Thailand, Travel.
Travel
When to Go : The best overall
time for visiting most of Thailand vis a vis climate is between November and February - during these months it rains least and is not too hot. The south is best visited when the rest of Thailand is miserably hot (March to May), and the north is best
from mid-November to early December or when it starts warming up again in February. If you're spending time in Bangkok, be prepared to roast in April and do some wading in October - probably the worst two months, weather-wise, in the capital. The peak
tourist months are December and August, and the least crowded months are May, June and September.
Events : Many festivals are linked to Buddhist or Brahman rituals and follow a lunar calendar. New Year, Songkran, is celebrated in mid-April by
'bathing' Buddha images, paying respects to monks and elders by sprinkling water over their hands, and generally tossing a lot of the H2O in the air for fun. Expect to be soaked unless you want to party-poop in your room. The sowing and harvesting of
rice has given rise to a cycle of festivals. To kick off the official rice-planting season in early May, the king participates in an ancient Brahman ritual in a large field in central Bangkok. A Rocket Festival is held in May in the country's
north-east, using a volatile mixture of bamboo and gunpowder to convince the sky to send rain for the new rice season. The rice harvest from September through to May leads to joyous local celebrations throughout Thailand. The Vegetarian Festival in
Phuket and Trang, during which devout Chinese Buddhists eat only vegetarian food, runs for nine days from late-September to early-October. Merit-making processions are the most visible expression of this festival, but there are also ceremonies at
Chinese temples. The Elephant Roundup in Surin in November is an elephantine festival popular with the kind of people who enjoy watching pachyderms play soccer. During the Loi Krathong Festival, held after the rainy season (usually in November),
candle-lit floats are cast into waterways to bring good fortune for the coming year.
Money & Costs : Currency: Baht. Meals : Budget: US$2-4. Mid-range: US$4-7 . Top-end: US$7 and upwards. Lodging : Budget: US$3-15. Mid-range: US$15-60.
Top-end: US$60 and upwards. If you're travelling on a budget, you should be able to fairly easily get by on around US$15-25 a day anywhere in Thailand. Visitors staying in comfortable hotels and eating at restaurants should budget on around US$20-30 a
day outside Bangkok and around double this amount when in the capital. If money is no object, then you can spend to your heart's content while in Bangkok, since the capital has several of the world's most sumptuous hotels. Your spending levels will be
curtailed by the scarcity of luxury accommodation and quality restaurants if you get off the beaten track. Banks or legal moneychangers offer the best rates. For buying baht, US dollars are the most readily acceptable currency, though travellers'
cheques get a better rate than cash. Credit cards are becoming increasingly acceptable in quality shops, hotels and restaurants. Visa is the most useful, followed by MasterCard. ATMs which accept Visa and other credit cards are easily found in the
larger cities, and many exchange booths will give you a cash advance on your credit card. Tipping is not customary in Thailand, although Thais are getting used to the idea in upmarket hotels. Bargaining is common practice in markets and tourist shops,
and when catching non-metered taxis. Treat it as a form of social discourse rather than a matter of life and death.
Passports and Visas : Aliens visiting Thailand must possess valid passports or acceptable travel documents and appropriate
visas before entering the country. Visitors from certain countries are permitted to stay for up to 15 day without visas, provided they possess tickets confirming departure within 15 days, while visitors from several other countries are allowed to apply
for tourist visas at all ports of entry. Transit visas are granted for up to 30 days and tourist visas for up to 60 days. 1, diplomatic and official visas are valid for up to 90 days.
Customs : Narcotics and pornographic materials are
strictly prohibited. Permits must be obtained for firearms and certain species of animals and plants. The export of Buddha images, images of deities and antiques is strictly forbidden without first obtaining approval from the Fine Arts Department. Any
amount of foreign Currency may be brought in for personal use.
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Thailand General Information Links.