Hua Hin Hotel Thailand

Majority of people in Thailand speak the Thai language. If you are planning to visit Thailand, then learning some of the local dialects and phrases will be useful. Apart from sightseeing, there is also fun in interacting with the locals. The Thai are well known for their hospitality and their happiness doubles if they see a foreigner or a traveler trying to speak their language. Many Thais cannot speak English. Therefore learning their language would definitely be an added advantage for you.

You will not only learn a new language but will also gain a rich insight into the culture and heritage of Thailand. You also have the advantage of moving around easily in Thailand if you are equipped with the Thai language.

When you speak the language, you should end the sentence with ‘Krab’ if you are male and ‘Kha’ if you are female. Thai language has a musical lilt to it, ranging from high, medium to low pitch tones. Stressing on a word or stretching the word longer may even change the meaning of the word and the sentence. If you hear the Thai speaking, then you will have a better idea of how to speak this lovely sweet language.

To mention a few Thai phrases, ‘Sa-wat dee’ means Hello and Goodbye, Khorb koon means Thank you, Gee bath? means How much?, Arai means What, Sai means Left, Kwaa means Right, Gai mai? means Is it far?, Tum mai means Why? and Chai/Mai chai means Yes/No.

If you go shopping in Thailand, you can use some of the phrases such as, ‘Ra ka thao rai?’ meaning How much is this?, ‘Paeng pai’ meaning That is a little expensive, ‘Lot noi dai mai’ meaning Can you make it cheaper?, and Ja ma mai meaning ‘ I will come back later’.

These phrases will help you to find your way during traveling, interaction with shopkeepers and talking with the locals.

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Several years ago, I took a vacation to Thailand. It was the best vacation of my life. The country is beautiful and extremely safe for a 3rd world country. The food was fantastic. I love Thai food. The people are friendly and probably the best part of all, everything is dirt cheap. You can get a beautiful apartment on the beach for $300-$500 per month. Dinner at a Thai restaurant is often less than $2.

I started thinking I would like to retire there or better yet, find a job there. Unfortunately there are laws making it very hard to get a job in Thailand unless you are Thai. I got to know some of the local residents. I asked them what they did for a living. A lot of them worked on oil rigs.

The oil industry pays extremely well. Starting wages for a guy with no experience at all is $300 per day. You work, eat and sleep on the rig so there are no outside expenses. A normal “trip” is 14 days. At the end of the trip, you can sign up for another trip or take time off. Most of the people I met take 4-6 MONTHS off per year!

What makes it so attractive is that you get paid every day you are on a trip. If you are out for 14 days, you get $4200. That’s quite a bit of money. And get this. Since my friends live outside the US, the first $85,000 of their income is not subject to US taxes.

Don’t get me wrong, its hard work. A shift can be anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. A college degree means nothing on an oil rig. People that are in great physical shape have it all over a guy who is weak but educated. Did people tell you that you had to go to college to make good money? They obviously didn’t know about working on an oil rig.

The entry level position is that of a general laborer or roustabout. Duties include cleaning up, painting and anything anyone asks you to do. Its important that you are able to follow direction and work without supervision. You should be easy to get along with. Oil Rig Crews are small groups and need to work together as a team. These are the most sought after traits of a new hire.

There are currently more jobs available than there are applicants. You don’t need a college degree or even a high school diploma. If you don’t mind hard, physical labor and can follow directions, you can have a high paying job in the oil industry.

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Krabi province of Thailand and Sheraton group of hotels make a heady combination. Sheraton Krabi hotels came up with Sheraton Krabi beach Resort on the beautiful Klong Muong beach in an attempt to match the beauty of the locale with its luxurious rooms, excellent facilities and impeccable hospitality.

And, how they have succeeded in this endeavor! The resort designed with distinct Thai influence is the ideal place to relax after a long day of sight-seeing and activities. Sheraton Resort offers the added advantage of their Club Rooms, which entitles its guests access to Club Lounge and its accompanying benefits.

Spending a lazy day is never dull when staying at Sheraton Krabi hotels. The beachfront swimming pools enveloped in tropical gardens offer the perfect location to relax with a refreshing swim or in a hammock under the blue sky. The array of bars and restaurants here lets you enjoy a variety of mouth-watering cuisines and cocktails.

The location of the resort on the beachfront affords its guests multitude of options to explore the province and its assortment of activities. Right from the beach, guests can board private boats for activities such as kayaking, diving and snorkeling and go exploring the nearby islands like Phi Phi Islands and James Bond Islands.

Sheraton Krabi hotels are well established as excellent locations for meetings and events. The Andaman Grande Room and Krabi Room are popular choices for indoor entertainment, while the huge beach marquees serve as outdoor venue. The resort offers the most modern equipments and accessories, including audiovisuals, for the function. This is an ideal location for theme parties.

Sheraton Krabi hotels have special offers for specific groups of travelers. These are Meetings Offers, Wedding Options, Activities Offers, Family Offers and Spa & Wellness Offers. Other popular offers are ‘More Nights=More Rewards’, ‘Free Nights’, ‘Getaway Package’, ‘Club Away Package’, ‘Family Connection Package’ and free upgrade option.

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Many people every year travel to Thailand without knowing what is in store for them. Well, all these people are about to have an experience of a lifetime. Thailand is one of the most beautiful tourist places in the world, and certainly one of the best in Asia. This Eastern country serves millions of travelers all round the year and the number keeps on increasing every year.

Certainly there has to be some reason why people chose to visit Thailand year after year. Thai’s are the best inhabitants of a country you will ever see. These people make sure that everyone who visits Thailand takes with him a memory for a lifetime.

Some of the important cities of Thailand are Bangkok (capital of Thailand) and Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is covered with high mountains and rain forest and is a good tourist spot for adventurous people. Southern Thailand has some of the most beautiful beaches that you will ever see. It has attracted many Hollywood projects like The Man with the Golden Gun, The Bridge over River Kwai and most recently Alex Garland’s The beach.

Bangkok or the ‘rice bowl of Thailand’ is the capital city of the country and is one of the most advanced and modern cities of the East. All the latest amenities and luxuries will be available to you if you wish to have a sophisticated travel. Huge malls and open markets intrigues more and more people every year. The prices for various electronic products are much less here as compared to other countries. Shopping is one of the main reason people come to Thailand.

The weather in Thailand is hot and humid. As a joke, people in Thailand say that they have three seasons in Thailand; hot, hotter and hottest. The temperature varies from 25 to35 degree Celsius.

Thai food is one of the most exotic cuisines you will ever have. Many people travel to Thailand to have some authentic Thai made Thai food. There are many restaurants all over the world that serves Thai food, but one cannot compare those with the ones you get in Thailand; pretty obvious isn’t it? Thai menu’s are big and very diverse offering variety of dishes. Also Northern Thailand will have different special food when compared to south Thailand dishes. Pad Thai is one of the most famous and popular foods in the country.

Staying in Thailand is not much of an expense. Apart from your air travel tickets, while being in Thailand, things are pretty cheap everywhere. Good hotels will cost you not more than $30, and if you eat from some cheap local Thai restaurant (where the food is sometimes better than the big ones) you can have your meal for $2. If you are on a budget, then staying in Thailand won’t even cost you as much as your air travel fare. There are sophisticated and high class hotels too if you want to spend a lot.

So overall, Thailand offers something for everyone. People from all over can come and have the time of their lives.

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I took my ESL training from TEFL International in Ban Phe, Thailand, back in 2003. Prior to that I had been in the entertainment field, as well as broadcast journalism. I had no background in teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) but wanted to travel and earn my way around the world instead of depending on my paltry savings. Teaching English overseas looked like a good bet. The reason I chose TEFL International was because the school had been around for seven years already and had a world-class teacher trainer, David Hopkins, as their lead trainer. Also, I just plain wanted to live in Thailand! I’d been there before in the early 70’s and found the people to be friendly and helpful and the food was so good I couldn’t stop salivating when I remembered the coconut curries and green papaya salads I’d had al fresco under the palm trees by the beach. And no more winter! What’s not to like?

I passed the TEFL International 4-week course successfully and was awarded a TEFL certificate, allowing me to teach English anywhere in Asia, Africa, South America, and parts of Europe. I stayed in Bangkok for two years teaching at language schools and doing some private tutoring on the side. I made enough to afford a decent apartment, good food, and plenty of in-country travel.

Since then I’ve had many people ask me if I thought they could take the TEFL International course and succeed as overseas English teachers even if they didn’t have a teaching background. My answer is always “sure you can!” I’ve listed a few tips from my own TEFL International experience, which can help you or anyone else succeed in receiving a

TEFL certificate from TEFL International:

o Have your vaccinations updated. Malaria is no longer common in Thailand, but you should get booster shots for diphtheria and tetanus. You’re bound to get a bit of traveler’s diarrhea during your first week in country, but a swig of Pepto Bismol will take care of that. You need to be in good health while you’re taking the course.

o Which brings me to my next point; for a variety of reasons many people, when they first visit a foreign country, start drinking much more than they ever did back home. We’re all familiar with the binge-drinking that takes place on university campuses. A similar scenario often plays out along the beach bars in Thailand. New students seem impelled to drink each other under the table. So take it easy on the Chang Beer; set reasonable limits for yourself and stick to them when you’re out socializing. You’re going to start class each weekday morning at nine, no matter how hung over you are, and you need to be sharp and ready to think outside your old parameters.

o Bring at least one set of good business clothing with you, and that includes shoes. Shorts and a t-shirt, with the accompanying flip-flops, are great for a stroll on the beach, but when you interview for a teaching position, and when you are actually teaching, you will be expected to wear business attire. That means ties for men and long skirts for women.

o In Thailand and some other Asian countries there is a double-standard when it comes to smoking. Men can do it; women can’t. Sorry ladies, but if you want to light up it’s back to the Girl’s Room – just like high school. But think of it as a positive thing – it’s great motivation to quit!

o One of the biggest bugaboos I hear about teaching overseas is “but I can’t speak the language!” You’re not expected to know Thai or Chinese or Tagalong, since you’re not teaching it. You’re an English teacher, and when students are in your classroom they are expected to speak only English. It’s called “immersion” teaching, and it’s what you will be taught to do. You can get along in Thailand with just a few Thai words and phrases. I promise you won’t feel isolated at all; the Thais are an extremely gregarious group of people. They will include you in their fun from the day you step off the plane!

o Throw away your preconceived notions about the English language and about teaching in general. Maybe you were taught by crusty nuns in a parochial school or free-wheeling hippy types at an open school. Whatever your conception of a teacher is, be ready to change it once you start your TEFL class. You’ll be getting real-time teaching experience with real foreign students, and you’ve got to flexible enough to meet their needs and not worry about your “role” as a teacher.

o Bring your laptop, if you have one. If not, bring an extra three to four hundred dollars to buy one – they are very inexpensive overseas in Asia and a very necessary for your emails, blogs, Facebook, and for lesson planning. There are plenty of internet cafes but most of them are full of screaming, shuffling teenagers. Who needs the aggravation?

o Most important of all; use your teacher trainers as resource people. They know more than just how to diagram a sentence. They can give you the inside scoop on the best places to travel, to eat, and to sleep. They know where the best teaching jobs are, and they are usually happy to share that information with you – if you ask. Put another way – don’t get off on the wrong foot with your teacher trainers; these are people that can be a lifelong source of support and information for you.

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