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Thailand Information


Time zone

Time in Thailand is 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+ 7).

Weather

Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with 3 distinct seasons – summer from March through May, rainy with plenty of sunshine from June to September and cool from October through February. See Thai Meteorological Department for providing you weather forecast on the event day.

Climatic Table
Average Daytime Temperature (oC) - Central Thailand
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
30
31
34
36
35
33
32
33
32
32
31
30
Average Rainfall (cm) - Central Thailand
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
1.0
2.5
3.5
6.0
8.0
14.5
16.5
17.5
30.0
21.0
7.0
0.5

Electricity

The electric current is 220 Volt AC (50 Hz) throughout the country. Some appliances such as notebook adaptor, cellular phone charger, digital camera charger will be likely to support universal voltage (support any system from 100 volts to 250 volts). However, please verify voltage requirement of your appliances before plugging them to the socket.

There are many plugs and sockets available. Most parallel (rectangle or round) connectors will fit. Otherwise, a plug-adaptor or transformer is needed.


Female socket


Male plugs (connectors) that fit the socket


European plug will require an adaptor

Currency

The Thai unit of currency is the baht 1 baht is divided into 100 satang. Note are in denominations of 1,000 (brown), 500 (purple), 100 (red), 50 (blue), 20 (green) and 10 (brown) baht. Coins consist of 25 satang, 50 satang, 1 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht.

Major currency bills and travelers cheques are cashed easily at hotels, tourist shops, all provincial banks, shopping centers and money changers. Travelers cheques are best changed in banks (you will need your passport). Rates of exchange at banks or authorized money changers are better than those at hotels and department stores. For the foreign exchange rates, see at Bank of Thailand website.

Any amount of foreign currency may be brought into the country. Visitors may take foreign currency out of Thailand, but no more than the amount stated in the customs declaration made on arrival. Travelers leaving Thailand may take out no more than 50,000 baht per person in Thai currency.

Currency Notes
Paper baht comes in denominations of 10 (brown), 20 (green), 50 (blue), 100 (red), 500 (purple) and 1000 (beige).

Currency Coins
There are 100 satang in one baht; coins include 25-satang and 50-satang pieces and baht in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10. Thai baht is in denominations of:

Thai baht is in denominations of:


1,000 Baht front

1,000 Baht back

500 Baht front

500 Baht back

100 Baht front

100 Baht back

50 Baht front

50 Baht back

20 Baht front

20 Baht back

10 Baht front

10 Baht back

Credit Cards: Credit cards are widely accepted. You may be able to use your card at some ATM machines to withdraw cash. Check with your bank or card company before leaving home.

Tipping : Tipping is not generally expected in Thailand although it is becoming more common. Most hotels and restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill. Taxi drivers do not require a tip, but the gesture is appreciated and 10-20 baht is acceptable for porters.

Bargaining : Fixed prices are the norm in department stores, but at most other places bargaining is to be expected. Generally, you can obtain a final figure of between 10-40% lower than the original asking price. Much depends on your skills and the shopkeeper's mood. But remember, Thais appreciate good manners and a sense of humor. With patience and a broad smile, you will not only get a better price, you will also enjoy shopping as an art.

V.A.T. Refunds : Visitors entering the Kingdom on a tourist visa are entitled to refund of the 7% V.A.T. on goods purchased at registered retail outlets.

Public holidays

Thailand has adopted the western calendar to divide the year into days, weeks and months, using Thai names for these units. Years are numbered according to the Buddhist era (BE) which commenced 543 years before the Christian era. Therefore 2007 AD is BE 2550 and 2008 is BE 2551.

National public holidays Thailand's national public holidays are linked to religious or agricultural traditions and follow the lunar calendar, therefore the dates for some of the holidays change each year. For the precise dates of the lunar holidays and festival locations, check www.tourismthailand.org

Useful Phone Numbers

Police 191*
Fire 199*
Crime 1195*
Ambulance and Rescue 1554*
Ambulance Service Center 1691*
Highway Police 1193*
Tourist Police 1155*
Traffic Report Station 1644*
Credit Card Cancellation 1188
Khonkaen Post office 0-4322-3891

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