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Phuket People
 The
Thais are charming, friendly people. They genuinely like visitors,
and appreciate others sharing their love of Thailand and all things
Thai. They are tolerant and readily overlook the usual tourist
gaffes. However, most of us would like to avoid giving offense,
and you should note the following hints on getting along in Thailand.
The main thing to remember is simply this: SMILE and all Phuket
will smile with you. Since smiling is contagious, you will
find yourself smiling more and more.
A smile in Thailand is used for many situations and not only
to show amusement. Thai people will smile at unsuccessful attempts
to do something. This is not meant to be rude as they smile with
you, rather than at you. If you find yourself in such a situation,
just SMILE.
A smile is also used to excuse oneself. It is the correct mechanism
for repairing minor breaches of etiquette. Thai people can smile
their way out of any situation. There is no verbal accompaniment,
so anything said that may be regretted later is avoided. The smile
could be translated verbally as "Sorry -- no comment".
A smile can show embarrassment. If a Thai person has made a mistake,
they'll feel guilty and will be pleased to make amends -- even
if they are smiling.
Smiling may also show your appreciation. For small services a
smile will be accepted as a "thank you" or "you're
welcome".
Some words of advice
For more detail about the local culture, visit our Phuket
Culture page.
- Please treat BUDDHA IMAGES with great respect. If taking
a souvenir photo, please do not lean or climb on the image.
Neither should you point your feet in the direction if the Buddha.
This is considered very rude.
- When ATTRACTING ATTENTION, use your hand and beckon
with your palm downwards. This avoids pointing your finger at
the body, which is considered impolite. Neither should you clap
or snap your fingers.
- Try to restrain from showing overt AFFECTION for your
partner in public, i.e. fondling or kissing. This causes embarrassment.
(Times may be changing to some extent, especially in Bangkok,
but it's best to err on the side of conservatism -- be considerate
of your host culture.)
- It's fun to BARGAIN for souvenirs and goods with good
humour. A smile could be worth a great deal.
- Do not touch another's HEAD or HAIR. If you
should do so accidentally, it's polite to apologize. The top
of the head, inhabited by the khwan (spirit essence)
is considered to be the most important part of the body, and
the feet are the least important and the dirtiest.
- Therefore remember to keep your FEET to yourself. Do
not rest them on a table and do not step over anybody or their
food. Do not point your feet at anyone.
- Women should not touch a MONK or the robes he wears.
If a women does touch a monk, he must follow an elaborate purification
ritual. A woman should not hand any object directly to a monk.
Instead: give it to a man to hand over to the monk; set the
object down and let the monk pick it up; drop it into his bowl;
or place it on a piece a saffron cloth, which the monk keeps
handy for this purpose.
- RELAX. An essential value in Thai culture is remaining
calm -- maintaining a cool heart, or jai yen. Displaying
anger or impatience entails a loss of face. Remember, a smile
can work wonders!
- Remove your SHOES before entering the main building
of a temple and when visiting a home.
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