Thailand useful information

Thailand Useful Information

Airport Facilities

....Suvarnabhumi Airport, a new international airport located 24 kilometres east of Bangkok, was due to be open on September 28, 2006. It replaces the old overloaded airport at Don Muang and accommodates all international and domestic flights to Bangkok..

Limousine Service
can be ordered at the service counters outside the terminal on the 2nd and 4th floors but will be parked at the public transportation center.

Taxi Service
Taxis can drop off passengers at the 4th floor of terminal complex, and will have to leave the area immediately. Pool taxis can wait for passengers at the public transportation center.

Buses and coaches for passengers traveling with tour agencies are able to drop off the passengers at 4th floor of the passenger terminal complex for departure passengers. Buses and coaches will have to park at the public transportation center. As for the arrival passengers, there are pick-up points at 1st floor of the terminal.

Airport shuttle busses will be in service for the personnel and passengers traveling between the public transportation center, the long term parking area and the passenger terminal complex. At the initial phase, there will be 3 routes.

Route 1 is for people who want to minimize the traveling time. The distance will be 8.7 kilometers. The starting point is at the public transportation center and there is only one pick-up point at the long term parking area. One round trip takes approximately 10 minutes.

Route 2 is for passengers who park their cars at the long term parking area. There are approximately 11 pick-up points along the journey. The trip from the parking area to the terminal takes approximately 11 minutes, and the return trip 16 minutes.

Route 3 is for passengers traveling between the terminal and the public transportation center. There are approximately 10 pick-up places along the journey.

The trip from the public transportation center takes approximately 11 minutes, and the return trip 16 minutes.

Public bus services (air conditioned) will be operating in 6 routes

1) No. 549 Suvarnabhumi - Min Buri - Bangkapi
2) No. 550 Suvarnabhumi - Happy Land
3) No. 551 Suvarnabhumi - Victory Monument
4) No. 552 Suvarnabhumi - Onnuj BTS Station
5) No. 553 Suvarnabhumi - Samutprakarn
6) No. 554 Suvarnabhumi - Rangsit (Special Route for Suvarnabhumi - Don Meung - Bangkok International Airport)

All the bus services operating along all these 6 routes will drop off airport passengers at the public transportation center.

Left Luggage
The Left Luggage Room at Bangkok Airport charges 20 baht per item per day with a maximum storage allowed of 3 months.

Baggage Claim
On arrival at Bangkok International Airport, all international passengers are processed through
immigration and passport control, then onto the baggage reclaim area where luggage is fed onto
a conveyor or carousel showing the number of each flight.

Baggage Service (Lost and Found)
A Lost and Found Counter, located at the Arrival Lounge, is manned round-the-clock, seven days
a week. If you leave anything on an aircraft or an airline bus, please contact the airline concerned
immediately.

Trolleys
Trolleys are provided in both the Departure and Arrival Lounges of the International Passenger
Terminal. No fees are charged. Passengers are free to use them.

Duty-Free Shopping
All four of Thailand's international airports have duty-free shopping facilities. The most extensive
is at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the main port of entry. Smaller duty-free shops can be found at Phuket and Hat Yai in the south and Chiang Mai in the north.

Where to stay

....Thailand has world-class accommodation which is probably unsurpassed in terms of attentiveness, courteous service and affordability. Major tourism destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket and thriving commercial centres such as Hat Yai, Khon Kaen, Lampang and Nakhon

Ratchasima offer modern first- class hotels with every conceivable convenience and international-standard convention facilities for groups numbering from 200 to 2,000 and upwards.
Family-style hotels, bungalow complexes, guest houses, houseboats, hostels, motels, spartan
but cleap Chinese-style inns and hotels, and beach-side huts complete a range of accommodation costing anywhere from a few dollars daily to hundreds of dollar a night. Current
listings of accommodation and rates are available from Tourism Authority of Thailand's local offices in Bangkok,

Kanchanaburi, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Pattaya, Rayong, Cha-Am Nakhon Nayok, Trat

Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, Tak

Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Phanom, Ubon Thani

Hat Yai, Phuket, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Narathivat

Airline Offices

...Some so airlines maintain offices in Bangkok. A complete listing may be found in the English edition of the Bangkok Telephone Directory's Yellow Pages.

Tourist Information Services

...Tourist information is available at the Tourism Authority of Thailand head office in Bangkok, local offices in 22 major cities (listed in the back cover) and the TAT information counter in Bangkok Airport and at every airport where there is a TAT local office. They provide maps, brochures and useful information on tours, shopping, dining and accommodation. All TAT information offices are open seven days a week from 8.30 AM. to 4.30 PM.

Business Hours

...Most commercial concerns in Bangkok operate on a five-day week basis. Government offices
are generally open between 8.30 AM and 4.30 PM with a noon to 1.00 PM lunch break, Monday
through Friday, except on public holidays. Private businesses maintain much the same hours
perhaps 8.00 AM to 5.00 PM, with certain exceptions. Many stores open 12 hours a day, seven
days a week.
Business Centres
Certain major hotels provide fully equipped business centres for visiting executives. Services
customarily include secretarial work, typing, photo- copying and fax facilities, conference rooms
and reference libraries.

Car Hire

...Those possessing valid International Driving Licenses may prefer to hire
automobiles. English- language road signs and maps are commonplace.
The Bangkok Yellow Pages list local and international automobile rental
companies. Visitors are advised to shop around since most companies
offer different conditions. Self-drive and chauffeur-driven automobiles are
widely available. International car hire companies such as Avis and Hertz
also operate in Pattaya, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Samui Island.

Church Services

...Christian churches are found in Bangkok and most provincial capitals. Services are mostly in
Thai, with certain services in English, French and German. Local English-language newspapers
provide comprehensive listings of services in Bangkok

Clothing

...Light, loose cotton clothing is best. Nylon should be avoided. Sweaters are needed during Cool Season evenings or if visiting mountainous areas and remote national parks. Jackets and ties are required in certain restaurants and night-clubs.

Electricity

...The electric current is 220 Volt AC (so cycles) throughout the country. There are many plugs
and sockets in use. Travellers with shavers, tape recorders and other appliances should carry a
plug-adapter kit. The better hotels will, make avail- able 110 Volt transformers.

Films & Photography

...Major international film manufacturers maintain excellent photofinishing laboratories. Instant
developing can be done within one hour. Popular films are available countrywide at reasonable
prices. Still photographers are free to shoot almost everything. Movie cameras are not 'allowed
without permission in Bangkok's Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Chapel complex.
Photography is also prohibited in certain branches of the National Museum.

Newspaper & Magazines

...Thailand's English-language newspapers, the Nation, the Bangkok Post and Thailand Times keep readers abreast of local and international events. Major English language magazines and newspapers such as International Herald Tribune, Wallstreet Journal, Newsweek, Time and Asiaweek are readily available at hotel newsagents, supermarkets, department stores and leading bookstores.

Embassies

....Some so countries maintain embassies, consulates or legations in Bangkok. Most are
concentrated around the Sukhumwit, Phloenchit, Witthayu and Sathon Road areas. A complete
list of such missions is featured in the Yellow Pages of the English edition of the Bangkok
Telephone Directory.

Tourist Police

In 1982, the Tourist Police was set up to coordinate with the Tourism Authority
of Thailand in providing safety for tourists. Its responsibilities are receiving and
acknowledging claims and complaints; to conduct investigations and acting as
co-ordinator of tourist security protection. At present, some 500 tourist
policemen are stationed in major tourist areas such as the Grand Palace,
Phatphong and Lumphini Park. Bi-lingual Tourist Police are attached to
Tourism Authority of Thailand offices in Bangkok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya,
Pattaya, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Thani, Khon Kaen, Chiang
Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Surat Thani,
Phuket and Songkhla to provide speedy assistance to visitors. In case of
emergency, contact the Tourist Police Centre Unicohouse Building Soi Lang
Suan Ploenchit Rd., Bangkok Tel: 6521721

Medical Service

....All tourism destinations and provincial capitals have hospitals and clinics staffed by well-trained doctors and nurses. In case of emergencies, ambulances can be summoned from any private hospital.

Radio & Television

....AM radio is heavily commercial - - there are some 200 stations nation-wide - and appeals to popular taste. FM radio offers popular music, classical music, jazz, English-language news broad- casts and the original soundtracks of certain imported film shows shown on local television's five channels. Leading hotels have colour televisions in each room, offering either video features, satellite and / or cable television or tourism-related English- language programmes.

The temporary import of vehicles

Valid International Driving Licence and passport or equivalent documents are required

Vehicle registration or, in the case of a borrowed vehicle, authorisation documents from the owner are required

Cash guarantee or bank guarantee or self- guarantee is required. If vehicle is brought in through Bangkok or Klong Toey Port, cash guarantee or bank guarantee is essential. If entry is via land across the southern border then it is accept- able to guarantee oneself by completing the customs form, giving necessary details to the customs officer and signing the record.

Permission is granted for a e month period from the date of entry,
In the case of having requested to bring the vehicle in for a period of just 5-10 days and then wishing to extend the length of stay, a renewal can be granted free of charge by the Customs Department.
Procedure :
a> Contact the customs office at the relevant border.
b> Customs officer will complete an additional incoming form and at the same time check documents as in No.2 above and also fix the self-guarantee.
c> In the case of cash or bank guarantee, the customs officer will evaluate the price of the vehicle according to its condition plus 20%

information provided by T.A.T (Tourism Autority of Thailand)