Thai friends waiting

The best Thai vacations I've experienced are when friends await my arrival.

No getting in line for a taxi or bus, your friends have taken care of all arrangements.

Most likely they have a list of suggestions for places to visit and things to do.

Your friends can also advise you of local customs.

What you should and should not do.

Things like:

'DON'T feed elephants roaming in Bangkok. It's now a fineable offense.

It may not be such a good idea to carry bananas or peanuts in a monkey reserve. You may require hospitalization. 

Visiting sites with a friend or a family is much more enjoyable than having to maneuver through bus loads of crowds, attempting to get a good view, or hear what the guide is saying.

Of course it helps tremendously if your friends speak some English.

My first visits to SakonNakhon where like that.

Back in the U.S. I had befriended the owners and staff of a Thai restaurant.

They suggested I'd visit the city and promised that their local relatives would take good care of me.

I was really surprise when the person greeting me said "...you remember me?"

Yes I did.

He had been an exchange student and had worked at the stateside restaurant near my house.

I was welcomed by the entire family.

During my stay I enjoyed  private tours of all the attractions.

At public and private events, my host made sure I always had the best seat in the house.

Even my departure became a pleasant memory.

Dozens of people near the departure lounge. I now knew personally.

Sometimes they don't warn you, then it's a learning experience

First time I visited a farm village, our arrival momentarily disrupted an ongoing wedding celebration.  

I was handed what looked like a beer bottle.  

"No" I said, "I don't need a glass, I can drink from the bottle." 

It wasn't beer.  

I was chocking on Whiskey White.  If you've tasted Moonshine, then you know what this stuff is.
The famous Thai smile turned into a chuckle.

Checked luggage is not a safe place for valuables

 

                                                                                  Not for the squeamish