Going out in Thailand
The food in Thailand is usually very hot and spicy, but many of the tourist restaurants tend to tone down the hot and spicy foods for the more western palate. More or less all of the Thai food is prepared and cooked with fresh ingredients including lemon grass and coriander. Rice usually comes with all the meals that are made. Some very popular fruits in Thailand include:
- Jackfruit
- Papaya
- Mangos teens
- Pomelos
- Rambutans
Fantastic food can be found at the stalls of the many street vendors around the country as well as all the top eateries. Throughout the whole of Thailand there are also many Asian and European restaurants. You will need to known that all of the bars have a counter or table service.
Some of the national specialties that are made in Thailand include:
- Tom Yam: - which is a coconut - milk soup that is made with makroot leaves, ginger, lemon grass, chicken or prawns.
- Pad Thai: - is a stir-fried rice noodles that are served with chicken or shrimp and are garnished with peanuts
- Gang Pet: - this is a hot red curry with coconut milk, garlic, herbs, shrimp paste, chili, coriander and seasoning.
Deserts that are often served are: Salim: - which is sweet noodles in coconut milk
Sticky rice and mangoes: - this is rice cooked in milk served with slices of mango.
The legal drinking age in Thailand as raised from 18 to 20 years of age. The national drinks that are often served are:
- SamSong (rum)
- Mekhong (local whiskey)
- Singha/Singha Gold (Local beers)
- Coconut milk - this is usually served straight from the shell during the harvest season and is very refreshing in the high heat and humid weather.
Nightlife
The night life in Bangkok is excellent. Bangkok offers a various number of entertainment venues such as: pubs, nightclubs, bars, restaurants, cocktail lounges, cinemas and much more. The three main areas in which most of the night entertainment is based are: Patpong, Banglamphu and Sukhumvit Road. Bangkok's sex industry is as blatant and booming as ever.
Most of the night entertainment venues are open all throughout the day and late into the night. Many of the bars and nightclubs usually close around 2am. On some of the nightclubs and bars there maybe an admission fee but the admission fee normally includes one or two drinks. The dress code to get into the clubs and pubs is usually casual although, some of the clubs and pubs may enforce smarter clothing.
In the Thailand Cultural Centre and Patravadi Theatre in Bangkok you can usually see some of the traditional religious performances and court dances. On the mainland of Thailand the nightlife is normally full of traditional dances. The island is well known for its nightlife. The full moon parties are notorious and continue on until early hours the following morning.
Shopping in Thailand
Thailand is one of the great places in Asia for bargain hunting and all travelers will be spoilt for choice with all the fantastic shopping malls and department stores. There are also small shops and streets full with markets. Chiand Mai and Bangkok have great night time markets.
Some of the best buys in Thailand include: leather, silk and cotton goods, silver and gold, pearls, batiks and much more.
There is a fabulous weekend market at Chatchuk in Bangkok which has hundreds of stalls that have various it’s to buy from antiques to fighting fish. As well as having tailor-made clothes which are also good value and can be made within a few days and are normally of very high standard.
All of the duty free shops are located in Phuket, Bangkok, Had Yai and Chiang Mai airports as well as in the King Power Complex on Bangkok's Sri Ayutthaya-Rangnam Road. All of your items can be bought there and then delivered to the airport you are flying from in time for the departure of your flight. A 7% value added tax can be refunded on goods that have the label saying 'VAT refund for tourists' but there has to be minimum transactions in one go of ฿2,000. The shopping hours in Thailand are Monday to Sunday 10 am to 9/10 pm.
