Thailand, an oddly shaped elephant head looking country, is situated near Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. It is divided into four main topographic regions which are appealing to the tourists and present numerous business opportunities. These are –
Northern Thailand – mountains and hills covered with rain forests and alluvial valleys. Top products are silk, woodwork, umbrellas etc. The Central Plain – called the ‘heart of Thailand’. It’s a fertile valley and thus the richest rice producing area. North Eastern Thailand – harsh climate resulting in rolling surface and acute floods and droughts. Thai culture is different in here; folk dance, spicy foods are part of it. Southern Thailand – filled with mountains, islands, oceans. Huge production sector of rubber, tin industries and cultivation of tropical crops.
As (Theravada) Buddhism is the main religion, beautifully ornamented temples are seen throughout the country. These temples are another attractive spots for tourists. Arts are mostly seen in this temples and in a few galleries. The monks are highly revered and have significant status in here.
Age, job, income, family connections determine a person’s status in Thai society. The greeting form in Thailand, known as ‘Wai’, has its own rules as to who would perform it first.
Thai people are very proud as a nation because they are the only nation in the Southeast Asia who have never been colonized by European countries. They don’t show affection publicly unlike Western people do. Sometimes they tend to keep away from the tourists or foreigners due to language and other barriers. It is also called the ‘land of superstition’ for believing in signs, talisman and fortune tellers.
Festivals are seen in this country throughout the year. Some of them are, Songkran festival – celebrated on April 13-15 for Thai New Year. People throw water at each other during this time. Loi Krathong – it’s a two day event which takes place in November. In this festival, the people light up candles on the calm river and mutter their wishes.
