I have a few questions before our move to Thailand.

1. I'm 37" at the hips, I LOVE LOVE LOVE shopping/fashion am I going to have a hard time finding clothes? Should I stock up on underwear and bra's here before I move?

2. Are there any stores in Chiang Mai that have clothes for someone my size? :/

3. I'd like to slim down a bit after the move, has anyone lost weight moving to Thailand due to the difference in food?

4. I read in a different forum post, the one about protecting yourself in Thailand as a woman, and it said that you shouldn't dress like a tart. I like to wear sheer tops, is that something I should stop wearing? I like them cause I like to cover my arms but it's more airy in the heat. I definitely don't want to come off wrong, but I'd like to keep my style :/

5. Is there anything about the Thai culture in terms of etiquette I should know about? Or things I should and shouldn't do?

6. Is there anything I won't be able to find in Thailand that I should buy while I'm here in Canada?

Thanks everyone in advance for any help

well I'm not a chick so I can't answer most of your questions, but I can tell you in Thailand I think it is easier to slim down. Might be the food. Might be the weather. Like it's hot so you drink alot of water and you sweat it out. But whenever I'm there I find myself losing weight, even if unintentionally, and eating less. So in that regards I think it will be helpful.

As to the clothes issue, I have read other posts here and judging from that you may be better off stocking up on western size clothes before you go.

Well I put weight on when I moved over here but I am slowly losing it. All depends on your diet I guess...

Stock up on underwear (bras and panties etc) as I have a hard time finding decent quality ones which fit properly.

I am a similar size to you (36" hips) and I have a hard time finding clothes for my bottom half. You will find some but the choice will be limited. My solution to this is to lose weight until I can fit into them. I have found some clothes but I always have to go for the extra large variety.

Its very easy to dress fashionably in Thailand without looking like a tart. In Thailand its a little bit unbecoming to have a full on cleavage show and bare shoulders, however most Thais are not too fussed and accept the fact that you're not Thai etc.

You will probably tone down your fashion sense anyway because of the heat. I used to dress very fashionably in the UK and took a lot of effort in my appearance, however now its too hot to even bother sometimes. Of course I still get dressed up for nights out but I started caring less about what I look like in a sense. Comfort over looks.

Bring a stock load of tampons that you are comfortable wearing. There's not a lot of options over here and I don't find them all that comfy either.

There's probably a few more things but these are things that come to my mind so far this morning. Good luck with the move!

Well I'm afraid I can't say that it is any easier losing weight here, at least not for me.

As another poster said, you WILL find it hard to find off the rack clothes that fit so should stock up especially bras, pants, skirt, but if you are full breasted you'll also find blouses/tops to be a problem here as even the largest sizes available don't anticipate much being there. And do the shopping now while summer clothes can still be found as you need fabrics and styles that are suitable for extreme heat and humidity.

One nice perk to life here is that having clothes custom made is fairly affordable so there is also that option.

Things to bring: In addition to tampons, add to your list a salad spinner, for some reason there is no finding them here though plenty of salad ingrediants on the market.

Re question #4, it depends on the context. Don't wear sheer tops walking around,only if going out to a nightclub or something like that...and even then, you may draw stares despite Thai women being similiarly attired. Western women are viewed in something of a hyper-sexual way by some Thai men (particularly the less educated) so one does best to dress a tad more conservatively than the local women do. It's not a draconian thing though...shorts are fine as long as not ultra-short, and most sundresses are also OK .

Re question #5, read up on it, lots of sources out there. There are indeed some definite dos and don'ts but they are well known and even a casual read will unearth them.

I'm a guy and here are my thoughts:

1. Don't bring ANY warm weather clothing. It is hot here all the time. If you should ever need 'warm' clothes, you can get one or two pieces here, but that's all you'll need. Save room in your luggage for other things.

2. Sheer tops are pretty much a no-no. Thai women are very, very shy about their breasts. Thai women don't wear sheer or low-cut tops and they are very aware and protective of their breasts - they always hold their collar closed when they bend over if there is any possibility of a 'peek'...they are obsessive about this. To my knowledge, it's not so much a question of safety as it is of public morals.

3. On the other hand, shorts and short skirts are definitely worn everywhere - even in the office. However, Thai women always wear a pair of shorts underneath - not panties or underwear. If you see pictures of Thai women in short skirts, they are also wearing shorts that cover everything. There aren't any women in those short skirts wearing only panties or g-strings...they are well covered underneath. So, again, short skirts are in, but with definite 'coverage' underneath.

The images you see of sexy Thai women dancing in bikinis and lingerie are strictly limited to the sex tourism areas and beaches...you won't see women dressed or acting like that out on the street and in the general public.

Edited August 26, 201213 yr by Jawnie

if you are talking about a sheer top with a vest or t shirt underneath then it's fine, if you plan on wearing a sheer top with only a bra under then no. but then that would be my answer in any country

those arent shorts under the skirts, its tights, there are long, three quarter, and short... hanes s wear of good for that stuff.. we do the same here. no one will let someone look up her dress to see undies...and he's right, hubby reminds me constantly to put on bra before going out anywhere, god forbide someone should see a nipple (and mine are also prminent)

bina

israel

Well I'm afraid I can't say that it is any easier losing weight here, at least not for me.

As another poster said, you WILL find it hard to find off the rack clothes that fit so should stock up especially bras, pants, skirt, but if you are full breasted you'll also find blouses/tops to be a problem here as even the largest sizes available don't anticipate much being there. And do the shopping now while summer clothes can still be found as you need fabrics and styles that are suitable for extreme heat and humidity.

One nice perk to life here is that having clothes custom made is fairly affordable so there is also that option.

Things to bring: In addition to tampons, add to your list a salad spinner, for some reason there is no finding them here though plenty of salad ingrediants on the market.

Re question #4, it depends on the context. Don't wear sheer tops walking around,only if going out to a nightclub or something like that...and even then, you may draw stares despite Thai women being similiarly attired. Western women are viewed in something of a hyper-sexual way by some Thai men (particularly the less educated) so one does best to dress a tad more conservatively than the local women do. It's not a draconian thing though...shorts are fine as long as not ultra-short, and most sundresses are also OK .

Re question #5, read up on it, lots of sources out there. There are indeed some definite dos and don'ts but they are well known and even a casual read will unearth them.

What is a 'salad spinner' Sheryl?

it looks like this you wash the salad & herbs, chuck in the spinner & then it twirls it around & drys the leaves.

^^

Well, that makes sense. For a while I thought it was some sort of euphanism for a feminine hygiene product...I really didn't want to inquire further.

Never seen or heard of the salad spinner thing! Thanks for the link, now I know!

Yeah no sheer tops or revealing tops and even bare shoulders - Thai women don't show them - or at least not often. Some do, but it is rare, and not for all places/occasions.

Like Jawnie said though Thai women have no qualms whatsoever about showing legs, they will wear mini skirts and high cut shorts even at all ages.

You are farang so you will probably be accepted to dress differently but it depends how bothered you are about fitting in with them or whether you don't mind being different, after all you are different anyway. But most farang women who live here (not tourists) tend to fall in with the ways that the women dress here whether intentionally or not.

As for the cool clothes thing, it depends on where you are going, surely, up here in the North, we will shortly be going in to cold season and at night, it gets cold! It's OK of you are always inside or in a car etc, but especially if you are on a motobike, in the early morning or evening I usually wear my fake fur coat and woolly scarf. And still cold.

Re question 5 there are a couple of books you might want to read - Culture Shock Thailand by Robert and Napantha Cooper and Thailand Fever by Pirazzi and Vasant.

^^

Well, that makes sense. For a while I thought it was some sort of euphanism for a feminine hygiene product...I really didn't want to inquire further.

it looks like this you wash the salad & herbs, chuck in the spinner & then it twirls it around & drys the leaves.

I got one in Global house Chonburi. Also available in IKEA mega Bang Na located behind a crowd of about 10 people holding them in the air, turning them upside down trying to workout what on earth they are.

http://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/30157235/

And rather a different price.

http://www.verasu.com/product_detail.php?pid=807

Edited September 4, 201213 yr by arthurwait

I also live in Chiang Mai and must confess this no bare shoulders concept has escaped a large number of Thai girls here. I see it regularly. The shortest shorts ever, yes also popular but I would not wear shorts that short even with tights underneath so it hardly matters what someone else wears.

I buy my bras and underwear back home as I usually have difficulty finding things that fit properly. Although I have heard that there is a lingerie/underwear wholesale factory with bras and underwear of all sizes on the old Chiang Mai Lamphun Road I have yet to venture out that way.

Chiang Mai cool season is coming up and you will want a jacket and gloves if on a motorbike at night. It can be surprisingly cold.

it looks like this you wash the salad & herbs, chuck in the spinner & then it twirls it around & drys the leaves.

And you really, really need to get one. I've bought 3 of the useless things out here - not cheap, from department stores. It's already on the list for the next trip back home (always an empty case between us and hardly anything in the other to be filled with 14kg wheel of parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese). The best one I ever had had a cord wrapped around an inertia wheel in the lid and you just kept on pulling the piece of string. As I recall, I paid $45 for it probably 15 years ago, but I had it for years and it was magnificent, so I consider it money well spent. I could buy one online, they're light enough to mail, but I'd want to stand in the shop and pull on the string to make sure I was getting a good one.If you're planning on doing your own laundry, a good part of the rest of our weight allowance goes on laundry liquid - I haven't been able to find anything that comes even close here to the quality in UK or Aus. And tea bags. Of course.

Edited September 23, 201213 yr by Konini

it looks like this you wash the salad & herbs, chuck in the spinner & then it twirls it around & drys the leaves.

http://www.ikea.com/th/en/catalog/products/30157235/

And rather a different price.

http://www.verasu.com/product_detail.php?pid=807

I've had the one from Verasu - waste of money (in my opinion of course), it just didn't cut it. The one from Ikea is too cheap to be good in my opinion, but we all get surprised from time to time.