Thailand General Information
Decided to take a vacation? And why not treat yourself and go to distant and exotic Thailand? Thai cuisine, eternal carefree summer, crazy incendiary dances – can all this really leave you indifferent? You can’t wait to plunge into this magical world, then hurry up to buy air tickets to the country of tender acacia and good-natured elephants.
The cost of such a trip is higher than, for example, a vacation in Turkey or Egypt, beloved and traveled by Belarusian tourists. But you must admit, overpaying a little for the fact that you will see a bright kaleidoscope of exotic landscapes with your own eyes and feel the local flavor, which many of your friends never dreamed of, is worth the money! Everyone who has ever been here calls Thailand the most powerful drug. After all, after such a chic vacation, every day you will think over a plan for your return here next year.
The cost of traveling to a country where the New Year is celebrated three times, and the name of the capital is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest, depends on the category of the hotel, on the level of service, etc. Holidays in Thailand will be more economical if you take care of booking tickets in advance. Remember that on the eve of holidays and vacations, everything starts to rise in price sharply. Although it cannot be said that this country has a season of very low or very high prices. Those who want to go to Thailand cheaply can be offered to open a hunt for last-minute tours.
Booking a tour to Thailand, many go to Pattaya – one of the most famous resorts in the country. Gorgeous sun-drenched beaches, a crocodile farm, healing Thai massage, famous throughout the world – every day of your vacation will be a small discovery or adventure that you will remember for a lifetime.
If you are planning a holiday with children, you should carefully choose a hotel. Not all of them have entertainment centers and menus for kids. Therefore, it is highly likely that, having paid a decent amount for a vacation in the country of your dreams, you will be dissatisfied with the service. Hotels in Thailand practically do not work on the principle of “All Inclusive”, so, as a rule, you will be offered only a free breakfast.
Tours to Thailand have ceased to be something hard to reach and scarce.
USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTRY – THAILAND
time difference with Minsk is 5 hours ahead in winter, 4 hours ahead in summer
area code 66
currency Baht/THB (1 baht = 100 satang), 1 USD = ~34 THB
the cost of a “typical” dinner ~ 5 USD (without alcohol)
tip ~ 10% of the order amount
car rental per day from 30 USD
official language Thai
the population is about 64.6 million people.
capital, major cities:
Bangkok
For many years, Thailand has confidently retained the title of the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia. This is not surprising: a rich “excursion” – historical, adventure, natural, low prices and high-quality service in hotels (and, what is very important, regardless of their level) and, finally, a developed sex industry provide the country with a steady influx of tourists, tired the sun of Turkey and Egypt.
main resorts
Pattaya, Phuket Island, Ko Samui Island, Ko Chang Island, Cha Am, Hua Hin, Phi Phi Islands, Ko Samed Island, Krabi Province.
Flight
Aeroflot daily flights Moscow – Bangkok (duration 10-12 hours depending on whether there is an intermediate landing). TransAero, Thai Airways, KrasAir also fly several times a week. In addition, you can fly to Thailand with transfers by flights of Turkmen Airlines, including from Minsk. Among Asian airlines in terms of price/quality ratio, Emirates and Qatar Airways are the most optimal.
Customs
Import and export of foreign currency is not limited, a declaration is needed for an amount of 10,000 USD or more. Export of national currency – no more than 50,000 THB, more than this amount – only with special permission. It is allowed to import duty-free 200 cigarettes or 250 g of tobacco, a liter of wine or strong alcohol, one photo, video or movie camera (with a camera – up to 5 films, with a video camera – up to three cassettes).
The export of gold bars, images of the Buddha (except neck medallions), platinum jewelry, rough gemstones, ivory and any products made from the skin and bones of protected animals, as well as stamps and antiques is prohibited (requires permission from the Department of Fine Arts). It is forbidden to import drugs, weapons (without police permission) and pornography.
To export jewelry, you must obtain a certificate from the store.
Persons caught with drugs are sentenced to death in Thailand.
Those wishing to smuggle the ingredients of “Thai pills” can also be detained for drug smuggling.
Desired phones
Russian Embassy in Thailand: 78 Sab Road, Surawongse, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Tel: (02) 234-9824
Honorary Consulate of the Russian Federation in Pattaya: 353 Phra Tamnak Rd., Pattaya, Chonburi 20150, Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Grand building, tel.: (038) 250-421, ext. Russian Сonsulate, Fax: (038) 250-363
Police: 191, 193, 195,
Ambulance: (02) 252-2171,
Tourist Police: 1699 (in Bangkok), (038) 425-237 (in Pattaya)
Aeroflot Representative Office in Bangkok: Mezzanine Fl., Regent House Building, 183 Rajadamri Road, tel
., Samui – 077, Cha-Am code, Hua Hin – 032, Krabi code – 075.
Safety
It is recommended to be vaccinated against cholera and hepatitis A before leaving. It is better not to buy food from street and beach cooks and vendors – poisoning is possible. Nudism in the country is completely banned.
You can not touch the head of a Thai (even if he is a small child), a woman cannot touch a monk, directly give him or take from him any objects. Women are not allowed to enter the temple with bare shoulders, knees and heels.
Before entering the temple and the house of a Thai, you must take off your shoes. When sitting cross-legged, you should not turn your feet towards the statues of Buddha and images of the king. Each image of the Buddha, regardless of its size and condition, is sacred to the Thais, so you should never show your disrespect for them, you should not climb or lean on them – including in order to take a picture. Sacrilege in relation to Buddhist shrines is punishable up to imprisonment, even if it is committed by a foreign tourist.
Thai women should not be touched without their consent.
Climate
The climate is tropical, high humidity. Conventionally, the climate of the central part of the country can be divided into three seasons: hot – from March to May, the temperature reaches + 42 ° C, rainy – from June to October, the temperature is + 26.. + 32 ° C, and cool – from November to February, temperature +18..+32°C. In the north of the country, it is cool in winter, and even cold at night, so you should take warm clothes with you. In the south, from March to November, the climate is very humid, it is better to go there from February to March.
There is no single “rainy season” in Thailand. In August it floods Phuket, in November – Koh Samui. Usually, speaking of the rainy season, Thais mean June-August, when the southeast monsoon hits the country and the annual rainfall falls. In the foothills at this time there are torrential rains, and in Bangkok and Pattaya it rains just after sunset.
Beaches
On almost all beaches in Thailand, sunbeds and sun loungers are available for an additional fee (from 20 to 50 THB per person per day, depending on the resort). The exception is hotels with their own beach: there beach equipment is provided free of charge. All beaches are sandy.
The sea and beaches in Pattaya are not the cleanest.
hotels
Hotels in Thailand are very cheap and, moreover, of a good standard. However, their territories are usually small, there is practically no animation (although in Thailand it is not needed). On the islands of Samet, Koh Samui and Chang, there are mostly rather modest bungalows, but there are also comfortable 4-5 star hotels. The service is good even in “low-star” hotels, but there are practically no Russian-speaking staff, and Thais speak English rather weakly.
There is no official classification of hotels in Thailand. Hotels that, according to the world classification, would be classified as “kopeck pieces”, in Thailand correspond to the budget category. Rooms in such hotels may have a fan instead of air conditioning, most likely there will be no restaurant. As a rule, Russian tour operators do not offer hotels of this class. “Treshki” usually do not stand on the first line, but in the city center, the minimum set of services in them: a swimming pool and a restaurant, air conditioning, a mini-bar, a TV and a telephone in the room. On the islands, hotel buildings are mostly low-rise so as not to disturb the surrounding landscape.
Dinner at the hotel is not worth ordering: most likely, you will have to eat alone. During the day and in the evening, the vast majority of tourists eat in city restaurants and cafes.
money
You should not change money in “exchangers” at hotels – the rate is not the most profitable. It is best to do this at exchange offices or banks. In any large supermarket there is a bank exchange office.
Large banks are open only on weekdays from 8:30 to 22:00. Small banks and licensed exchange offices are open on weekdays from 8:30-09:30 to 15:00-15:30. In resort areas, the operation of banks is often longer.
Most shops and restaurants accept the most famous credit cards – Visa, American Express, Diners Club. Traveler’s checks in USD are also accepted.
The exchange rate depends on the denomination of the banknote: the larger the banknote, the higher it is.
Some exchange offices do not accept dollars from 1990-1993.
Food
Thai cuisine traditionally contains a lot of spices and spices – however, in a restaurant you can always ask the chef to make the portion less spicy. In general, the country should be selective in choosing catering establishments (with the exception of hotel restaurants), as the food can be very spicy or so exotic that the stomach of a European will fail.
museums
Museums in Thailand are open from Monday to Sunday from 8:30 to 16:00, some have a break from 12:00 to 13:00.
entertainment
Perhaps only in Thailand you can visit a wildlife sanctuary, a massage parlor (Thai and not only), watch spectacular shows with elephants, snakes and crocodiles in one day, and admire ancient temples and pagodas to a heap. In addition, one cannot fail to mention other, more active entertainments: diving, fishing and dancing in the open air until the morning, which attracts young people from all over the world.
diving
There are dive centers in any Thai resort: both separately and in almost all hotels of the 4-5 “star” level. Most of them are located in Pattaya and Phuket. The best time for diving in the Andaman Sea is from November to May, in the east of the Gulf of Thailand you can dive all year round (but the best visibility is from November to March), in the west from February to May.
Andaman Sea. Off its west coast, you can dive from the shore, but the most popular day trips on diving boats to small islands around Phuket: Ko Racha, Shark Point, Ko Doc Mai and Phi Phi. Swim to them for 1.5-2 hours. Ko Racha is an island where dives are made to a depth of 30 meters, from January to March, manta rays and whale sharks appear here. At Shark Point Reef, leopard sharks rest, which the most reckless divers even feed from their hands. There are also stingrays and moray eels.
Similian Islands. A national marine park in which animals are not used to being afraid of humans, and the number of diving boats is surprisingly small. There is an abundance of soft and hard corals, reef fish, as well as larger representatives of the underwater world: blue rays, manta rays and whale sharks. Ocean “big” often visits this area between February and early May, when the water is especially rich in plankton.
Surin National Marine Park. Located 48 nautical miles due west of Rayong Province, it is considered the world’s number one whale shark spot and one of the best diving spots in Thailand.
Richelieu Rock, Koh Tachai, Koh Bon. 10 miles southeast of Surin is Richelieu Rock – a place chosen by whale sharks, and therefore divers. The main sight of Ko-Tachai is a huge underwater reef. Ko Bon Island has earned a reputation as a suitable place for deep-sea diving thanks to a reef that goes as deep as 45 meters. Just do not forget to warn tourists that the currents in these places are strong and changeable.
The most famous diving centers in Pattaya are Ichthyander and Mermaid on Jomtien Beach.
And the most notorious divers and unrestrained beginners can be offered a two-day train near Pattaya to the Gulf of Thailand. There is not a simple diving “for fish”, but elements of a real expedition: viewing the sunken tanker “Vertical” and the ship of the 40s “Hard-Dip”. Approximate cost ~260 USD.
VISA – THAILAND
Registration of a visa for citizens of the Republic of Belarus at the Consulate of Thailand in Minsk.
Required documents:
All documents must be submitted in original English or with a notarized translation into English.
1. Passport (valid for at least 6 months from the date of departure from Thailand).
2. 1 photo 4×6 taken in the last six months (color).
3. Certificate from the place of work / study, indicating the position, salary and company details, written in English, or with a translation into English, certified by a notary. If the tourist does not work, then it is necessary to provide an application for financing and confirm it with a certificate from the place of work; (for private entrepreneurs: a copy of the certificate of PE, income statement. (Required in English or with a translation into English, certified by a notary)
4. Additional financial guarantees of at least $600 are required: an account statement (written in English, or with an English translation certified by a notary.
5. For children: a notarized copy of a birth certificate with an English translation
6 A photocopy of the power of attorney for the removal of the child (if not traveling with parents or with one of the parents) with a translation into English, certified by a notary.
