French 
Thailand’s culture can be a little hard to fathom for most Westerners – even those having visited the country on many occasions. Perhaps the easiest way to describe it is as a system of mutual respect, dignity and quiet politeness based on a notion of seniority (in whatever form that may take). It has been the subject of many books, but here we’ll limit it to an explanation of the main aspects.
Respect - Generally, younger people will show respect for older people, poorer people will show respect for the wealthy and ordinary citizens will show respect for politicians and/or senior military figures. This is the complex system of seniority, however, monks are right at the top of the pecking order when it comes to respect. Don’t be surprised to see a teenage monk sitting down on a bus whilst a frail elderly person totters in the aisle.
Seniority, however, also carries certain (generally unwritten) obligations . For example, Westerners (judged by popular Thai culture as being excessively rich) are expected to pay more than locals (viewed almost always as poorer). This might mean paying a higher price at a tourist attraction or footing the bill when inviting Thai people to dinner.
Dignity - The Thais are a very dignified people. Outward displays of any emotion - anger, jealousy, affection etc - are considered bad taste. Keeping calm is paramount and the Thais’ secret weapon for diffusing an awkward situation is a disarming smile. Confrontation is never sought. You might, for example, see Thai teenagers hold hands occasionally (although this is still relatively rare), but you almost certainly wouldn’t see them kiss in public. Similarly, aggressive complaints should be avoided – a calm, almost apologetic complaint will always get a better response and is much more likely to be dealt with to your satisfaction.
The Wai
The Wai (the action of pressing your fingers and palms together at chest level whilst slightly bowing your head – almost like the way children are taught to pray at school) is the traditional Thai greeting. However, it’s also used as a sign of respect, as a means of saying Thank You and also of apologising. It is polite to return the Wai (unless it is from a child) and, along with trying to say ‘Thank You’ in Thai, will earn you lots of brownie points.
