Pattaya

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Pattaya พัทยา
Pattaya City, เมืองพัทยา
Pattaya Beach
Seal
Location of Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand
Pattaya
Coordinates: 12°55′39″N 100°52′31″E / 12.9275°N 100.87528°E / 12.9275; 100.87528
Country	Thailand
Province	Chonburi
Mueang	Mueang Pattaya
Government
- Type	Self-administrating municipality
- Mayor	Ittipol Khunplome
Area
- Total	22.2 km2 (8.6 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total	104,318
- Density	4,699/km2 (12,170.4/sq mi)
	Registered residents only
Time zone	Thailand (UTC+7)
ISO 3166-2	TH-S
Website	www.pattaya.go.th

Mueang Pattaya surrounded by Amphoe Bang Lamung in Chon Buri Province.

Pattaya  is a city in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok located within but not part of Amphoe Bang Lamung (Banglamung) in the province of Chonburi.
The city of Pattaya is a self governing municipal area which covers the whole tambon Nong Prue (Nongprue) and Na Kluea (Naklua) and parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai. It is located in the heavily industrial Eastern Seaboard zone, along with Si Racha (Sri Racha), Laem Chabang, and Chon Buri (Chonburi).
Pattaya is also the center of the Pattaya-Chonburi Metropolitan Area, the conurbation in Chonburi Province.

History

Pattaya's name evolved from the march of Phraya Tak (later King Taksin) and his army from Ayutthaya to Chanthaburi. This took place before the fall of the former capital to the Burmese invaders in 1767.

When his army arrived at the vicinity of what is now Pattaya, he encountered the troops of Nai Klom, who tried to intercept him. When the two leaders met face to face, Nai Klom was awed by Phraya Tak's dignified manner and his army's strict discipline. He then surrendered without a fight. The place the two armies confronted each other was called Thap Phraya, which means the Army of the Phraya. This was later changed to Phatthaya, which happens to mean the wind blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning of the rainy season. Today the city is officially know as Pattaya.
For centuries, Pattaya was a small fishing village. But a change occurred on April 26, 1961, when the first group of about 100 American servicemen who were fighting in the Vietnam War arrived in Pattaya for relaxation. From this beginning, Pattaya became a popular beach resort which now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Fishermen's huts along the beach were replaced by resort hotel and shopping malls. Fishing vessels were adapted to become tourist boats.

Demographics

The city (Mueang) had 104,318 registered inhabitants in 2007. But like Bangkok Metropolis, that figure excludes the large number of people who work in Pattaya but remain registered in their hometowns, and many long-term expatriate visitors. Including non-registered residents, the population numbers around 300,000 at any given time. Other estimates put the figure as high as 500,000.

Geography

Pattaya, located off the Gulf of Thailand, is approximately 145 km south of the city of Bangkok, surrounded by Bang Lamung District.
The city of Pattaya is a special municipal area which covers the whole tambon Nong Prue (Nongprue) and Na Kluea (Naklua) and parts of Huai Yai and Nong Pla Lai. Bang Lamung township which forms the northern border of Pattaya covers parts of the tambon Bang Lamung (Banglamung), Nong Pla Lai and Takhian Tia. Bang Sali is on the southern border of Pattaya.
"Greater Pattaya" occupies most of the coastline of Banglamung (one of the eleven districts that comprise Chonburi Province). It is divided into a larger northern section which spans the areas to the east of Naklua Beach (the most northern beach) and Pattaya Beach (the main beach) plus the Buddha Hill headland (immediately south of Pattaya Beach), and a smaller southern section covering the area to the east of Jomtien Beach (which lies directly south of Buddha Hill) including Dongtan Beach.

Administration

Pattaya city has been administered under a special autonomous system since 1978. It has a status comparable to a municipality and is separately administered by the mayor of Pattaya city who is responsible for making policies, organizing public services and supervising all employees of Pattaya city administration.

Climate

Pattaya has a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: warm and dry (November to February), hot and humid (March to May), and hot and rainy (June to October).

Weather data for Pattaya
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high °C	30.7	31.0	31.8	32.9	32.4	31.6	31.3	31.1	31.0	30.6	30.4	29.9
Average low °C	23.0	24.3	25.4	26.4	26.5	26.5	26.0	26.0	25.1	24.2	23.4	22.2
Precipitation mm	13.7	12.0	52.5	61.6	154.6	149.9	87.0	98.6	217.1	242.6	82.8	6.4
Average high °F	87	88	89	91	90	89	88	88	88	87	87	86
Average low °F	73	76	78	80	80	80	79	79	77	76	74	72
Precipitation inches	0.54	0.47	2.07	2.43	6.09	5.9	3.43	3.88	8.55	9.55	3.26	0.25
Source: World Weather Information ServiceNov 2007

Beaches and islands

Pattaya along the beach

Pattaya Beach at sunset.

The main sweep of the bay area is divided into two principal beachfronts. Pattaya Beach is parallel to city centre, and is the main destination for bathers and loungers with the section from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor forming part of the core of the town's restaurants, motorcycle hire, and night attractions.
Jomtien Beach (Thai: หาดจอมเทียน) in the southern part of the bay area is divided from Pattaya beach by the promontry of Pratumnak Hill, just south of the city, and is mainly a residential area with luxury developments, beachside hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. It offers of watersport activities such as jet skis, parasailing and small sail boat hire. A proposed 91-floor Ocean One Tower ("O1") with an overall height of 367 meters, would be the tallest building in Thailand and one of the tallest residential buildings in the world.The Jomtien district is the location of one of the largest resorts in Asia, the 4000+ room Ambassador City Jomtien.
Offshore islands include Mu Ko Larn (หมู่เกาะล้าน) , the "Near Islands", Ko Larn (main island), Ko Sak and Ko Krok located 7.5 km from the western shores of Pattaya Ko Larn (Thai: เกาะล้าน), or "Coral Island", Mu Ko Phai (หมู่เกาะไผ่), the "Far Islands", Ko Phai (main island), Ko Man Wichai, Ko Hu Chang and Ko Klung Badan, located offshore further west of the "Near Islands", and Ko Rin, located offshore to the southwest, south of Mu Ko Phai. Most of the islands in the group are accessible by speedboat in less than 15 minutes and by ferry taking about 45 minutes. The names "Near Islands", "Far Islands" and "Coral Island" are used for touristic purposes only and do not correspond to any naming conventions of the island groups and are not shown on maritime charts published by the Hydrographic Service of the Royal Thai Navy. Many of the islands have tourist beaches and offer scuba diving activities.

Transportation

Road

1. By the Bangkok-Chon Buri-Pattaya Motorway (Highway No.7) The motorway is linked with Bangkok’s Outer Ring Road., (Highway No. 9) and there is also another entrance at Si Nakharin and Rama IX Junction.
2. By Bang Na-Trat Highway (Highway No. 34) From Bang Na, Bang Phli, across the Bang Pakong River to Chon Buri there is a Chon Buri’s bypass that meets Sukhumvit Road., (Highway No. 3, passing Bang Saen Beach, Bang Phra to Pattaya.

City roads

• Pattaya 1 Road ("Beach Road"): this street runs parallel to the beach
• Pattaya 2 Road: this street runs approximately 400 meters parallel to Pattaya 1 Road.
• Pattaya 3 Road: this is Pattaya’s outer-ring road which connects North, South and Central Pattaya.
• Thap Phraya Road: this street connects Pattaya 2 to Jomtien Road.
• Thep Prasit Road: this street connects Thap Phraya Road to Sukhumvit Road.

Rail

A daily service operates between Pattaya and Hualumphong Station in Bangkok.

Monorails

The city plan to construction 3 lines of monorail system, by a budget of 4,000 million baht.^[

Bus

Intercity transport is usually through one of two bus stations, one for Bangkok and one for other destinations. Pattaya is served by frequent bus services from Bangkok’s Northern Bus Terminal (Morchit) and the Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekhamai). Busses from Pattaya serve nearby provincial towns and direct long distance routes serve many province capitals.
City and suburban services are provided mainlyby Songthaew (public passenger pick-up vehicle), popularly nick-named ‘Baht-buses’. A public bus service began in 2006.

Taxis

A metered taxi service began in late 2007. Motorcycle taxis generally operate in the town and suburbs and are mainly used for short distances.

Air

Pattaya is about 1½ hours, or 120 km by road from Suvarnabhumi Airport, the Bangkok international hub. By road, it is accessed from Sukhumvit Road and Motorway 7 from Bangkok. Pattaya is also served through U-Tapao International Airport which is 45 minutes drive from the city.

Tourist Destinations

Attractions

The Wat Khao Phra Bat temple overlooking Pattaya Bay features a Buddha statue more than 18 meters tall.

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden

Pattaya Park Tower.

Birds Eye View, from Pattaya Park Tower, Pattaya city.

The Sanctuary of Truth.

Once a fishing town, Pattaya first boomed as an R&R destination during the Vietnam War and developed into a family-orientated seaside destination. The Tourist Authority of Thailand claims 5,338,000 visitors for 2005 (up 6.5% from 2004), of which two-thirds were from abroad.
Activities include playing golf (21 golf courses within 1 hour of Pattaya,) go-cart racing, and visiting different theme parks and zoos such as the Elephant Village, where demonstrations of training methods and ancient ceremonial re-enactments are perfomed daily. The private Sri Racha Tiger Zoo features tigers, alligators, and other animals in daily shows. The Vimantaitalay tourist submarine offers underwater trips underwater to see corals and marine life just a few kilometers offshore. Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden about 15 kilometers south of Pattaya is a 500-acre (2.0 km²) site of botanical gardens and an orchid nursery where cultural shows with trained chimpanzees and elephants are presented.
Other attractions in Pattaya include The Million Years Stone Park, Pattaya Crocodile Farm, Pattaya Park Beach Resort Water Park, Funny Land Amusement Park, Siriporn Orchid Farm, Underwater World Pattaya (world class aquarium), the Thai Alangkarn Theater Pattaya (cultural show), Bottle Art Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and Underwater World (อันเดอร์วอเตอร์ เวิลด์), an aquarium where there is a collection of marine species in the Gulf of Thailand including sharks and stingrays. Khao Phra Tam Nak or Khao Phra Bat (เขาพระตำหนัก หรือ เขาพระบาท) is a small hill located between South Pattaya and Jomtien Beach that provides a panoramic view of the city of Pattaya and its crescent bay. The hill is topped by Wat Khao Phra Bat, a temple, and the monument of Kromluang Chomphonkhetudomsak, who is regared as the “founding father of the modern Thai navy.” The Sanctuary of Truth (ปราสาทสัจธรรม) is a large wooden structure constructed in 1981 by the sea at Laem Ratchawet, that was conceived from the vision that human civilization has been achieved and nurtured by religious and philosophical truth.
Mini Siam (เมืองจำลองพัทยา) is a miniature model village which celebrates the heritages of Thailand with replicas of the most famous monuments and historical sites including the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Democracy Monument, Bridge over the River Kwai, and Prasat Hin Phimai. Models of the Tower Bridge of London,Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and Trevi Fountain are also displayed in the section called “mini world." Wat Yanasangwararam Woramahawihan (วัดญาณสังวรารามวรมหาวิหาร) is a temple constructed in 1976 for Somdet Phra Yanasangwon, the present Supreme Patriarch and later supported by His Majesty the King. Within the compound of the temple are a replica of the Buddha’s footprint, and a large Chedi containing the relics of the Lord Buddha.

Activities

Bungee Jump

Bungee jumping is provided in Jomtien Beach.

Leisure flying

Sport and leisure flying and lessons are available.

Horse Riding

There are several facilities that provide training in riding, cross-country jumping and polo.

Motor Sports racing

There are facilities which provide a cart circuit with separate lanes for professionals and amateurs.

Fitness and sports

Artificial cliff climbing, boxing, yoga, squash, tennis court, etc., are offered at several locations.

Spa

Many kinds of massage are available including Thai massage, foot massage, oil massage and reflexology massage.

Diving

A popular destination in Pattaya for diving is the wreck of the Hardeep which was sunk by the allies in the Second World War. The wreck lies on its starboard side at a maximum depth of 26 meters. Other popular dive destinations near Pattaya include the islands of Ko Rin, Ko Lan, Ko Man Wichai, Ko Hu Chang, Ko Khrok, Ko Sak, and the wrecks of HTMS Khram and HTMS Kut.

Food specialities

Local culinary specialities include Chaeng Lon, a hand molded, charcoal-grilled small bun of coconut on a stick, Hoi Cho, a Chinese delicacy, is Chonburi's famous dish that uses a special kind of sea crab as the main ingredient, and Khao Lam, a specialty is made with sticky rice, sugar and coconut cream cooked in specially-prepared bamboo tubes. Chonburi has an abundance of fresh seafood and dried fruits. Due to the large number of residents from (Isaan), north-eastern dishes such as Spicy Papaya Salad (Somtum) and Spicy Sour Chopped Pork Salad (Larb) are widely available.

] Nightlife

See also: prostitution in Thailand

A pattaya street at dusk

The city and its suburbs have a very large number of bars, night clubs and discotheques, massage parlors, and hourly hotels. Major hotels also operate restaurants, cocktail lounges, discothèques, nightclubs and supper clubs which offer food, drinks, music and international entertainment. The Walking Street, a pedestrian area near the beach is the main concentration of Pattaya's nightlife that has contributed to the city's reputation as a major destination for sex tourism. Boyztown and Sunee Plaza provide locations for the gay community. Muay Thai (Thai boxing) matches aimed at tourists can be seen at several open-air beer bar complexes.

Events & Festivals

The Pattaya Songkran festival that takes place each year on 18-19 April differs from the rest of Thailand in several aspects. The event includes beauty pageants, musical performances, cultural shows, fireworks, and water sports competition.
Pattaya International Music Festival is held annually in the month of March. On different stages, a bandwagon presents several styles of music performed by Thai and international artists.

Creative Arts

Western creative arts increase concomitant with the rise the number of expat residents. There are several art galleries, and the the Pattaya Players, a troupe of amateur thespians established in January 2008 provides a variety of theatrical productions .

A restaurant in central Pattaya.

Property

Driven by its popularity as both a holiday destination, and a location Western expatriates, Pattaya is an area of extensive property development, especially hotels, condominiums, and housing estates. Steadily rising prices of land and buildings have also led to investment and speculation contributing to growth the town's economy.

Health Care

Large hospitals in the area include Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, Pattaya International Hospital, Banglamung Hospital, and Pattaya Memorial Hospital. Many foreign tourists have dental and medical care in Pattaya, though Bangkok is far more popular for as a medical tourist destination.

Populace

Most of the officially registered Pattaya residents are of Thai-Chinese ancestry. However, due to the tourist industry, many people from the north-east (known as Isaan, it is the poorest region of Thailand) have come to work in Pattaya. For this reason, it is not uncommon to hear the Isaan dialect (similar to Laotian).

Media and communications

Several local foreign language newspapers and magazines are published either daily, weekly, or monthly, especially in English and German. The English newspapers include the Pattaya Mail, Pattaya Today, and Pattaya Times. Cable television provides many foreign language programs, as well as local news from Pattaya in English. The official Thailand Survival Guide Pattaya Edition offers further information and contains a directory of more than 16,000 businesses in Pattaya. Landline telephones, satellite phones, mobile phone systems, internet access (via ADSL), post offices and parcel services are all available in the province.

Patong Beach

View of Patong Beach, with condominium tower.

Patong Beach (Thai หาดป่าตอง) refers to a beach on Phuket's west coast, and to the town adjoining it. It is the main tourist resort in Phuket. It also contains an important center of Phuket's nightlife and is the center of inexpensive shopping on the island. The beach became popular with Western tourists, especially Europeans, in the late 1980s. Numerous large hotels and chain hotels are located there.
Patong Beach is as equally famous for its nightlife as also the 2-kilometer beach that runs the entire length of Patong’s western side. Nightlife is centered on two main areas Bangla Road and Paradise Complex, with Bangla Road being predominantly straight and Paradise Complex being predominantly gay. Both roads are lined with many themed bars, discotheques, and go go bars. Prostitution is culturally acceptable, especially on Bangla Road where there are many older Western men drinking with much younger Thai women and transvestites.
On December 26, 2004, Patong Beach along with many other areas along the western coast of Phuket and Thailand were struck by a tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The wave caused a great deal of destruction to the waterfront of the beach and immediately inland, and many people were killed there. Patong was one of the worst affected areas of Phuket, although the destruction was not nearly as bad as nearby in Khao Lak.

View of the Patong Beach facing

Thai people

History

The Thai may have been among the many peoples that comprised the Yi and Bai ruled kingdom of (Nanzhao or Nanman), which dominated Yunnan and much of northern mainland southeast Asia in the 8th and 9th centuries AD. These early Thai emanated out of the Yunnan region and dispersed into the general area of what is today Thailand. These Thai peoples arrived in various waves and displaced the earlier native Mon and Khmer populations as they settled the region with a large group settling in Thailand during the Sung period of China roughly around 960 CE. The related Lao people split off from the early Kradai peoples and moved into Southeast Asia, mainly Laos, while another kindred people, the Shan, made their way into Myanmar.
The founding of the Sukhothai kingdom culminated in the emergence of the first Thai nation-state founded in 1238. Various conflicts in Nanzhao and its successor state the Kingdom of Dali may have increased migration of the Thai, especially after the Mongol conquest of the region, and helped establish the Thai as a regional power. Successful wars with the Mon helped to establish the kingdom of Lan Na as the Thai increased their hold in Southeast Asia. The early Thai brought their Buddhist and Chinese traditions, but also assimilated much of the native Khmer and Mon culture of Southeast Asia. (See Thai Chinese for more details)
A new city-state known as Ayutthaya, named after the Indian city of Ayodhya, was founded by Ramathibodi (a descendant of Chiang Mai) and emerged as the center of the growing Thai Empire starting in 1350. Inspired by the then Hindu-based Khmer Empire (Cambodia), the Ayutthaya Empire's continued conquests led to more Thai settlements as the Khmer Empire weakened after their defeat at Angkor in 1444. During this period, the Thai developed a feudal system as various vassal states paid homage to the Thai kings. Even as Thai power expanded at the expense of the Mon and Khmer, the Thai Ayutthaya faced setbacks at the hands of the Malay at Malacca and were checked by the Toungoo of Burma.
Though sporadic wars continued with the Burmese and other neighbors, Chinese wars with Burma and European intervention elsewhere in Southeast Asia allowed the Thai to develop an independent course by trading with the Europeans as well as playing the major powers against each other in order to remain independent. The Chakkri dynasty under Rama I held the Burmese at bay, while Rama II and Rama III helped to shape much of Thai society, but also led to Thai setbacks as the Europeans moved into areas surrounding modern Thailand and curtailed any claims the Thai had over Cambodia, in dispute with Burma and Vietnam. The Thai learned from European traders and diplomats, while maintaining an independent course. Chinese, Malay, and British influences helped to further shape the Thai people who often assimilated foreign ideas, but managed to preserve much of their culture and resisted the European colonization that engulfed their neighbors. Thailand is also the only country that was not colonized in Southeastern Asia area in the early history but fell to the Japanese during WWII

Khon dance performance in Frankfurt, Germany

The Thai Language

Though it's not really necessary to get by, you will undoubtedly have an easier and more enjoyable experience in Thailand from any time you spend learning Thai. Most Thais don't expect a foreigner to be able to speak any of their language, and are often visibly surprised if you can string a few sentences together. It's also encouraging how many people will tell you that you poot tai geng (speak Thai well), no matter how limited your command of the language really is. Even with only a fairly small vocabulary, you will find it a lot easier to get discounted prices at shops and markets (rah kah poot tai dai, "Thai speaker prices) and to make friends amongst the locals.
Thai, like Chinese and Vietnamese, is a tonal language meaning that the same word can have a completely different meaning depending on it is pronounced. In total, there are 5 tones: Mid tone, high tone, low tone, rising tone and falling tone. A common example of the difficulty of tones in Thai is the word mai, whose meanings include "wood", "not", "silk", "burn", and "new" depending on what tone is used to pronounce it.
It's not always this bad though, and the context means you will often be understood even if the tone is wrong. In some cases though, the context is unlikely to help very much and you will have to get the pronunciation correct in order to be understood - glai (mid tone, meaning "far away") and glâi (falling tone, meaning "near") is a good example. It takes a long time to learn how to pronounce the tones correctly, and it's all too easy to make an embarrassing faux pas or inadvertently offend simply by getting the tone wrong on one word. Luckily most Thais realize how difficult it is for foreigners to speak their language, and are generally quite tolerant of any mistakes - which is just as well really.
Though there's no real way to know how to pronounce the tones except by listening to a native speaker, the rising and falling tones tend to be the easiest ones to pick up. The rising tone is approximately similar to the inflection used in English to indicate a question, the falling tone roughly like calling someone's name from far away. The low and high tones are respectively pronounced near the relative bottom and top of your vocal range.
Try to avoid speaking slowly and hesitantly, as this will distort the tone on the word and make you much more difficult to understand than if you spoke confidently. When speaking fairly quickly even the Thais routinely don't pronounce each and every tone, as there's simply not enough time to do so. If your tones aren't perfect, you stand a much chance of being understood by talking at the same normal speed, rather than hesitantly. You'll know you're well on the way to getting it right if you start being told that you poot tai chat (speak Thai clearly) rather than simply geng (well).
Tones on this website are indicated using tone marks on the first vowel of each syllable. If there is no tone mark, it is pronounced with a mid tone. Other tones are shown as follows:

Thai cuisine

Thai seafood curry

Tom yum: spicy, sour soup

A street vendor selling different types of sala pao (steamed buns) from a street stall fixed to the side car of his motorbike

Thai cuisine refers to typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to the country of Thailand in Southeast Asia. Thai Cuisine is well-known for being hot and spicy and for its balance of five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty, and bitter (optional).
Although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai food would be more accurately described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central, and Southern, each cuisine sharing similar foods or derived from those of neighboring countries. Southern curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice. The cuisine of Northeastern (or Isan) Thailand is heavily influenced by Laos. Many popular dishes eaten in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes which were introduced to Thailand mainly by Teochew people who make up the majority of the Thai Chinese. Such dishes include jok, kway teow rad na, khao kha moo (also known as moo pa-loh) and khao mun gai.
Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce. Thai food is popular in many Western countries.

Serving

Thai meal in a village temple

Tom yum kung nam khon (prawn tom yum with coconut milk)

Instead of a multiple main course with side dishes found in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists of either a single dish or rice khao (Thai: ข้าว) with many complementary dishes served concurrently and shared by all.
Nowadays, Thai food is eaten with a fork and spoon but traditionally, it was eaten with the right hand. Only noodle dishes (and then mainly only the noodle soups) are eaten with chopsticks and a spoon.
Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine, as it is of most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains. Steamed rice is accompanied by highly aromatic curries, stir-frys and other dishes, incorporating sometimes large quantities of chillies, lime juice and lemon grass. Curries, stir-frys and others may be poured onto the rice creating a single dish called khao rad gang (Thai: ข้าวราดแกง), a popular meal when time is limited. Sticky rice (khao niao, Thai: ข้าวเหนียว) is a unique variety of rice that contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. It is the daily bread (so to speak) of Laos and substitutes ordinary rice in rural Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, where Lao cultural influence is strong.
Noodles, known in much of Southeast Asia by the Chinese name kway teow (Thai: ก๋วยเตี๋ยว), are popular as well but usually come as a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย) or noodle soups. Many Chinese cuisine are adapted to suit Thai taste, such as kway teow rua (Thai: ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ), a sour and spicy rice noodle soup.
Nam prik (Thai: น้ำพริก) is Thai chilli sauce or paste. Each region has its own special versions. It is prepared by crushing together chillies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. It is then often served with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. The vegetables are dipped into the sauce and eaten with rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone with rice or, in a bit of Thai and Western fusion, spread on toast.
Thai food is generally eaten with a fork and a spoon. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to push food into the spoon. However, it is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat sticky rice with their right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently eat meals with only their right hands.
Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy condiments to embolden dishes. This can range from dried chilli pieces, or sliced chilli peppers in rice vinegar, to a spicy chilli sauce such as the nam prik mentioned above.

Ingredients

Fresh herbs, fresh spices and vegetables sold at a stall in Thanin Market, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Ingredients for green curry

The ingredient found in almost all Thai dishes and every region of the country is nam pla (Thai น้ำปลา), a very aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce. Shrimp paste, a combination of ground shrimp and salt, is also extensively used.
Thai dishes in the Central and Southern regions use a wide variety of leaves rarely found in the West, such as kaffir lime leaves (bai makrut, Thai ใบมะกรูด). The characteristic flavour of kaffir lime leaves appear in nearly every Thai soup (e.g., the hot and sour Tom yam) or curry from those areas. It is frequently combined with garlic, galangal, lemon grass, turmeric and/or fingerroot (krachai), blended together with liberal amounts of various chillies to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basil is also used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as Green curry. Thais also use grapow (kraphao) (holy basil), which has a distinctive scent of clove.
Other typical ingredients are the small green Thai eggplants, tamarind, palm and coconut sugars, lime juice, coconut vinegar, and coconut milk. A variety of chillies and spicy elements are found in most Thai dishes, including the small and very hot phrik khi nu (Thai pepper [a.k.a. bird, bird's eye, or mouse-dropping chilli]).
Further ingredients include pahk chee (cilantro or coriander), rahk pahk chee (cilantro/coriander roots), curry pastes, pong kah-ree (curry powder), see-ew dahm (dark soy sauce), gung haeng (dried shrimp), pong pa-loh (five-spice powder), tua fahk yao (long beans or yard-long beans), nahmahn hoi (oyster sauce), rice and tapioca flour, and nahm prik pao (roasted chilli paste).
Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the west in pad thai and rad na, it was never actually used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and is still rarely seen in Thailand. Usually, kana (gailan) is used.

Famous dishes

Many Thai dishes are familiar in the West. In many dishes below, different kinds of protein can be chosen as the ingredient, such as beef, chicken, pork, duck, tofu or seafood.

Breakfast dishes

• Jok (Thai: โจ๊ก) - a rice porridge very commonly eaten in Thailand for breakfast. Similar to the rice congee eaten in other parts of Asia.
• Khao Tom (Thai: ข้าวต้ม) - a Thai style rice soup, usually with pork, chicken or shrimp.

Individual dishes

Pad Thai (close up)

Khao mun gai

• Khao Pad (Thai: ข้าวผัด) - One of the most common dishes in Thailand, fried rice, Thai style. Usually with chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, crab or coconut or pineapple, or vegetarian ( jay (Thai: เจ).
• Pad Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย) - rice noodles pan fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp, chopped peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood, or tofu.
• Rad na (Thai: ราดหน้า) - wide rice noodles in gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood.
• Khao pad naem (Thai: ข้าวผัดแหนม) - fried rice with fermented sausage (typically from the Northeast)
• Pad see ew (Thai: ผัดซีอิ๊ว) - noodles stir-fried with see ew dum (thick sweet soy sauce) and nahm plah (fish sauce) and pork or chicken.
• Pad kee mao (Thai: ผัดขี้เมา) - noodles stir-fried with Thai basil
• Khao khluk kapi (Thai: ข้าวคลุกกะปิ) - rice stir-fried with shrimp paste, served with sweetened pork and vegetables.
• Khanom chin namya (Thai: ขนมจีนน้ำยา) - round boiled rice noodles topped with a fish based sauce and eaten with fresh leaves and vegetables.
• Khao soi (Thai: ข้าวซอย) - crispy wheat noodles in sweet chicken curry soup (a Northern dish)
• Khao pad gai (Thai: ข้าวผัดไก่) - fried rice with chicken
• Khao mun gai (Thai: ข้าวมันไก่) - rice steamed with garlic, with boiled chicken, chicken stock and a dipping sauce
• Gai pad grapao (Thai: ไก่ผัดกะเพรา) - minced chicken with garlic, chillies, and Holy basil
• Gai pad med mamoung himaphan (Thai: ไก่ผัดเม็ดมะม่วงหิมพานต์) - juicy chunks of chicken with cashew nuts and chillies

Central Thai shared dishes

Tod man pla krai with dipping sauce

Massaman curry

• Tom yam (Thai: ต้มยำ) - hot & sour soup with meat. With shrimp it is called Tom yam goong or Tom yam kung (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง), with seafood (typically shrimp, squid, fish) Tom yam talae (Thai: ต้มยำทะเล), with chicken Tom yam gai (Thai: ต้มยำไก่).
• Gai Pad Khing (Thai: ไก่ผัดขิง) - chicken stir-fried with sliced ginger.
• Tom kha gai (Thai: ต้มข่าไก่) - hot sweet soup with chicken and coconut milk.
• Saté (Thai: สะเต๊ะ) - grilled meat, usually pork or chicken, served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce (actually of Indonesian origin, but now a popular street food in Thailand).
• Red curry (Gaeng Phet lit. 'hot curry', Thai: แกงเผ็ด) - made with copious amounts of dried red chillies
• Green curry (Gaeng khiew-waan, Thai: แกงเขียวหวาน) - green curry, made with fresh green chillies and flavoured with Thai basil, and chicken or fish meatballs. This dish is one of the spiciest of Thai curries.
• Massaman curry (Thai: แกงมัสมั่น) - an Indian style curry, usually made by Thai-Muslims, containing roasted dried spices, such as coriander seed, that are rarely found in other Thai curries.
• Pad prik (Thai: ผัดพริก) - usually beef stir fried with chilli, called Neua pad prik (Thai: เนื้อผัดพริก)
• Pad kraphao (Thai: ผัดกะเพรา) - beef, pork or chicken stir fried with Thai holy basil.
• Pad pak ruam (Thai: ผัดผักรวม) - stir fried combination of vegetables depending on availability and preference.
• Phanaeng curry (Thai: พะแนง) - a mild creamy curry with beef (Phanaeng nuea, Thai: พะแนงเนื้อ), chicken, or pork. It includes some roasted dried spices similar to Massaman curry.
• Tod man (Thai: ทอดมัน) - deep fried fishcake made from knifefish (Tod man pla krai, Thai: ทอดมันปลากราย) or shrimp (Tod man kung, Thai: ทอดมันกุ้ง)
• Boo Jah (Thai: ปูจ๋า) - crab cakes with pork, garlic, and pepper served with a simple spicy sauce, such as Sri Rachaa sauce, sweet-hot garlic sauce, nahm prik pao (roasted chilli paste), or red curry paste and chopped green onions.
• Choo-Chee Plah Ga-Pong (Thai: ฉู่ฉี่ปลากระพง) - snapper in choo-chee curry sauce (thick red curry sauce)

Northeastern shared dishes

The cuisine of Northeastern Thailand is shared with the cuisine of Laos, as Isan people are of Lao heritage and speak a language that is mutually intelligible with the Lao language.

Som tam (papaya salad), gai yang (grilled chicken) and khao niao (sticky rice) is a very popular combination

• Som tam (Thai: ส้มตำ, IPA: som ɗam), known in Lao/Isan language as ตำมักหุ่ง (IPA: ɗam mak huŋ). grated papaya salad, pounded with a mortar and pestle. There are three main variations: Som tam poo (Thai: ส้มตำปู) with salted black crab, and Som tam Thai (Thai: ส้มตำไทย) with peanuts, dried shrimp and palm sugar and Som tam plara (Thai: ส้มตำปลาร้า) from north eastern part of Thailand (Isan), with salted gourami fish, white eggplants, fish sauce and long bean.
• Larb (Lao:  Thai: ลาบ) - sour salads containing meat, onions, chillies, roasted rice powder and garnished with mint.
• Nam Tok (Thai: น้ำตก) - made with beef and identical to larb, except that the beef is cut into thin strips rather than minced.
• Yam (Thai: ยำ) - general name for any type of sour salad, such as those made with glass noodles (Yam Wun Sen, Thai: ยำวุ้นเส้น), or with seafood (Yam Talae, Thai: ยำทะเล).
• Tom saep (Thai: ต้มแซบ) - Northeastern-style hot & sour soup
• Gai yang (Thai: ไก่ย่าง) - marinated, grilled chicken
• Suea Rong Hai (Thai: เสือร้องไห้) - grilled beef brisket
• Khao niao (Thai: ข้าวเหนียว) - Glutinous rice is eaten as a staple food both in the Northeast as in the North of Thailand.
• Nam prik num (Thai: น้ำพริกหนุ่ม) - dipping sauce made from roasted eggplant, green chillies, and garlic ground together in a mortar and pestle.

Desserts and drinks

Mo Geng, a cake mainly made of eggs

• Kao niao ma muang (Thai: ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง) - Sticky rice and ripe mango
• Lod Chong Nam Ka Ti (Thai: ลอดช่องน้ำกะทิ) – Pandan flavored rice flour noodles in coconut milk
• Kanom Tan (Thai: ขนมตาล) – Palm flavored mini cake with shredded coconut on top
• Ruam Mit (Thai: รวมมิตร) – Chestnuts covered in flour, jackfruit, tapioca, and Lod Chong in coconut milk
• Kanom Chun (Thai: ขนมชั้น) – multi-layers of pandan-flavored sticky rice flour mixed with coconut milk
• Kanom Bua Loy (Thai: ขนมบัวลอย) – taro root mixed with flour into balls in coconut milk

Variations

Fried mang dah: giant water bugs

Throughout the country there are many interpretations and variations on these common dishes. Other dishes from the northern part of Thailand include unique sauces and exotic foods, such as raw beef, fermented fish paste, and deep fried insect larvae (also enjoyed in the Northeast). The culinary creativity even extends to naming: one tasty larva translates as "freight train" (rot duan; Thai: รถด่วน) and the smallest, hottest chillies are known as phrik khii nuu (Thai: พริกขี้หนู), literally "mouse dropping chillies". They are called that because of their size. In the Northeast, eating insects is common, and the giant water bug (mang dah; Thai: แมงดา) is popular.
The dish nam prik pla too (Thai: น้ำพริกปลาทู) is particularly common in central Thailand because of its low cost. It consists of deep fried Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta (pla too) served with a dip made from shrimp paste and chilli (nam prik kapi). The fish are traditionally presented in pairs, placed head-to-tail on a round bamboo dish.

Culinary Tour Services

Culinary tours of Thailand have become increasingly popular in recent years. Along with golf focused vacations, food tours of Thailand have carved a niche for themselves. A number of companies currently offer culinary and/or cooking tours of Thailand.

Thai Lifestyle

Thai lifestyle -


                     All you ever want to know..   
                         
 Thailand is a very fascinating country. That’s not just because of the nice climate and all the
  activities tourist can do, but it’s also because of the different lifestyle people have
  and last but not least the “mai pen rai” feeling, or doesn’t matter.             
                                             

  To make sure that you feel at home real quickly and to provode any behaviour that might
  bring you in problems or make you angry, we have some do and don'ts for you.

  Do's and dont's

 
      -    You should never assult the King, Thai people are very fond of there King and you
         can end up in jail for a long time. And please try not to step on a bank note because
         it has the Kings picture on it, and this can also been seen as an assult.

-         As a woman never touch a monk and never try to sit next to a monk.
  In buses it’s common for monks to si ton the back seat.

-         The head is sacred to Thai people, so never touch someones head.

-         Don’t point with your feet to a Thai person, they will see it as an assult.

-         When you invite somebody, he or she will be your guest, and you have to pay fort hem,
  it goes the other way around also.

-         If you want someones attention, please stretch your arm forward so that you can see
  your fingernails and wave with your fingers. It is not done to shout, you will loose your face.

-         When you get lost and ask a Thai person were to go, don’t be surprised if you end up
  somewhere else. Thai people offen think that other people will find them stupid when
  they say that they don’t know.

-         When you enter someones house or a temple you should always pull out your shoes or
  flip flops.

-         Please dress properly when dining in an expensive restaurant or visiting a temple.

-         Always try to stay calm when you get upset or angry,
  you will loose your face if you don’t.

-         Kissing in public is also not done.  

  
   About Thailand and the local people
   Thailand belongs to the colourfull south-east region of the world. When you look at a map
   you can see that the shape of the land looks like an elephant with a trunk.
   Before 1939 the land was called Siam. Thailand’s neighbor countries are,
   Birma also called Myamar, Cambodia, Laos and Maleisie.

   It’s been said that 80% of the people is from Thai origin, but many former Chinees people have
   become Thai. Thailand has 72 provinces. In the big cities you can notice the Western influances,
   but in the smaller villages Thai people still hold on to the way they use to live for decades and
   they are really proud of their traditional way of life.

     

   When you are travelling around you will see in the villagers a lot of houses on stillts.
   That’s to protect the people from floodings and things like snakes and rats.
   The furnishing inside the houses is most of the time real basic. On the walls you can
   offen see some racks to put things on, on the floors there will be some mats for sitting
   and sleeping, some things to cook and eat meals, a table and baskets to put their
   belongings in. Now a day almost everybody has a tv or a mobile phone.
  
   Every village has a village chief also called kamnan. Beside the kamnan the opper monk
   and the teacher have also a great influence in the village. A lot of foreign teacher are not
   awear of this. Teachers in Thailand are highly respected by everyone and are seen as a
   rolemodel. It’s easy for a foreign teacher to find work in Thailand. If you are not a teacher
   but want to teach in Thailand it’s neccecary that you have some kind of bachelor degree and
   has a TEFL certificate. Teachers are expected to dress properly and schooldays are offen very
   long. The education level in Thailand is comparing to European standards rather low.
   Children are used in obaying the teacher and are offen shy to speak in front of a class.
   Since a few years children can follow free education for a number of years if their parents
   can’t efford to send them to another school, but for a lot of parents it’s difficult to buy
   schooluniforms and shoes for their children. Offen these children stay at home to work
   at the field or at another place. As in most countries in the world Thailand has quite some
   rich famelies, but most of the people in Thailand have to work realy hard for a very small
   amount of money. To compare, when you order a steak in a cheap restaurant and you want
   to pay your bill, you’ll have to pay the same kind of money of even more that a Thai person
   can earn with one whole day of working.
                                   
  
   Most of the Thai people, 94% are boeddhists. Early in the morning when daylight appears
   everywhere in Thailand you can see monks on the streets collecting alms from the people.
   For the people from Thailand it’s an honor and duty to give alms to the monks. Monks bless
   new born babies, buildings, houses etc. etc., they are also invided on special occasions.
   Monks live in the temples (called wats) and they offen only posses their orange dress, an
   almbasket, an umbrella, sandals, a razor, a sciccor, a needle and thread and a sleepingmat.
   It’s commen that every boy becomes a monk in his lifetime at least for several months.
   Many Wat’s in Thailand have also space for sick people and to educate people.
   In every Thai house or business you will find a plateau high to the wall with a boeddha figure.
   The figure of boeddha should always look down at the people.
   Many Thai people also believe in Phi’s, so called good and bad spirits.
                                               

 
   The common language in Thailand is Thai, but the way people speak in the North, the West,
   the East or South is very different from each other. Beside Thai you will hear many different
   languages because Thailand is also the home for a great number of different very colourfull
   hilltribe villagers, who all have their own language and customs. You can find these villagers
   esspecialy in the north and north east regions. The Thai language is a very difficult and tonal
   language, because one word can mean 5 totally different things because of the way you speak.
   A quarter of the Thai people still can not read or write at all.
     
   Did you know:

-         That the man with the longest hair in the world lives in a small mountain village neir
Chiang Rai? The 85 year old Yui washes his hair one a year with powder we use to
wash our clothes. He wears his hair around his head, this keeps him warm especially
during the cold seasons.

-         That in Thailand it’s quite common that all kind of family generations live together.
Grandparents offen take care of their grantchildren, while the parents are working.
Children take care of their parents when they are no longer able to provide themselves.

-         That officially foreign people can’t send their children to a Thai school?

                                       

  

-         An everage Thai person earns between 3 and 4 euro a day?

-         Most people who visit Thailand for the first time suffer some kind of culture shock?

-         That Thai people believe in reincarnation?

-         That Thai people believe that a pregnant woman puts the life from her unborn child at risk
when she goes to a funeral, visit sick people, goed fishing or when she lies?

    -         The lucky number for Thai people 3 is?

-         Thai people always unwrap a present when you have left.

-         Thai people hate any form of confrontation?