The Land of Smiles

We were recently in Thailand, “The Land Of Smiles”. Thailand is a nation in the middle of Southeast Asia - bordered by Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia - where the vibrant blend of culture, tradition, and modernity creates a tapestry of experiences unlike any other. This Southeast Asian gem has captivated travelers for generations with its intoxicating mix of ancient temples, bustling metropolises, tranquil canals, and buzzing night markets, all under the watchful gaze of friendly locals who’ve earned the country its nickname.

Thailand is a country of many faces, from the enchanting aroma of street food stalls to the surreal beauty of its many islands.

This nation effortlessly blends tradition and modernity, where you can wander from historic temples to cutting-edge shopping districts within minutes. And, of course, Thai hospitality is renowned worldwide. It’s a place where one quickly discovers that the “Land of Smiles” isn’t just a catchphrase – it’s a way of life.

So, this week we thought we’d embark on a journey to uncover some fascinating facts and figures that underscore the unique charm of this amazing country. From its bustling weed stores to its enchanting culture, from its welcoming people to its incredible cuisine Thailand is a place that leaves you wanting more and looking forward to the next visit.

In a nutshell: Thailand is made up of 1,430 islands (Phuket being the largest),

35,000 temples,

and 67 million people. In 2023, Thailand is projected to receive 25-30 million international tourists, injecting 1.5 trillion baht (US$43.5 billion) into the economy.

Thailand used to be called Siam: The name Siam came from a Sanskrit word, Syama, which meant “dark” or “brown” and, while it had been the name of the kingdom for nearly 800 years, there doesn’t seem to be any consensus on why Thailand was ever called Siam in the first place. The Thai’s themselves always referred to their country as “Meuang Thai”, but to outsiders the country had long been known as Siam. Following a bloodless revolution in 1932, Siam became a constitutional monarchy and, on June 23, 1939, changed its name to Thailand. The reason given was that it was suitable to call the nation by a name that represented the country’s majority and was popular with the people.

Stamps commemorating King Rama VI (left) and King Rama IX (right).

Bangkok isn’t really Bangkok: Only foreigners call Thailand’s capital city Bangkok.

In Thai, its real name is Krung Thep which roughly translates to “City of Angels”. But even that’s a shortened version of the city’s full name. The official name of Bangkok is certified as the longest place name in the world in the Guinness book of Records. Made up of Pali and Sanskrit root words, Bangkok’s ceremonial name is - ‘Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.’ Phew! The name means, ‘City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Visvakarman at Indra‘s behest.’

Buddhism: Although Thailand doesn’t have an official religion, around 95% of the population is Buddhist, the majority of those being Theravada Buddhists. And, as the ‘guardian of the faith’, the Thai King must always be a Buddhist. Nearly all men become monks at some point before they turn 20 years.

The typical duration as a monk in Thailand is 3 months. Not all Buddhists are vegetarians. According to Theravada, the Buddha allowed monks to eat pork, chicken, and fish if the monk knew that the animal was not killed on their behalf.

A lot to learn: Thailand has one of the most complex writing systems in the world. There are 72 letters in the Thai alphabet, including 44 consonants and 28 vowels!

Thai is a tonal language with five tones, making it very difficult to learn. To western ears, a lot of tones sound the same but getting an inflection wrong can make all the difference. For example, ‘suai’ with a rising tone means lovely or pretty, but ‘suai’ with a mid-tone means unlucky. For a non-Thai, it’s easy to confuse these similar sounds. But doing so could obviously land you in trouble!

A Colorful Place: In Thai culture, every day of the week has its own color. While the practice of wearing the color of the day is not as common as it used to be, it can still be seen in some situations. However, almost all Thai people are aware of the day of the week they were born and their corresponding "lucky" color.

Speaking of Colors: There are more than 1,500 species of orchids growing wild in Thailand’s forests and jungles. Even though Colombia, with more than 4000 different species, has the largest number of Orchids in the world, Thailand is the world’s largest orchid exporter. More than half of all orchids, the Thai national flower, in the world are coming from Thailand.

Land of the Free: Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized under a European power. The name of Thailand in the Thai language is ‘Prathet Thai’, which directly translates to ‘Land of the Free’. Considering that only very few countries in the world managed to escape European rule, this in itself is a huge accomplishment.

Red Lights or Green: Thailand has, for many years, had a global reputation as an adult playground. But surprisingly, prostitution is actually illegal in Thailand. The country adopted the Suppression of Prostitution Act in 1960, followed by the 1996 Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act, which outlawed almost all the activities associated with sex work and income earned from it. Apparently word never trickled down to the main red-light “prostitution zones” of Bangkok, Pattaya, and Patong Beach because, from what we can tell, they’re still going strong.

Largest Solid Gold Buddha: One of the most impressive sights in Thailand has to be the Phra Phuttha Maha Suwana Patimakon, also known as the Golden Buddha.

A highly revered Buddhist artifact and national symbol of Thailand, the solid-gold statue of a seated Buddha is 15 feet tall and weighs over 5.5 tons. Although looters stole from temples throughout the centuries, this statue was covered in stucco and was saved as a result. Its value is estimated at over USD$250 million.

Greetings: In both formal and informal situations, Thai people greet each other with the words ‘sawadee’ followed by ‘kah’ for females and ‘kraap’ for males. Shaking hands is not common in Thailand. The Thai greeting, referred to as the ‘wai’, consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion.

The higher you raise your hands during the ‘wai’ greeting, the more polite, representing the status of the person you greet. For example, hands should be raised all the way to the bridge of the nose when greeting the elderly, but only to your chest for a peer.

The Sacred & the Profane: Thai culture considers the head as the most important part of the body. As such, you should never touch someone else’s head, not even a child’s.

At the other end of the body, Thais consider feet to be lowly. Feet are seen as symbols of our attachment to the earth, linking our human bodies to suffering and struggle. For this reason, you should never put your feet up on a table or cross your legs so that the soles of your feet are showing to someone else. And using your feet to point at another person or a temple statue is considered the height of rudeness. And using your index finger to point at another person is also unacceptable. Thais also consider the beckoning motion used in the West as impolite. Rather than facing your palm up and moving your fingers to beckon, you should tell people to come with your palm facing down.

Mai Pen Rai: In Thai culture, “saving face” is an important concept that refers to the avoidance of embarrassing or compromising situations that could cause someone to lose face or social standing. “Never mind”, “it’s nothing”, “no problem”, “it’s not a problem” are all common translations for the famous Thai phrase “mai pen rai”. Besides being one of the most common phrases used in Thailand, “mai pen rai” is one of the most versatile phrases in the Thai language.

It is a phrase which can be employed in various situations without causing offence, making it a very good language and social tool for first time visitors and tourists in Thailand. By politely saying “mai pen rai khap” (for male speaker), or “mai pen rai kha” (for female speaker) you may decline an offer, reply to an apology, state that something is not a problem, you can even say “mai pen rai” to calm or diffuse a heated situation.

Laws: Most Thai laws are similar to standard laws in other countries. However, there were a couple wardrobe related that caught our eye. You can’t go commando in Thailand because it’s illegal to leave your house without underwear on. It’s also illegal to drive shirtless in Thailand.

Big, Small & Otherwise: Not only is Thailand home to one-tenth of the species of animals in the world but it is also home to the smallest mammal, biggest fish and the largest living lizard on earth. The smallest mammal, the bumblebee bat or Kitti’s hog-nosed bat weighs just two grams and can be found living happily in the Land of Smiles.

Down below, the seas around Thailand there are also home to many whale sharks which carry the record of being the biggest fish in the world growing up to 39 feet long.

If both those things weren’t enough, Thailand is also the playground of the biggest living lizard in the world – the monitor lizard, which can grow up to 7 feet.

And snake lovers will be thrilled to know that you can find both the largest snake (the reticulated python) and the largest venomous snake (King Cobra) in the world here!

While whistling might be seen as something you do when you’re bored or something to entertain yourself, in Thailand it’s quite different, especially at night. Thai people believe that by whistling at night, you are calling the evil spirits and it will bring trouble and bad luck to you. So, don’t do it!

Food & Drink: Thai dishes always hit all the major flavor notes and is known for its balance of salty, sweet, spicy, and sour flavors. The combination of these flavors is what gives Thai cuisine its unique and distinctive taste. And the local F&B scene is recognized as some of the best as well. There are 35 1 & 2 Michelin starred restaurants in Thailand and two of the Worlds 50 Best Bars are in Bangkok including one crowned the Best Bar in Asia.

A couple thoughts on F&B in Thailand:

Don't dish up one of each type of food on your plate at the beginning of a meal in Thailand as this is considered to be rude. It is more polite to take a helping of rice along with one to two dishes, then try a few more as the meal progresses should you still be hungry.

To let someone know you enjoyed a meal, it is polite to leave a small bite or two on your plate. This signifies it was tasty and that you are full, as a clean plate implies there wasn't enough to eat.

Meat in Thai dishes is traditionally served in bite-size pieces in order to abide by the Buddhist custom that no whole animal be cooked and served.

Deep-fried cockroaches and other insects are popular snacks. At fairs and markets all over the country, you’ll see Thais tucking into a bag of fried insects in the same way one might dig into a bag of potato chips.

The sea-salt briny flavor of swiftlet nests is made from the strands of saliva from the male cave-dwelling swiftlet bird. These nests are collected from Thai caves and are one of the most coveted and sought-after delicacies on the planet. And, at USD$900 per pound, one of the most expensive.

You can buy the world’s smelliest and most expensive fruit in Thailand. The melon-sized Durian fruit sells for around USD$100 a fruit, but beware as it’s banned in many places due to its putrid odor. Once you get past the odor, the taste is like a sweet custard. But be warned if you do, in the words of chef Anthony Bourdain, “Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother.”

Thailand is the biggest exporter of rice by value. India exports more in volume but Thailand exports jasmine rice which is more expensive.

The Grand Palace:

One of the most frequented tourist attractions in the world with an estimated eight million visitors each year.

Scorpion Queen:

39-year-old Kanchana Ketkaew is the only Thai woman to hold two Guinness World Records. One for living with scorpions in a glass box for 33 days and the other for the longest time holding one of the arachnids in her mouth for a terrifying three-minutes and 28 seconds.

Siamese Twins: The first known cojoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, were born in May 1811, in a province near Bangkok in the then Kingdom of Siam.

The twins married two different women, who were also sisters, and each couple were parents to more than ten children each. Initially they lived together and shared a bed big enough for four but after a number of years the two sisters began quarrelling and so two separate households were established. The Siamese brothers then ended up spending three consecutive nights at each home until their death in 1874.

Red Bull: Famous throughout the world, the popular energy drink, Red Bull was born in Thailand. It was based on Krating Daeng, a sweet, uncarbonated energy drink that was sold throughout the country and across Asia from 1976 by Chaleo Yoovidhy. In 1987, an Austrian entrepreneur named Dietrich Mateschitz partnered with Chaleo and modified the ingredients to better suit Western tastes and thus, Red Bull was born. The original can still be bought in small glass bottles in 7-11’s in Thailand.

A Wonderland of Weed: As though Thailand didn’t have enough to offer the visitor from abroad, as of June of 2022 cannabis was decriminalized. The website www.thailandweed.com will tell you everything and more that you need to know, where to find it, how to use it. as you wander the streets of Bangkok and Phuket, dispensaries are more ubiquitous than Starbucks or 7-11’s. There’s even an entire marijuana-themed shopping mall, Plantopia, its shops half-hidden behind the haze of smoke created by customers trying out the product.

When you consider that, up until last June you could be jailed for five years just for possessing marijuana, and up to 15 years for producing it, the pace of change has been truly breathtaking (pun intended…).

Now we’ve come to an end of our very brief look at some of the fascinating facts and figures about this captivating nation. We’ve discovered some of its rich cultural heritage, taken a peek at its diverse wildlife, and marveled at its delicious cuisine. From the bustling streets of Bangkok to local food tours, from the serene beauty of its islands to incredible snorkeling and diving spots, Thailand continues to leave visitors wanting more and eagerly anticipating their next visit.

Embracing change, the country’s recent decriminalization of cannabis has introduced a new facet to its cultural landscape, showcasing a forward-thinking approach while preserving its traditional values. Thailand’s status as the “Land of Smiles” endures, a testament to the warmth and hospitality that continue to define this remarkable nation.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this mini travelogue. We’re thinking of doing others from time to time about different destinations around the world. Have you visited Thailand? What countries would you like us to visit via blog post in the future? Let us know in the comments below.

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