Facts For Travellers

There is more visible historical evidence of past eras in Thailand than in any other South-East Asian country, so if you're interested in ruins, temples and deserted cities, this is the place to go. For pure holiday-making magic, Thailand's islands and beaches are working definitions of heaven (once you get out of the shadows of the evil multinational hotels). And as for urban delights, the huge metropolis of Bangkok, although it can alarm with its chaos and its scale, tends to so charm visitors with its energy and cultural treasures that the steamy soupy diesel mixture that passes for air in this city is more than forgiven.

There is more visible historical evidence of past eras in Thailand than in any other South-East Asian country, so if you're interested in ruins, temples and deserted cities, this is the place to go. For pure holiday-making magic, Thailand's islands and beaches are working definitions of heaven (once you get out of the shadows of the evil multinational hotels). And as for urban delights, the huge metropolis of Bangkok, although it can alarm with its chaos and its scale, tends to so charm visitors with its energy and cultural treasures that the steamy soupy diesel mixture that passes for air in this city is more than forgiven.

Warning
The Cambodian and Myanmar border areas contain a volatile mixture of land mines, bandits, smugglers and rebels, and are the scene of occasional low-level military stoushes. Travellers should steer well clear of the borders or contact their embassy to receive the latest reports on the security situation.

An incident in March 2000 in which one Australian tourist was murdered and his partner attacked in the Doi Ang Khan National Park in Chiang Mai has prompted embassy warnings not to camp in undesignated areas in national parks.

Anyone foolish enough to accept free air-tickets and a new set of luggage from sudden friends in Bangkok deserves to be called a mule.

Full country name: Kingdom of Thailand
Area: 517,000sq km
Population: 62 million
Capital city: Bangkok (pop 6 million)
People: 75% Thai, 11% Chinese, 3.5% Malay, also Mon, Khmer, Phuan and Karen minorities
Language: Thai
Religion: 95% Buddhism, 4% Muslim
Government: Democratic constitutional monarchy
Prime Minister: Thaksin Shinawatra
Head ofstate: King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX)

GDP: US$166 billion
GDP per head: US$2168
Annual growth: 3.5%
Inflation: 2%
Major products: Computers, garments, integrated circuits, gems, jewellery
Major trading partners: ASEAN, USA, European Union

Facts for the Traveler
Visas: Most visitors can stay for 30 days without a visa
Health risks: AIDS, cholera, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, rabies
Time: UTC plus seven hours
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric with local variations
Tourism: average 8.5 million visitors annually

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.