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A AIDS
[Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome]. This well-known disease is said to be extremely widespread in
Thailand. It certainly deserves consideration for anyone who might be inclined
to be sexually active in the country, especially in the context of prevention.
Horror stories abound, though we’ve personally not known a victim – or we
weren’t aware of it, if we have. ASEAN
[Association of Southeast Asian
Nations]. This is a grouping of most Southeast Asian nations under an umbrella
meant to seek peaceful resolution to regional conflicts and to promote
stability, trade, cultural exchanges, etc. between and among the member states.
The member states are Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. A good independent starting place on ASEAN is
the U.S. State Department’s informational website about ASEAN at http://www.usconsulate.org.hk/apec98/1026e.htm.
When we ran a search on the term "ASEAN" in a major search engine (All
the Web), we got an astounding 123,681 returns! We suggest you use a major
search engine and enter "ASEAN" and "Association of Southeast
Asian Nations" to narrow your search to your particular area of interest. Acharn:
"Teacher" Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
This well-known disease is said to be extremely widespread in Thailand. It
certainly deserves consideration for anyone who might be inclined to be sexually
active in the country, especially in the context of prevention. Horror stories
abound, though we’ve personally not known a victim – or we weren’t aware
of it, if we have. Adaman Sea.
The sea to the west of Burma and Thailand; beyond it lies the Bay of Bengal. Adoption [Children].
This is possible for foreigners in Thailand, though it can be time-consuming and
expensive. The easiest adoptions are, of course, of children most difficult to
place, notably those orphaned by AIDS victims. One site aimed at American
citizens wishing to adopt a Thai child is http://travel.state.gov/adoption_thailand.html,
a site set up by the U.S. State Department. The U.S. embassy in Bangkok also has
a site at http://www.usa.or.th/services/visa/visa_adp.htm.
Two other sites are http://www.cockatoo.com/thailand_laws/thailand_international_adoption_law.htm
and http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/population/children/adoptions/Thailand.html.
Note: we have not checked these sites and in no way recommend, endorse,
or guarantee any information they may contain. Adoption in Thailand is extremely
difficult, and requires strict conditions be met. We suggest you consult legal
counsel both in your home country and in Thailand, and that you check with the
nearest Thai consulate or embassy for up-to-date information. Afghanistan.
A strongly conservative Islamic nation suffering under civil war and extreme
poverty northwest of Thailand, beyond the western reaches of China. It is not
a place we recommend to travelers, though it can be reached. After-hour Nightclubs.
These are after-hours meeting places, the legality of their being open subject
to occasional dispute. Among the best-known constellations are Thermae
Coffee Shop, long an institution in Bangkok amongst expats who like to have
an early breakfast – and beer. The main, if unofficial, purpose of such places
is for free-lancing prostitutes to ply their trade. Air Cambodge [Royal Air
Cambodge] (Cambodia). The national flag-carrier of
Kampuchea (Cambodia); serves Thailand. Air Cargo.
The privately-held Thai Air
Cargo Co., Ltd. air-freights cargo domestically and internationally. Its
headquarters are at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok. Air
China. National flag
carrier of the People’s Republic of China. Serves Thailand. Air
France. National flag
carrier of France. [Note: this site is in French only.] Air Garuda (Indonesia).
The national flag carrier of Indonesia; serves Thailand. Air Italia.
The national flag carrier of Italy; serves Thailand. Air
New Zealand. National
flag carrier of New Zealand Airline Schedules.
Click on the links in each airline’s listing for that airline’s homepage,
schedule page, and reservation page (if any, in each case). Airlines [Domestic].
Bangkok Airway, Thai Airway, Nok Air, Orient Air Airlines Listings.
Following is a list of airlines telephone numbers and addresses in Bangkok.
Airport Arrivals.
The Arrival Hall at Don Muang Airport [see entry for "Don Muang
Airport" below] in Bangkok is on the second-uppermost level (from the
outside) in each of the airport’s two international passenger terminals and on
the ground floor (together with the Departure Hall) in the domestic terminal,
the third of the airport’s three terminals; each is clearly marked. Airport Bus Fares.
The fare is a flat 70 Baht per person, regardless of distance traveled. Most
people arriving at Don Muang Airport are going to destinations well beyond a
taxi’s 70-baht range, so when expense is a consideration, the Airport buses
are attractive alternatives. [see entries for "Airport Bus Schedules,"
"Airport Bus Service," "Don Muang Airport,"
"Limousines," and "Taxis" below.) Airport Bus Service.
This is an excellent alternative to taxis and limousines to and from Bangkok’s
Don Muang Airport – if your destination happens to be adjacent or near one of
the three routes these buses ply. [see entries for "Airport Bus Fares"
and "Airport Bus Schedules" above and "Don Muang Airport,"
"Limousines," and "Taxis" below]. Airport Departures.
The Departure Hall at Don Muang Airport [see entry for "Don Muang
Airport" below] in Bangkok is on the uppermost level in each of the
airport’s 3 passenger terminals (two international, one domestic); each is
clearly marked [see entry for "Bangkok" below]. Airport Limousine.
Limousines are available for rental as one comes out of customs in Passenger
Terminal 1 at Don Muang Airport. You must turn left to exit the terminal, and
shortly after doing so you will see a desk on your right at which to arrange
limousine rentals. There is an exit door immediately beside the desk, beyond
which are the limousines and their drivers. Frankly, we see little reason
to choose a limousine instead of a taxi. About the only real differences are
that there will be no debate about the amount paid, and the limousine service is
slightly closer for the passenger arriving at Passenger Terminal 1 than are the
taxis and airport buses. However, they are relatively expensive at a starting
price of 600 baht. While that certainly is competitive, particularly in
comparison with other major international airports such as Tokyo’s Narita,
London’s Heathrow, New York City’s JFK, etc., it still is much more for
essentially the same kind of vehicle and service you can get for far less using
the taxi service. It so happens we haven’t
checked at Passenger Terminal 2 and the Domestic Terminal at Don Muang, but will
post information about limousine availability (or lack of such service) later. Airport Limousine Fares.
Fares start at 600 baht. Airport Passenger Terminal.
Don Muang Airport has three passenger terminals, two international and one
domestic. There also is a separate cargo terminal. Coming from central
Bangkok travelling north (preferably on the elevated toll road, which is far
faster than the "highway" below it, which is laced with intersections
and punctuated with traffic signals!), you will see the Cargo Terminal First,
then the Domestic Passenger Terminal, then the International Passenger Terminal
2 next, then finally the International Passenger Terminal 1. However, you likely
will exit immediately beyond International Passenger Terminal 1 then U-turn back
towards the terminals, so you arrive at them in the opposite order. Signs are
posted at the administrative building on columns beside the drive you pass
returning to International Terminal Passenger 1 indicating each airline’s name
and in which terminal it is located. As the two international Passenger
terminals are located 300 meters apart (though connected by a covered skywalk),
be sure to watch for your airline so you don’t end up hiking a long way with a
lot of luggage! Airport Cargo Terminal.
The Airport Cargo Terminal for Don Muang Airport is located just south of the
Domestic Passenger Terminal. Coming from the center of Bangkok it will be the
first terminal you see, on your left; coming from the opposite direction, if you
want a passenger terminal and see the Airport Cargo Terminal (on your right),
well, you just went too far. Airport Police.
The Airport Police are quite low-key at Don Muang Airport – but they are
there, and can be very, very serious if someone has in mind disrupting security
at the airport. Many people don’t know that the east runway – which is the
one all planes landing at Don Muang are using as of this writing (April 2000)
while the west (and civilian) runway is being overhauled – is a Royal Thai Air
Force runway. In other words, a whole lot of military types can descend quickly
should a situation develop calling for military intervention. No jokes about
bombs, guns, etc., or you, too, can get acquainted "up close and
personal" with the airport’s very efficient police force. This is not to say you feel you
have stepped into a dictatorship; as we said, the Airport Police are very
low-key. In fact, compared to security is some other international airports in
the world, security at Don Muang may seem rather lax. Airport Security.
The Airport Police are quite low-key at Don Muang Airport – but they are
there, and can be very, very serious if someone has in mind disrupting security
at the airport. Many people don’t know that the east runway – which is the
one all planes landing at Don Muang are using as of this writing (April 2000)
while the west (and civilian) runway is being overhauled – is a Royal Thai Air
Force runway. In other words, a whole lot of military types can descend quickly
should a situation develop calling for military intervention. No jokes about
bombs, guns, etc., or you, too, can get acquainted "up close and
personal" with the airport’s very efficient police force. This is not to say you feel you
have stepped into a dictatorship; as we said, the Airport Police are very
low-key. In fact, compared to security is some other international airports in
the world, security at Don Muang may seem rather lax. Airport Taxis.
There are a variety of taxis serving the airport, though some don’t do so
officially. When one exits from Customs and proceeds on into the area open to
anyone already in Thailand, he sees a service desk for Airport Taxis. These are
the taxis licensed to service the airport. In theory, these taxis will always
use the meters, and do so honestly. Most of the time, this is indeed the case
– but it is not unknown for the taxi to pull a few hundred meters away, then
for the driver to announce his meter is "broken" and he will take you
to you destination for a price several times the actual cost. If this happens to
you, demand – loudly – that the driver stop IMMEDIATELY and get out of the
taxi. Do not pay him. When you engage a taxi at the Airport Taxi desk, ask for a
receipt (you have to ask, or you won’t get one); it will have the
identification of the taxi. Report him to the service desk. There is a 50-baht surcharge
for the Airport Taxi service. It usually is a worthwhile expenditure – the
cases mentioned above are indeed the exception, not the rule. Be aware that you
also will be responsible for paying any road tolls – but that’s only fair,
since they mount up to 70 baht just between the airport and Sukhumvit Road. The
fare to Sukhumvit Road (to the end of the off-ramp) should be, in normal
traffic, in the 100-120 baht range (as of this writing, April 2000). Airports [Domestic].
Thailand has a reasonably extensive network of domestic airports. The Airports
Authority of Thailand has an excellent website for the Domestic Terminal at Don
Muang Airport (or, as this is confusingly also known, “Bangkok International
Airport” -- while there is another coming), http://www.airportthai.or.th/airportnew/bia/html/terminals3.html#terminal3.
The website http://www.airportthai.or.th
is for Don Muang Airport and has links to sites for the Kingdom’s other
domestic/international airports in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai
as well as the Second Bangkok International Airport. Thai Airways site http://www.thaiairways.com
Airports [International].
Thailand has a total of 6 international airports. The Airport Authority of
Thailand has an excellent website for Don Muang Airport (or Bangkok
International Airport) at the website http://www.airportthai.or.th
is for Don Muang Airport, which also has links to sites for the Kingdom’s
other international airports in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai as
well as the Second Bangkok International Airport. Thai Airways site http://www.thaiairways.com
has a drop-down menu showing every city into which it flies and departs,
including every destination in Thailand with commercial air service. Ajarn:
"Teacher" (Royal) Air Cambodge (Cambodia).
The national flag-carrier of Kampuchea (Cambodia); serves Thailand. All
Nippon Airways (aka "ANA").
[English-language site]. Ammunition.
FORBIDDEN!!! Firearms and anything connected with them are strictly forbidden to
foreigners in Thailand, and stringently controlled even for Thai nationals.
Bringing them in or being caught in possession of them are serious offenses for
which Thai authorities neither have nor show any sympathy. Stiff fines and
prison sentences are imposed for violations of the various laws regarding
possessing or owning firearms and related paraphernalia. Your embassy won’t be
able to do much to help you, besides seeing, once a month or so, that you are
getting your maggot-infested bowl of rice daily, right along with the Thai
prisoners, and that, if you’re lucky, there is a bucket for your sanitary
needs. (Get used to this refrain; we repeat it for every entry having anything
to do with firearms.) Ao:
"Want" [as a verb] Aow:
same as "Ao" Apartments.
The word "apartments" covers a much broader range of accommodations in
Bangkok (and the rest of Thailand) than it does in many other places in the
world. It can mean everything from a single unfurnished room, without a phone,
and with only a cold-water toilet down the hall, to huge, beautiful, habitations
that are apartments only in the sense they are in a building with other
residences; elsewhere, they would be houses. Rents at the low end in the suburbs
of Bangkok can be as little as about 1000 baht per month. At the high end, they
can run well over 100,000 baht per month. Click here for
more information. Area Codes.
Below is a complete listing of every area code in Thailand. Areas codes are set
up one to each of Thailand’s 76 provinces, so if you know the province to
which you are calling, then you can look up the province’s area code in the
list below.
Arrival Card.
This is a small document you fill in to hand over to the Immigration officer at
passport control when you enter Thailand, where by air, land, or sea. It is
attached (in Thailand’s case) to the Departure Card, from which it is to be
separated. The Departure Card will be stapled into your passport on the page
where your Thai visa appears. Leave it there; upon your exit, the
Immigration officer will rip it out. Arrival Hall.
The Arrival Hall at Don Muang Airport [see entry for "Don Muang
Airport" below] in Bangkok is on the second-uppermost level (from the
outside) in each of the airport’s two international passenger terminals and on
the ground floor (together with the Departure Hall) in the domestic terminal,
the third of the airport’s three terminals; each is clearly marked. Asok [Soi]. This is one of the major streets in Bangkok. It is part of a longer road, but the section called Soi Asoke stretches from Sukhumvit Road north to |
