Bargaining can best be described as an art or negotiation skill. It is a vital tool when buying and selling goods and can be especially handy if you plan on going shopping in Thailand. Perhaps nowhere else is bargaining highly regarded as in Thailand, as it will not only help you get a good price for what you want to buy but also because bargaining is very much part of Thai culture. For the tourist, it may help if you know that the ‘general price’ is mostly 40-50% more than the items’ actual price – so never settle for the first offer. And this is where bargaining comes into the picture. How to Bargain Bargaining in Thailand is a common sight in almost every shop, with the exception of the departmental stores. One can bargain on any price, especially if the goods on sale by the vendor fall in the class of antiques, handicrafts or rare gems. Normally, the vendor will place a higher marked up price for the goods and will actually expect the buyer to bargain, at least a little. ...
I teased you last week with a glimpse into my Tuesday-night classes with Thai cooking maven Kasma Loha-unchit . This most-recent set of classes was the fourth 4-week series I’ve attended; I started with the beginning series nearly 10 years ago, followed up with the intermediate course a few years later, and then — after travelling with Kasma through central and northern Thailand in January 2006 — picked up again with the advanced series last spring. In the beginning series , you master popular curries , simple stir-fries, spicy soups and salads, and authentic (ketchup-free!) pad thai noodles. Even if you think you know a lot about Thai food, you’re sure to learn a lot: You’ll taste-test multiple brands of coconut milk, learn about the best places to buy ingredients, hear the lowdown on the top brands , and get plenty of practice balancing sweet, salty, sour, and hot flavors under Kasma’s watchful eye. Intermediate classes move on to more labor-intensive preparation...
30 day Visa on Arrival For Visa on arrival in Thailand, most nationalities get 30-days visa free on arrival is arriving by air, but you will only get 15 days if arriving overland (subject to change). Thailand's visa and Immigration laws are rather complicated and constantly undergoing revisions and changes, to the dismay of many. For Tourists arriving by Airplane, you will usually recieve a 30 day visa on arrival, which you do not have to apply for before journeying to Thailand. This however is not the case for all Nationalities, rather a list of 41 countries and 1 special administrative region (Hong Kong) come under this regulatory law (This law is dated dated 1 October B.E. 2545 (2002), 20 December B.E. 2545 (2002), 18 October B.E. 2547 (2004) and 6 May B.E. 2548 (2005) and are currently still effective as this FAQ was posted) . Make sure you carry at least 10,000 Baht in cash per person and 20,000 Baht per family on your arrival because you may be asked to prove ...
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