nature travel, wildlife tours, adventure travel and general travel to Thailand, Indonesia and Southeast Asia

General Information for Thailand Travel
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SHOPPING

Bargaining is common in Thailand, and you can often reduce costs by up to 40%, but 25% is more common. Remember, this is not a life and death struggle, and the amount under question is usually small, so be pleasant. VAT is included in the price and should not be added later; this is a scam. Adding credit card fees is also against the merchant’s card agreement; ask that any such added charge is removed. See also the Money section for additional information.

SAFETY

Thailand has crime, naturally, but mostly it is robbery and fraud, rather than crimes of violence. But as you’ll see once there, most local people take no particular precautions when out and about. As always, wealth flaunting and inappropriate behavior can lead to trouble, so don’t wear unnecessary jewelry, gold watches etc, and don’t leave valuables lying about. Carefully lock your valuable away in your room, or the hotel safe, with a checked and signed list of the contents. Watch out for pickpockets and razor artists, who slash purse straps to steal them. All these problems are easily overcome with a little forethought, so prepare in advance and have a pleasant and relaxing time.

CALLING HOME

Thailand has a multi-layered phone system. The cheapest and easiest way to call home is to purchase an international phone card before leaving, available through the web or via magazines and other outlets including ATT& T, Sprint etc, and use a public or hotel phone. Check that the hotel doesn’t impose a surcharge, or at least an outlandish surcharge, on such calls. There are also public international phone centers in most cities. Unless you have a special model, and an appropriate international plan, your cell phone won’t work overseas; even with such a plan the calls will be far more expensive, and incoming calls will cost considerably more for the caller than their normal international rate. If you must have a cell phone you can rent one there (or even buy one second-hand), and buy minutes as required. Internet cafes are becoming more widespread, especially in the main tourist areas, so for a few baht you can log on to check and send emails. If you have a proprietary ISP such as AOL or Compuserve you can use their “.com” site to access and send your messages. Setting up a Yahoo account will give you more facilities, such as message storage. But remember, being on vacation means just that – you’ll enjoy your stay more by saying to your friends and family “talk to you when we return.”

MEDICAL MATTERS

No immunizations are required for Thailand, unless you have been to a Yellow Fever country – South America or Africa – in the previous six days, when a Yellow Fever Certificate is required. We highly recommend that your tetanus shot is up to date – though no more prevalent down there than here, tetanus can stop a vacation in its tracks. The Centers for Disease Control has recommendations for Southeast Asia. However, they lump all of the area into one, which does not reflect the reality on the ground; eg they say do not drink non-bottled water, or eat “non-peel” fruit, which is not the case in Thailand. Along with the State Department people who write the Travel Warnings, CDC is a close relative of your mother and your always-worried doting aunt; therefore read what they say appropriately. (Generally, they feel it’s best to stay at home in bed.)

Southeast Asian Natural Adventures is not a medical authority and cannot make recommendations on medical issues; you should seek qualified and knowledgeable assistance on these matters. But as a general rule all travelers should be covered for Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B can be useful if you may be in contact with blood (eg as a volunteer worker; but don’t forget that a traffic accident could also cause this) or have other fluids exposure. Rabies is present, but no more likely than in the US. Typhoid vaccination is strongly recommended as outbreaks can be sudden, though unlikely, and there are drug-resistant strains. Polio is present, and although most adults have been vaccinated as a child, a single adult shot is also required for permanent protection. Malaria is generally not a problem except along the Burma border; if you include this area in your travel plans, short-term protection such as Malarone(TM) is most suitable (see your doctor regarding individual suitability).

Thailand havs some excellent medical facilities, especially in Bangkok and Chiang Mai; doctors, and hospital staff are well-trained, and medicines are cheaper than in the US. Always choose to go to a private hospital if necessary, rather than a public one, if at all possible. Many US insurance plans do not cover or restrict services overseas, including Medicare and Medicaid – please check with your provider. We highly recommend travel insurance; although excellent care is available locally, associated transport costs, especially from remote areas can be high, and aren’t usually covered by your own insurance. Southeast Asian Natural Adventures can assist you in obtaining travel insurance from a reputable third-party insurer. US-written prescriptions may be able to be filled in Thailand depending on where you are; if not a doctor's visit to copy out your own prescription is easily arranged and inexpensive. The drugs are of high, western standards, and there are several reputable pharmacy chains with English-speaking staff. We recommend taking a copy of your current prescription(s) with you to ensure an exact replacement - make sure the drugs are in their generic names. Please note that some specialized drugs may not be available overseas.

The greatest medical risks in Thailand are diarrhea and sunburn; even in cloudy weather burning is possible; for fair-skinned people skin damage can occur in as little as 20 minutes in summer. Cover up with a hat and sunscreen. Diarrhea is often a function of change as much as infection per se – our bodies are just not used to the different organisms and foods. Take some Imodium or Pepto-Bismol at the first signs, and drink plenty of clean water to avoid dehydration, the most dangerous effect. Take a small medical kit with you for the normal bumps and scrapes.

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND TIPS

If you are using film, not digital, you may want to consider taking a 6x4 card with your name and address on it. Photograph this at the beginning of each roll – that frame is often a problem anyway – and then if your address is lost by the developer, they’ll still have it with the photos.

Don’t wait until you arrive to learn about your new camera – saving $50 at the duty-free store or on a last-minute web bargain isn’t a deal if you lose the memories of a $5000 once-in-a-lifetime trip.

If you’re taking a lot of film, tag the canisters with green dots from an office supply store. When you use the film, peel off the dot. In a hurry you’ll immediately know which rolls to grab (and you can bet there be at least a couple of “hurries.”)

Ziplock bags can be used to enclose tubes that might leak due to pressure changes - this can also apply to ballpoint pens.

If you a birder, and taking a guide, here’s a suggestion to make IDs easier. Go through the book, and work out which birds occur in the area you’ll be visiting, and maybe the altitudes. Use colored dots from the office supply store to mark the plates of the possibilities. We use codes such as blue for lowland only, green for above 1000m only, etc; dots can be overlapped for wider ranges. An “R” for “very rare” can be written on the dot to further refine things. When you have to quickly look at a page of unfamiliar and confusingly similar birds, the possibilities will stand out from the rest. It’s quicker, and more concise than making written notes.

This system also works for general travel guide books, to reference "must-see", "if we can," "avoid at all costs" etc.

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