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Population: 65 million

Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, known for its tropical beaches, royal palaces, temples, and ancient ruins. It is dominated by the Chao Phraya River basin, which contains the capitol and largest city, Bangkok--population approximately nine million. Bangkok’s full original name is one of the longest names of any city in the world, made up of Pali and Sanskrit root words: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.

Did you make it through the whole name? Thankfully in English it means, “City of Angels, Great City of Immortals, Magnificent City of the Nine Gems, Seat of the King, City of Royal Palaces, Home of Gods Incarnate, Erected by Visvakarman at Indra’s Behest.”

The land area of Thailand is 198 square miles, stretching thinly down between the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The governing languages are Thai with ethnic and regional dialects, and English. Their currency is in Baht where $1 USD is equal to about 35 Thai Baht, and the dominant religions are Muslim and Buddhist. The Kingdom of Thailand flag, called the Thong Trairong or “tricolor flag”, flies five horizontal stripes in the order red, white, blue, white, red with the central blue band twice as wide as the other four. Its color also stands for something; red is for their nation and the land of the people, white signifies religion, and their king is represented by blue for monarchy.

Bangkok is a characteristically Buddhist landscape, with statues of Buddah, gold temples and beautiful pagodas. Thailand is made up of 1,430 islands, and some in the Gulf include Ko Tao, Ko Pha Ngan, and Ko Samui, home of Big Buddah, relaxing spas, and yoga retreats. The wild forests of Thailand are home to 1,500 orchid species (its national flower) and is the world’s largest orchid exporter. The climate is primarily tropical, high humidity and has an average annual temperature hovering around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. There are three distinct seasons; March to May is hot, rainy for June through October, and cool November to February.

In Thailand, like many other countries, food forms a central part of any social occasions, and vice versa, food becomes the social occasion in itself. This is partly due to the friendly, social nature of Thai people, but also because of the way in which food is ordered and eaten. A “normal” restaurant meal consists of a starter, the main course and dessert, with each individual ordering different plates for themselves. There is no such thing as an appetizer, but there is no dish that belongs only to one person; all dishes are shared and enjoyed together! Thais believe that eating alone is bad luck, so the more people you eat with, the better luck and the more food to indulge in.

Another wonderful thing is they believe in minimal to no waste because they don’t want to anger the “thai god of rice”. This female deity watches over to make sure everyone has enough to eat. A typical Thai meal includesfour main seasonings: salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. Most Thai dishes are not considered satisfying unless they combine all four tastes! When eating out, a group of Thai diners would order a variety of meat and/or fish dishes, plus vegetables, a noodle dish, and sometimes soup. Depending on the region, dessert may consist simply of fresh fruit or something more exotic, such as colorful rice cakes.

One norm in society that is different from what we know in the US as shaking hands, or in Europe as kissing on the cheeks, is the Wai greeting. Standardly, you raise both hands in prayer; fingers pointing upward, and lightly touch the body somewhere between the chest and forehead. Not only a greeting, but also a form of respect, the location of your hands and the depth of your bowed head demonstrate different levels of courtesy. When entering a home, you should step over the threshold rather than on it, as an old custom. Something fun: The phrase Mai pen rai, or “never mind” describes the country’s unofficial philosophy, capturing natives’ ability for keeping cool in demanding or frustrating situations. In the grand scheme of things, why stress about insignificant matters? Mai pen rai! (A great motto to live by). This laid-back mindset goes hand-in-hand with an innate sense of light-heartedness. Nothing is taken too seriously, and anything worth doing should contain some element of sanuk or fun. With such an outlook on life, everyone communicates well and resonates together!

Thailand is an incredibly unique, beautiful, spiritual, peaceful and positive place, accurately nicknamed, “the land of smiles”. It is a wonderful vacation and residential spot that has people returning for marriage in the place they fell in love with. I am exceptionally fortunate to be spending over a month there during the summer of 2017, and I cannot wait to learn all about it first hand!