It is impossible to tweet the full name of the capital city of Thailand, Bangkok. At 168 characters (twitter only allows 140 characters) it is the longest place name in the world. Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.
Thailand, Prathet Thai in the Thai language, means “Land of the Free.” And “Land of the Free” is appropriate, because Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia never to have been colonized by a foreign power. Thailand has over 1,400 islands within its territory. Thailand has a college just for monkeys called Thani Monkey College. The “students” learn all sorts of streetperforming tricks and how to collect coconuts. Many Thais have a firm belief in ghosts. For example, after purchasing a house, it’s very common to build a small spirit house for whoever occupied the site in the past, and to give offerings to the spirits Thailand is home to one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, the Mekong giant catfish, which can weigh up to 700lbs, and the world’s smallest bat – the bumblebee bat (aka Kitti’s hog-nosed bat), which grows to a little over an inch and weighs two grams. Using Thai baht coins, there is a fun game you can play when visiting temples in Bangkok – find the locations of temples pictured on the coins. Here is a bit of a headstart so you know exactly which temples to search for:
1 baht coin – Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald
Buddha, inside The Grand Palace)
2 baht coin – Wat Saket (Temple on the Mount)
5 baht coin – Wat Benjamabophit (The Marble Temple)
10 baht coin – Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)
Red Bull is arguably the most popular energy drink in the world, and it is based on a Thai drink called Krating Daeng. However, the Thai version was modified to suit western tastes. Buddhism is practiced by 95% of Thailand’s population. Muay Thai boxing is the national sport. Known as the “art of eight limbs”, the martial art uses punches, kicks, elbows and knees making it a particularly lethal form of self-defense.