The Thai sense of identity is allied with Theravada Buddhism and the monarchy. Both have been dignified institutions since the Sukhothai period, an era when the first real Thai kingdom flourished. Indeed, the colors of the modern Thai flag symbolize the nation (red), the 3 forces of Buddhism (white), and the monarchy (blue).


The environment has taken many blows in the last 50 years, and forest cover has declined from 70% of the land to less than 20%.


Despite such rules for themselves, Thais are renowned for their tolerance of other cultures and friendliness to visitors. Offense is taken only if there is any perceived disrespect to the King or Buddhism.


Since most varieties of rice can only propagate in flood conditions, rice seedlings may initially be nurtured in nursery fields, where irrigation can be carefully managed and monitored. Later these seedlings will be transplanted into flooded paddies.


An elbow strike is more than a punch, the weakest blow.


The history of Thailand is that of an area rather than of a single nation, and over the centuries numerous peoples have made their home in this region. The most recent were the Tai of Southern China, who migrated south in the 1st millennium AD, and from whom most Thais are descended.

Prehistoric Thailand was once regarded as a cultural backwater.


Chulalongkorn’s son clashed with his father’s senior advisors. To build a following of his own he created the elite corps, the Wild Tigers, in 1911.


1940: Thais invade Laos and Cambodia after fall of France to Germany.


Apart from palaces and wats, most 20th-century architecture in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok, tends to be very dull and functional. However, some of the many edifices built in the 1980s and 1990s are worth a look if only for their sheer outrageousness.


During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, following years of war in Thailand, Chinese immigration was encouraged in order to help rebuild the economy. The subsequent integration of the Chinese into Thai society was so successful that by the mid-19th century half of Bangkok’s population was of pure or mixed Chinese blood.


In 1953, Laos was declared a constitutional monarchy, backed by France and the US. The LPF’s armed wing, the Path Lao, mounted an arm struggle against the government in the 1960s. During the Vietnam War the US repeatedly bombed Laos in order to stamp out Pathet Lao support for the North Vietnamese. With the withdrawal of American forces from the region in 1975, the Pathet Lao staged a bloodless coup and declared Laos the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.


The meal is rarely divided into formal courses. Westerners who do not realize this often order a soup or a salad as a starter whereas, in fact, the spiciness of these dishes is intended to be toned down by eating them with rice.