DO NOT do these things in Thailand

Do Not do these things in Thailand!

Do Not do these things in Thailand!! So you are super excited! You booked your first trip to Thailand. Trust me you are going to fall in love and be coming back for a long time. But before you board that long flight let me give you a few things to avoid.

The things I’m about to share are things you will not really know are bad. Especially if this is your first time to the land of smiles. I learned most of these first hand.

X don’t ride elephants

You will be in awe when you see your first majestic elephants. I was. Here is the thing no one told me until after my first trip how bad the elephants are treated. Now let’s make this clear. The elephants for trecking are abused. They are chained up with very small chains.

When the elephants are allowed off it is for tourists to mount their backs and a Mahout ( Thai elephant trainer) will either get on there neck or oftentimes walk next to them guiding them. This person is equipped with a hooked blade that they have no problem hitting and sticking the elephants with.

I was unaware of this the first time I seen an elephant camp and went over and played with a baby elephant and fed her for 100THB per bottle of milk.

After my first trip, I started to learn more and learned that the right thing to do is to visit the Elephant sanctuaries. These are the placed they rescue the elephants from the tourism industry. This experience was amazing you interact with these beautiful creatures all day feeding and bathing them. No chains no cruelty.

So research Your elephant adventure before you make a choice you will regret.

X Don’t go to the tiger kingdom

Along the lines of the abuse that the elephants suffer you have the Tigers. Almost every tourist based location will have a tiger “Kingdom” or “Park”. I have been to them twice on my first 2 trips to Thailand.

The first time I had no clue there could be any abuse. Every taxi and tuk-tuk driver is going to ask if you want to go. They will show you these amazing photos of people with these beautiful beasts. No chains, just you 5 tigers and a guy with a stick.

The second time I went I still had no proof and actually not seen with my own eyes of any abuse. I was aware of people saying that they drug the tigers. Doing so would make it safe for humans to interact with them. My experience was these tiger were jumping and playing and not very drugged up.

When it comes down to it tho, when we go we are just helping them exploit these amazing animals and that’s not really what life is about. We are all going to make our own decisions and mistakes. Just make sure you are making the best possible ones. they didn’t ask to be there and us paying keeps the cycle going.

X Don’t buy the small birds

THis is something that took me getting to know some Thai people better to understand. In Thailand when you go to some temples near water you buy some fish. You do this to release them for good luck.

Now you will see mostly children on beaches in tourist areas with little birds in cages and they will explain it is for good luck in the same way you do the fish. What I learned is you should not do this because you are not really releasing them. In fact, the same birds are caught over and over. Unlike the fish that swim off the birds are recycled and used for the tourists. It is looked down upon by many Thai.

Release the small fish instead if you’re looking for an experience like this.

X don’t engage in eating exotic meats for the sake of tourism.

This one is in response to an IG post that I read where a tourist partakes in eating DOG and goes on to say that it is no big deal because of it being part of the culture. Well, it is not really part of the culture and illegal in Thailand. But with the supply and demand law. People will supply if there is a demand. Even if the demand comes from people trying to get reactions on social media.

Just stay away from being the reason that peoples dogs are stolen and poor soi dogs are picked up and killed.

Just a Few

This is just a few of many things you should avoid. I write this because I wish I had known some of these things beforehand. Now enjoy this amazing country!!