Sawadee Krup TBF
Travelers!
One of the most exciting times in my
life was my first visit to Thailand in 2000. I stayed awake the whole plane ride
over talking with other travelers from LA going on a group tour (back then in
‘pre 9/11’ days we could stand in the back of the plane and drink cocktails!)
and when I arrived at Don Muang airport my eyes were wide and staring, trying to
take in everything I saw and asking dozens of questions about everything. Some
things have changed: Don Muang airport is no longer our arrival airport, and
airplane rules have tightened up quite a bit, but I still arrive wide-eyed and
awake eager to see and do and learn more about my second favorite country in the
world.
One thing I always tell our TBF
Travelers on their trips to Thailand is that your second trip to Thailand is
very different from your first trip. On your second trip you do not have that
uncertainty about so many things: the food, the money and exchange rate, the
humidity and heat, the dogs and cats, the temples and monks, the spice and the
nightlife – you have encountered and experienced many of these and you are a bit
more knowledgeable about Thailand and what you want to do. On your first trip
there are so many uncertainties, so many unanswered questions, so much to see
and do that is unlike anything you have seen or done back home. It can be
overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time. It can make a 50 year old man
feel like a little boy in a toy store for the first time, or like a high school
student at his or her first day of classes at a huge university. With only two
weeks to explore and experience all that Thailand has to offer it is almost
impossible to see and do everything you thought you wanted to do, plus add in
all the things you discover you want to do. I would like to help by offering
some suggestions for our first-time visitors to Thailand , as well as those of
you returning for your second, third or fourth trip.
READ
I find that the travelers that
arrive with knowledge and information about Thailand and the places they are
visiting are often more ‘involved’ in their trip and seem to have more fun.
Maybe that is just my bias, being a huge fan of reading myself, but it seems
that fore knowledge helps them to do, discover and experience more on their
vacations. One of the best books to start with is the standard Thailand travel
guidebook by Lonely Planet. This book has tons of information, facts and
figures, recommendations, stories and tales, plus is a handy reference guide to
keep that covers the whole country of Thailand . So no matter where you end up
going there will be some helpful information in the book about your destination.
There are other guide books: Frodors, National Geographic, etc… some that have
really cool color pictures and fold-out maps, but I have always found Lonely
Planet to be the most well written and informative.
There are two English Thai
newspapers: the Bangkok Post and the Nation
that you can read online before you travel and purchase while you are there.
Both have stories about what is going on in Thailand regarding politics,
business, sports, lifestyle, food and culture, and travel. The Thursday edition
of the Bangkok Post has a full Travel section that usually has interesting
stories about attractions and tours in Thailand and neighboring countries. There
are also regional newspapers online like the Chiang Mai Mail, the Samui Express,
and the Phuket Gazette – all of which deal more with their specific regions. The
newspapers generally have a few interesting stories each day about life in
Thailand that will give you a perspective on the people and culture of the
country.
Another way to develop an
understanding of the people and culture of Thailand is to read up on the history
of the country. Thailand is unique among all of the countries of Southeast Asia
as it is the only country to not have been ‘colonized’ by the leading European
powers ( England , France , Portugal , and the Dutch) that dominated the region
in the 18th and 19th centuries. Siam , as it was known
until 1939, has a long history dating back to the 15th century and
going back even further there are several civilizations that were dominant in
the region that ended up being absorbed into what eventually became the country
of Thailand . Being a fan of history I am always fascinated by the new
‘discoveries’ and information that is written about the ancient civilizations
and I very much enjoy seeing some of the historical sites that I read about.
Even the city of Bangkok has a long and glorious history with many sites and
temples that are hundreds of years old easy to visit. One of my favorite authors
on Thai history is David K. Wyatt, who has two very good books available on
Amazon.com: Studies in Thai History and Thailand: A short history. He has several other
books, all very interesting and well written on a number of subjects about
Thailand .
Any information you learn and bring
with you on your first trip to Thailand will definitely enhance your experience
in the country. And with the first leg of the flight over being nearly 12 hours,
you will plenty of time to read on the plane!
ENGAGE
There is a familiar saying that
tourists in Thailand are not visitors, they are guests. I have found this to be
very true, and that the more I engage with the local people the more friendly
they are and the better time I have. Learn some basic Thai phrases such as:
Sawadee (hello and goodbye), Sabai dee mai? (how are you), Sabai dee (I am
fine), and Khop khun (thank you) and you will receive warm welcomes and big
smiles from many of the Thai people you encounter each day. And even if you get
the pronunciation a little bit wrong (my first trip or two I kept mixing up
‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ for amusing results) you will still get big smiles.
Definitely ask question about things that interest you, of your TBF Travel
guides and of the Thai guides taking you on tours. Most of the Thai guides speak
English fairly well, and they all want to practice their English and learn more.
Talking with you will help them to improve their language skills and the more
you ask about the things you want to know the more you will learn to love the
things there are to do. I have found that the more language new travelers learn
– the more fun they seem to have J.
You will often find many Thai people
that want to tell you more about their culture and their country, especially
when you are out and about in the smaller local villages or rural areas. Thai
people take a lot of pride in their country and enjoy sharing stories and
information about the area in which they live. Being bold and asking for
directions or information about an attraction will usually get you a ‘new
friend’. There is a story about Justin, the TBF expat who now lives on Koh
Samui, who walking around Bangkok one night (jet lag caused him to stay up all
night and he ended up walking the streets near the hotel we were staying in) was
confronted by a Tuk Tuk driver who offered him a ride. Justin stated he wanted
to walk and said “no thank you”. A few minutes later the Tuk Tuk came back by
and saw him still walking and again offered him a ride. Justin stated he just
wanted to walk. Well a bit later when the driver went by again and saw Justin
still walking he stopped and started talking with him. Eventually he gave Justin
a ride around and took him back to his home to enjoy some home cooked soup with
him and his family. Justin ended up spending the rest of the night sitting there
with a Thai family while they made pot after pot of soup and drank beers into
the early morning. At daylight the Tuk Tuk driver gave Justin a ride back to the
hotel, and wouldn’t take any money for the ride, stating he was happy to make a
new friend. Thai people are like that – it is why Thailand has the nickname:
‘The land of smiles.’
TRY
Don’t be timid on your first trip to
Thailand . Try everything! You will experience so many things that are very
different from back home – especially the Thai food. No matter how many ‘Thai
restaurants’ you have eaten at back home, the food will be very different in
Thailand . All of the ingredients are prepared fresh every day, the spices and
herbs used are locally grown, and the flavors will excite and tantalize your
taste buds! Whether you like really spicy (ped mog mog) or not spicy (mai ped)
there are plenty of food choices available on a daily basis. The Thai people
very much enjoy and almost celebrate each meal. On our trips we always try to
eat at as many local restaurants as possible – avoiding the big and fancy hotel
restaurants when possible (not that they have bad food – there is almost no bad
Thai food in Thailand – just that they are more ‘expensive’) and allowing our
travelers to try out some Thai dishes that they would not find elsewhere. There
will be choices of fruits and vegetables that you have never seen before, at
least 4 or 5 different kinds of Thai curry to try, dozens of seafood dishes, and
special Thai ‘desserts’ – a few of which have become TBF Favorites like the
sticky rice and mango with coconut sauce or the ‘Roti’ (Thai pancake). We will
also make sure that everyone that wants to has a chance to try some ‘insect
culinary delights’. Besides the food there are many other things to try that
will be different and new. We will have an early morning opportunity at least
one day – either in Bangkok or Khao Lak, to make offerings to a Buddhist monk
and receive a blessing, and to make ‘merit’ at a Buddhist temple, or Wat. One of
the things I would heartily recommend to new travelers is to arise super early
at least one morning – whether in Bangkok to visit Lumpini Park at 5 am, or at
Railay Bay to watch the sunrise over the islands on the East beach, and to stay
up really late one night – either in Bangkok to enjoy the nightlife and shopping
that takes place after dark or on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan to enjoy either a
Cabaret Show or the Full Moon Party. It’s okay to nap on the beach or by the
pool after doing either an early morning or late night J. Some of the
activities we will have on our trip may be new and a little fearful to some of
our travelers: like rock climbing, sea kayaking, snorkeling, abseiling, cave
exploring, or zip lining – I recommend trying them all! Remember, action
conquers fear, and they are all very safe and tested by the TBF Travel guide
staff. One of the activities I recommend – with a little note of caution, is
renting and riding motorbikes (or scooters as they are called sometimes). We
will have opportunities to rent them at Khao Lak and on Koh Samui. The
motorbikes are very fun and convenient to ride – but care and safety must be
emphasized. Helmets must be worn at ALL times, and anyone without motorcycle
experience should undergo a short but informative motorbike training session
given by either TBF Dan or myself before renting and riding one of the
motorbikes. While the traffic at Khao Lak is minimal and the roads are
uncrowded, it is quite different on Koh Samui, which is actually the ‘motorbike
fatality capital’ of Thailand . While I do not want to discourage anyone from
renting and riding them, I do recommend you exercise extreme caution at all
times when on the motorbikes and not consume any alcohol before riding. One last
option I am working to arrange for a few travelers that are interested (myself
included) is getting a Monk tattoo. These ceremonial tattoos are done old-style,
with bamboo needles and a small wooden mallet, and are considered to be a
blessing upon the recipient from the Buddhist monks. I will keep everyone posted
on the details of this special activity.
DAMAYC &
TCOYB
This stands for “Do as much as you
can” and “Take care of your body” – two things that I always work hard to do on
my trips to Thailand . With so much to do and see in the two weeks we are on the
trip it can sometimes become very fatiguing for our travelers: waking early in
the morning for exercise or offering alms, then going all day long with
activities, then staying up late at night for shopping, dining, drinking and
dancing. Two things I have found that help me keep this schedule are M150 and
Thai massage. M150 is a Thai energy drink that is conveniently sold at every
7-Eleven and Family Mart for 10 Baht. One bottle will keep you going for at
least 3-4 hours, and besides my favorite, which is M150, there are at least 6 or
so other brands all with a slightly different taste but the same ‘power’.
Secondly a Thai massage; if have not had a Thai massage it is unlike any other
type of massage being a combination of deep tissue massage, acupressure,
stretching, and Swedish massage, every day or every other day will keep your
body energized and feeling good. A typical two hour massage will cost between
250 and 400 Baht (about $8 - $13) and will restore vitality and energy after a
long day of being on the go. It is also vitally important to make sure you are
drinking plenty of water in Thailand . The combination of the heat and humidity
can drain your system very quickly, so we will always make time to stop and
replenish water and other beverages (M150) on all of our daily activity tours.
In closing I would say that a Thai vacation with TBF Travel is unlike any other
type of vacation. While it is not necessary to be an ‘endurance athlete’ for
this trip it does help to be in good shape. Meaning being able to do some
healthy aerobic exercise on a regular basis, having good core body strength and
flexibility, and abiding by a good diet of healthy food with proper hydration.
If you have questions about your current fitness or diet plan, or any questions
about he trip or Thailand , please don’t hesitate to send them to myself and my
wife Worawan and we will be glad to help and provide any information you
request.
Thank you for reading this email and
for choosing TBF Travel for your trip to Thailand !
Bill and Worawan
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