| Shopping |
From amethysts to zircons, from antiques to toy zebras, shopping in Thailand is an alphabet full of temptations. But you’ll do well to stick to local products.
Disregard touts who propose to help you with your shopping; they receive a commission from the shop owners.
Bargaining is the rule almost everywhere (starting with the taxi that takes you shopping). Be relaxed and cheerful, never seeming anxious to close a deal. If the price is too high, never scowl; smile or laugh at the ridiculous suggestion. Your adversary is likely to smile or laugh in return, conceding your point. (But don’t try to bargain in the big department stores, where fixed prices are the rule.)
Happy silkworms keep thousands of nimble weavers busy, hand and foot, producing the famous colourful Thai silk fabrics. From the most delicate blouses to heavy bedspreads, the long-lasting fibres live up to their worldwide reputation. Pha Khommaphat materials from the area of Hua Hin are much appreciated. For a solid bargain you can have them (or other fabrics) custom tailored within 24 hours, but if you want a really good garment, give the tailor several days.
Bangkok claims to be the world’s top gem-cutting centre. Rubies and sapphires are indigenous to Thailand, while jade is imported from Burma. Seek out a reputable shop displaying the TAT (Tourist Authority of Thailand) emblem.
For the informed collector, worthwhile antiques from Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, China and Laos may be found—at the Thieves Market or in smart shops. But you’ll need an official export permit. No matter what a merchant tells you, or doesn’t bother to tell you, bear in mind that it is utterly forbidden to take any Buddha image out of Thailand—not just an antique one.
Beware of Thailand’s dubious reputation as “Counterfeit Capital of Asia”. A safer alternative is artwork in various media by Thai artists, usually on the familiar rice paddy or temple spire themes.
Bronze-work is a venerable Thai tradition, now used for rust-free tableware as well as lamps, bells, candelabra and statues. Gold and black lacquerware boxes in the shape of animals, or multi-coloured bowls and plates will find many uses. Teak is the choice medium for carving, whether it be a salad bowl or picture frame. Pottery can be anything from the simplest cooking pot to the most elegant figurines. For centuries northern artisans have been using special wood to fire the kilns for celadon, porcelain baked to a grey-green glaze.
Children will be sure to covet the dolls in the form of Thai dancers, peasant women in sampans, animal figures, or perhaps a kite, neatly folded for packing.
The North is a bountiful place for shoppers in search of original handicrafts, with a big bonus in the distinctive fabrics and jewellery of the hill tribes. The choice ranges from primitive tribal relics to, incongruously, the latest fashions. The temptations converge on the commercial capital, Chiang Mai, although you can get closer to the artisans in smaller towns. The “umbrella” village of Bo Sang is a wonder of rainbow-coloured, hand-made parasols. And San Kamphaeng produces lovely silk, among many other specialities. In fact, all along the 13-km (8-mile) “artisans’ road” from Chiang Mai to San Kamphaeng there are shops selling silverware, lacquerware, woodcarvings, and admirable silk fabrics woven by the local women. |
| Eating/Drinking |
When it comes to food, the Thais have a simple philosophy: “Eat when you’re hungry”. Wherever you go, you’ll find street stalls offering spicy, healthy food. Some of the restaurants catering to tourists are often less inspired, which is a pity. Street food is the real thing.
Rice and noodle dishes are the secret of the thrifty Thai cooks, and always delicious no matter what other ingredients go into them. Kao pad is fried rice with whatever chunks of meat come to hand. Mee grob means crisp-fried rice noodles with shrimp, pork, bean-sprouts, egg, and a sweet-and-sour flavour.
Thai food can be so spicy that it’s tempting to gulp a glass of cold water to put out the fire. Resist that urge! A few mouthfuls of plain boiled rice will prove much more effective. Actually, chilli peppers are only one of the ingredients that characterize Thai cuisine; the others are as varied and original as lemon grass, coconut milk, garlic, ginger and mint. Instead of salt, a caramel-coloured fish sauce, nam pla, is used.
The cuisine of Chiang Mai is less spicy than that of the central plain and the rice is generally of the “sticky” kind. Curries are common in the south. In Bangkok, the cuisine is more varied and of better quality. Some restaurants specialize in foreign cuisines—French, Italian, Spanish or all-purpose “international”, or, if you prefer more exotic flavours, Indian, Indonesian and Chinese (delicious dim sum and Peking Duck).
In the north and northeast, the staple is a variety of sticky rice called khao niaow, imported from Laos. Pick up a clump of it with your fingers and dip it into the dishes offered.
An entertaining way to approach Northern Thai cuisine is to sign up for a kantoke dinner—a banquet that permits visitors to sample many typical dishes. Some of the specialities may strike beginners as uncomfortably spicy but there are always easy-to-handle alternatives. The gastronomic experience and generally festive atmosphere is enhanced by performances by classical dancers and folklore representatives of hill tribes. Kantoke dinners, based on traditional banquets of the Lan Na kingdom, are frankly aimed at foreign tourists, but they are a prudent introduction to the food of Northern Thailand. Dishes usually include saikrok (sausages) and pikkaiyang (chicken wings). If you like salads, try yam plaa, mainly fish, or som tam, green papaya. For dessert, try the fragrant coconut creams or various confectionery wrapped up in banana leaves.
In the south, seafood figures large on the menu. Try pla preow wan, fried fish covered in a thick sweet-and-sour sauce. Among meat dishes, sample gaeng mud-sa-man, a beef curry less spicy than most, with an overtone of peanuts; kao nah ga, a sliced chicken dish with spring onion and bamboo shoots, served atop steamed rice; sa lud neua san, roast beef salad mixed with vegetables, chillies, garlic and sometimes mint.
Among the treats of Thailand are the refreshing fruits, such as longan, lychee, mango, pineapple, rambutan and watermelon. The Thais’ favourite fruit is the smelly durian, which they eat with sticky rice. In the cooler north they grow apples, pears, melons and strawberries.
Drinks
Iced water is often served with a meal. It will probably be decent drinking water, but if in doubt ask for bottled water and skip the ice. Thai men sometimes drink whisky with dinner.
Wines are ruinously expensive in Thailand. But the local beer is good—and a good deal stronger than you might expect.
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