Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Toilets
Increasingly, the Asian-style squat toilet is less of the norm in Thailand. There are still specimens in rural places, provin-
cial bus stations, older homes and modest restaurants, but the Western-style toilet is becoming more prevalent and ap-
pears wherever foreign tourists can be found.
If you encounter a squat, here's what you should know. You should straddle the two footpads and face the door. To
flush use the plastic bowl to scoop water out of the adjacent basin and pour into the toilet bowl. Some places supply a
small pack of toilet paper at the entrance (5B), otherwise bring your own stash or wipe the old-fashioned way with wa-
ter.
Even in places where sit-down toilets are installed, the septic system may not be designed to take toilet paper. In such
cases there will be a waste basket where you're supposed to place used toilet paper and feminine hygiene products.
Some toilets also come with a small spray hose - Thailand's version of the bidet.
Tourist Information
The government-operated tourist information and promotion service,
Tourism Authority of Thailand
(TAT;
www.tourismthailand.org
)
, was founded in 1960 and produces excellent pamphlets on sightseeing. TAT's head office is
in Bangkok and there are 35 regional offices throughout the country.
TAT has more than 35 overseas information offices; check TAT's website for contact information.
Travellers with Disabilities
Thailand presents one large, ongoing obstacle course for the mobility impaired. With its high curbs, uneven footpaths
and nonstop traffic, Thai cities can be particularly difficult. In Bangkok many streets must be crossed via pedestrian
bridges flanked with steep stairways, while buses and boats don't stop long enough even for the fully abled. Rarely are
there any ramps or other access points for wheelchairs.
A number of more expensive top-end hotels make consistent design efforts to provide disabled access to their proper-
ties. Other deluxe hotels with high employee-to-guest ratios are usually good about accommodating the mobility im-
paired by providing staff help where building design fails. For the rest, you're pretty much left to your own resources.
Counter to the prevailing trends,
Worldwide Dive & Sail
(
www.sirenfleet.com
) offers live-aboard diving programs
for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Some organisations and publications that offer tips on international travel include the following:
Accessible Journeys
(
www.disabilitytravel.com
)
Mobility International USA
(
www.miusa.org
)
Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality
(SATH;
www.sath.org
)
