The Alcazar of Southeast Asia:
Thailand
Thai Uyen
* Alcazar: ?Alcazar?means ?cast le?or ?bast ion?in Spanish. Here I want t o emphasize t he rapid and st eady
development of Thailand as a Sout heast Asian count ry. ?Alcazar?is also t he name of t he most renowned t ransvest it e
cabaret show in Thailand.
I came t o Thailand in t he
middle of a humid summer,
when everyt hing suddenly
became fanciful in t he
blurred curt ain of rain t hen
shined bright ly in t he next
morning. I t was t he first
t ime I had been t here, and
everyt hing was just as
fascinat ing as ant icipat ed.
The count ry was a mixt ure
of modernit y and t radit ion,
of West ern and Asian, of
nat ural and art ificial. Each
dest inat ion of my it inerary
had it s own glamour, yet
shared one feat ure in
common: t he lovely smiles of
t he Thai people welcoming
guest s int o t heir home.
* Did you know t hat ? ?
1. The monet ary unit of Thailand is t he baht ; US$100 is approximat ely
3500 baht . The general cost in Thailand is quit e reasonable and affordable
for t ourist s.
2. Taxis are not available in Pat t aya! The most popular public t ransport
here is songt haew, which means ?t wo rows? in Thai and refers t o it s
t wo- bench seat s. Songt haew is a shared t axi for it can carry a maximum of
10 people. The st art ing fee for each group of passengers is usually 150- 200
baht . The fee is det ermined by t he driver subject ively, so bargain wit h
t hem!
3. The Thai are well- known for t heir court eousness and hospit alit y. You can
st art your day being greet ed by t he hot el recept ion wit h a pleasant smile,
cont inue wit h t he smiles of a t axi driver or t he t icket seller, and end your
day wit h t hat of t he t our guide.
4. M ango st eamed glut inous rice, rolling ice- cream, or grilled oct opus are
t he food t hat you should t ry in addit ion t o t om yum, som t um, or pad Thai.
5. Tourist s should be very considerat e when t alking about religion or
ent ering any religious sight .
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