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Be respectful & Thoughtful and have a nice holiday in Phuket Thailand

October 20, 2017
News

Being polite is something that most people try to achieve when dealing with others in everyday life, so the same respect should be given when traveling in other countries. I have lived in Phuket for the past 5 years now and I have seen so many people get into trouble or get into situations that could so easily have been avoided, if only they stopped to THINK before doing the things they do.
Yelling and speaking quickly in a high tone will not get you anywhere here. First of all English is not the main language here, so when dealing with the Thai people why not slow down and speak slowly, try to pronounce your words slowly and clearly, there is no point in yelling and speaking louder and faster and getting frustrated with the Thai people. Thai people hate confrontation and yelling and shouting waving your hands in their face will just get you either in to a fight or arrested. CALM down and do your best.
Getting drunk and/or picking fights with a Thai person or woman is not the way to solve your stress here, antagonizing and provoking Thai people will just get you nowhere, the Thai people may be small but they pack a wallop if provoked, some people just get in to trouble no matter where they go, but it really is easy to stay out of trouble here in Thailand. Yes I agree you may experience SOME unpleasantness dealing with SOME taxi drivers or tuk tuk drivers or others that are trying to over charge you, yes like any other country in the world SOME of them can be rude and inconsiderate, but this happens in every country in the world.
Driving a motorbike here is one of the most dangerous things you can do, the roads are very dangerous here and so many Thai people and foreigners have accidents, especially if you have no experience riding a scooter at all. IF you feel the need to rent a bike stay on the left side of the road if you are unsure about your driving skills, if there is a car coming in your direction in your lane (and yes IF the other person is going the wrong way) and if they are flashing their head lights, it means get out of my way I am not stopping I am coming, so either get out of the way if you can, OR just indicate pull over and stop, and make sure that you have some kind of travel/hospital insurance.
When going in to Temples, banks, public offices, shopping centers, put some clothes on, no one wants to see you walking around half naked and it is offensive to people here. Do you walk into these places half naked in your own country? If you walk in to a temple cover your shoulders and down to your knees, usually if you walk in there in a swim suit or shorts and a singlet the temple hand out sarongs (wrap arounds) that you can borrow for free for the time you are visiting so you can cover yourself up. I have seen people go in to the immigration office to extend visas and wearing a bikini or just board shorts and no shirt, they wonder why they are asked to leave, common sense. While I am on the topic of temples DO NOT put your arm around or hug a monk, BIG No no.
In regards to BARTERING here and shopping, yes it is fun to barter and that is the culture here, even the Thai people barter with each other at markets and shops. I do agree that in many cases the prices can start way too high so have a bit of fun and play the game, but there is a point where you can be offensive and just go too low, if you are not happy with the price just walk away, don’t be unreasonable and try to argue over 10 cents.
DO NOT kiss/make out in public, this is offensive, they do not even show kissing on TV here or in main soap operas, yes a quick kiss is fine but go somewhere private for any serious displays of affection.
NEVER say anything bad about the Royal family or the King in particular, my last post expressed exactly how the Thai people love and respect their King, so doing things like crunching Thai money notes in your hand that have the kings face on them is just not on, kicking money on the floor with your feet is just as bad. Speaking about feet, we all know they are dirty and so are the bottoms of your shoes, so you will see many smaller shops and venues around Thailand have a pile of shoes out front, this means they do not want you to wear your shoes inside, so please DON’T, if you don’t want to take off your shoes, don’t go in there. Taking your shoes off is normal in most Asian countries.
Thailand is lovely and is an awesome place to visit and to live, IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL HERE AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO. We have so many beautiful Thai friends and we have met countless amazing Thai people, Let us know if you need some help and advice getting around.

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