.

Q :
What is the time difference ?
A:
Thailand is
twelve hours ahead of New York and seven hours ahead of London, one
hour behind Perth and three hours behind Sydney.

Q :How
much time should I plan to visit Thailand ?
A: Depending on
what you intend to see. The suggested time for visiting major sights of
Bangkok is a couple of days, but seeing everything in
Bangkok
and nearby may take a week or more. To visit
Bangkok,
Chiang Mai and also a beach resort in southern Thailand you need to plan two
weeks.

Q:
What's it like the rainy season ?
A: The downpours
are not continuous throughout the day, but normally come in the late
afternoon and early evening. They are heavy but relatively brief, lasting
only an hour or so. The heavy rain for days on end is rare in Thailand. In
the early part of the rainy season (July - August), the rains are hardly a
problem but it's more so later on (September and October). The weather is
still hot during this reason so don't bother with any raincoat since it will
just make you feel sticky. If you need something, a small umbrella is a
better option - either take it with you or buy it over there.
During the rainy season , the scenery is green rather than brown, and the
waterfalls, rice fields and plants are much more impressive. At this time ,
there are less tourist so you can get cheaper prices for hotel and
transport.

Q:
Do I need to bring
mosquito net and sleeping bag ?
A:
Definitely, a
sleeping bag is necessary for adventure trips like walking, rafting and
biking in the north during the cool season. Elsewhere, the weather is much
warmer and so you don't need one. In addition, a mosquito net may be
worthwhile if you plan to stay in a lot of budget accommodation in remote
areas, but many places will provide their own. Both of sleeping bag and
mosquito can be bought in Thailand as they are available cheaply there. You
should bring some mosquito repellent though, which is much better bought
abroad than in Thailand.

Q:
How I can get visa to enter Thailand ?
A: The immigration regulation of
Thailand allows the
citizen of below countries to obtain a 30 day visa on arrival at entry gate.
|
Algeria |
France |
Morocco |
South Korea |
|
Argentina |
Germany |
Myanmar |
Spain |
|
Australia |
Greece |
Netherlands |
Sweden |
|
Austria |
Iceland |
New
Zealand |
Switzerland |
|
Bahrain |
Indonesia |
Norway |
Tunisia |
|
Belgium |
Ireland |
Oman |
Turkey |
|
Brazil |
Israel |
Papua New Guinea |
United ArabEmirates |
|
Brunei |
Italy |
Philippines |
United Kingdom |
|
Canada |
Japan |
Portugal |
U.S.A |
|
Denmark |
Kenya |
Saudi Arabia |
Vanuatu |
|
Djibouti |
Kuwait |
Senegal |
Western Samoa |
|
Egypt |
Luxembourg |
Singapore |
Yemen |
|
Finland |
Malaysia |
Slovenia |
Brunei |
|
Fiji |
Mexico |
South Africa |
|
Citizens of countries
which are not mentioned on the above list will receive a 15
day visa on entry or
will have to apply for visa before entering Thailand.

Q:
How can I extend my
visa ?
A: The visas
extension can be done at any Immigration office. In Bangkok this is on Soi
Suan Phlu, off Sathorn road. The on-arrival visa can be extended for 10 days,
the tourist visa by up to a month. It normally takes under an hour, and costs
500B. Extensions are given at the discretion of the immigration officer and
there's no guarantee you'll get one - Dress smartly, smile a lot and be
polite while you are there to get the best results.
Alternatively, just cross a border out of Thailand and re-enter to get
another on-arrival visa. There is no limit to the number of times this can be
done, it is free and will give you another 30 days. The most common places
for doing this are Penang in Malaysia, Mae Sai on the Burmese border,
Vientiane in Laos and Poipet in Cambodia. Malaysia is furthest from Bangkok
but is the only one that does not require a visa to enter.

Q:
How can I get into Laos from Thailand ?
A: There are three
entry points to Laos from Thailand, first one at Chiang Khong, second at Nong
Khai and last one at Chong Mek. The most frequent border crossing Nong Khai
since it is quite easy to travel by either overnight trains and buses from
Bangkok
to this point. You then have to get a bus to the Friendship bridge spanning
the Mekong River which is also served as border between
Thailand
and Laos. At entry point to Laos you can get a visa at cost of US$30.

Q:
Can I travel overland
between Thailand and Myanmar ?
A:
There is possible to enter
into Burma for day trips or slightly longer overland from
Thailand,
but not yet to continue on to Yangon, Mandalay etc...Day trips are possible
at the Mae Sai / Tachilek border (north of Chiang Rai), Ranong and the
Three
Pagodas
Pass
(west of Kanchanaburi). These may be shut during periods of diplomatic unrest
between Thailand and Myanmar, but are often reopened fairly quickly. You
don't need to obtain a visa in advance for these, but have to pay US$5 at Mae
Sai and US$10 at the Three Pagodas Pass.

Q:
Can I travel overland
between Thailand and Cambodia ?
A:
The main
border crossing points between Thailand and Cambodia are at Aranya Pathet /
Poipet, and at Trat / Koh Kong. There are frequent buses to the Thai border,
and Cambodian buses then take you from the border to Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
etc...The roads in Cambodia are in a very poor condition, and can be
impassable during the rainy season (August - November). Visas can be got at
the Poipet and Koh Kong border crossings for US$20, and are valid for 30
days.

Q:
How
should I bring money to Thailand ?
A:
The most
popular way of bringing money to Thailand nowadays seems to be with
traveller's cheques and credit cards. ATM's are everywhere in Bangkok, and
widespread throughout Thailand. Cirrus/Maestro seems to be the most prevalent
and is the best one to bring though Plus cards would also be fine. You may
want to notify your bank before coming to Thailand, as some will
automatically cancel your card after withdrawals from Bangkok as a fraud
prevention method. Exchange rates are favorable if you get money out this
way, but there seems to be a 10000B a day limit (this may vary depending on
your bank / card - you may not be able to get this much out).

Q:
What
beaches and islands are the best ones to go to ?
A:
The most
developed beach resorts in Thailand are Pattaya and Phuket, which both
receive millions of tourists every year. Phuket has some very nice beaches,
but every year it is getting more and more crowded and is very expensive
compared to almost anywhere else in Thailand. Pattaya is much cheaper, but
has a mediocre beach and dirty water. Most visitors here come for the bars,
discos and prostitutes for which Pattaya is internationally famous/infamous.
Phuket's Patong beach seems to be rapidly developing into a mini Pattaya. Due
to the amount of tourists there, both have developed into very good areas for
all kind of watersports.
Ko Samui is another international beach resort, but is still quieter than
Phuket - this is probably the best place for a family beach holiday. Chaweng
is the best and most developed beach, and there is plenty of nightlife though
not on the scale of Patong beach on Phuket. North of here is the backpacker
dominated Ko Pha-Ngan, which is mostly pretty quiet and with only cheap
bungalows for accommodation. Hat Rin beach is the exception, with plenty of
bars and restaurants and the monthly Full Moon party. Further north still is
Ko Tao, which is popular with tourists but still remains quite quiet. This is
a very scuba diving orientated island, and it's not really worth going if
you're not planning on diving or snorkeling.
Ko Phi Phi - where 'The Beach' movie was filmed - is also noisy and very
developed. Though it is a beautiful island, a lot of people seem to come away
disappointed with the high prices and the pollution that there is. It is
another very good place for scuba diving and snorkeling, though.
The beaches in Krabi province (Rai Leh and Ao Phra Nang) are very nice and
are becoming almost as developed as Ko Phi Phi - a lot of backpackers stop
here and at Ko Lanta 30km to the south.