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Time
differences
+ 6 hours in winter,
+ 5 hours in summer (with France).
Telecommunications
Telephone
To phone
Thailand : dial 00 66 + the town code + the number
of your correspondent
Some town
codes : Bangkok = 2, Hua Hin = 32, Kanchaburi = 34,
Chiang Mai = 53, Koh Samui = 77
Pattaya = 38, Phuket = 76
The Press
in Thailand
Bangkok
Metro
: English
Bangkok
Post
: English
Business
Day :
English
Daily
News
: Thai
Krungthep
Turakij:
Thai
Kwanruen
Magazine
: Thai
Nation
(The)
: English
Nation
Weekender Magazine
: Thai
Pattaya
Mail
: English
Phuket
Gazette:
English
Siam
Business Newspaper
: Thai
Thairath
Daily
: Thai
Thansettakij
Newspaper
: Thai
French
residents have created a paper called "Le Gavroche"
which relates what is going on in the francophone
community in Bangkok.
JOURNAL LE GAVROCHE.
20/27 Soi Nailert, Wireless Road.Bangkok 10330
Tel : 253.39.23 or 01-494.34.38 - Fax :
254.61.05
Airports
Bangkok
: The Don Muang International airport is 25 kms
from the town centre.
Chiang
Mai :
Chiang Mai International airport is 6 kms from the
town centre. Thai Airways has several daily flights
going there from Bangkok (1h10 flight time) and a
weekly flight from Phuket. There are also 3 flights
a week by Singapore Airline (a 3 hour
flight).
Changria
: flights from Bangkok or from Chiangmai
Kho Samui
: daily
flights from Bangkok (1h20 flight time) and Phuket
(50 mins flight time) with Bangkok
Airways
Phuket
: Phuket International airport is 32 kms from the
town. Thai Airways has about fifteen flights a day
from Bangkok (1h20).
Car
rental
There are several
Avis
agencies all over Thailand.
Reservations: tel 662 255 5300 fax 662 254 6719
Bangkok
airport bds. 1 and 2 : tel 662 535 4052 - in town :
2/12 Wireless Road, Downtown tel 662 2555300-4 333
Chert Wudthakas Rd (opp Bangkok intl. airport) tel
662 566 1020 - 494 Rajdamri Rd tel 662 254 1234 -
971 Ploenchit Rd, Downtown tel 662 2530444
Cha-Am
: 1349 Petchkasem Rd, tel 032 520008
Chiangmai
: airport 053 201798-9 - in town : 122 Changkian Rd
tel 053 281033-6
Chiangria
: 1129 Kraison Rd tel 053
715777 - Chiangai airp. tel 053 793827 - Golden
Triangle 053 716678
Haad
Yai : airport tel 074
234300-28 - Sanehanusorn Rd tel 074 352239
Hua
Hin : 1 Damnemkasem Rd
tel 032 512021- airport tel 032 520008-9
Khon
Kaen : airport tel 043
344313
Krabi
: Tambon Krabinoi, Amphur
Mueng, 81130 tel 76 324050-2
Mae Hong
Son : Nivestphisal Rd,
Chongham, Meng tel 6653 620457
Pattaya
: 218/2-4 Moo, 10, Seaside Rd, tel 038 361628 - 240
Pattaya Beach Rd, tel 038 361627-8
Phuket
: 29 Moo 4 Srisoontorn
Rd, tel 076 340480-5 - 322 Srisoontrorn Rd, Tambon
Choeng Talay tel 076 324352 - 33 Moo 4, Srisoontorn
Rd, tel 076324374 - 390 Srisoontorn Rd, Tambon
Choeng Talay tel 076 324320-32 - 8/5 Moo 1 , Tambon
Karon, tel 076 340480-5 - Bangtao Bay tel 076
324101-7 - Kalim Beach Rd, Paton, tel 076342777 -
Pansea Beach, Talang, tel 076 324300 - Phuket
airport, tel 076 327358
Pitsanoluk
: 38 Airport Rd, Arnyik,
tel 055 258062
Samui
Island : 12/12 Moo 1
Tambon, Maenam, Koh Samul, tel 077 425031-38 -
Samui airport : 077 425012 Udon
Thani : Liangmuang Rd,
Mahkkeng, tel 042 244770
All Avis cars are completely
equipped, have done less than 15,000 kms and have
an average age of 3 months. The vehicles are
carefully prepared and checked between each rental
using a procedure containing 7 obligatory control
points. The cars are rented with a full tank.
Renting from Avis automatically means that the car
passengers, renter and/or driver are covered by a
third party insurance as well as an insurance
covering repatriation and the immobilization of the
vehicule in case of an accident.
You can reserve a car :
- from your travel agent
- from the international reservation centre at 0
820 05 05 05
- or from any Avis agency
Avis has an interactive network worldwide, a client
can reserve a car instantly from anywhere in the
world.
We recommend that you pay your rental using your
accredited Avis card or with another credit card
accepted by Avis : American Express, Visa,
Mastercard, Diners.
Through a simple free membership system, Avis gives
identity and/or payment cards, which are a real
help for a rapid and efficient service.
It is
however better and easier to take a chauffeur-guide
as the trafic is very difficult and it is not easy
to find your way around in Bangkok.
Your
suitcase
Take comfortable
light cotton clothing.
Thais like dressing up and will appreciate the fact
that you make an effort to dress for dinner.
You can buy cheaply very nice cotton and silk
clothes in Thailand and even get them made to
measure. I would advise taking a nearly empty
suitcase and filling it up as you go along!
Take a light sweater for the north, and for
evenings in airconditionned hotels and sandals
which are easy to slip on and off when you are
visiting temples.
Information
Electricity
: 220 V., Television : PAL
Time differences (with France) : + 5 hours in
summer, + 6 hours in winter
Hot season : from March to May/June
Rainy season : from the beginning of July to
mid-October
Cool season : from November to February
Units of measure : decimal system
Driving : on the left
Flight time Paris-Bangkok : 11 hours
Airport tax : international 500 baht (125 FF)
Transport airport -town : bus B25 or B70, taxis
B200-500
Tipping : 10% in restaurants and a bit more in
night clubs
Tax : 7% on hotel bills, 7% VAT on most
purchases
Public
holidays :
27th July : Asarnha Bucha Day
28th July : Buddhist Lent
12th August : the Queen's birthday
23rd October : Chulalongkorn Day
5th December : the King's birthday, National
Day
10th December : Constitution Day
25th December : Christmas
31st December -1st January : New Year
+ Buddhist
holidays which don't always fall on the same
date.
Shopping
: you can have a suit or a silk dress made up
within 24 hours.
Jewels (gold and precious or semi-precious stones),
antiques, really cheap imitations of watches and
big brand name clothing which you can get from
street stands (watch out for the customs when you
get back home), handicrafts : lacquerware,
silverware, objects in teak, orchids ...
Specialities
: Thai boxing is a national sport, it is an
ancestral fighting technique where no holds are
barred.
The best places to see it : Lumphini, Rama V
Avenue or Ratchadamnoen , Ratchadamnoen
Nok.
The fights begin at about 3pm and end when there
are no competitors left. Sensations guaranteed. Its
worth it just to look at what's going on in the
house.
Banks
There are several
French banks in Thailand :
Lyonnaise de Banque, Crédit Lyonnais,
Société Générale, BNP,
BFCE, PARIBAS, CCF, Crédit Agricole
Indosuez.
Crédit Agricole
Indosuez.
Indosuez House, 153 Wireless Rd
Bangkok 10330
Tel 66 2 651 45 90 Fax 66 2 651 45 86
Guides
'Understanding
Thailand' - CFCE (1994) - 132 pages.Price 120
FF
'Thailand'
Published by Gallimard
Observations
Customs
You
need a permit to export antiques and art
objects.
Attention : French customs can be very strict if
you bring counterfeit goods into the country, the
tax and/or fine can be way over what you paid for
the article.
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