Top 5 Thai Dishes You Have to Try

Fried Spring Roll: Por Pia Tord is one of the most popular appetizers among foreigners because it comes with a sweet and sour dip. No need to fear the wrath of curry (or at least not yet), Thai Por Pia comes in a wide variety of flavors that can be dipped in Japanese apricot sauce, making it a toothsome way to sample Thai culture.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts: Also known as Kai pad Med Mamuang Himmapan, this Thai treat is sure to please your palette. Slightly sweet and slightly salty, this chicken fried meal is a great way to spark your passion for Thai without overdoing it on the spice.

Fried Noodle: Probably one of the most widely known dishes in the world, Pad Thai has been eaten and enjoyed for centuries and it definitely flaunts the authenticity of Thai culture. Pad Thai is often seasoned to suit your preference, though it has evolved into two difference styles. Classic Pad Thai includes stir-fried noodle with eggs, red chili pepper, fish sauce, tamarind juice, and shrimp with a garnish of peanuts (and this is definitely a family favorite). The new Pad Thai is more dry and lightly flavored but it is more easily purchased through street vendors for a fast meal.

Grilled Pork Sticks with Tumeric: One of my favorite Thai dishes, grilled pork sticks (or Moo Sa-te) are often served with 2 different types of curry sauces. One, is mildly spicy and thick (made from peanuts and coconut milk) while the other is a delicious blend of sweet and sour vinegar (in addition to chopped shallot, pepper and cucumber to keep the oiliness to a minimum).

Green Chicken Curry: Many people are a little intimidated by the sheer amount of curry found in Thai food. However, Green Chicken curry is definitely worth tasting at least once. It’s pleasantly sweet (though slightly spicy) and is often served with steamed rice or rice noodles. By blending green curry chili paste with coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce, you definitely have a winning dish.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re in the mood to traveling to Thailand or simply looking for some new foods to try, these mouthwatering meals will have you begging for more.

Here are some important Thai phrases you should memorize before you get to Thailand. Your trip enjoyment depends on it!

Learn to Barter

Like many countries outside the U.S, Thailand merchants are known to barter. If you are paying over half of the listed price, you are probably being ripped off. Here are some important phrases and words to know when bartering in Thailand.

Numbers:

1 – neung
2 – song
3 – sam
4 – see
5 – haa
6 – hok
7 – jet
8 – paed
9 – gow
10 – sip
20 – yee sip
100 – roi/loi

Barter Down

How much does it cost? – nee tao rai
Expensive – pang
Can we get a discount? – lot noi dai mai

Find Transportation

If you’ve ever been in a county where you don’t know the language, you know it’s difficult to get around. These phrases may help.

3-wheeled vehicle – Tuk tuk
Taxi – Taxi
I want to go… – chan yak pai…

In Case of an Emergency

Whether it’s a real, life-threatening emergency or a minor stomach ache, it’s important to know what to say in order to get where you need to be. These may help.

Where is the bathroom? – hong nam yu nai
I’m lost – chan long taang
Does anyone speak English? – mee krai pood pasa angkrit dai mai
Help me – chuay duay

Don’t Stress

We know traveling can be stressful enough. Don’t let the language barrier stress you out. Nowadays almost everyone speaks some English and is more than willing to help. If you cannot remember or simply don’t know what to say in a situation, ask around. You are more than likely going to be able to find help.

The rising waters have already claimed more than 400 lives and around 1,000 households are under water. But economic and health risks have emerged and become a large issue.

According to the Wall Street Journal, at least two people have dies from a bacterial infection that is spread through rat urine. The disease, along with other diseases, is expected to continue to spread when the water begins to recede, leaving pools of standing water.

Garbage, human waste and dead animal carcasses are also causing risks to people in the wake of the flood.

Though a very small fraction of those dead have died because of a flood related disease, it brings up some concern considering there is no way to clean up the waste and, in some places, there is no running water.

The flooding is also having an adverse affect on the economy, especially in the car and hardware markets.

Reports are saying that Honda Philippines has temporarily shut down production because they cannot get supplies in from Thailand.

ABC News reported that the flooding may likely impact the global supply of hard disk drives.

Thailand’s economy is also supported by their agriculture and tourism, which, needless to say, is taking a hit. As much as 14 percent of the countries rice fields has been wiped out. Tourists are deciding instead to visit neighboring India.

It’s hard to know for sure when the floods will dry out, but even the most optimistic experts say it will be at least a few weeks. If a trip to Thailand is in the near future, you may want to pack your umbrella and a canoe.

Since July, over 300 people have died from monsoon-caused floods in Thailand which have submerged about one-third of the country in water. And now, the worst flooding in Thailand in the past 50 years and its water levels are threatening to break through flood barriers set up around the country’s capital city of Bangkok.

According to several posts and blogs, the flooding has gotten so bad that even sheltered areas in the city designated for flooding evacuees are being evacuated.

Worst Flooding in Decades

Monsoon season happens every year in Southeast Asia. But this particular summer, the rains and storms have been especially unrelenting as the region has been hit by multiple rain storms and typhoons in succession.

And the product of all this water and havoc? Well, over 700 people have died in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines. Also, thousands of homes have been lost, and hundreds of families have been rendered homeless as well.

Even worse, Thailand’s prime minister, Kittiratt Na-Ranong, believes the flood threat and imminence could last for another month or so before things start to diet down. “We have to admit that we are in crisis,” Na-Ranong said to the media. “Everybody must be prepared.”

Na-Ranong urged Bangkok citizens to prepare for the worst and to set up a plan of what they will do and where they will go if their neighborhood were to become submerged by the flood water.

Other Issues

Currently, one of the biggest issues that needs to be taken care of outside of holding the flood waters back, is that of food shortages. The storms have destroyed thousands of acres of farmland and rice paddies, making it difficult for the country to supply its people with the nourishment they need to stay healthy and well fed.

Not only that, but emergency crews and aid support teams are having a tough time getting to affected areas because of typhoon-damaged roads which have become near impassable.

Also, multinational corporations such as Ford and Toyota have had to suspend and close down factories in Thailand due to the flooding, leading to major financial losses.

What’s Being Done to Mitigate The Flooding

As we speak, crews are working around-the-clock to install three more flood barriers and five more canals around the capital city in hopes that the plan will increase drainage and keep Bangkok relatively dry-free.

If all goes according to plan, the barriers will hopefully keep the flood waters back until they subside to a point where the city can start breathing a bit again.

Only time will tell whether or not this disaster takes a turn for the worse or better. Stay tuned to news reports to learn about further events which are sure to take place in the coming days.

For all of you Ultimate Fighting and K-1 Fighting fans, you probably fancy yourselves as mixed martial arts experts and gurus. But have you ever heard of ‘Muay Thai’ before?

‘Muay Thai’ is one of the most popular sports in Thailand and is basically a Thai-style of kickboxing.

The Basics

‘Muay Thai’ is also known as the “Art of Eight Limbs” because of its emphasis on using eight different points to strike with. These eight points include both hands, both legs, both elbows, and both knees.

As many of you may know, the most deadly hit often comes from the elbows and knees – the sharper the point, the more harm it can do to an opponent.

Short Careers

Because of the brutality of the sport, most Muay Thai fighters don’t last long before they call it quits. After they retire, many fighters end up coaching and training the next generation of fighters.

Peak in Interest

‘Muay Thai’, much like many other mixed martial arts, has grown in popularity over the past decade. Much of this has to do with its use in martial arts films, with the most popular of them being Jean-Claude Van Damme’s “Kickboxer” that was released in 1989.

Also, styles of ‘Muay Thai’ have been used in very popular video games such as “Street Fighter,” “Tekken,” and “Mortal Kombat.”

Lastly, many current MMA fighters are starting to adopt more and more ‘Muay Thai’ tactics and styes into how they fight. Perhaps the most popular MMA fighter to use ‘Muay Thai’ is Anderson Silva, who just recently was able to defend his Middleweight title in the Octagon.

Where to Learn More

If you want to find out more about ‘Muay Thai’ and Thai kickboxing, www.thaiboxing.com is a great source of information. Also, there are plenty of Muay Thai KOs and fights on YouTube to check out as well.

After losing 2-1 against Australia in their last Asian World Cup Qualifying match, Thailand bounced back quickly with an easy win against an outmatched Oman squad. The home victory in Bangkok, in the 3rd round of the qualifying stages, definitely keeps Thailand’s hopes alive of making it to Brazil for the 2014 WC.

Sompong and Teerasil Strike Minutes Apart

After half-an-hour of goalless action, Sompong Soleb and Terrasil Dangda both scored in the 35th and 41st minutes, respectively. The goals blew the game open, as Oman was unable to recover from the two-goal deficit. Even worse, although Oman kept Thailand out of the back of the net in the second half, they only made matters worse by scoring an own goal late into the game to make the score 3 to nil.

Standings

Thailand now sits with 3 points in the group, while Oman has just 1 point out of a possible 6 points. Thailand will next host Saudia Arabia in a match on October 11 that may produce the second team to make it out of the group, alongside Australia, with the final qualifying stage of the Asian region as the reward.

Australia took out the Saudis on Tuesday by a score line of 3-1, to give them a full 6 points out of 6 after two games. The Saudis sit at the bottom of the table alongside Oman, with 1 point as well. The two sides drew with one another in their first matches of the qualifying stage.

True Chance for WC 2014?

The 120th-ranked Thai team now has a very good shot of making it to the final group stage of Asian 2014 WC qualifying if they can just get a result against Saudia Arabia. That said, it will be difficult for the to eclipse the giants of the region to make it into the WC. South Korea, Japan, and Australia are again the clear favorites to book trips to Brazil.

If Thailand can grab a convincing victory against Saudia Arabia, it will do much for their confidence and team morale as they move forward in WC qualifying and face much tougher opponents.

Major Non-NATO Ally

The US recognizes Thailand (and several other countries) as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA). Countries with this status have special rights in cooperating with America in Defensive relations. Among these include cooperative research and development projects with the US, special rights when purchasing defensive equipment, and ownership of stocks for US property kept outside of bases. This gives MNNA’s very powerful rights right along side NATO allies in the eyes of the US.

MNNA Members

Thailand
Japan
Australia
Egypt
Israel
South Korea
Jordan
New Zealand
Bahrain
Phillipines
Kuwait
Morocco
Pakistan

Thank the jolly good old British Government for the low down on Thai travel. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office of Her Majesty updated it’s travel warning today. And you have got to just love the way they have with words.

“This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Travel Summary (removal of the reference to the 19 May demonstration). The overall level of the advice has not changed. We advise against all travel to the Preah Vihear and Ta Krabey/Ta Moan temple areas and against all but essential travel to Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla.”

“

• We advise against all travel to the Preah Vihear (Khaoi Pra Viharn in Thai) temple area and the Ta Krabey/Ta Moan temple area located on the Thai-Cambodian border due to the presence of troops in the area and recent outbreaks of fighting. Remain alert to the local situation when travelling in other border regions and at land crossings between the two countries. See Safety and Security

• We advise against all but essential travel to the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla on the Thai-Malaysia border.
  
• For really useful information about all aspects of visiting Thailand try
• http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/asia-oceania/thailand

The massive disruptions in March caused by the earthquake and tsunami shut down production in Japan forcing Toyota’s plants in Thailand to cut production from April 25th because parts were not arriving from Japan.

Toyata Motors Thailand assistant general manager Wutthikorn Suriyachantananon announced on Thursday that auto parts production is ahead of schedule in Japan and that means resumption of shipments to Thailand. Toyota auto assembly plants in Thailand will now be able to run at their full capacity later in May.

In advance of the resumed production opportunity was taken for training and other activities to help prepare for the restart. And customers will be able to take delivery earlier than first thought. Good news indeed.

And it is good to know that Thailand can help the Japanese people by providing means to generate electricity.

It has been two months since the devastating 9.0 magnitude earthquake shook the Japanese nation, and those affected are in need of electricity.Thailand has stepped up to the plate and is allowing Japan to borrow diesel generators for up to 5 years, which is what TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Co) requested of Thailand.

As can be seen in the image, (EGAT) Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand officials are removing a diesel electric generator at Nong Jok power plant in Bangkok, Thailand. This image was captured on April 27, 2011.

May 9 saw these 1,027 ton, 122-megawatts producing generators shipping to Japan from the Laem Chabang port in Thailand, and are scheduled to arrive in Japan not too long after, about ten days or so. Shipping is being taken care of by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries CO. and Mitsubishi CO. Thailand.

Borrowing generators for 3-5 years? Let hope the Japanese nation can get on its feet a lot sooner than that. An industrious and deserving nation deserves to get back on its feet, and the Japanese nation will.

PHANOM DONG RAK, Thailand (Reuters)- Thai and Cambodian troops clashed with guns and artillery on Monday after almost a full-day break in fighting that has killed at least 12 people in four days and sent nearly 50,000 into evacuation centers.

Gunfire and explosions were heard near two disputed 12th-century Hindu temples, the scene of sporadic mortar and artillery bombardments since Friday in the bloodiest border conflict between the neighbors in nearly two decades.

The fresh fighting erupted before sundown on Monday and witnesses said the clashes were more fierce than the previous days, with the sound mortars heard as far as 40 km (25 miles) away.

Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya reiterated calls for a bilateral solution following the cancellation of a visit to both countries by a top Southeast Asian envoy who had brokered a U.N.-backed peace ceasefire deal on February 22.

But soon after the fighting resumed, Kasit accused Cambodia of being the “aggressor” in the conflict and said it was limiting scope for dialogue.

“It’s clear Cambodia was pushing into the (disputed) area and its now beyond talks as friendly neighbors,” he told reporters in Bangkok on his return from a visit to an evacuee camp near the border.

He had earlier rejected Cambodian claims that Thailand had reneged on an agreement to allow unarmed Indonesian military observers after border battles that killed 11 troops near Preah Vihear, a temple about 150 km (90 miles) to the east.

At the center of the latest dispute are the Ta Moan and Ta Krabey Hindu temples in a heavily mined jungle area claimed by both sides. Thailand says the ancient ruins are in its Surin province but Cambodia insists they fall in its territory.

Fighting has been heaviest around Ta Moan, a complex that contains three temples nestled into a mountain pass. Both sides are also positioned around Ta Krabey, where fighting first erupted on Friday and where Cambodia has been accused of building military bases.

The official toll since Friday is five Thai soldiers killed and 31 wounded, and seven Cambodians killed and 17 wounded. No casualties were reported from Monday’s fighting.

Monday’s clashes continued late into the evening and came four hours after Thai F-16 fighter jets circled near the two temples in what Tha air force commander, Air Chief Marshall Itthaporn Subhawong, said was a training exercise.

“There was no intention to provoke,” he told Reuters.