GENERAL REMARKS

Wikitravel entries for Thailand and Bangkok are highly informative, and it is advisable to consult them in addition to this page. Please also refer to the WORKSHOP MAP.

Chulalongkorn University (which will host the workshop) is located in the center of the modern part of Bangkok. Immediately to the north is the Siam area (a major center of shopping and entertainment), and to the south is the Silom-Satorn finance district (also notorious for its seedy and colorful nightlife that may be either annoying of amusing, depending on one's preferences, but is in no way unsafe). A third central area, which is the historical center by the Chaophraya river, is located a few kilometers west (and is most easily reached by boat from Ratchathewi pier to the north of the university).

IMMIGRATION

Citizens of a large number of nations (including EU, US, UK, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, a number of South-East-Asian and South-American countries, as well as Hong Kong passport holders) enjoy visa-free entry to Thailand for up to 30 days. Some others (including India, mainland China and Taiwan passport holders) can obtain a visa-on-arrival at the airport for up to 15 days (make sure to have print-outs of your return flight and accommodation bookings). If you generally need a visa but reside long-term in a country whose citizens can enter Thailand visa-free, it should be possible to apply online.

Note that most of the above immigration concessions are technically for tourist visitors. Even though Thai immigration officers tend to be rather easy-going about formal requirements, it is advisable not to emphasize that you travel in relation to your academic work (stating that you're here on a personal recreational trip should be sufficient to clear immigration).

SAFETY

Bangkok is exceptionally safe for a city of its size. Scams against tourists do happen, and touts may be somewhat annoying in tourist areas, all of which can be avoided to a large extent with adequate behavior. Walking in the streets alone (at least without ostentatious displays of wealth) should generally be considered safe 24 hours a day in any part of the city.

WEATHER

During the time of the workshop, you should expect a reasonably hot "sunny summer" weather, and you're unlikely to need anything besides light summer clothes. Precipitation is also generally unlikely at that time of the year.

NUTRITION

Bangkok is a gastronomical paradise, at least for those who enjoy spicy non-vegetarian food. Large tracts of the city look like an interminable cooking workshop cum food market, and the cheapest and most basic street food may easily rival the culinary sophistication of fine dining in most advanced technocratic societies. One pivotal aspect of Thai cuisine is a delicate balance between sharp chilis and sour flavors, enhanced with fermented fish condiments and a striking array of aromatic herbs. Marinated grills are widely enjoyed and make, due to the sweetness of the marinades, a perfect use of the Maillard reaction. Thai curries are often extremely rich and complex and can be seen as an unusual spin-off of the Indian cuisine developed in the region over centuries.

Caution has to be taken amidst all this glamor nonetheless, since much of the food is cooked by traditional methods (without refrigeration) under tropical conditions. Sensitive stomachs may experience episodes of digestive unrest. The problem tends to be overstated, but you're encouraged to use your judgement.

The notion of vegetarianism is universally understood, and the simple word "jeh" designates rigorously vegan dishes. This kind of vegan Thai food is not widespread, however, and generally requires special arrangements to acquire. Certified halal food is available from a few stalls at the university cafeterias around the campus (this may also be useful for those who follow other dietary restrictions that have similarities with halal food).

Bangkok hotel breakfasts tend to be composed of bland, generic international food that lacks all character. You shouldn't be surprised to end up drinking packaged sweetened juices made from concentrates while seeing trees loaded with tropical fruits from your window. It is wise to exclude hotel breakfasts from your booking wherever possible, which can also lead to a non-negligible reduction of the room rate.

Authentic Thai desserts in combination with milk and coffee will be served at the workshop site every day before the start of the morning session.

LANGUAGE

The official language is Thai, which is a tonal language with rather complicated phonetics, relatively straightforward grammar and a large amount of vocabulary borrowed from (genealogically unrelated) Indian languages.

A large part of the general population speaks some very basic English, though not always to a useful extent. More educated people and people in the tourist industry will often speak semi-fluet to completely fluent English, though at times with specific phonetic and grammatic distortions that may take a while to get accustomed to. Overall, you should expect a much higher English proficiency than in East-Asian countries, perhaps at a level similar to India and slightly lower than in Malaysia. Comparisons to Europe are somewhat more difficult because of a different set of linguistic and cultural circumstances, but generally proficiency will be much lower than in Northern Europe and somewhat higher than in much of Southern Europe (and can perhaps be seen as comparable to Greece). In general, one should expect to be able to get by with English alone, though outside tourist areas it will require some effort.

To avoid unnecessary complications, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to have all essential addresses written in the Thai script. Addresses written in the Latin script are useless, more often than not. The reason is a combination of the lack of standard romanization system and the objective difficulty of representing Thai phonetics with the Latin script. Unless you're talking to a person with serious linguistic inclinations, or you're looking for an extremely obvious location, addresses writen in the Latin script will not be understood. (You should also not expect to be able to pronounce Thai place names in a way comprehensible for the locals, even if you have some basic Thai language training.)

Below are a few addresses important in relation to the workshop:



TRANSPORTATION

Bangkok traffic can be hectic and jammed. Of relevance for most visitors are the sky-train lines (running on elevated tracks and usually abbreviated as BTS), subway lines (usually abbreviated as MRT), and the airport train line. The bus system is extensive, but often outdated, usually not English-friendly and plagued by traffic jams. There are also boat buses running along the canals (which is typically the best option for going to the old parts of Bangkok along the Chaophraya river).

Sam Yan (can be spelled Sam Yarn) MRT station is located at the southern edge of the university campus. The campus is also reachable on foot from National Stadium and Siam stations of the sky-train. Most recommended accommodations are around the National Stadium BTS station (and can also be reached on foot from Siam or Ratchathewi BTS stations). Siam BTS station is a major transportation hub and can get crowded during peak hours.

Taxies are extremely cheap and plentiful, but (unless you give an impression of a person who knows Bangkok very well) you should keep an eye on the driver to avoid getting scammed. You have the right and should always insist on paying by the meter (this includes transportation to and from airports). Directions below explain how to reach the city from the airports not relying on taxies.

(Note: It is advisable to avoid tuk-tuks, the three-wheel passenger vehicles, which are often seen as an exotic low-tech tourist attraction, but are dangerous, noisy, polluting, and will typically charge 2-3 times more than a modern metered taxi. Passenger motorcycles are likewise considered unsafe, but may occasionally be indespensable in emergency circumstances for their ability to penetrate traffic jams.)

If coming from Suvarnabhumi Airport (where most long-distance international flights land), take the airport train from the basement of the airport building. If going directly to the university, you can exit the airport train at Makkasan station, transfer to the adjacent Petchaburi MRT station, and take the subway (MRT) to the Sam Yan station located at the southern edge of the campus. If going to a hotel located to the north of the campus, you can take the airport train to Phayathai (the last station) and then either take a short taxi ride, transfer to BTS and ride 1-3 stops (to Ratchathewi, Siam or National Stadium) or walk (1-2km).

From Don Mueang Airport (mostly served by regional and budget airlines), you can take buses number 29, 59, 510 or 513 to Mo-chit, where you can connect to either BTS or MRT and then proceed in the same way as described above. (Some varieties of bus 29 continue all the way to the university, as a matter of fact, but that may take a long time.)

If despite the above advice (or because of a night-time arrival) you decide to take a taxi from the airport, please follow the guidelines below (failure to do so is likely to result in overcharging):
1) Do not accept any taxi offers inside the terminal building.
2) Walk to the taxi zone outside the exit of the terminal. You should simply follow the local crowd.
3) Contact the taxi desk outside the terminal building, which should arrange a car for you (typically, an impeccably new and clean Toyota painted in bright colors with a TAXI-METER sign on top).
4) Remind the driver to turn on the meter.
5) You have to pay the meter price, plus a small airport fee (for which you get a receipt), plus the toll, if the car takes the tollway to the city (not necessary at night, quite necessary during peak hours, optional otherwise).

ON-CAMPUS ORIENTATION

The workshop will be held at the 2nd floor of Biology 1 building (auditorium 224), immediately adjacent to the Chula Natural History Museum. The building is marked precisely as the "Workshop location" on the Google map. Security personnel may be of some help with locating the building, if shown the picture on the right.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE

ATMs are ubiquitous and it's possible to withdraw cash using regular international systems (Visa, Mastercard, etc), as well as the Chinese UnionPay system (the latter is only serviced by some of the banks). However, there are relatively large per-transaction fees and, overall, cash exchange is likely to provide better value.

Major currencies can be exchanged at the airport. The rates are not advantageous, but bearable. At the same time, the airport rates for all other currencies may be totally unreasonable. It is therefore advisable to do the bulk of your currency exchange operations in the city. If you need to change a small amount for immediate needs at the airport, you should bring it in a major currency (euros or US dollars would be a safe bet).

Once in the city, much more favorable rates can be found. The Siam Exchange immediately to the north of the Siam intersection (see the map) is known to trade at exceptionally favorable rates all major currencies (euros, UK pounds, US dollars, Japanese yen), as well as a number of other regional currencies (India, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc). For other currencies, you're advised to convert to euros or US dollars before arriving in Thailand.

CONNECTIVITY

Pre-paid SIM-cards are widely available and extremely inexpensive (around 50 baht for a new phone number, including some calling credit). Purchasing them is possible at any of the ubiquitous 7-11 convenience stores. There are many providers, but TRUE Tourist SIM is often recommended.

WEDNESDAY EXCURSION

The excursion is completely informal in nature, and normally splits in 2 groups. Typically, we meet at 1pm at the workshop building and start from there, but watch out for further announements.

Group 1 goes to the Grand Palace which is a very touristy place but visually impressive and needs to be seen at least once. This is generally recommended for first-timers. IMPORTANT: Grand Palace enforces a conservative dress code and you will need long pants and long(ish) sleeves.

Group 2 is generally intended for old-timers and other adventurous souls who are ready to walk along highways and climb fences to reach the hidden heart of the city. It typically goes to atmospheric off-beat locations to be decided upon spontaneously. Participants are expected to be fully adapted to the local lifestyle and authentic food.

THURSDAY DINNER

The dinner will take place at Chula Thai pavilion marked on the workshop map. We typically meet at the workshop venue 10 minutes before and proceed to the dinner location together. Participants' family members, friends and other companions are generally invited.