Do i need to speak thai in thailand

Speaking Thai will get you lots of smiles and better deals while on your holiday in the Land of Smiles. But, you can get by knowing just a few words.

The traditional greeting in Thailand is Sawasdee (pronounced Sa-wat-dee) and a polite article is added to the end. For women, ka is added. For men, kharp is added. This is not required but is used 99% of the time. So the typical greeting would be Sawasdee khrap (or ka) to say Hello.

This is usually accompanied by the other traditional Thai greeting – the wai. This is done with palms together, fingers pointing upward. There are different levels of wai from lower class to higher, from worker to boss, from average person to royalty. There are also times when someone wai's to you and you are not required to return the wai. For example, if a small child wai's you, you are not required to return it – just acknowledge it with a smile.

Typically after saying hello, or sawasdee, you will be asked one of two things. Sabai dee mai, or geen kow mai. It is normal to be asked if you are fine or if you have eaten. You may also be asked where you have been or where you are going – bpai nai mah or bpai nai.

The Thai language is not that difficult to learn and there are many resources online. There are also paid programs like Pimseleur or Berlitz. Many sites also have downloadable mini-dictionaries in English, Thai and phonetics. This way you can try to speak the word or phrase and as a last resort, just point. You can also download files so that you can hear how words are pronounced.

I have had both bad and good experiences speaking Thai. Some people like the fact that I can speak enough to get by and can understand more. Some tell me that "I know too much" and I take this as a compliment since that means that they can’t rip me off.

Knowing the language isn’t essential but sure helps when giving a taxi directions, ordering a meal, or asking where the bathroom is. My problem is that I lose a lot of the language skills between vacations. Not being able to speak the language at home causes me to lose a lot of my vocabulary. I try to keep current online chatting with people from Thailand, but chatting using phonetics is not the same as actually speaking Thai.

The best thing to do is try to pick up a few words with some of the free sites online. Print out a dictionary or phrase book and bring it with you. Try and speak and ask for help. Everyone will help if they see you are willing to learn.

Give it a try – speak some Thai and have some fun with it. If you make a mistake, learn from it. You will find that you make a lot more friends speaking the local language.

Chok Dee Khrap (Good luck)

Travelling to orlando with children

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Obviously for those travelling by car, you will have plenty of activities at hand to amuse the children and play plenty of games e. g. spying certain colours of cars etc. For those of you flying a small bag for each child to carry on board with their favourite books/colouring pads/playing cards. Most airlines offer young flyers an activity pack to help amuse them and of course there are the in flight movies - often including a children’s option and sometimes a dedicated children’s channel. Plan ahead and order a child’s meal when you book your flight. Children will be more likely to eat if it is something that appeals to them.

On arrival make sure you comply with the law having your children safely strapped into your rental car - whether it is just by wearing the existing seatbelts or if you need to rent a child car safety seat.

Where to stay?

For the same price as a single hotel room you could rent a very spacious condominium or small vacation villa where everyone has their own individual bedroom, there is a lounge in which to relax, a kitchen where juices and snacks are available 24/7, plus a patio/balcony or pool terrace. Just think the children could have a room of their own to watch all their favourite programmes while you relax in the lounge to watch an alternative programme or just to sit and read a book undisturbed. If you have very young children, it is great to be able to put them down for a nap in a completely separate room.

Try renting a privately owned vacation home…

Many of the privately owned homes cater well for children and most offer a crib/cot, high chair and sometimes even a stroller for you to use FREE OF CHARGE during your stay.

Naturally, if you visit Orlando with children, Walt Disney World will probably feature high on your list of “things to do”. All the theme parks are extremely child friendly. If you do not have a stroller, they are available for hire at the entrance to the parks. All rides have clearly written signs saying suitable age/height restrictions. For those with very young children, they offer a service whereby one parent can go on a ride (perhaps with an older child) then come off and swap with the other parent who was holding the baby - all without the second parent having to join the end of the queue again. All restaurants - both full-service and counter-service cater well for younger tastes/appetites. There are also Baby Centres clearly marked in each of the parks for feeding/changing very small babies.

Be assured after a busy day at a park, it is a delight to return to your own vacation condo/villa for a dip in the pool, a cool drink, some time on the computer or just to sit around chatting with all your friends and family and anyone has the added bonus of being able to go off to bed whenever it suits them, safe in the knowledge that their sleep will not be disturbed by everyone else chatting. Also you can toss your clothes into the washing machine in your vacation home - ready to put on again another day. Let’s be honest - this alone is a huge ‘plus’ when travelling with children!

Fascinating old style hanoi vietnam

Early morning mist rises from the Hoan Kiem Lake while elders perform the slow movements of tai chi in green parks, streets become filled with mopeds and cyclo drivers (three-wheeled bicycle taxis) clamour for people attention.

Although a city of historical importance considered to be the social and cultural centre of Vietnam, Hanoi is a far slower and less developed than Ho Chi Minh City. Luckily, this slow pace development has preserved the special vibe you will live in Hanoi, with old fascinating buildings, green views on treed boulevards and smiling local people. Especially the historic Old Quarter with its French style streets and arts and crafts bargains.

Especially in this area there are many recently refurbished hotels that kept an eye to the traditional architecture and design. Modest but with an unique charming environment some Hanoi Hotels are located in historical or colonial buildings. Just to mention some that you can easily find and book directly online are the Pearls hotel for example, the Old street Hotel, Hanoi Queen Plaza, the Ritz Hotel, Joy Hotel, Return Hotel, Y Van Riverside Hotel or Hanoi Plaza hotel. Most of them face the quiet Hoan Kiem lake providing guests with beautiful views from terraces and windows. Quite unexpectedly for the standard they offer, the room rates in Hanoi Vietnamese Hotels are modest in general, ranging from 3,5 euros per person up to 15 euros per person.

As a cultural centre, Hanoi has quite a lot to offer. In fact, during the year Hanoi guests many traditional events from water puppet shows, to music and religious festivals, dance performances and a lot more. Just to mention a couple of curious ones held in springtime, that will certainly worth a visit to Vietnam and Hanoi in particular, are the Whale Festival and the Elephant Race, both in March.

The former is a fishermen festival typical of Quang Nam Village in Da Nang province, where people worship Whales and their gods asking for prosperity; the latter is more traditional in the countryside in Don Village or in forests near the Sevepoi River (Dac Lak). The race track is large enough for 10 elephants running on even ground near the forest for 1-2 km. At the signal, the mahouts command their elephants to go to the starting line and will start running excited by the sound of the drums, gongs, and cheering from the viewers.

At the end of the race, the winning one wave to the viewers with its trunk and is offered sugarcane and banana leafs!