Places To Visit, Things To Do, Day Trips: misconceptions about Thailand

Many reasons exist to visit Thailand: the beauty, the weather, and the unique culture. However, of particular significance is its unique cuisine. Thai dishes are wonderfully complex, centred on the Thai version of the “five tastes” of Japanese cuisine.

The unique combination of sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and bitter notes produce a culinary tradition full of unique curries, soups, luncheon foods, and desserts. Venturing out from western favourites, the best way to truly experience Thailand is to immerse oneself in the local dishes and the people that make them.

Thai Curries: A Unique Blend of Flavours

Distinct from Indian curry, Southern Thai curry traditionally combines turmeric and coconut milk with a unique spice blend. Often served with Khamom Chin—locally-produced fermented rice noodles—true Thai curries are a treat to behold.

Green curry, or Kaeng Keow Wan, is a popular staple dish combining chicken, coconut milk, turmeric, green curry paste, bamboo shoots, basil, eggplant, lime leaves, and lemongrass. For those that enjoy sweet curries, Kaeng Massaman’s mixture of red curry paste, peanuts, coconut milk, chicken, potatoes, cinnamon, and nutmeg will not disappoint. Another red curry, Kaeng Daeng, combines southern Thai curry with the flavours of the north, creating a delicious balance. Look for curries with locally-caught seafood, as green curries pair particularly well with shrimp.

Popular Soups in Thailand

Thai cuisine produces excellent soups, which are sold inexpensively at many restaurants. The classic soup Tom Yum Goong, or spicy shrimp soup, represents the true tastes of Thailand: chili sauce, shrimp, lime leaves, lemongrass, shallots, fish sauce, and galangal.

Often combined with mushrooms for extra body or coconut milk for creaminess, Tom Yum Goong is both delicious and comforting. Another soup to look for is Kuai-Tao Nam, combining the Thai Sen Yai wide rice noodles with numerous other ingredients, resulting in a “chef’s special” type of dish.

Lunch Options in Bangkok and Other Cities

Salads are a common luncheon item in Thailand. Given the climate, the country produces excellent fresh produce, and their luncheon salads reflect this tradition. One common salad is Yam Nua, often referred to as simply “Yam” when ordering; a bed of greens, cucumber, onion, coriander, spearmint, and lime that is topped with spicy beef strips.

In lieu of salad dressing, nearly every meal in Thailand is served with Phrik Nam Pla, a condiment dip made out of fish sauce, garlic, chilies, and lime. Because the flavour of Thai salads is both refreshing and full-bodied, adding additional flavouring may not be necessary. While Thai salads are quite delicious, the best lunch foods sold in Thailand are found at local carts around Bangkok and other major cities. The variety found at these food carts is quite staggering, but the most common dish is the infamous Pad Thai, a combination of protein, peanuts, bean sprouts, green onions, garlic, fish sauce, and, occasionally, a scrambled egg.

Branching out from this lunch classic, there are numerous other dishes worth trying. Gai Pad King, a ginger-heavy stir-fry of chicken, onions, mushrooms, and oyster sauce, is a choice that can be found in nearly every southern Thai city. For those that would like pork instead of chicken or tofu, Pad See Eiu is a simple dish combining Chinese broccoli, garlic, and egg with pork strips and dark soy sauce.

Grabbing Dessert in Thailand

Craving something sweet? Thailand offers a great many desserts to complete the evening meal. Among the most famous is mango with sticky rice, or Khao Niao Mamuang, pairing fresh mango with a sticky rice pudding made with coconut milk. For those desiring a cold treat, Chaokuai pairs shaved ice with brown sugar and grass jelly for a uniquely Thai flavour.

Fans of Red Bull will enjoy Krating Dang, the original version of the popular energy drink. If nothing else, take advantage of the wide variety of unique fruits available in Thailand as a dessert option. Mangosteen, fresh lychee, pomelo, rose apples, and langsat are all fruits to try when visiting Thailand.

The culinary diversity available in Thailand is just one of the many reasons to visit this vibrant, unique nation. Whether your reasons for visiting this country involve culinary adventures or enjoying the warm weather, booking one of the many cheap flights to Bangkok is great way to get started on an adventurous holiday abroad.

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Being such a popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia, it’s still surprising to hear around old myths surrounding Thailand such as being a cheap and pristine destination.

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Don’t get me wrong, Thailand is still a beautiful place with even more beautiful people, but the truth is that Thailand isn’t the cheap place nor the same place it once was 10 years ago. In fact, before the movie “The Beach” even came out in early 2000 Thailand was pretty much under most people’s radar…and in those days you were able to vacation in Thailand like a king and queen!

Anyways, before I go on rambling forever, I actually wanted to write this post to debunk some of the most common myths about Thailand:

Thailand is a tourist haven

Thailand is easily one of the most visited places in Southeast Asia and tourism is huge business in the country. However, most Thai people don’t benefit from the tourism unless they own a restaurant or have a business. This means that you’ll, unfortunately, come across some people trying to "trick you" to make a living.

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Common scams in Thailand include tuk-tuk drivers overpricing the taxi fare and touts offering bogus discounts for entering the temples (most temples in Thailand are free admission). In all fairness to Thailand though you’ll find people trying to con you out of a few bucks just about everywhere you go.

Just remember that the most heavily trafficked tourist areas of Thailand such as Pattaya, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Ph and Phuket are a haven for scams. This is why it's a good idea to avoid the tourist trail if you want to get to know the real Thailand!

Thai monks aren’t interested in gadgets

One of the most common myths about Thailand is that monks lead a restricted life. While most Buddhist monks in Thailand live a very conservative lifestyle, there are many Thai monks that are moving with the times and own modern gadgets like mp3’s, cellphones and computers.

Most Popular Tourist Places in Thailand

In fact, one good place to see this in action is in places such as Pantip Plaza IT mall where you'll see monks browsing and shopping!

You can speak your mind out

Thai people are the certainly some of the nicest and most tolerant people you’ll ever meet anywhere in the world but that doesn’t mean that the Thai government welcomes with “open hands” your opinion, or anybody else’s for that matter!

In fact, Thai people don’t generally like to speak their mind and as a tourist you would also want to follow suit or you could easily land yourself behind bars. Just ask Joe Gordon…who is an American who was sentenced (Dec 2011) to a year and half in prison for making remarks about the Thai King.

Nobody uses/carries guns in Thailand

One of the biggest common misconceptions about Thailand is that people don’t use or carry guns around with them. the truth is that many people in Thailand do carry firearms for self-defense, though gun violence is not a serious problem in Thailand since anyone caught bearing a gun without a license is fined and even sent to prison!

Having said this, there’s a worrying trend in spots frequented by tourists such as Phuket where guns are becoming an issue. Luckily, the Thai government has gotten on top of it by swiftly cranking down on illegal possession of handguns. Still, you wouldn't want to get into any kind of silly altercation or fight while on vacation in Thailand with a local, would you?

Thailand alcohol laws are very relaxed

This couldn't be further from the truth! Despite the fact that alcohol is readily available in the country, one of the common myths about Thailand is that you can drink everywhere and buy booze whenever.

Thailand is mostly a Buddhist country and while you can drink and buy alcohol in most tourist spots in Thailand you must be aware that you cannot drink alcohol in public areas (i.e. parks, buildings, hospitals, temples, etc), during government election days and religious holidays. In fact, during the elections the Thai government will even ban alcohol in touristy places like Pattaya.

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If you’re caught drinking alcohol when you're not supposed to, you can definitely kiss-goodbye to a hassle-free vacation because you’ll most certainly get fined as much as $300 (or worse, you may even be sent to prison!). Also, remember when booking flights to Bangkok or any other parts of the country that you also have to be over 20 years of age to be able to buy and drink alcohol legally in Thailand.

All Thai food is spicy, cheap and vegetarian-friendly

Hot and vegi-friendly Thai food is without a doubt, one of the most common myths about Thailand. Most people traveling to Thailand for the first time assume that Thai food is mostly hot and spicy and meat-free. however, you can definitely bet to find most Thai dishes not to be vegan-friendly since most Thai people actually eat meat, even though they're Buddhist.

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As it turns out, the main school of Buddhism in Thailand actually don’t have a problem with consuming meat and seafood dishes!

People eat with chopsticks

You’ll see chopsticks in almost every restaurant you go in Thailand but contrary to popular belief, Thai people don’t use chopsticks unless for eating rice and noodle dishes.