Thailand Etiquette

 Well, I am bored, so I thought I would give a quick lesson on the does and do nots of Thailand.  Now this is mainly for the country, not the Bangkok. Bangkok is a little more progressive in their ways, however there a certainly some of these customs that still apply none the less.

Naturally ( for me ) we'll start off with sexuality. Thais' are much more conservative than Westerners. While holding hands is acceptable in public, everything else is pretty much not accepted. Kissing, no way, hugging is frowned on...I hugged Chalisa, my step-daughter, goodbye last time I left and she was in shock ! You wai ( palms together in the middle of your chest) to someone hello or goodbye. So in general, any physical intimacies  are looked down on. So if you were planning a little sex in public, forget it !



Yes it's a dude !




Speaking about sex, there are quite a few transvestites in Thailand. They are known as Katooeys or ladyboys. Many of them are more beautiful than some of the women ! It is rude to call a ladyboy a "him" or "it", they should always be considered a female and addressed as such. This tolerance to ladyboys comes from their Buddist beliefs (95% of Thailand are practicing Buddhist.)



Aerosmith must have came to Thailand to get
the inspiration for "dude looks like a lady"



Ladyboys are believed to be reincarnations of people who were not so good in their previous life. So their punishment is to be a woman trapped in a mans body.

Back to the wai, you should never wai to anyone younger than yourself, service people, like waitresses, clerks ,cashiers etc. You should only be giving wais to your elders, monks and royalty. Oh yeah, and the immigration guys ! Also as far as elders,monks or royalty go, you should NEVER stand over them. If you go to a temple and a monk is seated, when you approach him you should be bent over or lower than him. If you stand taller than these people it is showing superiority.

Another easy one to remember is not to touch a Thais' head. The head is the the most holy part of the body and contains the "Kwan" it's a Buddhist thing. In contrast, the feet are the lowest and dirtiest part of the body. Never point your feet at a Thai. It is very rude. If you were to point your foot at someones head, that would be the biggest insult there is ! You will see most Thais' sit with their feet under them. This way their feet are pointing behind them and not towards the person they are talking with. You also must take off your shoes when entering a temple or someones house.

Man reading back though this, it's pretty boring and dry. I've got a bunch more I could go on about...Like NEVER hang underwear  or bras up high and always eat with your right hand, but never lick your fingers. Blah blah blah.

I will just wait and see if you like this from the comments. If you don't, then it's a finished blog. If you want more of it, just let me know.

Sawadee Krup !