Thailand - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 702

hais rarely shake hands, using the wai ,
a prayer-like gesture made with raised
hands, to greet and say goodbye and to
acknowledge respect, gratitude or apology.
he wai changes according to the relative
status of the two people involved, and as a
farang (foreigner) it's best to wait for the
other person to initiate before responding:
raise your hands close to your chest, bow
your head and place your fingertips by
your nose. Although all hais have a first
name and a family name, everyone is
addressed by their first name - even when
meeting strangers - prefixed by the title
Khun (Mr/Ms).
hailand shares the same attitudes to
dress and social taboos as other Southeast
Asian cultures (see p.40).

operator carefully, however, and ask for
advice from other travellers.

TREKKING
Trekking is concentrated in the north
around Chiang Mai (see p.744) and
Chiang Rai (see p.761) but there are
smaller, less touristy trekking operations
in Kanchanaburi (see p.727), Mae Hong
Son (see p.756), Pai (see p.758) and
Umphang (see p.743), all of which are
worth considering. Treks in the north
usually include overnight stays in
hill-tribe villages (see box, pp.750-751),
a visit to a hot spring or waterfall,
elephant riding and bamboo or
whitewater rafting, plus around three
hours' walking per day (see box, p.745).
A few national parks , such as Khao Yai
(see p.765) and Khao Sok (see p.801),
offer shorter trails for unguided walks;
most national parks charge a B200-400
entrance fee.

10

SPORTS AND OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES
hailand's natural environment is well
exploited by numerous tour agencies
cashing in on the tourist dollar. While
this can sometimes lead to dodgy, often
dangerous, practices, the range of
outdoor activities available - from
snorkelling and scuba diving, river rafting
and inner-tube riding, sea kayaking, jet
skiing, whitewater rafting, waterskiing
and parasailing to rock climbing, caving,
bungee jumping, elephant trekking,
jungle trekking and bike riding - is
astonishing. Always choose your tour

DIVING
You can dive all year round in hailand,
as the coasts are subject to different
monsoon seasons: the diving seasons are
from November to April along the
Andaman coast, from December or
January to October on the Gulf coast,
and all year round on the east coast.
Major dive centres include Ko Chang
(see p.799) on the east coast; Phuket (see
p.804), Ao Nang near Krabi (see p.810),
Ko Phi Phi (see p.811) and Ko Lanta (see
p.813) on the Andaman coast; and Ko
Tao (see p.794), Ko Samui (see p.785)
and Ko Pha Ngan (see p.790) on the
Gulf coast. he diving off the Similan
islands, which are accessible from Khao
Lak (see p.802), is widely considered to
be the most spectacular in the country,
and the seas around Ko Tarutao National
Marine Park (see p.817) are also
impressive. You can organize dive
expeditions and undertake a certificated
diving course at all these places; Ko Tao
dive centres offer the cheapest courses,
charging B9000-10,500 for a four-day
PADI Open Water course. For beginners
with not much cash or time, Discover
Scuba dives, which involve diving with
Dive Master, who regulates your

THAI BOXING
Thai boxing ( muay thai ) enjoys a
following similar to football in Europe:
every province has a stadium, and
whenever it's shown on TV you can be
sure that large noisy crowds will gather
round the sets in streetside restaurants
and noodle shops. The best place to see
live Thai boxing is at one of Bangkok's two
stadiums (see box, p.725). There's a strong
spiritual and ritualistic dimension to muay
thai , adding grace to an otherwise brutal
sport. Any part of the body except the
head may be used as an offensive
weapon, and all parts except the groin are
fair targets. Kicks to the head are the
blows that cause most knockouts.