known of them you can hire a boat to take you to them and ask to come back at the specified time.

Currency – baht (THB)

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