Thailand

Thailand
By Josiah William

The Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century as was
known as Siam until 1939. It is the only Southeast Asian country
that has never been colonized by a European power.

Thailand is a popular destination in Southeast Asia, and is
served by over 80 international airlines landing mainly in
Bangkok with an increasing number of international flights
arriving in Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. Thailand’s domestic
airports have increased and all have connecting flights to
Bangkok and at least one other destination. Thailand has four
international airports, one each in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket
and Hat Yai.

ENTRY REGULATIONS
Travelers should check visa regulations at a Thai Embassy or
consulate before staring their journey. Foreign nationals
entering Thailand must have valid passports. At the airport,
nationals from most countries will be granted a free transit
visa valid up to 30 days, provided that they have a fully paid
ticket out of Thailand.

CLIMATE
Thai weather is tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon
from mid-May to September and dry, cool northeast monsoon from
November to mid-March; Thailan's southern part is generally hot
and humid all year round.

LANGUAGE
The official language is Thai with English as the secondary
language of the elite; there are also various ethnic and
regional dialects.

CURRENCY
The official currency is the Thai Baht which exchanges for
40.22 to the US Dollar.

DOMESTIC TRANSPORT
Thailand has a large network of highways and smaller roads
linking the main cities with outlying areas. Visitors who
possess an international driving license can rent cars in order
to explore the country on their own.
Rail travel is also an option with first, second and third
class seats including air-conditioned first- and second-class
sleeping coaches.

For getting around Bangkok, public taxis and tuk-tuks,
air-conditioned buses, motorbike taxis and a sky train system
serve key central areas. River ferries and water taxis are also
generally available for daily commuting within Bangkok and its
suburbs.

COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES
International Direct Dial Country Code = 66
Fixed Lines = 7,000,000
Mobile Cellular = 28,000,000

Thailand’s telephone system is generally of high quality
provided both by a government owned and commercial provider.
Thailand’s GSM wireless service expanding rapidly and outpacing
fixed lines.

Thailand’s GSM providers are THAIS GSM, Total Access Comms and
WCS.

Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are
available to call both to and from Thailand.

About the Author: Josiah William works in marketing for
http://www.cheapphonecards.com, http://www.dealking.com,
http://www.snapmobile.com and http://www.ecellular.com.