Review of things not to do in Thailand

What Not To Do In Thailand

Hello Steemians,

I am excited about the up coming Steemfest in Thailand, so I am researching the country, language and culture. I started running across articles about what not to do in Thailand, so I thought it would make a good post. It appears from my readings that there are some traditions we need to be aware of in their culture, so we don’t offend the people of this country. So I decided to do a Review of things not to do in Thailand.

If you have additional suggestions please add them to the comments section.

Review of things not to do while visiting in Thailand.
Note: I have revised the material I read to make it my own, but I still wish to give credit to the source.

Do Not Touch People’s Heads

This appears in all the articles and every YouTube video I watched. Apparently in Thailand touching someone’s head is considered very disrespectful.The Thais consider the head to be very clean and special. This includes putting hats or scarves on someone’s head and it extends to children also. I don’t know about pets, but since they have rabies in Thailand I would be careful about petting any animals anyway.
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Do Not Use Your Feet For Anything But Walking
It appears that the feet are considered unclean or dirty, which is the logical opposite of the head. So it is considered rude or very impolite to point at people, places or things with any part of your foot like your toes or even to bottom of your feet. Additionally you should stand with your feet facing or pointed at a Temple or an image of a Buddha. Thus is considered rude and unacceptable. Also don’t step on on anything like books, magazines, money, etc and then pick it up any hand it to someone, as that is considered very rude. Additionally don’t shut a door or gate with your feet for the same reason. Apparently this can get you severely chastised in Thailand.
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Do Not Touch The Monks
In Thailand, monks are very highly respected by everyone, so they are revered by everyone to the extent being the most highly respected people. So symbolic things like standing over them or having your body positioned being higher than them is strictly forbidden. Also women please remember never to touch a monk. Monks are not allowed to touch women, so not only should you not touch them, but don’t stand by Monks or sit by Monks on public transportation either. Monks will not even hand woman anything, them anything directly. Instead they will place that item on the ground for women to pick it up themselves. If you are a woman, coming into contact with monks is one of the things to be careful of in Thailand.
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Be prepared to take your shoes off before entering certain buildings and places.
Your shoes are considered dirty, so it’s like your purposefully bring dirt into someone’s home. Keeping your shoes on when you enter homes, temples, and even some shops and restaurants. Because of this many people wear lightweight sandals. It’s not unusual to see a bunch of shoes outside peoples homes and temples.
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Avoid taking pictures of captured animals.
Tourists are often offered photo opportunities with exotic animals, which apparently are obtained and kept illegally in some cases, so it may be wise to stay away from these situations. Additionally these are sometimes dangerous, so they are drugged or worse their claws and teeth have been removed.
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Do Not Get Involved With Illegal Drugs
Any tourist destination has a drug problem and laws are quite harsh in Asia. Some foreigners find themselves facing lifetime prison sentences for drug trafficking depending on the circumstances. Avoid this completely.
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Do Not Overstay Your Visa Period
It is extremely important to know how long you may legally stay in a country. Overstaying your visa is punishable by a fine of about 500 Baht per day. The maximum fine is 20,000 Baht, which if you don’t pay, you may be sentenced to prison. An added penalty is that Thai immigration mark your passport as “undesirable alien” for repeated violations (three times). This “undesirable alien” status makes it more difficult for you to travel internationally and you could be refused entry to Thailand for 5 to 10 years. This is one of the most important things not to do in Thailand.
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No Public Displays of Affection
Apparently Thais do not even hold hands or hug in public, so I suggest that you avoid public displays of affection while visiting Thailand. Incidentally note that touching tongues is forbidden, so please be intimate in your private quarters.
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Don’t Disrespect the Royal Family
The King and the Royal family are highly regarded in Thai society. Pictures of them are seen throughout the country. It is very disrespectful to say anything negatively about the Royal family. Remember Thais find it insulting to be touched by your feet, so touching Thai money with images of the Royal family on it is disrespectful or insulting. Unsuspecting patrons at a bar or nightclub may find themselves in a nasty situation with no clue as to why and this can be the cause.
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Don’t Take Your Clothes Off
While the days in Thailand are sunny and warm, walking around town in beach attire is considered impolite by the local people. Beach clothes are okay at the beach or beachside bars, beachside restaurants or in your hotel room. Otherwise, both men and woman should keep your shirts on and woman cover their arms. Be especially conservative if you go to a temples. Dress in white), and women particularly should wear long skirts or trousers and have their shoulders covered.
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Avoid Pointing with Your Fingers
When calling a taxi, which is called a tuk-tuk, in Thailand on the street or getting the attention of a waiter in a restaurant, do not point your fingers up. Make sure that your palm is facing downward and you fingers are straight with an up and down movement. Never clap, snap your fingers, or whistle to get someone’s attention, as this considered is very rude in Thai culture. Thais believe you call a dog in this way and not a human.
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Can’t Take Buddha Pictures Out of Thailand
I don’t know if this is true, but at least one source mentioned it, so I list it here. The source said that it is highly illegal to take or send any pictures of Buddha out of the country, unless special permission has been granted. Many shop owners will sell you pictures, but they will not tell you it’s illegal, so I am not sure about this one.
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Also, standing on a Buddha statue to have your photograph taken is one of the most disrespectful things that you can do in Thailand, because you are placing the lowest (the feet) upon the highest (Buddha).
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Don’t Lose Your Temper
Thais have a philosophy called jai yen which translates as cool heart. They practice keeping their cool and not losing their temper. Most Thais avoid confrontation and see raising one’s voice as bad manners. Staying calm and smiling often goes a long way in Thailand. It does not mean that you won’t encounter one angry person on your trip, but Thais are generally very hospitable, welcoming and tolerant. Don’t get frustrated, “mai pen rai” as the locals say.
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Don’t Eat with a Fork
Dining is a social affair in Thailand, and there are no specific dining periods, so visitors can enjoy cheap and delicious food all day and all night everywhere. Thai food is eaten with a spoon and a fork, but it is the spoon that touches one’s mouth. You use the fork to push the food onto the spoon. Thai food is often cut into small pieces and served soft enough that a knife is not necessary. Note that chopsticks are only |used when eating Chinese dishes.
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Never Whistle at Night
The Thais become very uneasy if they hear a whistle after dark. I think this is due to the Thais superstition that whistling at night is calling the evil spirits. So even if you feel like whistling a tune on your evening walk, please don’t do it.
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Don’t Let a Tuk-Tuk Driver Take You To a Gem Shop
This is one of the biggest scams in the tourist areas of Thailand. Tuk-tuk drivers will try to persuade you to visit a special gem shop. Some will even go so far as to say that your intended destination is closed or under repair and try to convince you that they know where the best deals are. Inside these kick-back shops, tourists are usually harassed, possibly drugged, and told that they can buy hand cut jewels and sell them at home for a large profit. However, most victims are cheated out of a lot of money in exchange for costume jewelry.
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Don’t Shake Hands
Thais do not greet each other by shaking hands because they do not like to have personal contact with strangers. Rather, they place both their open palms together at chest height and bow slightly. This is called wai. It would be wise to practice this greeting before you visit. Do not bow to children or a person of lower status however, as you would only be embarrassing them. If you are greeting a person of high importance, bow slightly deeper.
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Lines
People don’t stand in lines. This took me a few days (and many long waits for the ladies room) to figure out. Instead of queuing up, Thais form a crowd. Stand your ground, and get used to a lack of personal space in public places. It is good to know this before you visit Thailand.
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Transportation choices day & night.
Take tuk-tuks during the day and taxis at night. Taxis are more comfortable, but tuk-tuks give you a better view. Both are terrifying.If you go to Patpong road at night (Bangkok’s equivalent of the Red Light District), ask your taxi to come back and pick you up at a certain time. Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time fighting all the other drunk people to find a ride back to your hotel.
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Gambling.
Gambling is only permitted on certain days (by order of the king, whom you are still not talking about, right?). Hit up the horse tracks on a pro-gambling day for an awesome experience. Prepare for lots of yelling, drunk people, and general debauchery.
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Cover your body.
Cover up your elbows and knees when visiting temples, wats, monasteries, palaces, etc. I’d recommend bringing along a light jacket or cover-up even on days when a temple isn’t on the itinerary — you never know when you’ll stumble across a beautiful wat you’ll want to check out!
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Taxi scam.
Don’t take a taxi driver’s word on it if they say an attraction or site is closed for the day; many times they will use this tactic to try to “suggest” other destinations which earn them a commission. If in doubt, just thank them for the information and ask another driver.
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Water part one.
Don’t drink the water. Buy bottles of water from street vendors for about ten cents a pop. Or, buy beer on the street for a dollar a bottle.
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Water or Beer.
Many of the popular beer brands also make bottled water. If you order a “Chang” or “Singha,” the waitress will likely respond “Chang beer?” to clarify. Make it easy by ordering “Chang water” or “Singha beer” to begin with. As a side note, I’ve tried doing this in Thai restaurants back home and I just get weird looks. Go figure.
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Happy Girls or Nice Girl’s.
Avoid massage parlors with signs that read “nice girls,” “happy girls,” or just any mention of girls or women. Unless you are actively looking for a brothel.
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Things you should do!*

Travel cheaply.
Use public transportation. The BTS (Subway) and MRT (Light Rail) are cheap, convenient, and fast. You can get just about anywhere using these systems and they are really easy to use. The maps make sense, the token system is efficient and simple, and the trains are kept very clean. Get a day pass to save extra money.
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Live like a King or Queen
Stay in a five-star hotel when visiting Thailand. The exchange rate between many western currencies, especially Euro or US Dollar is very good, so you can stay at very impressive hotels cheaply.
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Water, ice.
The ice used in Thai restaurants is fine to drink. If you’re somewhere far outside of town and worried about the ice, just get bottled water or beer instead.
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English is spoken here.
Learn a few basic phrases in Thai, but know that English is widely spoken in Bangkok and most everyone is friendly enough to put up with a little pantomiming. A humble and respectful manner will get you far in the land of smiles!
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Cleaning your special parts.
Carry your own tissues and hand sanitizer if you’re not comfortable air drying or using a spray hose next to a squat toilet. Most places we went had “Western” toilets (sometimes called “sitting toilets”), but I encountered my fair share of squat toilets, too. Always wear shoes with non-slip soles because those bathroom floors are WET.
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Thai Martial Art
Check out a Muay Thai fight at Lumpinee Stadium, but don’t get suckered into buying “VIP” tickets. They are about two feet away from the regular seats and cost four times as much.
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Transportation
Pick a hotel close to public transportation (MRT and BTS). The Sukhumvit neighborhood is especially practical, as the MRT and BTS both have stops just a few blocks apart.
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Take off your shoes.
When visiting a temple, pay attention to see if others have taken off their shoes. If so, follow suit.
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Massages for 3$ US.
The Thais are know for fabulous and cheap massages, so indulge.
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Conclusion

Thailand is a beautiful exotic, hot, poor country filled with people who have a reputation for being friendly and tolerant, plus many in the big cities speak English.
Like all big cities Bangkok has wonderful parts and less wonderful parts, so I recommend that you read a few guides about the country and it’s people, familiarize your self with some of their important cultural customs. and learn how to say at a minimum Hello in Thai;
Hello
Sawasdee which sounds like Sah-wah-dee, followed by khrap if your male or khaa if your female.
Males say-way-dee-khrap .
Females say-way-dee-khaa.
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✍🏼 by Shortsegments.

References

https://www.destinationtips.com/advice/15-things-not-to-do-in-thailand/5

https://traveltriangle.com/blog/things-not-to-do-in-thailand/

‪https://thewanderlustkitchen.com/39-things-need-know-traveling-thailand/2/‬

https://www.tripsavvy.com/how-to-say-hello-in-thai-1458400

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