Why Travel To Thailand?

By Joseph Blurry


When on trip, most of us wish to cut loose and relax to fail to remember our stressful lives and this is a good thing. Not just is this a good thing for you however it's a benefit for anybody aiming to take advantage of you and potentially relieve you of your valuables.

As a traveler, whether you are going to Disney World or Thailand, you need to be aware of your surroundings. Whatever tourist location you find yourself in you can bet there are individuals waiting there who make it their job to take advantage of you in your unwinded state. Do not take for given the safety of resorts.

Just like any trip to any location in the world you need to recognize your surroundings, particularly in vacationer locations where you could be prey to an unsavory element. I covered the fundamentals in 5 guidelines of not being a foolish traveler. In Thailand the real dangers might not be what you anticipate. Thailand, as any other place worldwide, has it's fair share of crime and fraud artists. While you are watching out for your valuables and personal security it's very simple to neglect particular aspects of your trip that you may take for given back home. Taking these components of your journey for granted can effectively lead to an untimely death.

Crossing streets, crowded clubs, and roadway accidents take more lives annually in Thailand than any other activity including criminal offense. Simply in a couple of days last year there were over 226 roadway deaths throughout Thailand and one club fire at Santika Pub that has left 86 people hospitalized and 59 people dead. Of the 59 deaths at the club 21 were immigrants.

Nightclubs are the first piece of this awareness trifecta. Some clubs could be quite huge and load individuals in, if that's your what then you need to really take a walk around the club and inspect it out. Make sure you know where the exits are and if feasible make certain they aren't locked. Last year a club in Pattaya caught fire simply prior to opening leading to a fair lot of personnel perishing. The fire marshal identified it to be an electrical fire and found chains secured on the secondary exits to keep people from getting in free of cost. This New Years Eve saw a fire at the Santika Club caused by fireworks lit off inside as part of the celebration that struck the foam acoustical treatment on the ceiling.

Small clubs deserve just as much awareness as they are usually dark and exits concealed. A lot of the fires that do occur in Thailand are electrical. The electrical in most of these locations is substandard at finest, criminal at worst. Club fires aren't an everyday occasion in Thailand but they do take place, and when they take place there are typically deaths involved. Go to the clubs and have a good time if that's what you're about. Just be safe and scope out the locations you discover yourself in, it might just save you.

Driving in Thailand

Similar to any other travel location in the world you can lease automobiles, trucks and motorbikes in Thailand. The best tip I could offer you is DO N'T. Everybody I have ever met in Thailand from expat to the two week traveler that has driven in Thailand has been in an accident. It's not a matter of if you will be associateded with an accident, but when.

Some have been small scrapes however others have required surgical treatment and long medical facility stays. Last year a Thai lady on her method house from work one night in Pattaya riding her motorcycle fell into a pit in the roadway that was 6 feet deep and 4 feet large. The professional working on the roadway didn't think a barricade was essential.

Sometimes accidents are associated with bad road conditions however typically road accidents in Thailand, from backwoods to the big cities, could be chalked up to bad driving. Motorcycles weave in and out of traffic as fast as they can and vehicles defend their space with an enthusiasm. My second trip to Thailand I saw two bike accidents in one night. The first mishap a motorcycle taxi cut in front of a baht bust that chose to drive right over him. The second mishap a motorcycle crashed into the rear of a Mercedes at high speed. My last trip when I was returning from Mukdahan to the bus station in Pattaya we passed a bike torn to pieces in the road with an obvious dead biker 100 feet away.

One taxi trip from the airport to Pattaya my driver could possibly not choose which lane he wanted to drive in so he decided to split the distinction and drive between lanes and automobiles for a half a mile or so. I think the falang shouting in the back of his taxi agitated him so he stopped.

Traffic is so bad in Bangkok that it's not unusual to see a motorcycle taxi jump the curb and take to the walkway. Driving is more of a sport in Thailand and a blood sport at that. The bad Asian motorist might be a cliche stereotype however when it concerns Thai drivers there's even more truth than fiction to that sentiment.

If that doesn't offer you pause to reconsider driving while in the Kingdom then consider the the following two short articles:.

In 1999 a research was done by G D Jacobs and Amy Aeron-Thomas called A REVIEW OF GLOBAL ROAD ACCIDENT DEATHS. It broke down roadway related casualties by area with Asia comprising a full 44 % of all roadway deaths globe broad. It must come as no surprise then that Thailand has been the most leaders in road mishaps globe large for some time. In 2004 it was estimated that Thailand had a mishap rate of 6.6 accidents per 10,000 motorists, in contrast all of Europe was at just 1.8 accidents per 10,000 motorists.

Pichai TANEERANANON and Opas SOMCHAINUEK did a study on bus crashes in Thailand called BUS CRASH SITUATION IN THAILAND: CASE STUDIES. The sheer lot of bus crashes and fatalities yearly in Thailand is staggering.

If you simply need to drive in Thailand then ensure you have an international drivers license or a Thai motorists license and insurance. If you are associateded with an accident most likely you'll be seen as the person at fault and even if you are not there will be fines to pay.

Mass transit is the the option and for the a lot of part will be great. I have actually been on motorbike taxi's, taken trip buses up country and made use of taxis. I haven't had a problem yet but I know the chances are against me. With motorists working in some cases 12 -16 hour days it's difficult to understand exactly what kind of ride you will get. As Elvis Costello would state "Mishaps will occur" however if you keep your wits about you and stay familiar with your environments then there's a likelihood you could stay clear of being in one.

Walking on Thailand's Streets.

I've been out walking the roads of Bangkok by myself at 4 in the early morning and never ever as soon as been afraid for my personal security, although I was very aware of my surroundings. I can't say the same for crossing roads in Thailand. Pedestrians are virtually seen as targets and pedestrians in crosswalks are the bullseye.

Count on me drivers won't reduce for you crossing the roadway, if anything they'll simply honk the horn to remind you of your brewing demise if you must trip. Add in bad lighting, alcohol or both on either side of this equation and you have a dish for disaster.

While Bangkok has many pedestrian bridges the same can't be said of various other popular locations such as Pattaya where 2cnd roadway plays out much like the old game frogger. 2cnd road in Pattaya as well as beach roadway have a very long stretch without any traffic signals and at night the lighting is sketchy at finest in some locations.

A research of pedestrian accidents was finished Kohn Kaen district which has a population of 150,000 in 2002. As part of the study they gathered information on pedestrian involved accidents in between the years 1998-2000. In 2000 there mored than 4400 pedestrians injured or killed on Thailand roadways with an approximated 65,000 traffic related injuries and deaths. A Study On Accidents and Investigation of Pedestrian's Unsafe Issues in Kohn Kaen.

When crossing any roads in Thailand take your time and judge car distances and rate as best you could even streets with low traffic, due to the fact that by the time they hit you it's too late and from some accidents I have actually seen there might not be much left to identify.

As constantly, no matter where you are in the world make sure you are aware of your environments and be in control of yourself at all times and you should be simply fine.




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