G
Gai: "Chicken"
Gambui: "Fat" (as an adjective: "He’s really fat.")
Gem Cheats. Unfortunately, these abound. If you have an ounce of wit about you, don’t even think about accepting an offer from someone at the airport or on the street to take you to a bargain-basement gem shop – that’s a fleecing in the making. There are legitimate gem dealers approved by Thai tourism authorities, buy from such dealers, who have plaques displayed. There are indeed beautiful gems available here, especially, for example, rubies. Even expert buyers can be duped, so be careful. A letter of woe appears fairly regularly in the pages of the local English-language press from a victim of gem cheats. These letters are depressingly similar in their broad outlines – and report identical outcomes of ". . . and so, I’m out the x number dollars/pounds/francs/whatever I paid that honest-looking, honest-seeming sidewalk ruby salesman, and want to know how I can get my money back." The writer, of course, will never get a refund.
Giant Supermarkets. [located in Robinson’s Department Stores]. These are upscale supermarkets catering largely to the foreign/Western community.
Goong: "Shrimp"
Government. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, though the monarch holds virtually no political powers. The current monarch, however, commands enormous respect and devotion from his subjects, and a quiet word from him has solved seemingly insoluble problems almost immediately. The actual governing of Thailand is conducted by a prime-ministerial one, i.e., a parliamentary democracy. Here the parliament is bicameral, consisting of the parliament and the senate. Click here for information on dramatic political reforms undertaken in recent years.
"Great Painters Bars" [Sukhumvit Soi 33]. The original bars in this soi were all named after great Western artists: Degas [See entry for "Degas Club" above], Monet, Renoir, and Vincent Van Gogh [See entries for "Monet Club," "Renoir Club, and "Vincent Van Gogh Club below]. One of the creators of this site has inquired why only Van Gogh’s personal name was incorporated into the club name, but has never found out.
Guest Houses. These are ubiquitous, and often offer relatively inexpensive yet comfortable housing, both for tourists and residents. They are found all over Bangkok, but especially in areas with high concentrations of foreigners, such as along the Skytrain’s routes. Guest houses can be excellent bargains, so shop around.
Gulf of Thailand. This is the body of salt-water on the east side of Thailand, giving way far offshore to the South China Sea. It is on the beaches of the Gulf of Thailand that many of the kingdom’s most popular resort areas are found, such as Pattaya, Hua Hin, and Cha’am. Relatively shallow over much of its extent, it even so is an important sea lane for Thailand; maritime boundary disputes arise fairly regularly with neighbouring Cambodia and nearby Vietnam.
Guns. 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.)
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